THE CIORUNNER

Pushing a k Chevy Squarebody to the MAX!

- JOHN MATA JR

One nice bonus of owning a business within the automotive community is coming across unbelievable buying opportunities every now and then. Chris Gardner owns and operates Maximum Offroad Transmissions in Hesperia, California, which means that he lays his eyes on a lot of badass trucks. One of Chris' buddies was selling an '84 Chevy pickup due to it having a blown trans. Even though the truck wasn't running, there was lots of potential still left, and Chris was quick to spot it. The C10 was basically a cab on top of a custom frame and drivetrain—both fully built to handle extreme off-roading. Chris bought the truck as is and quickly realized that the upkeep of trucks built to shred on dirt isn't cheap.

Not one to give up so fast, Chris began the process of showing the C10 some love—starting with the trans, naturally. He chose a new SH400 unit, and to flip through the gears, a Winters flush-mount shifter was also thrown into the mix. Keeping the trans running at optimal temps is key, so Chris selected dual CBR coolers to keep it happy.

The C10 came with a Dart 434 SBC tall deck, so it was already a perfect candidate to hold onto and tune up, which Chris was happy to do. The Brad Wooten-built chassis the C10 was sitting on is what really sold Chris on buying the truck. He saw its potential right away but having no real experience jumping trucks with a buttery soft suspension, he wasn't aware of just how much excitement awaited him during his first test drive.