Sometimes the whole of a vehicle is worth more than the sum of its parts—especially when the vehicle has lived multiple lives. That’s the case for this 1974 Chevy C-10 pickup truck that achieved video stardom in Motor Trend’s popular Roadkill series.
The so-called Muscle Truck, a gnarly LS6-powered short-bed step-side pickup, first flirted with fame as a Hot Rod magazine project vehicle. It sat for years, collecting dust before being brought back to the land of the living by Roadkill. The truck morphed into a crude fender-less sand dune attack unit in RoadKill Episode 28 and was subsequently brought back to its original form in response to viewer outrage. The body was de-butchered in Hot Rod Garage Episode 5, a new oak wood bed kit was installed, the front end was returned to street-ready form and the truck was fitted with its original smaller street tires.
Muscle Truck’s exterior has a hodgepodge appearance, with panels from a number of donor trucks and a set of reproduction front fenders. Savvy buyers will overlook the different hues, as the metal is straight and largely free of rust. The frame has been sandblasted and painted. While the mismatched paint might not be to everybody’s taste, the symphony emitted by the exhaust—equipped with a DynoMax Race Bullet muffler—is music for a gearhead’s soul.
The aluminum block LS6 Chevrolet Performance crate engine is fed by an Atomic Electronic Fuel Injection unit via a BBM intake. The big V8 is fitted with roller rockers, a Crane cam, a Milodon oil pan, and a set of headers. A Hurst Quarter Stick shifter tops a Winters-built full-manual-valve body Turbo 400 automatic with a Gear Vendors Under/Overdrive. The rear-mounted fuel cell uses an Aeromotive A1000 pump and regulator.
The truck rides on 17×9 Cragar Soft 8s wrapped with Toyo rubber. The front suspension uses Ridetech airbags and control arms, the rear suspension uses stock leaf springs with a flip kit, CalTracks bars, and Rancho RS9000 shocks. The nine-inch Ford rear rolls with 5.13 gears.
In one of RoadKill’s most intriguing installments, Muscle Truck’s big V8 was swapped into a classic Rogers Bonneville jet boat for some fun on the lake and swapped back into the engine bay for the drive back home. Talk about surf and turf.
