SHOWMAN The Wildest 1965 GMC C10 in the West

Andrea Fappani is a name that most folks out there might not be too familiar with, especially to those in the custom pickup truck arena. For those unfamiliar with the name, Italian-born Fappani is quite an influential figure in the highly competitive sport of horse reining. While many of y’all might not have too much interest in the world of pony wrangling, you might find another one of Andrea’s favorite hobbies much more appealing.

In just under two years’ time, Weaver’s Customs was able to  reshape an old, mistreated truck into the absolute stunning work of art seen on these pages.

Andrea has developed a deeply rooted love of custom trucks that started back when he first relocated to Arizona. He made the move to The States quite some years ago to further pursue his career with horses and absolutely fell in love with pickups. The attraction to these vehicles mostly stemmed from the simple fact that they were exciting and new since there weren’t many around where he is from in Italy. Andres found himself drawn to American trucks mostly, and developed very keen eye for the classic models specifically.

Enter the Weavers

Destiny sometimes works in mysterious ways, and in Andrea’s case, he was lucky enough to cross paths with fellow horse enthusiasts by the name of Randy and Sydney Weaver. Andrea connected with the Weavers due to their shared interest in horses, but it wasn’t until he got to know the couple better until they were able to connect on a much deeper level.

The Weavers turned out to also be big fans of customized vehicles. In fact, aside from being serious horse enthusiasts, they just happened to own and operate Weaver Customs out in West Jordan, Utah, which just so happens to be a shop dedicated to fabricating one-off cars and trucks of all kinds. Their clientele base tends to have a taste for the extraordinary, which was enough to catch and hold the attention of Andrea, who was certainly in the market for a classic pickup that he could have styled to meet his personal taste.

The experience Andrea had with trucks at this point was rather minimal, and questionable in all honesty. He had previously purchased a ’94 half-ton Chevy truck that was, according to him, downright ugly. He sunk a healthy sum of money into it but it was never quite right. This time around, he was sure he’d have much more success with the Weavers now on his team.

Work Begins on the ’65 GMC

After a solid meet up to discuss some of Andrea’s specific attributes he was looking for in his next truck, the Weavers began searching for the right specimen to began work on. Fortunately, they didn’t have to look too far, as they tracked down the perfect ’65 GMC pickup not too far from Andrea’s home. The truck was originally a longbed, a little rough around the edges, and needed a ton of work to become something special, but that’s nothing new for Randy and Sidney. They can see past a vehicle’s current condition and place their focus on its true potential.

Now, you might not believe that Andrea had all intentions for his ’65 to be a daily driver, but once the construction process began, it was apparent that the truck would definitely become much more complex. The GMC’s old 305 engine was quickly ripped out and replaced with a fresh 2019 GM Performance LT4 unit, and the original rusted-out suspension components were exchanged for a full orchestration of air-ride products. A set of custom ordered wheels were also added to the equation to give the truck a look that would truly be unique once the dust finally settled.

Personalized Inside and Out

In what seemed like no time at all, Randy and his team quickly found themselves planning the body and paintwork next. They invested a lot of work in the GMC, and those who are religiously familiar with C10 trucks will likely pick up on just how much attention to detail is here on this truck. Weaver’s Customs’ own Carlos Delgado really flexed his creative muscle in the sculpting of Andrea’s custom ’65, and to capitalize on this project being custom tailored to its owner’s taste, a special paint color, Fappani Steel Blue, was concocted to finish it off.

While the experience of taking the GMC out for a spin varies drastically from saddling up atop one of his immaculate horses, Andrea has come to appreciate, and on some days, prefer, the distinct sound of the few hundred ponies humming underneath the hood of his world-class custom showpiece.

With the GMC looking razor sharp on the outside, lots of great upgrades were also slated to commence inside the cab as well. A set of Procar seats were brought in and covered in supple burgundy colored skins from Hydes Leather, which ended up setting the bar for the rest of the interior. The dash, door panels and carpet have been made to match, which turned out to be a great look that effectively breaks up the cool hue of the truck’s painted surfaces. Updated electronic components in the way of a complete audio system, Dakota Digital gauges and a RestoMod AC unit gave Andrea all the modern creature comforts he is used to.

Horse of a Different Color

In just under two years’ time, Weaver’s Customs was able to reshape an old, mistreated truck into the absolute stunning work of art seen on these pages. While this truck doesn’t get driven everyday like its owner first envisioned at the start of the rebuilding phase, it has gone on to captivate audiences at some of the most anticipated truck shows around the country.

While the experience of taking the GMC out for a spin varies drastically from saddling up atop one of his immaculate horses, Andrea has come to appreciate, and on some days, prefer, the distinct sound of the few hundred ponies humming underneath the hood of his world-class custom showpiece.

Build Specs

OWNER

Andrea Fappani
1965 GMC C10
Scottsdale, AZ

Engine

• 2019 GM Performance supercharged LT4
• 2019 Tremec 6-speed transmission
• Be Cool aluminum radiator
• Flowmaster 2.5-inch exhaust system
• Hushpower muffler

Chassis

• Shop: Weavers Customs, West Jordan, UT
• Choppin’ Block front air ride system
• Rear 4-link system
• Fox shocks all around
• Rear sway bar
• Ford 9-inch rearend
• Detroit Speed rack and pinion
• Custom driveshaft
• One-off machined shifter
• McLeod dual disc clutch

Wheels, Tires & Brakes

• 18×10 and 20×15 custom specially machined 3-piece wheels by Mark Atkinson
• Mickey Thompson SR Radial tires
• Wilwood 14-inch brakes and master cylinder

Exterior

• Shop: Weavers Customs, West Jordan, UT
• Custom mixed Axalta Fappani Steel Blue paint
• Bodywork and paint by Weaver Customs, West Jordan, UT (Carlos Delgado)
• Roofline modified, flush-mounted glass, custom door handles, hand-fabricated front and rear valances, custom rockers, sharpened body lines, reshaped wheel wells, fabricated steel hood and grille, custom roll pan
• Harley-Davidson LED headlights
• Custom one-off door handles and billet trim pieces by Mark Atkinson

Interior

• Shop: MCM Custom Interiors & Seams Impossible Interiors, West Jordan, UT
• Modified Procar seats
• Hydes leather upholstery in burgundy color trimmed by Mason McMillian and Cody Nebeker
• Burgundy carpet
• Dakota Digital RTX gauges
• Billet Specialties steering wheel
• Pioneer head unit, Kicker amps, speakers and sub installed by Weaver Customs
• RestoMod A/C system
• American Autowire