Lakeside Speed and Shine Get Serious on a Custom ’75 Square Body
In the fall of 1972, the design titans at General Motors unleashed the squarebody truck to the yearning automotive public. Chevy and GMC sold millions over the next 15 years and created a legacy that’s more fervent today than ever. With the help of Lakeside Speed and Shine in Lake Havasu, Arizona, Frank Walsh distilled everything cool about squarebody trucks down to this custom, ground-hugging, teal-and-white ’75.
The truck was found by Lakeside owners Jim and Monique McKay, who purchased it from the second owner. It was a complete, rust-free pickup that was originally a four-wheel drive. Frank was a previous client of Lakeside, and when he expressed interest in the squarebody, the McKays sold it to him with the agreement for the shop to do a ground-up custom, the first full build Frank had ever commissioned.
To kick things off, the Lakeside Speed team set the original frame aside and ordered up a Roadster Shop SPEC Slammed chassis plumbed for air ride. “We added an Accuride compressor to lay frame and got busy choosing the rolling stock,” Jim says. “We worked with Schott wheels and heavily modified their C7 design. We enlarged the front rims to 22-inches and the rears to 24-inches. Because the wheels were so big, we had Little Shop Mfg. in Tennessee modify a set of Wilwood brakes by enlarging the rotors to 16-inches and adding six-piston calipers.”
The engine is a 427c.i. Dart LSX, and with help from a 3.0-liter Whipple supercharger it spins out a gnarly 1000 horsepower. A Gearstar 4L80E takes that twist and sends it to a Strange Engineering driveshaft and 9-inch rearend with 3.73 gears. Be sure and check the immaculate finish under the hood with the custom bead-rolled firewall and fender liners.
The truck retains its OEM sheet metal with the addition of an AMD bed floor stamping that raises up to reveal the gas tank and rear suspension. The teal color is a special mix dubbed Lakeside Blue.
The only part of the build not handled by Lakeside Speed was the interior. It was executed by Chris Pate and his team at Mobile Toys, Inc. in Texas. The bare cab was 3D scanned, and the interior was mocked up virtually. There is no wood in this cabin; all substrates are 3D-printed composites. The result is stunning, like it came out of a modern truck, only totally unique and way cooler.
The C10 has been turning heads and winning awards locally and at events like GNRS. It’s a testament to restraint and the deft melding of old and new. Frank’s goal with the truck was to “build the coolest squarebody C10 ever.” We say, mission accomplished.
Photos: Michael Christensen, Terry Lysak
