1978 GMC Jimmy: A Dream Build Turned Reality

VICTOR LOPEZ . February 27, 2025 . Department

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Victor Carrillo’s Family Cruiser

Most kids growing up have dream projects and setups they’d love to have. As we get older, budgets change and our wants differ, and the chase for the next build becomes a high as we check off boxes on the list. There’s always that one project that you’d do anything to get, the one you secretly keep an eye out for and would drive a thousand miles to pick up. For Victor Carrillo, that vehicle found him. Well, his cousin found it first, but it was perfect—all the way down to the color. Life had a plan. Victor’s cousin didn’t like the color and offered it to Victor, which was an obvious no-brainer for a dream build.

Life changes, and with a growing family, a Jimmy is the perfect truck for shows and as a daily driver. With everything original and just some slight work needed, Victor didn’t need much to get it close to his vision. A new distributor, new Edelbrock carburetor, and a Flowmaster setup was installed, plus some slick welds with a narrowed differential to help bring it all together with proper fitment. Seats were redone to help keep the original plaid spec, the exterior was color matched with that two tone blue color, which is a rare color to see around in its original condition.

With shows already planned for 2025 and a possible bag job in the future, Victor is making sure to keep his Jimmy around for years to come and is never letting this one get away too far.

Victor’s journey with his classic GMC Jimmy is a testament to the enduring passion for automotive projects. As a child, he had many dreams of the perfect build, and for Victor, this dream became a reality when his cousin discovered a Jimmy in a rare two-tone blue color that he had always admired. Balancing a growing family, Victor transformed the Jimmy into both a reliable source of transportation and a showpiece. He preserved its originality by making essential upgrades.