Auman says the truck was completely disassembled down to the frame rails and the frame was sent out for powder coating while he put the engine and transmission together before creating a rolling chassis. Meanwhile all the body parts were sent to Rod Crafters, who sent them out for media blasting before painting each panel individually for reassembly.
“When I got far enough along on it I took the chassis up to Rod Crafters where they have all the equipment and lifts to put the cab back on and put the pieces back together,” Auman says. “There are no tape marks on this truck, everything was painted front and back and then put back together. So it was time consuming, but those guys did an awesome job.”
Despite its now radical appearance and stance, Auman proudly states that everything on the truck could be returned to original if desired. Even the frame rails remain as they came from the Chevy plant more than four decades ago. “I was just looking to put as much tire as I could under there, so the only thing I swapped out was I had Arthur make me the 
ladder bar set-up and coil-overs in the back and we just narrowed a Ford nine-inch rearend and put that under there.”
Auman also points out they moved the rear axle back two inches, not only because it looks better, but it allows a bigger tire to fit under the custom-built wheel tubs in the bed. “The bed sides on this truck cup under a bit in front of the wheel and you couldn’t get that big of a tire under there without moving it back,” he explains.
Creating those wheel tubs turned out to be an exercise in patience. “This truck had not been used for work much, so its wheel tubs were in excellent shape, but it was hard to find another bed with a set of tubs in good shape because they were always used for work and got pretty beat up. I finally found a set that the part next to the bed side was good and that was the part I needed, so we just split them and cut them and welded them together. That’s the reason they’re not real tall, they’re the stock-type tubs, just made a little bit wider.”
Not surprisingly, Auman’s C-10 Custom garners its fair share of attention at the shows and has previously won awards from the likes of Super Chevy and Master’s Auto Expo, and been featured in several automotive magazines. 
“We’ve done real well with it,” Auman says. “We’ve had a couple of photo shoots and ESPN did a shoot of it, but I’m never one to brag about the truck. I’m just really appreciative that anyone even notices it.”
With its bright red skin shining in the sunshine and those giant meats out back, it’d be hard not to notice this Carolina Scorcher.
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