(WORDS AND PHOTOS BY DOUG AND TAYLOR GREGORY) – I’ve got a bit of an affinity for the Chevy C-10 having owned a ’66 and a ’70. Neither of mine were nearly as nice as the two you see here. We first spotted Larry Lilly’s ’65 SWB at the 2014 NSRA Nationals in Louisville, Ky. We happened upon it again while attending the Cynthiana Rod Run later that same month. Then, quite by coincidence, we were on our way to the Ohio Mile ECTA event and stopped for some lunch in Dry Ridge, KY. There in the parking lot sat the beige ’65. We introduced ourselves and he gave us a business card so we could contact him later to see about shooting some photos and get details about the ride. A few weeks passed when I gave him a holler to which he said to come on and he’d make time.

Now this isn’t Larry’s first hot rod. In fact, you might say building and painting them is part of his profession and he comes by it quite honestly. Larry’s dad, Ray, worked for years at a local dealership in the body shop. Larry worked for Delta Airlines, but had rented out space in the shop he now owns to do body work on the side. 21 years ago Larry started Lilly’s Auto Care in Williamstown, KY. The facility he once rented a small space in was a sporting goods factory back in the 40s and later became a tire store. They do collision repair these days and a fair amount of custom work too. Larry’s dad came to work with him until he retired and his younger brother, Thomas, works with him still. The whole family is into the car scene. Larry still owns the ’70 Nova he’s had since he was 14-years-old. He’s also got a ’46 Ford Coupe, a ’29 Ford Tudor rat rod, and a deuce sedan that is still under construction. His brother Jeremy once had a 1st-gen Nova (pictured here) and still owns a ’72 GMC Suburban 3-door that’s been featured in magazines. His father owns a Chevy II and his brother Thomas owns his own rat rod and recently picked up the black ’69 C-10 you see below. Even Larry’s daughter has a fixed up diesel pickup they fixed up for her.

The shop itself is unassuming and you’d be hard pressed to look from the outside and picture custom cars rolling out. Step into the office though and there is memorabilia and all kinds of stuff hanging on the walls. While there we saw plenty of cool pictures, some repop signage, some very original signs, and even a newspaper or two with ads you just can’t believe. I’d be happy to have any of it up in my man cave/shop.

Back to the ’65 – we’d already learned some about it so now it was time to get more details. Larry picked it up about three years ago in Tennessee and was told it originally came out of Texas. The paint is supposedly 20 years old though Larry has reshot the roof, inside the bed, and done a couple small touchups. He likes the old look and there’s no sense in redoing what you like. Fresh bed wood was installed and an old cooler was color-matched to serve as the battery box. The doors close solid and the truck is incredibly quiet inside and out. The factory gauges are all hooked up and work with an early Chevy car steering wheel helping herd the beast. The truck is lowered nicely and sits on white steelies with poverty caps. The look helps it seem like a gentle country cruiser. Under the hood is where this truck packs the excitement. It has a 2005 vintage 5.3 with a turbo-spec crane cam while the block has had head and main studs added for insurance. These are the only internal modifications to the motor. He’s pretty sure they ended up using a Tahoe oil pan to make the swap possible. There is a Holley intake manifold receiving a charge through an
Internet-purchased, no-name intercooler, connected to an 88mm turbo putting out about 9psi. The power is transferred via a 3,000rpm stall spinning the internals of a 4L80 putting the twist on 3.42 gears in the 12-bolt rear. In this trim the truck has ran 12.81@108mph at a weight just over 4,000lbs. He tells me there is more left in it and a set of 4.10 gearsjust arrived so he can find out just there the limits might be. We were finished shooting pictures when my son asked where the burnout pictures were. I’m not going to ask anyone to do that, but if they are so inclined then far be it for me to stand in their way. Judging by the wear on the rear tires this thing is a burnout machine and Larry proved that with great homage to Vulcan – the god of tire smoke. Once this thing gets the boost going I’m not sure there is any way for the wheel-spin to stop until the right foot is lifted. We heard that the brothers regularly work to repave

sections of asphalt in front of each other’s homes. Now that’s love.

After the smoke cleared I asked if Thomas would mind us shooting his ‘new’ truck as well. He’s only had it a month, but it looks cool and he has plans for it this winter. Thomas is a self-taught pin-striper and is very good at what he does. He hasn’t laid down any lines on this ride yet, but said that will change soon. The truck is lowered on black steelies with ’56 Chevy dog-dish caps. It’s got a later-model seat in it for comfort and over all the truck appears solid and straight. There’s a 400ci small-block under the hood backed by a TH350 trans. He says the motor will get freshened, but otherwise will remain much as it is with a mildly-lumpy cam and bolt-ons. It’s a pretty sweet and reliable package we know will become a real head-turner as time allows. We are planning a trip back to see the rest of the cars, get photos and stories, then maybe get some work done to our Nova. Seems these guys know what they are doing and have the products of their labor to prove it. Perhaps it’s a family tradition.

NOW SCROLL DOWN FOR THE REST OF DOUG AND TAYLOR’S GREAT PHOTOS OF LARRY LILLY’S C10 DUO AND COOL SHOP –