A Red Velvet Treat in the Form of a Sweet Square Body
Finding a well-preserved, low-mileage vehicle is dream for many vintage car and truck enthusiasts. When you finally score that clean survivor, though, you face a dilemma: is it too nice to modify? That’s the question Paul Treadwell pondered after buying a cherry two-owner ’85 Chevy C10 square body.
“I found the truck in Alabama,” Paul says. “It was in outstanding shape. So, I had a difficult time deciding on the rebuild. Tearing it down and seeing it in pieces was actually quite disappointing.”
Paul’s decision to pursue a custom build was further tested when his first builder bowed out of the project. “After the first builder quit, I was dejected and disappointed,” Paul says. “Fortunately, Fat Fender Garage took on the square body and then stepped it up to a whole other level.”
Stepping up the build began by lowering the truck with a new GSI chassis with air springs, rack-and-pinion steering, a four-link rear suspension, and a 9-inch rearend. Wilwood disc brakes with six-piston calipers were mounted behind 20- and 22-inch Schott Drift wheels wrapped in Pirelli rubber to get the build stopping and rolling.
For power, the Fat Fender team turned to a 6.2-liter LS3 engine making 550-horsepower with the help of a Magnuson supercharger. Ultimate headers and a Wegner accessory drive system were used in the installation, and a 6L80e transmission was bolted up behind the engine.
The already-clean body was further smoothed with shaved emblems, flush-fit glass, and deleted side mirrors (side cameras are mounted where the front marker lights resided). The sheet metal was then bathed in BASF Red Velvet paint accented with bold white strobe stripes. A gunmetal gray finish on the grille and tucked bumpers helps complete the appearance.
Like the bodywork, the interior was done in-house at Fat Fender Garage. Red Relicate leather was used to upholster the bench seat and custom door panels, and also to cover the dash, which is now fitted with Dakota Digital instruments and a Sparc Industries wheel on a Flaming River tilt column. Restomod Air keeps things cool, while an Alpine stereo sends tunes to the speakers, which include dual Focal subwoofers.
The square body debuted at the 2023 SEMA Show, where it made the Top 40 in the Battle of the Builders. A couple weeks later, the truck scored the Goodguy’s Dakota Digital Truck of the Year Finalist award in Scottsdale, in addition to earning a GM Iron Builder of the Year finalist spot for Fat Fender Garage – a tremendous achievement.
“This is the first ’80s C10 Fat Fender has done, so it was exciting and challenging for them,” Paul says. “The results have been a great crowd pleaser. It’s been humbling to see the reactions of people.”
Photos by John Jackson
