Detailed to the Max: Greg Hathaway’s Twin-Turbo 1963 GMC

Detailed to the Max!

Usually when you build a truck, or any custom vehicle for that matter, a ton of planning goes into the project.

The first thing to do is to find that one perfect vehicle make and model that fits the look you want. Sometimes it’s a vehicle you had as a kid, one your parents had, or one that you simply always admired. Then it’s time to hit Marketplace, Craigslist, or your local auction to find a start to the project. Once you acquire the vehicle, you can start laying out plans with color combos, suspension setup, the perfect engine to fit your needs, and the right interior to tie it all together. At least that’s the route most people go, including myself.

There’s usually a bunch of back-and-forth conversations with friends and shops you know to get the best route to take and make sure you use the right parts. For Greg Hathaway from Nampa, Idaho, that is the furthest route from how this beautiful 1963 GMC came about. The truck was originally being built by a guy for about five years or so. He had done the search for the right truck, found the parts he wanted to use, and decided on a theme and color combo. Not being able to finish it due to life getting in the way, he decided to sell it. So now it went to a new home where the new owner started tinkering on it to try and get it finished. This owner decided to make a few changes to the original plan and make it his own. But just like the original builder, life got in the way and the truck had to be let go. Or, as we were told, “he stuck his wick in a candle that wasn’t his and had to sell it.”

That’s where Greg stepped in and picked up the truck for a deal of a lifetime to get it off the hands of the second builder. Being the truck was mid build when Greg got it, there were a lot of parts in the bed of the truck and a lot of parts installed wrong. Greg’s first truck was a 1964 Stepside, but he had always wanted a Fleetside, so this fit exactly what he had wanted for so long.

Once Greg had it moved to his shop, it was time to unload all the parts, lay them out, and see what he had to work with. Most of the truck had been painted Strata Blue and put together, but there was still a ton of work to do to get it looking like you see here. The first thing to do was to finish the paintwork on the body and fix a couple panels that had been burned through with a buffer. All the exterior brightwork was redone or replaced to give it that fresh chrome look. The bed received a new wood floor to freshen up inside the bed as well.

Once the paint and exterior components were where Greg wanted them, it was off to finish the suspension. The front has lowering spindles, and the rear has lowering shackles to get it to sit a little lower than stock—not much, but enough to make it look and drive better. You can’t have a finished rolling chassis without brakes, so Wilwood components were added on all four corners to ensure it would stop when needed. On top of that is a set of 20-inch Boss wheels wrapped in Toyo tires.

With the stance and exterior complete, it was off to the interior, where the metal parts received a fresh coat of white paint to give it a contrast from the exterior. The factory bench seat was wrapped in white and gray, the gauges were upgraded to AutoMeter, and the trim and carpet were updated to create a comfortable driving experience.

The only thing left was the drivetrain, which is the crowning jewel of this build. While the factory 383 stroker engine would be enough for most people, it wasn’t for Greg. The internals were upgraded to be strong enough to handle more power than it had stock. The FiTech fuel injection, MSD ignition and Eagle rotating assembly makes sure the twin turbos have enough fuel to spin properly. The spent gases are sent out of the Sanderson headers and 2.5-inch Flowmaster exhaust that exits before the rearend. The power plant is bolted to a TH350 TCI transmission and a 12-bolt GM rearend with 3.73 gears in it.

Now that Greg has his dream truck built to his liking, you can catch him cruising it around on nice days and even hitting a few local car shows. This just goes to show that you can always recreate that first vehicle you had, but with updated aspects to relive your younger years. It’s all part of being a gearhead.

Build Specs

Owner

Greg Hathaway
1963 Chevrolet C10
Nampa, ID

Engine/Powertrain

1970 Chevrolet 383 stroker
TH350 TCI transmission
FiTech fuel injection
MSD ignition
Sanderson headers
Twin turbos
Eagle rotating assembly
2.5-inch exhaust
Flowmaster mufflers

Chassis/Suspension

Lowered spindles
Lowered shackles

Wheel, Tires & Brakes

20-inch Boss wheels
Toyo Tires
Wilwood brakes

Exterior & Paint

Strata Blue and white paint

Interior

Factory bench seat reupholstered
AutoMeter gauges
Retrosound radio

Photo Credit: Bart Cepak