DUMPED TRUCKIN’ – CHAD SILVEY 1984 CHEVY C10 PICKUP
With V8 engines and chrome bumper vehicles engrained into Chad Silvey’s childhood memories, it was only a matter of time before he had his hands on the wheel of a modified street machine.
“Growing up, our family transport was always V8 powered ZC Fairlanes, so that’s where my love of chrome bumper cars comes from,” Chad explains, “they have more character than the cookie cutter plastic bumpered cars of today.”
Attending his first car show as a teenager, Chad began collecting car magazines around the same time, which fuelled his desire for modified vehicles even further. By the time he was the proud owner of a Holden One Tonner, his overseas magazine subscriptions contained no less then four USA sport and minitruck titles. “That’s probably where my affection for American trucks came from,” he shrugs, “and I was fortunate enough to have an article I wrote with pics of Aussie utes featured in Sport Truck magazine.”
After almost a decade of attending related car shows with the One Tonner and successfully picking up worthy trophies for his efforts in the early years, his excitement towards competition waned with the increasing entry of big dollar builds on the scene. “I considered putting the old Holden up for sale and replacing it with a Minitruck, but my mates talked me out of it, saying I didn’t really look like a mini trucker,” he laughs.
In its place, Chad purchased a Nissan Patrol and proceeded to modify it, equipping it with a 4” lift kit and 35” mud tyres, amongst other things. Although the show quality Patrol filled the void for a while, Chad’s desire to own a set of wheels with muscle and wow factor rekindled.
“I missed the muscle car thing and got tired of turning up to events in a normal car, so I looked at buying something that would fit in without an obscene price tag.”
Still enamored by American pickup trucks, Chad perused the interweb for something to ignite a spark and this Chevy C10 fuelled the flame. It also didn’t hurt that the price tag was achievable and that its build up was available for free view on YouTube. Another important factor was that it was located on home soil in Cranbourne, just south of Melbourne, and available for a test drive. With five green large stuffed into his back pocket, he arranged to meet the seller and struck a deal after viewing the necessary import papers and just digging the vibe of the C10. “I did a background check to make sure I wasn’t just buying a paperweight,” he adds.
What Chad learned from the video link was that the Chevy had undergone its ground hugging transformation at the hands of WCD Fabrications in Phoenix, Arizona. The original ’84 shell was left pretty much alone with all the dramatic attention grabbing modifications performed to its existing frame to achieve the desired stance. Bolt on a set of oversized rims to be rotated by an original drivetrain, add Ron Hernandez pinstripes to the tailgate and bonnet and bingo… job done!
By the time the C10 surfaced on Aussie eBay, it was sporting the large Harley Davidson tag on both doors. When he showed up for the test drive, talented brush artist Shane Abbott had completed the signage on the otherwise drab exterior. Once home in Chad’s custody, he and good mate Phil Micallef gave the artwork a desired weathered appearance by sanding through specifically random areas of the paint. Not content with their handiwork, Chad enlisted the help of Mick Sloper to construct a solid tonneau cover from 25mm box steel and 2mm flat sheet to conceal the repositioned tray floor and rear wheel arches.
“My other mate Troy Palmer (Palmer Air) airbrushed it, and all I said to him was make it look like a Route 66 sign that we found on the side of a road and turned into a hardcover. I dropped it off Sunday and he had it nailed by Monday afternoon, just in time to cruise on over to MotorEx for its first outing.”
From that day forward, Chad has notched up around 20,000km, including a 1,500km round trip to the Summernats where the suede Chevy made the Top 100 Finals in Street Class, a feat that he hadn’t achieved for many years since his beloved One Tonner. He laughs that it’s the worst car that he has ever taken to Summernats, regarding body condition and finish, but something tells me that it may be to most fun!
Chad has joined a new club and found a new circle of friends and is enjoying the rockabilly culture Melbourne has to offer. The only Police interest in the eye-catching pickup to date was that of an officer who was keen on buying it! He did offer a VW bug as a swap but Chad declined.
“I like the attention of rolling up to a show and dropping on its guts and listening to what onlookers have to say. There is also no stress about people touching the paint. I used to look for awards previously and now with the Chevy, I usually leave before they are announced.”
“I would like to thank everyone that has helped me with the pickup, including Brad Murnane for fixing any minor issues I’ve had, and keeping her on the road. Thanks also to my girlfriend, Julie for not bitching too much when she thought I was buying a Navara, and for her support too, as well as that from my parents. Also thanks to Greg Forster for the awesome photos.”
BY DALE HABERFIELD, PHOTOS BY CAPRICE PHOTOGRAPHY, FULL FEATURE CRUZIN #183
