CHARMER | Small Town Hotrod’s 1949 GMC 100 build

Dressed to Impress

They say a charmer is a person with an attractive and engaging personality that is typically used to manipulate or impress others. They make specific decisions about what they wear, the color of their clothes and the specific jewelry they add to the mix. Most of these decisions are motivated by other people’s desires or current pop-culture trends. So, if you met a pair of builders who specifically planned out their pickup for someone else’s pleasure, would that truck fit the bill of being a “charmer”?

By the time we got a chance to look at the interior, the expectations were right with reality. An absolutely stunning display of leather and polished billet aluminum give this cabin a fancy feel.

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In the case of this 1949 GMC 100, Michael Milligan and Jack Mullins had one purpose in mind when they purchased this project: build a truck that draws eyes from its beauty and dollars from the block. The Mecum Auctions auction block to be more specific, which is where we met this charmer for the first time.

From across the room, the bright metallic burgundy paint directly off a Lexus 3SO cut through the rest of the car colors in the convention hall. Absolute Rod & Custom should be proud of this paint job, it was a team effort from Michael, Brandon Glymph, Richard Glymph and John Youngman. And cooler details kept creeping up as we moved closer. Those gold-colored powdercoated Billet Pro wheels are the perfect color and fill the wheel wells with precision using a 20x10s in the rear and a 20x8s upfront. We also noticed the super cool Fulton Visor front windshield sun visor that’s painted to match along with a custom rear bumper and LS fabrication front and rear radius bed corners. The Precision Premium weatherstripping makes the truck look brand new from the outside, and once you look in the bed you realize how high-quality the truck build really is. Oak wood from Mar-K Quality looks amazing on the bed floor, and the fasteners are hidden under the aluminum bed strips for extra smooth detail.

   The Precision Premium weatherstripping makes the truck look brand new from the outside, and once you look in the bed you realize how high-quality the truck build really is.  

The truck sits flat on the ground like we think it should, using Airlift 2,600-pound front and rear airbags along with Bilstein Performance shocks. An Accuair E-level air management system keeps the truck exactly where it should be using self-leveling sensors on all four corners and a touchpad for operation of three different preset heights. A self-contained air tank from Accuair was also installed with built-in air compressors for minimal sound. In order for the truck to get as low as possible, this crew installed new 2-inch drop spindles, a new sway bar, upper and lower control arms and all new OEM drivetrain components on a modern GM frame. The rear end has been replaced with a 3-link suspension that connects to a new Currie Centurion high strength 9-inch notchback housing with a flush drain plug. The Currie Sportsman nodular-iron gear case includes a Daytona big bearing pinion support. To ensure the truck stops where it’s intended, the factory brakes were completely replaced with a Wilwood Big Brake kit that comes with drilled and slotted rotors along with black single piston calipers.

The truck that looks this good can’t be a pig when you press the pedal. So, Michael had the original motor tossed out and replaced with a new HRC Performance built 383 stroker engine that uses a FiTech Fuel Injection EFI system to maintain fuel pressure at all times. Ignition is controlled with an MSD distributor, and the exhaust gases are pushed through a set of Patriot Performance headers and custom built exhaust. Polished billet aluminum pulleys add to the intrigue when you see this engine bay, and a TH350 turbo transmission transfers all 480 crank hp to the tires.

By the time we got a chance to look at the interior, the expectations were right with reality. An absolutely stunning display of leather and polished billet aluminum give this cabin a fancy feel. Charm City Upholstery completely built a full custom interior including chocolate dolce vegan leather on the seats as well as the door panel and headliner. Burgundy square weave carpet covered the floor, and a new billet dash to glovebox faceplate from LS fabrication added some bling. Dakota Digital gauges modernized the mechanics, and new door and window crank knobs from Billet Specialties were the final edition to be included. It’s an amazing build that is sure to bring some big money to an owner who is proud to make this charmer their own.