The Brown Bagger – Jason’s 1977 Chevy C10
This 1977 Chevy C10 dubbed the “Brown Bagger” will have you hungry for seconds. While others may have been late to the squarebody party, Jason Namkung’s blood has always run through this era of C10’s. “As a kid, I grew up in Super Sport Chevys and Squarebody trucks. Mom had the SS and Pops had the C10s” Jason said. So when Jason sold his 1970 2WD K5 Blazer he knew his next build had to be something special. He wanted a Squarebody that stood out from the norm and garnered attention.
It’s easy to know what you’re looking for but not always easy to find. Luckily for car and truck people like us, eBay exists! Low and behold, a solid 1977 Chevy C10 with its factory 454 Big block and A/C was listed. It was a barn find but at least it was a “running and driving” find. The transaction was made and it was on that 1,000-mile drive home that the Brown Bagger plan would be put into action.
Like a lot of builds, the first couple changes Jason had in mind were minor. A new set of wheels and a Holley Sniper EFI to help with elevation changes. That quickly spiraled out of control as a call to GSI Machine and Fabrication in Chandler, Arizona was made to pick up a set of their frame kits.
After much thought about billets, steelies, chrome wheels, etc; Jason decided to get a hold of Del from Delmo Speed for a true “One Off” set of 22” Aluminum wheels. The powdercoat color he chose is “Daffodil Yellow” by Prismatic and it’s the perfect contrasting, color choice. He’d never seen another wheel like it, but it would also compliment that luscious Cordova Brown as well as the factory GM yellow stripe down the side. The wheel choice definitely shouts, “Look at me!”
Once choosing the wheels and colors, Jason then decided to run the three-inch exhaust out of the 1977 Chevy C10 through the original filler cap holes in the side of the bed. Loud but cool!
Under the hood, the 454 motor was punched out to 496c.i with a Vintage Air Front Runner serpentine drive system. Dual batteries along with the Viair air compressors/tank are tucked away in a custom black tool box that lays under the bed rails feeding the Accuair E-Level Management controller inside the confines of the cab.
Future plans include HDX Dakota Digital gauges, installing a complete set of Precision weather stripping and if the budget allows he’s going to replace the hydraulic flat tappet camshaft and lifters with a Lunati Street/Strip solid flat tappet cam and lifter Kit along with a dual quad carburetor setup.
Anyone that knows Jason, aka “Soupsc10” knows he’s one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet. He and his buddies were able to get the truck from a painted frame to its first test drive in just over 90 days.
Jason wanted to send a huge shout out to these guys; Del Uschenko (Delmo), Toby Ratzlaff and Ben Wrasse at Performance Auto, Russ Adams at Southwest Transmissions, Willie Denney at WCD Fabrication, and Gonzalo Villasenor of Phoenix, AZ. Naturally, a lot of Jason’s friends on Instagram deserve a thank you as well for their support and advice.
