Mark Austin’s Ground-Pounding 1965 Chevy C10
Roughly 30 years ago, Mark Austin bought this 1965 Chevy C10 pickup as a primered body and bed with no floor. The plan was to build a big-power custom truck and Mark got busy by shaving the drip rails and chopping the top. Next was to channel the body over the modified chassis, complete with a narrowed rearend. Within a few years he had the sheet metal dialed in and mounted on the rolling chassis.
Alas, life sometimes has other plans, and Mark was forced to sell the Chevy to a buddy as a roller. A few more years went by and his friend was also forced to sell it and eventually Mark was able to buy it back in pretty much in the same condition as when he sold it. He took it to a local shop for paint and some finish work, where it was stripped down again before progress stalled and Mark pulled it out of the shop. With his mind set on seeing the truck finally finished, Mark turned to the team at Creative Rod & Kustom in Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania, to work their magic on the project.
The Creative crew pulled out the old chassis in favor of custom back-halved tube frame combined with an Art Morrison front clip. Wilwood six-piston calipers provide plenty of clamping force to slow the Schott wheels and beefy rear tread (20-inch wide Mickey Thompsons!). The plan for serious power was realized with a 572c.i big block built by Competition Marine. Mark has always preferred the looks of an eight-stack mechanical injection system so a Kinsler setup was chosen to fuel the 850-horsepower big block along with an MSD ignition to light it off.
The Creative team lived up to its name by adding more custom touches to those that Mark set in motion years ago. The door handles were shaved, a new pancaked hood was built, and the body was wedge sectioned. First-gen Camaro bumpers were modified and fit, the tailgate was heavily massaged and leaned forward, the doors received the suicide treatment, and countless other one-off and 3D-printed components were designed and built.
The interior was treated to a ’59 Impala dash insert filled with Classic Instruments gauges along with an Ididit column and Billet Specialties wheel. Bux Interiors is credited with the leather/suede stitching and custom work inside the cab, while the Creative crew finished the custom metalwork in a deep, pearlescent red PPG blend that just glows.
The project may have taken a couple decades to finish, but Mark finally has the ground-pounding, jaw-dropping pickup he always wanted!
Photos by John Jackson
