By Rob Fortier – Images by Brian Goude
How do you follow up the fit, finish, and overall caliber of a 1969 Camaro SEMA project with your next build? Well, if you’re SoCal’s JR and Celeste Villarreal, you start with something on the complete opposite end of the spectrum … like an old, weathered pickup truck … kinda sorta.
“In 2023, JR and Celeste were finishing up their SEMA build, ‘Illicit,’ and the conversation of what’s next must have come up, and at some point they decided on a 1969 C10,” Arizona High Test’s Jason Berland told us. “Opposite the mirror-like perfect paint on the Illicit Camaro, they decided to hunt for a patina truck. After scouring the Internet, they found a perfect candidate—the truck had some dents and dings from being in use for the Las Vegas Water District. More importantly, the truck had the perfect weathered original #503 paint and zero rust.” But that was just the start. Next, JR contacted Nate Porter at Porterbuilt Fab and ordered up a Level 3 air-ride chassis for the C10 before delivering everything to Berland and his crew to, well, do their magic!
“For this build,” Berland continues, “the focus was on the details beneath the body of the truck. Underneath lies a flawless chassis outfitted with nothing but the best, including a supercharged LT4 engine and Baer brakes, Air Lift/FLO ride height management system, and (AZ High Test’s signature) full stainless hardlines bent up by Brian Lee. The Villarreals’ goal was reliability and performance so the truck could be truly enjoyed, whether Celeste or JR is behind the wheel. That original paint was polished before it got a gloss clearcoat by Mason Rush at American Built Customs to protect Mother Nature’s finest finish.”
There’s plenty more beneath the shiny patina surface. The Eaton 1.7L boosted, 580-rwhp 376 features Ultimate Headers with 3-inch exhaust and MagnaFlow mufflers/Vibrant resonators by Andy Venable, Wegner front drive kit and valve covers with hidden LS3 coils, and an 8L90E mated to a Currie 31-spline/3.70-geared 9-inch via an aluminum shaft from Arizona Driveshaft.
Chassis-wise, above and beyond what Berland mentioned above, you’ll find Ridetech shocks dampening the Air Lift system, Wilwood Pro spindles mounting the brakes, and Brixton Forged CM6 three-piece 22-inchers (9s up front with 10s in the rear, each running Michelin Pilot Sport radials), Unisteer rack-and-pinion steering, and a custom fuel tank built by Nick Cortina at N-Charge Fabrication.
The C10 sheetmetal, for all intents and purposes, is GM stock. However, under the hood you’ll find a custom firewall by Jack Honse behind a pair of Hart Fab inner fenderwells and custom core support cover. In the bed now resides a raised, articulating bed floor with another set of custom rear wheeltubs by Josh Hart. As for the antique “bulb” lighting, well that’s all been updated with a set of Dapper LED headlights and United Pacific LED taillights.
Finally, prior to El Rey hitting the road in SoCal, wiring (American Autowire harness) and final assembly was handled by Chris Murray, Pierce Cleland, and James Peterson before the truck made its way to Gabe Lopez for one of his signature full-leather upholstery jobs. Along with a custom bench seat and sculpted paneling by Gabe’s, the interior received Lokar foot controls, Classic Instruments gauges, Sparc steering wheel atop an Ididit column, JL Audio sound system, and RestoMod A/C.
Check out this story in our digital edition here.
