Gentle Grass Under Foot

Before competitions of who sold the most and best truck over the last 40 whatever years, a truck dyed one's collar blue. It was a symbol of straight-on, often testing work chosen to reinforce character above a bank account. They came in pastel colors, bench seats, manual transmissions, and beds often overloaded; because what's a limit when you've got torque?

A C10 with the ever legendary 350 small block just about paints the whole image of gritty, twilight hour work that's never done, only slightly chipped. Truck and owner may beat on for no particular mile. There will be too many under their belts to count.

Work is work and this vehicle wants to do its part. From '68 to '72 the C10 and its reserved styling did enough to set it apart from Ford and Dodge, but nothing that said, "this truck is too pretty to dirty." Unfortunately this statement greatly applies to modern trucks above base work trim.

We won't talk horsepower because the C10 ran with horses all the same. There's a three or even four person bench in cab that's plenty exciting for young children to grow and learn upon. Oil leaks, rust, dents, and scratches built an automotive equivalent to John Wayne's characters. Sometimes all the world's demands just won't muster the quit buried too deep inside.

Here's the formula that makes the C10 such an awesome trip back: Smooth, reliable, proportionate, indispensable. Look at all these trim levels and packages they've stuffed into supposed "work horses" today and see how the wheels almost buckle beneath tons of fluff. To keep this from being a long-winded soapbox tune, simply do this: Remember anything good, fulfilling, comfortable, passionate trucks like C10 witnessed next to you. It's simple, non-monetary experiences like these that keep our hearts going.