Not Your Average Moving Truck

You’ve certainly heard the phrase “hauling the mail” before, and at some point in your life, you’ve probably strove to do just that—at a higher than recommended rate of speed. More than likely, that was behind the wheel of a vehicle, but it’s not often that you think of an actual “haul” vehicle when thinking of the phrase. But just like with everything in the automotive world, there’s always that one guy! 

Jhan Gonzalez of Homestead, Florida, owns and operates a custom auto shop called Built By Trap. While Jhan builds custom rides for clients of various tastes, his personal passion resides with classic squarebody trucks. But Jahn isn’t one to just blend in like so many C10 owners seem to these days. So, when it came time to customize his own squarebody, and it was determined his purchase of choice wouldn’t be a pristine example of the C10 model, Jhan vowed for his 1981 Chevy Scottsdale pickup to stand out from the crowd.

The result? The coolest U-Haul truck we’ve ever seen, and one that can certainly haul more than just the mail!

Not Your Average U-Haul 

Before Jhan bought his Scottsdale, he envisioned having a C10 with a perfectly smoothed body that was finished in gloss black paint. Unfortunately, this particular truck was not meant for such a destiny as it features plenty of noticeable wear and rust from its former life, scaring its body panels. So, Jhan changed his plans and instead opted to build something that stands out from the crowd—a one-of-a-kind U-Haul inspired truck, complete with faux patina.

To create the unique patina on the C10, Jhan used White Rust-Oleum paint and then sanded it down in all the right places, making the truck look as though it had sat out in the elements for years. He then painted the orange U-Haul slashes on either side, and finished it off with the U-Haul logo and other custom graphics, including a green $19.95 rental price sticker.

Beyond the faux patina and eye-catching graphics, the C10 features cut rear fender wells, a grille and headlight surround borrowed from a Suburban, and custom lighting. Jhan wanted specific headlights for his truck, so he custom mounted modern dual 4×6-inch LEDs into the front, further accenting the truck with Built By Trap custom-designed rock lights in the wheel wells.

“He then painted the orange U-Haul slashes on either side, and finished it off with the U-Haul logo and other custom graphics, including a green $19.95 rental price sticker.”

Inside, the truck remains simplistic yet functional, just like you’d expect from any rental hauler. The seats in the truck are black leather upholstered buckets from ProCar, while the steering wheel was also borrowed from that aforementioned Suburban. Jhan tells us there’s also air conditioning and a cheap stereo in the truck, which “works when it wants to.”

The C10’s patina and its unique nod to the moving industry are what originally attracted us to this build. After all, how many U-Haul trucks do you see frequenting your local car shows? But the build goes deeper than just custom paint and graphics. In fact, this truck was built for more than just cruising.

Low Down

The first indication of this is in the suspension setup. Giving the truck its lowered stance is a full Belltech drop spindle suspension system, featuring front lowering springs and a flip kit out back. This is flanked by Calvert Racing shocks on all four corners. The truck also features a Strange Engineering steering box.

Planting the truck to the pavement are 15×4-inch front and 15×10-inch rear JEGS SSR Star wheels wrapped in Nitto NT555R drag radials with 4-inch backspacing in the front and 5-inch backspacing in the rear. If you aren’t quite getting what this truck was built for yet, keep digging deeper with us – we’ll just say it’s not hauling household items to your next condo.

All Chevy

Under the hood of the C10 sits a classic Small Block Chevy V-8 built atop a BluePrint block, but that’s only where it starts. Built to be twin turbocharged by the previous owner, the engine features a hydraulic roller camshaft, Edelbrock Performer EPS intake manifold, Holley 750 cfm carburetor, and a MSD 6-BTM ignition system. Expelling the truck’s spent fuel is a custom 3-inch exhaust system with long tube headers, an X-pipe and two Flowmaster Super 10 Series mufflers.

While the engine isn’t currently making use of any turbos, Jhan tells us that an upgrade may come in the near future. Before that happens, however, he’d like to change the truck over to fuel injection. One upgrade Jhan has already done to the truck is to equip it with a 15-gallon fuel cell, which he custom mounted in the truck’s bed.

Backing the SBC is a fully built TH400 transmission with a full manual valve body. Adding even more fun to the truck is a 3200-stall torque converter and a Hurst ratchet shifter. The Turbo 400 spins a Precision Shaft Technologies driveshaft, which then in turn spins Moser Engineering axles by way of a 12-bolt Positraction rear end, featuring 4.56 gears. Other notable features on the truck include a driveshaft hoop, to contain the driveshaft if major failure occurs in the U-joints or elsewhere, as well as a CalTracs traction system from Calvert Racing.

“Built to haul the mail, so to speak, Jhan’s custom U-Haul inspired C10 is certainly one of a kind, but just like any good build, it’s not yet done.”

Built to haul the mail, so to speak, Jhan’s custom U-Haul inspired C10 is certainly one of a kind, but just like any good build, it’s not yet done. Jhan told us that he’d like to change things up a bit in the future, making the truck ride more comfortably by changing the suspension dynamics, the gearing and even the seats. Add that to the aforementioned fuel injection and potential twin turbo setup, and we could be looking at a different truck in a year or two. Then again, no matter what Jhan does to his C10, it’ll still be one-of-a-kind, and probably the coolest U-Haul truck you’ll ever come across!

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Build Specs

OWNER

• Jhan Gonzalez
• 1981 Chevrolet Scottsdale
• Homestead, FL

Chassis & Suspension 

• Belltech drop spindle suspension lowering kit
• Front lowering springs
• Stock rear springs with flip kit
• Calvert Racing shocks front and rear
• Strange Engineering steering box

Wheels & Tires

• 15×4-inch 15×10-inch JEGS SSR Star wheels
• Nitto NT555R drag radials with 4-inch backspacing in the front and 5-inch backspacing in the rear

Engine & Drivetrain 

• GM 350 ci V8
• BluePrint Engines block
• Solid motor mounts and engine brace
• 10:1 ratio pistons with .032 rings
• Full hydraulic roller camshaft
• Edelbrock Performer EPS intake manifold
• Holley 750 cfm carburetor
• 15-gallon fuel cell mounted in truck bed
• Long tube headers
• Custom 3-inch exhaust system with X-pipe and two Flowmaster Super 10 Series mufflers
• MSD 6-BTM ignition system
• Fully built TH400 transmission with manual valve body
• 3200-stall torque converter
• Hurst ratchet shifter
• Front transmission cooler
• Precision Shaft Technologies driveshaft with driveshaft hoop
• Moser Engineering street axles
• 12-bolt rear end with 4.56 gears
• Positraction differential
• Calvert Racing CalTracs traction system
• Stock brakes with StopTech pads
• Brake line lock

Body & Paint 

• Suburban grille and headlight surround
• Cut rear wheel wells
• Dual 4×6-inch LED headlights custom fabricated to fit the front grille
• Built by Trap rock lights in the wheel wells
• Faux patina paint scheme with White Rust-Oleum and clear coat
• Fully custom faux U-Haul graphics

Interior/Stereo

• Black leather Procar by SCAT bucket seats
• Suburban steering wheel
• Air conditioning

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