By “Rotten” Rodney Bauman – Images by the Author & Gary Kirby
Just to set the stage here, let’s pretend we’re attending a hometown cruise night. It’s primarily a social function, but if we happen to look around at, let’s say, classic trucks, what feature do we focus on first? If we were to ask a mechanic, it’d surely be mechanicals. If we were to ask an interior trimmer, it’d surely be interior trim. If we were to ask a painter, it’d surely be the paintjob—and that’s pretty much what triggered this shoot.
No doubt about it, patina is the in-thing at cruise night. Amidst the amassment of patina pickups, however, this Arrest-Me-Red one truly shines. Now, what if we were to tell you that the flawless, texture-free finish on this ’74 Chevy C10 was applied outdoors, in its owner’s residential backyard? Well, indeed it was. We’ll provide pictorial proof of that here later as we go, but for now, let’s begin with first things first.
Growing up in Riverside, California, under the influence of elder family members, Gary Kirby had the head-start advantage for sure. By the age of 17 he’d been hired to run parts, wash cars, and mop the shiniest shop floor in town at the original Ed Martin Garage. During that period, Gary paid attention and eventually secured a fulltime mechanic’s position there.
In later years, following a shift in professional trajectory, old cars and trucks became more like a heartfelt hobby for Gary, but the gains from his professional automotive experience clearly shine through in the details of his work still today. Gary’s own ’74 C10, for example, is an off-frame build. That becomes apparent (even to an old painter like yours truly) by second or third glance.
As Gary tells us, “I built this truck because I had a ’73 C10 that had been my dad’s. That truck was my first real set of wheels. When it was stolen in 1993, I told myself I’d have another someday. This one came my way in 2013.
“My son, Tannor, at the age of 8, found this truck on Craigslist, in Pahrump, Nevada, for $2,000. It was somewhat together with its engine resting in the cab. My dad, my son, and I went and picked it up with some extra parts for $1,800. We did begin working, but then my dad [died] and it just sat for years. Right around 2019, my son (by then in his teens) became interested, and work resumed as a father-and-son project.”
As we mentioned earlier, Gary’s C10 is an off-frame build. Its frame is pretty much an over-restored stocker with no-frills stance enhancements, which Gary refers to as “static drop.”
Out back and down below, C-notched ’rails grant clearance for a Brothers flip-kitted, OE 10-bolt 3.73 rear end, suspended via OE leaf springs with drop shackles and Brothers shocks. Up front and down below as well, OE control arms are retained, while new Brothers drop spindles and coil springs contribute to put shiny-new Holley Brothers bumpers—properly down as we see, into the overgrown weeds.
Power-boosted binders are the tried-and-true OE-type disc-and-drum combination. Master cylinder, booster, and kit-form brake lines are all Brothers items.
Wheels are U.S. Mags U110 Rambler, 20×8 out back and 20×6 up front. Those are chrome plated, and Summit staples, by the way. Tires are Hankook Ventus 275/35R20 out back, and 245/30R20 up front, from Ramona Tire in Riverside, California.
As Gary mentioned earlier, his initial project purchase came complete with its engine resting in the cab. Opting for Plan B, he rebuilt his own version of a 5.3L LS mill. Along the way, lifters, valvesprings, and a rather rumpity bumpstick were sourced through Texas Speed & Performance.
The rebuild of this truck’s transmission (a 700-R4) was handled the easy way, as an outright purchase from Bowtie Overdrives in Hesperia, California. The driveline build was farmed out as well to Inland Empire Driveline Service in Corona, California.
Beginning with Doug’s Headers, 2-1/2-inch twice pipes employ Flowmaster mufflers. They’re to be heard not seen. They’re not seen here in our photos, so please take our word; this truck’s exhaust system is pure artwork by Scotty’s Muffler in San Bernardino, California.
Eventually, as the project progressed to the reassembly line, Gary took on his own rewiring. Utilizing a Classic Update wiring kit from American Autowire for the chassis, and a PSI Standalone harness for the engine, the finished wiring work is cleanly near-concealed.
Assuming we’ve all been-there-done-that, we all know that reassembly is not for the impatient. In this particular instance, door seals, window felts, and all-imaginable clips, nuts, bolts, and so on, are LMC Truck staples, while up-to-date instrumentation is by Dakota Digital.
Saddle-Me-Down-Brown interior trim began with readily-available aftermarket components: dashpad and carpet from LMC Truck, seat foam from Snowden Custom Seats, and door trim panels from TMI Products. From there, it still took a trusted interior trimmer to stitch the loose ends together. Located in Colton, California, Ernie Yanez Jr. of Ernie’s Auto Upholstery was just the man for the job.
Moving onto topside particulars, bodywork chores were handled right at home by Gary, Tannor, and Kim Sublette (painter), with additional assistance provided by Bryant Ortega. For a properly fresh start, body panels were stripped to bare steel. The tailgate and both doors were replaced the old-fashioned way, with good used parts from Indiana Truck Salvage in Corona, California.
Custom body modifications are on the subtle side, as detail changes tend to come by surprise. For example: early-model Squarebody Chevys came with a gas cap protruding through the right bedside. As a hiccup remedy, Gary grafted a later-model Squarebody recessed gas door into his left bedside, and his good used tailgate received a bit of smoothing as well. For that, a section of an LMC Blazer inner ’gate panel, with latch handle components from Brothers, helped to cure the ’gate’s outward hiccup. Another nice touch is the glue-in-type backglass installation. With a little help from One Piece Products, the OE-style rubber gasket is deleted for a cleaner appearance.
Last but not least, since it truly is the feature that triggered this shoot, shall we now address this truck’s fine finish? Gary’s painter of choice wasn’t just a hired gun, but rather his good friend Kim Sublette. The two just help each other out with their projects, and that works out well for them.
Now painters, let’s not jump to assumptions here. Sublette is a professional, up to speed with modern waterborne technology. He wouldn’t ordinarily cocktail generic-brand basecoats and clears. He wouldn’t ordinarily shoot a job outdoors, either, but this was an exception for a friend.
Down to the short strokes, with a cut-and-buff job by Navarro’s Detailing in Hawaiian Gardens, California, and a matching-color bedliner by Bed Liners by Lokii in Riverside, California, the overall results are spectacular enough to earn Gary Kirby’s backyard beauty the spot that it deserves—right here on ClassicTruckPerformance.com.
