Chevy trucks turned a style page when the 1967 models hit GM dealerships that year.
The truck’s basic design was destined to carry the torch for Chevy pickups over the next 5 years, a time frame that pushed the 1967-72 Bowtie trucks into legendary status within the vintage vehicle hobby.
Jim Sutherland
This era of Chevy trucks had subtle improvements during their production run and, in our humble opinion here at MyStarCollectorCar, got better-looking over the years. However, the Chevy truck division never built an extended cab version, so it was a feature destined to be added by talented car guys equipped with enough fabrication skills to build them.
Todd Schwartz has been the proud owner of a 1971 Chevy C-10 pickup for the past 29 years and noted it underwent an extended cab process two owners before him. The truck’s second last owner was an amazingly talented fabricator who was able to add the cab extension and make it look like it belonged on the ’71 Chevy ½ ton.
There is no obvious seam on the topside of the pickup and Todd told MyStarCollectorCar the modified undercarriage of the ’67 Chevy C-10 also looked like it was always on the truck.
The second last owner lived in Arizona where he was able to source out a rust-free truck, along with rust-free body donor parts to build his extended cab. Eventually, the custom Chevy pickup ended up in western Canada and Todd spotted the ad in a buy/sell paper publication during an era when paper print ads were still a common way to sell stuff.
The truck had a tired big block Chevy engine in it, so Todd decided to upgrade it to GM’s 502 cubic-inch crate engine after he became the C-10’s owner. The truck still has a 400 automatic transmission, but the low gears in the ’67 Chevy pickup are a problem for highway use because higher speeds push the RPMs to a very high level.
Consequently, Todd has plans to add an overdrive system to the truck, so the 502 big block is more comfortable at highway speeds. Speaking of creature comforts, the ’67 Chevy pickup is loaded with options, including power steering, power brakes, and air conditioning, a cooling feature that was almost mandatory during hot Arizona summers.
The Chevy pickup also has a full gauge package that monitors the engine’s health at a high level when compared to the warning (idiot) lights found on most vehicles in 1967. Older car guys will undoubtedly recall that idiot lights lit up shortly before catastrophic mechanical failure when the warnings were sometimes too late for the driver.
The original position for a gas tank in a 1967 Chevy C-10 was in the cab behind the seat, but an extended cab gave its custom builder an opportunity to move it outside to the rear of the truck where it was repositioned underneath and within the frame. It was an excellent idea because the relocation was safer and allowed more room in the extended cab.
As mentioned earlier, Todd added a crate engine to his ’67 Chevy, along with a lower stance to accentuate the truck’s overall style.
The net result is a very cool 1967 Chevy custom extended cab pickup truck that is a “driver for me”, in Todd’s words. We at MyStarCollectorCar can totally understand why Todd would want to drive it.
BY: Jim Sutherland
Jim Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer whose work has been published by many major print and online publications. The list includes Calgary Herald, The Truth About Cars, Red Deer Advocate, RPM Magazine, Edmonton Journal, Montreal Gazette, Windsor Star, Vancouver Province, and Post Media Wheels Section.
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