The pickup truck is one of the hottest trends in the hobby, so the odds of seeing one at a car show are solid.
This 1962 GMC truck was at a big event, but it still stood out in a big sea of old iron because it was such a look-at-me entry at the show.
Jerry Sutherland
Ty Benzon is the proud owner of this pickup. It had been off the road for over 40 years, and it was a failed father-son project, so it was rough and nearly extinct.
He’s a young guy, but he had a clear vision for the truck—he wanted something loud and proud. Ty’s dad wasn’t sold on the idea, because he’s a veteran car guy and he knew how big this project was.
Ty didn’t care because he knew he could get this truck whipped into a real-life version of what he envisioned. Ty had a 6-liter LS1 at his disposal, so the power train wasn’t a problem. He built this engine into a nearly 500-horsepower beast—and it still has more room in the power band. There’s a 9-inch Ford rear end to handle all those extra ponies and discs all around to stop it.
He hand-built an exhaust system, threaded it through the frame and dumped it out the side, NASCAR style. Thanks to his creativity, the truck has a serious rumble to it—exactly how Ty drew it up.
Ty retained the stock torsion bar front end, dialed it lower and also used the stock rear end. The ride height is an ongoing experiment because the truck was dragging on the ground when he took it for a shakedown. Ty thinks he’s hit the perfect ride number for a driver, plus Ty is really impressed with the rear-end geometry.
The truck bed is another future project because currently there isn’t one. Ty had to remove it because it was a disaster after all the years in the field. He wants a big highway sign to replace the factory bed—Ty’s still searching.
The interior is very basic. It’s mostly metal and the seats are barebone, with a five-point harness designed for racing. That’s part of Ty’s vision too, because he knows his GMC is going to be a rowdy street machine.
Ty gets a lot of advice on the GMC. Some guys want him to paint it, while others have too many suggestions about things like wheels. None of that matters because this truck is his idea of how a street machine should look and perform—he’s not going to veer off course.
This truck is still in the break-in period, so Ty is still on a learning curve with his GMC. So far ,he hasn’t had any nasty surprises and he’s thinking about s supercharger. His biggest hurdle to date was to pass a safety test because the GMC hadn’t been registered since the early 80s.
Ty had the best description of his game plan from Day 1.
No show pony—no trailer queen.
Ty Benzon
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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