Darin Smith, the owner of DWS Classics, located in Huntington Beach, CA, has loved C10s since he was young. When asked about why he wanted to build a C10, specifically this ’72 Chevy C10, he said “shortbed C10s are my favorite”, and that these trucks “are super hot right now.” He also went on to explain that they are pretty hard to get your hands on because of their popularity, but if you can get one, they are great because they stand out from the rest of the builds.
He originally started on this project for himself, but soon caught the interest of someone who wanted to buy it from him. So rather than building it for himself and eventually trying to find a buyer once it was complete, he immediately had a buyer, and started on the 9 month road of building this car.
Under the Hood
This ’72 Chevy C10 Shortbed features an ATK high-performance small-block, topped with Hilborn fuel injection, putting out an astonishing 600 hp. Attached to the engine is a Tremec 6-speed manual transmission. Other parts include an Eddie Motorsports serpentine pulley system, a one-off Champion Cooling radiator, a Fuelab fuel system, and of course, those beautiful DWS custom velocity stacks peaking through the hood.
Inside the Ride
If you didn’t get enough of that beautiful Alfa Romeo Rosso Red on the outside, then you’ll definitely be excited to see the interior. The inside features Dakota Digital ’69 Camaro gauges molded into the dash and a custom console and shifter to get those gears in the Tremec transmission moving.
The diamond stitched leather seats really add some class to the interior, and will definitely keep you safe and comfortable when you give this beast some gas.
Smooth Sailing
This shortbed C10 is essentially an autocross truck; not saying if it was ours that’s how we’d drive it, but that’s how DWS built it. The truck rides on TCI Autocross suspension with three-way adjustable RideTech coilovers.
To get the truck rolling, it sits on Budnik SKO wheels wrapped in Falken tires, 19×11 up front and 20×12 in the back. The fenders were widened in the rear to fit such a meaty wheel setup. To slow the truck down, it rides with Wilwood brakes on all four corners.
Beautiful Inside and Out
Every detail of this Chevy C10 is pristine, but there are a few pieces to this C10 puzzle that really stand out, and they are all on the exterior. For one, that little acrylic scoop over the velocity stacks is actually made of the same material as airplane windshields. As a matter of fact, DWS actually sent an airplane windshield manufacturing company an aluminum version of it, and they sent back a fabricated acrylic version.
Next are the side exit exhaust outlet pieces. You’d never guess it, but they are 3d printed, hand polished, and chromed, all by DWS. Last is a special surprise when you look in the bed of the truck. A hole was cut in the bed to fit a custom made differential cooler by CBR Performance. When we say this ’72 Chevy C10 is custom, we mean it.
It doesn’t stop there though, the wing on the back is all aluminum and made in house. The front and rear bumpers were narrowed and tucked, and the front bumper even had a hole cut in it for an air intake, with a hole on each side where ’69 Camaro turn signals were fitted.
Award Winning Ride
This Chevy C10 was featured at the 2019 SEMA show, where Darin entered the Battle of the Builders. The truck was a top 12 finalist in the truck category. It also won Outstanding Truck Engine at the Grand National Roadster Show, another impressive feat.
