Crafting Perfection: Inside the Making of the ’82 Chevy C30 Crew Cab Custom

Wendy Wilson . August 17, 2023 . Buyer’s Guides

Save ArticleLogin to save it

The ’82 Chevy C30 Crew Cab Custom That Never Was

There’s a lot to love about this 1982 Chevy C30 Crew Cab custom build. But where do we begin?

Let’s start with the basics. Chris Wolf of Folsom, Louisiana, built the black and gray 1/2-ton Crew Cab over four years, weekends only. But why did he build it?

“I wanted to build a truck that Chevrolet should have put into production,” he says.

Simple as that—and it was his focus as he put each piece and part into place.

BY A PAINT EXPERT

Starting with the exterior, Chris chose an LMC grille, headlights, and bumpers from a 1989 C20. The wheelwell moldings come from an ’88 C20. Additional custom bodywork includes an LMC cowl hood, relocated tailgate handle, a 1987 Blazer trim panel, fiberglass bed cover, and Slosh Tubz fiberglass bolt-in inner fenders. He also widened the bed’s wheeltubs by 4 inches.

The paint, well, that’s where Chris’ expertise really shines. He’s an automotive paint tech representative by trade, and so it was effortless for him—kinda, he says.

“The paint work was the easiest part of the build,” he says. “This is what I do for a living, and I really enjoy it. One of the hardest parts, though, was deciding on the color I wanted to paint the truck.”

After careful consideration, he went with Sherwin Williams U7281 Black and 87 Gray ULTRA 7000 with an original two-tone style that’s reminiscent of something Chevy would have done back in the day. Of course, he did the paintwork himself.

UNDER THE HOOD

Under that custom LMC cowl hood sits a 454ci big-block V-8 from an ’82 Chevrolet. Clay Blount of Baker, Louisiana, performed all the work and rebuilt it to factory specs. Controlling the input of fuel and the output of exhaust is a Lynati Stage 1 Voodoo camshaft with .513/.542 lift and 219/227 duration. Clay chose a Weiand Street Warrior intake manifold, an Edlebrock 1406 carburetor, and Gibson 1 3/4-inch headers. Exhaust is handled by a 2.5-inch Flowmaster exiting the side, and it sports an electric HGI ignition.

Other engine modifications include March Performance billet pulleys, a Power Master alternator, dual SPAL electric fans, and a custom 1951 Cadillac air cleaner.

To transfer the power from the engine to the drive shaft and differentials to turn the wheels, the C30 has a 1982 Turbo 400 with a shift kit from B&M, model #20260. It uses an Allstar Performance torque converter with a stall speed set at 2500. The rear drive axle is a narrowed Chevrolet 12-bolt positraction rearend, 2 inches on each side.

Stopping power comes from Chevrolet power disc brakes with a Hydroboost master cylinder.

“I plan to add a Big Brake kit in the future,” Chris says.

SPLICED FRAMEWORK

To keep the running gear, engine, transmission, driveshaft, differential, and suspension in place, Chris chose a 1982 Chevrolet C30 with the frame spliced with a ’76 heavy half C10 back half.

“We used a 1976 heavy half C10 truck bed as well as the rear frame rails,” he notes.

Front and rear springs come from Ridetech—coilovers for the front and composite for the rear. Rear shocks are Ridetech HQ series. Chris also added StrongArms tubular control arms and fat bar sway bars.

The truck rolls on 265/35ZR22 rubber in front and 305/35R22 in the back with gorgeous Raceline Scoundrel wheels, 22×8.5 in front and 22×12 in the rear. Go-juice is kept in dual stock C30 fuel tanks.

CLASSIC RED INTERIOR

Using that red stripe detail on the Crew Cab’s exterior, the interior color screams Symphony Classic Red. Stock American Beauty bench seats, front and back, were covered in red pleather by Stephen Frederic out of Gonzales, Louisiana. Two-piece covered door panels, as well as a stitched and covered stock dashboard, match the red pleather upholstery.

Gauges are stock Chevy, and the steering wheel is a Raceline Billet Soundrel. Tunes flow through a Kenwood stereo via four 6-inch Cerwin Vega two-way speakers, Kenwood 45-watt and 15-watt amps, and a Cerwin Vega subwoofer. Not too shabby!

CENTER STAGE

When Chris owned this truck, he says people loved it but didn’t really look twice. But once he sold it, folks really took notice—and for good reason! It truly looks like something Chevrolet should have built from the factory.

“I have been asked at shows if this was a barn find!” Chris says. “That’s the best compliment I could ever get.”

His advice to others: “Make a plan, have a budget, stick to it, and stay motivated,” he says. “For this build, I kept focused on my original goal: Build a truck that Chevrolet should have put into production.”

He learned that time, patience, money, help from family and friends, and support from his wife, Robin, are what made this build happen.

This award-winning beauty has made appearances at Battle in Bama, Orange Beach Invasion, C10s in the Park, Scrapin the Coast, Cruisin the Coast and Sic Nic, so keep an eye out for it at a show near you!