When we go to car shows it never ceases to amaze us how many vintage trucks are holding down the fort when it comes to displaying their true street rod nature. The most exciting part of these truck builds are usually the wood bed treatment done by the builder. In a landslide, most of these show trucks are fitted with material from Bed Wood and Parts, the Kentucky company that specializes in wood beds and floors for vintage vehicles.
We found this 1965 Chevrolet C10 at the Goodguys‘ Del Mar show. “The Buff” is owned by Donny Johnson, who tells the story of the time he parked next to Jeff Major, owner of Bed Wood and Parts, at a car show. “Jeff took a look at my truck and we figured some things out,” said Johnson. “He’s a great guy and I’m glad that we are using his products. It’s one of the best parts of the truck.”
Johnson has owned the truck since 1968, which tells us everything we need to know about how particular he is when it comes to putting new parts on his pride and joy. “This truck is on its third restoration,” Johnson explained. “It is one of the 2016 Goodguys’ truck of the year finalist for late model trucks from 1953 to 1972.”
The quicksand colored hauler features rounded bed rails on the step-side bed, with a custom swing tail gate, custom inner fenders and the incredible bed floor. The curly maple wood bed from Bed Wood and Parts highlights the exterior color.
The interior is finished in cinnamon brown leather with Daytona bronze carpet and custom leather seat on Glide Engineering frame. Classic Intruments gauges, Intro steering wheel on an Ididit column and one-piece power windows bring a touch of class to the retro street rod. Vintage Air adds creature comfort with a Kenwood stereo bring it all together.
The current iteration has the truck with an LS7, 427 cubic-inch (7.0 liter) Chevrolet engine that has put down 505 horsepower on the dyno. A 4L70E four-speed automatic transmission hangs behind the engine. A Ford 9-inch rearend with 3.73 gears provides the final drive. The first-gen C10 rides on a Ridetech Level 2 RidePRO suspension with satin suede finish Intro Wheels with Nitto tires. Sporting 19-inch x 8-inch on the front and 20-inch x 9-inch on the rear.
The current restoration was a frame-off build completed by A-1 Auto Body in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, with the interior work by JS Custom Interiors in Salt Lake City, Utah. The choice of bed wood was Johnson’s personal selection, and he still loves the choice today as much as the day he first selected the curly maple wood.