Ramsey Sexton Built His ’86 Chevy K20 Bigger, Better, and More Powerful to Become the Goodguys 2025 Goolsby Customs Next Generation Winner
The great thing about old pickups is that they’re rarely thrown away. They might get parked behind the barn or put out to pasture when they’re older, but they tend to be kept around, which just makes them more plentiful as project vehicles a few years (or decades) down the road. This fact isn’t lost on the younger generation of hot rodders and gearheads, many of whom favor vintage pickups for their first projects. This includes 27-year-old Ramsey Sexton, who became the Goodguys 2025 Goolsby Customs Next Generation winner with his high-riding ’86 Chevy K20 four-wheel-drive pickup.
Ramsey was just 15 when he found the vintage truck slowly deteriorating under a pine tree in an older couple’s backyard near his home in New Freedom, Pennsylvania. “The truck was rusted out, covered in pine sap, and had a 305 in it,” Ramsey says. “I bought the truck for $600 and brought it home and tore it apart.”
Like any young enthusiast, Ramsey was filled with excitement as he tore into the project. And with a lot of hard work, he completed the truck’s first rebuild in time to drive it to high school during his senior year. It was bright red, lifted, had a cowl induction hood, and was a high-riding standout in the school parking lot.
In typical hot rod fashion, though, Ramsey had higher expectations. He envisioned his squarebody truck being so much more than that initial incarnation and embarked on a more ambitious rebuild a few years ago. This one involved pulling the body off the chassis and stripping and smoothing the frame before painting it bright red. An 8-inch lift kit was part of the rebuild, along with Fox shocks, Lugnut 4×4 disc brakes, steering updates from Offroad Design, a 14-bolt rearend with 4.10 gears, and 15×15-inch Real Racing wheels wrapped in chunky Interco 35×16.50-inch tires. He also added a fuel cell between the frame rails.
Ramsey may be young, but he’s a fan of old-school horsepower and torque – in this case, a 427c.i. big block outfitted with AFR aluminum heads, a Holley intake and carb, MSD ignition, CVF accessory drive, and Mad Dog headers. He installed a Champion radiator to keep things cool, while a TH400 transmission with a TCI converter was employed to transfer power.
In true DIY fashion, Ramsey tackled the metal work, bodywork, and paint himself. Metal mods included a shaved firewall, filled stake pockets, shaved tailgate handle, rolled rear pan, and a 4-inch cowl-induction hood supported by billet hinges. “I quickly learned painting a vehicle black is challenging,” Ramsey says, but his long hours of bodywork and block sanding paid off with a slick PPG Nocturnal Black finish that’s smooth, straight, and glossy. He built custom brackets to install the AMP PowerSteps that make it easier to enter and exit the cab.
The inside of the cab is updated with a Painless wiring harness, a Flaming River tilt column topped with a RBZ Billet wheel, and Lokar pedals. Ramsey installed the new black vinyl and cloth upholstery on the factory bench seat himself and retained the original gauges and dash. The ashtray is now home to extra accessory switches in a custom panel.
Ramsey brought his tall K20 out to Columbus last summer for the 27th Summit Racing Nationals presented by PPG and ultimately earned the Goolsby Customs Next Generation Award for the event weekend. He was evaluated against award winners from across the country this fall and rose above the competition to become the yearend winner. It’s a fitting honor for a young enthusiast who went above and beyond to make his truck a standout. Congratulations, Ramsey, on becoming the Goodguys 2025 Goolsby Customs Next Generation winner!
Be sure to check out all the regional finalists in our previous feature: 2025 Goolsby Next Generation Finalists.
Photos: Scotty Lachenauer
