Iteration is a powerful process. The cycle of putting forth effort, time and money in exchange for a little less failure and a little more knowledge each time around ultimately leads to an end product worthy of the late nights and cliché blood, sweat and tears. It would make sense then, that after multiple markedly different versions of his 1969 Chevrolet C10, Dan Glauser has developed a show-and-go machine worthy of his every investment.
Starting With a Slammed Suspension
Version zero of the C10 came as a $2900 purchase in Willcox, Arizona circa 2013. With a 350 under the hood, a manual four-speed transmission, a gooseneck hitch in the bed and blocks welded to the rear springs to counteract the squat resulting from heavy towing, it was safe to say there was room for improvement.
Not long after purchase, Dan and some friends stripped the truck to the frame for a full-on restoration. Version one included a notched and powder coated frame, Classic Performance Products control arms and a 4/6 drop—4-inch lower ride height in the front and 6-inch lower in the rear. An engine swap tops off the restoration with a boosted 4.8L LS replacing the farm truck’s old 350ci SBC motor.
Adding an LS and Bags
A year went by with version one completed and roaming the streets of Arizona before the engine blew, and turned the pistons into paperweights. Cue the montage of engine three being swapped in and a bagged suspension setup replacing the 4/6 kit on all four corners.
Version two emerges from the garage with the current setup: a 750whp Don Hardy forged 383ci stroker LS under the hood, a 76/75mm Precision Turbo pushing air into its lungs and Billet Turbo 400 transmission mated to the motor.
Final Version
After another year or so and with autocross now on the C10’s resume, the bags got the boot and the truck went under the knife once again for a full chassis upgrade. This is how version three of the truck sits today: a Porterbuilt Fabrication front drop member, full back half frame, built Currie 9-inch rear, additional custom bracing throughout the middle of the chassis and Ridetech coilovers bringing the build down to earth.
Budnik Wheels’ Vapors wrapped in Nitto NT05 rubber—305/35R19 up Front and 315/35R20 in the rear—transfer the power to the pavement, while a Baer 6P six-piston brake setup keeps everything under control.
The interior retains a clean and classic look, with the Budnik Stiletto steering wheel and Sound Xpression stereo bringing the “mod” to restomod.
Now that the truck is complete—with complete in huge air quotes—the tally stands at three chassis rebuilds, three engines, three rear ends and eight transmissions: “My buddies laugh [about] how often the truck lives on the lift because I’m always changing something. Between me, my dad and my buddies we’ve built the truck.”
While it may be the source of some jabs and jokes, it’s exactly that level of iteration that has gotten Dan’s C10 to the autocrossing, tire shredding, neck breaking, burnout machine we spotted at LS Fest West.
Can’t afford a classic truck but want the look? This ’57 Chevy shows how new steel can be just as good, if not better.
Keyword: Third Time's a Charm: Dan Glauser's LS-Powered Chevy C10