Nobody Customs brings a High School Dream to Reality with a 1977 GMC K35
Sometimes, if you’re lucky, dreams do come true. Chris Collins is a hardcore squarebody fan hailing from the great state of Texas. Back in high school, he was taking agriculture classes and the department had a squarebody crew cab to haul livestock around. It was love at first sight, and it became his bucket-list build.
Chris started looking for a good candidate for his dream truck and found this old ’77 GMC K35 4×4 crew cab in Kansas. The truck started out as a brown-and-cream workhorse with cut-up front fenders and a smidgen of tin worm, but otherwise it was a nice, complete example.
Chris met Joel Williams from Nobody Customs and Restorations at a Goodguys event in Fort Worth, and the two brainstormed on restoring the truck to an “OEM-plus” configuration. From the beginning, it was a full Nobody Customs effort, with Joel and his crew handling the metal work, bodywork, paint, interior, and final assembly over a two-year time period.
Let’s take a closer look from the ground up. Starting with a modified factory frame, the stock suspension was swapped out for a 6-inch lift setup using Offroad Design leaf springs, Fox 2.0 shocks, and Nobody’s custom traction bars all the way around. Rear discs were added to complement the factory front units, and the setup now lives inside huge 18×10-inch EVOD billet wheels wrapped in BFGoodrich 37×13.50 rubber.
The heart of the K35 is where the “plus” part of OEM-plus gets serious. Under the hood is a 632c.i. Chevrolet Performance big block with fuel injection, Nobody Customs stainless headers, a 3.5-inch exhaust, and MagnaFlow mufflers. The result is 1,004 horsepower, enough to make this long-bed crew cab feel less like a livestock hauler and more like a blue-and-white freight train. Power runs through a 4L80E automatic and Atlas transfer case, keeping the old-school 4×4 attitude intact with modern muscle behind it.
Then, this big boss got some new threads. Fresh OEM front fenders, smoothed sheet metal, a fuel door relocated behind the left taillight, and a custom hood installed to clear the Rat motor. PPG Bright Blue Poly and Alpine White paint keep the factory spirit alive while giving the truck a crisp, show-quality punch.
Inside, the same restraint applies. The cabin remains stock in spirit, joined by an Ididit column, Dakota Digital RTX gauges, Relicate leather-trimmed seating, Restomod Air, Kicker audio gear, leather-wrapped dash and door panels, and custom-mounted speakers.
In the end, this Chevy truck is just like the one Chris remembers from high school. Only now, that memory had been resurrected with better paint, bigger power, a taller stance, and all the ’70s squarebody cool left intact. For Chris, dreams really do come true, only better.
Congratulations to Chris Collins for becoming a Finalist for the Goodguys 2026 Roadster Shop 4×4 of the Year with his 1977 GMC K35 pickup built by Nobody Customs and Restorations!
Photos: Steven Bunker
