1966 Chevrolet C10

Description

You see a lot of restored trucks these days, vehicles that have ostensibly been upgraded to make them more functional, but that ultimately fail in keeping up the spirit of the original. And that's okay in some instances, but so many of them just go too far and erase all that's wonderful about an old vehicle. We would submit that this 1966 Chevrolet C10 pickup is a bit of a throwback to the past, when a restoration of a vehicle meant exactly that: restoring the former glory of a time gone past, by simply repeating history and putting everything back together as it was. The frame-off restoration of this beauty did exactly that, and man are we glad, because even though it looks better than it did originally, it still looks, well, original.

1966 was the final year of the 1st generation C-10, and we think it was very apropos to embark on such a high-quality restoration for this specific year, as it honors the legacy of all the C-10s that came before it. First and foremost, the restorers picked a great platform to start with in 2014 when the work began, choosing a straight and very solid truck with less than 90,000 miles on the clock. Turquoise Metallic and White is how it came out of the factory, although the repaint is of a high quality not yet seen in 1966. With a great shine and smooth finish, it shows only very minor imperfections, and is dressed and ready to dominate the local car show scene. It looks like an old truck should look and even though the turquoise is somewhat of an unusual color for a pickup, it suits this old workhorse just fine. The mid-60s Chevy trucks are stylish enough to make folks stop and stare as they drive by, with the white top and white accents providing great contrast that complements the look perfectly. It's definitely no-frills, with minimalist detailing, a painted front bumper, heavy-duty rear bumper (engraved with this truck's hometown dealership, just like it would've looked in '66) and a stepside bed complete with a mounted matching spare, but that's all part of the appeal and reinforces the old truck feeling that we were talking about earlier. The wood in the bed is so darn nice you'll think twice before filling it with dirt, but it certainly capable, further strengthened with beautiful paint-matched slats and interior walls, and bright chains on the tailgate.

The interior was fully redone back to stock as well, with a very comfortable Saddle Tan bench seat wrapped in durable vinyl. A vinyl mat the floor helps with noise and heat and sprays right off with a hose, and along with the metal door panels and oversized steering wheel, everything inside reminds you that this is a working-class vehicle from the past. Factory gauges are clearly original and perfectly restored with the odometer accurately reflecting the current, original mileage on the truck: 90,026. We also note with some interest that even in 1966, turn signals were not standard equipment in Chevy pickup trucks, but thankfully there is an optional factory stalk installed inside the original column. There's a later-model AM/FM/Cassette stereo system in the dash and it sounds quite good thanks to the neatly sealed surroundings inside the cabin, and along with the seatbelts, this seems to be the only deviation from stock. But please don't mistaken that as a demerit, the cab of this truck is still a very comfortable place to be.

No, there's no small block V8 under the hood, that's the original, numbers matching 250 cubic inch Inline 6 which has been there from day one. Technically classified as the 3rd generation Stovebolt motor, it's factory-rated at 155 horsepower, and because this particular motor only has approximately 1,000 miles on its rebuild (as does the entire restoration), it's shockingly smooth and torquey with a great six-cylinder soundtrack that's quite different than what you'd expect. It has an old-fashioned feel, which is exactly what we're talking about when we say we want to preserve that original integrity, and the 3-speed manual transmission manages the gears with ease and is extremely pleasurable to shift. Underneath, it's just as clean as it was on the original showroom floor, with a chassis and suspension components that are practically clean enough to eat off of. A factory exhaust system with a correct muffler sounds wonderful and it sits on painted white steel wheels with chrome Bowtie center caps for a truly old-school look. Recent 235/75/15 Goodyear blackwall radials have been fitted and they're definitely tall enough to fill those big fenders.

This is an exquisite, fully-restored C-10 that preserves everything we love about old pickups. And with only 1,000 miles on the build and a complete restoration book full of build receipts and photos, you can confidently know it's going to be on the road for decades to come. Call today!