Paul Messman’s Muscle-Inspired ’63 Chevy C10
When Paul Messman brought his ’63 Chevy C10 pickup to BBT Fabrications, his directive was simple. He wanted them to turn the work-worn farm truck in a race-ready, high-horsepower corner carver that could hold its own against the best builds out there and look great doing so. Fortunately for him, that’s pretty much standard operating procedure at BBT, a shop that routinely turns out custom builds that deliver incredible performance and head-turning style.
The team at BBT began the project with a call to Roadster Shop for a new chassis. This immediately equipped the old Chevy with a modern performance-bred independent front suspension, rack-and-pinion steering, and a four-bar rear suspension with coil-over shocks. Drilled and slotted Wilwood disc brakes mount behind 19×10- and 20×12-inch Forgeline wheels wrapped in Michelin rubber.
There’s an old-school rumble under the hood thanks to a monster 598c.i. big block Chevy. Built by Prestige Motorsports, it uses a Dart block, forged aluminum pistons, a hydraulic roller cam, aluminum heads, Holley Sniper EFI, and Ultimate Headers to produce 730 horsepower. Controlling all that power is a Bowler Performance-prepped T56 Magnum six-speed transmission that allows Paul to decide on shift points.
The BBT team did what it does best on the body, refining it to achieve clean, tight, and crisp lines. That meant tightening all the panel gaps in front, flipping and tucking the front bumper, modifying the fenders to better flow into the bumper, and fabricating a custom firewall and engine bay panels. Around back they built a new tailgate and latch system, tucked the bumper, welded the bed seams, widened the wheel wells, and installed a custom aluminum bed floor. All trim and emblems were shaved, with BBT’s Pro Edge door handles and Aero Mirrors added for a more contemporary touch. The truck was shipped down to Hoosier Hot Rods to receive its brilliant blue Spies Hecker finish.
Open either door and you’ll see a whole lot of handiwork from Cato’s Custom Upholstery. The team there used gray Moore & Giles leather to stitch contemporary style covers over 2006 GTO bucket seats, custom door panels, and a custom center console that flows nicely into the dash. Dakota Digital instruments take the place of the originals, while an Alpine touch-screen stereo fills the center of the dash and a Sparc Industries wheel tops the tilt column. Vintage Air helps keep things cool.
With modern handing, brute big-block power, a refined body, and a comfortable contemporary interior with a host of amenities, we’d say this hauler has all the bases covered and is ready for the road, track, car show, or anywhere else Paul wants to take it.
Photos by John Jackson
