A 1972 GMC That Whispers Big Talent

Warrenton, Oregon, is a long way from the glitz of Pomona, California, or the neon glare of Las Vegas, but it’s where James and Kerrie McKey quietly assembled one of the most thoughtful C10 builds to cross the SEMA floor in years. Their 1972 GMC half-ton, affectionately dubbed Low Key, wears ochre- and white-colored paint that looks like it rolled off a wheat-field back road, but a closer inspection reveals a level of fabrication and systems integration that rivals any six-figure showpiece.

The journey began in 2015 when Kerrie’s father, Dan, and his brother, Skip, spotted the truck at a friend’s place.

The journey began in 2015 when Kerrie’s father, Dan, and his brother, Skip, spotted the truck at a friend’s place. It ran, but the transmission slipped, and the original powertrain was never part of the plan. A donor 2002 Silverado supplied the 5.3L LS and 4L80E, but the vision quickly snowballed into including a full chassis swap, a Garrett GTX 4202R turbo, a full audio system, and a bed that defies factory geometry. Tragically, Dan passed before the first weld was laid, yet the truck became a rolling tribute, completed with the same grit he’d shown racing dirt bikes and Jeeps decades earlier.

A donor 2002 Silverado supplied the 5.3L LS and 4L80E, but the vision quickly snowballed into including a full chassis swap, a Garrett GTX 4202R turbo, a full audio system, and a bed that defies factory geometry.

James, an abrasive-blasting and coatings technician by trade, handled nearly every modification in a driveway and under a 10×10 pop-up tent. The bed floor was narrowed 5.5 inches fore-to-aft and widened 3 inches, then sectioned to flow seamlessly into raised tubs. A 7-inch floor lift cleared the triangulated 4-link and Slam Specialties SS-8 bags, while four water-jet portals house three XS Power batteries and an Igloo cooler on custom hinges. The frame, shortened, boxed, and coated in PPG zinc and satin black, anchors Stone Fab narrowed control arms and Air Lift 3H management. A Hughes Performance 4L80E and C&R 42 mm cooler keep the driveline in check, and a NoWeeds electric cutout dumps 4-inch stainless just aft of the cab when the mood strikes.

Inside, the factory dash was blasted, primed, and re-welded to flush-mount an MB Quart MDR2.0 head unit. Kick panel enclosures for 8-inch shallow-mount subs and QSE-216 mids fire across the cab, proving off-axis imaging can still deliver concert-grade sound. A pair of RW-304 12-inch subs in a ported box, designed with MB Quart’s David Lee, rides beneath a leather-wrapped fiberglass panel. DEI damping and heat shielding silence the cabin, while a compact HVAC unit preserves toe room.

The result is understated genius: 20-inch Detroit Steel Ambassador wheels on Falken Azenis rubber, a 1.75-inch body drop, and patina that invites dismissal until the hood lifts to uncover a spotless engine bay or the bed doors swing open to reveal battery bays and chilled drinks. Low Key took class honors at the Grand National Truck Show, turned heads in the MB Quart booth at SEMA, and cruised Dino’s Git Down without missing a beat.

For a couple who lost the man who started it all, Low Key is proof that passion, patience, and a tight family circle can turn a $500 beater into a cover truck, and a legacy that rolls on long after the tools were put away.

James’s advice to the next builder is simple: work within your means, ask questions at shows, and don’t let Instagram budgets intimidate you. “We painted in the rain, fabbed in the cold, and labeled parts for years,” he says. “It all comes together if you keep swinging.” For a couple who lost the man who started it all, Low Key is proof that passion, patience, and a tight family circle can turn a $500 beater into a cover truck, and a legacy that rolls on long after the tools were put away.

TRUCK SPECS

 Engine & Drivetrain

• 2002 Silverado 5.3L LS
• Garrett GTX 4202R ball-bearing turbo
• 90 lb/hr injectors
• Turbosmart wastegate, blow-off valve, and oil pressure regulator
• ATI Super Damper
• Holley Mid-Mount accessory drive
• Trick Flow Gen X 220 ported LS1 heads with titanium retainers
• Harland Sharp roller rockers
• Trick Flow pushrods
• Carrillo Bullet Series pistons
• Eagle H-beam rods
• Comp Cams camshaft
• Motion Raceworks steam kit, catch can, valve cover breathers, and surge tank
• Aeromotive fuel pump, filter, and regulator
• Maven Speed turbo mount with O-ringed drain
• AutoPlumb AN adapters on factory water pump barbs
• DEI black titanium-wrapped downpipe
• Accel ceramic plug wires, remote OE coils
• Fram oil and air filters
• Modern Vintage Systems custom engine harness
• Reprogrammed OEM ECU
• Hughes Performance custom-built 4L80E
• C&R/PWR Technologies 42 mm off-road oil cooler
• 12.75×9.75-inch radiator with Spal brushless fan

Chassis & Suspension

• Shortened and boxed 2002 Silverado frame
• Stone Fab narrowed upper and lower control arms
• Rear triangulated 4-link
• Air Lift Performance Builder Series bellows (front)
• Slam Specialties SS-8 airbags on all four corners
• Air Lift 3H/3P management
• Pancaked transmission crossmember
• Custom 32-gallon fuel tank
• Custom lower link bars by Phil Rohr at Everson Fab

Wheels & Tires

• Custom 20-inch Detroit Steel Ambassador wheels
• Falken Azenis tires

Body & Paint

• 1.75-inch body drop
• Bed floor raised 7 inches, narrowed 5.5 inches fore/aft, widened 3 inches
• Wheel tubs sectioned to match modified bed floor
• Bed floor narrowed 0.25 inch per side, shifted forward 0.25 inch
• Four water-jet-cut access doors (XS Power batteries and Igloo cooler) with custom hinges
• Driver-side marker light converted to capless Ford fuel filler
• Engine dropped 1.5 inches, set back 1 inch; passenger firewall sectioned with big-block valve cover insert
• Front bumper moved in; rear bumper raised 3.5 inches and tucked
• HVAC lines and wiring routed through fenders and core support
• Firewall patched, smoothed, and painted satin black
• Frame, cab underside, bed interior, and inner fenders blasted, PPG zinc-primed, satin black
• Four sets of hubcaps sorted, bodyworked, and painted

Interior & Stereo

• Factory bench seat re-covered by Tony Miller at Stitches Upholstery
• DEI sound damping and heat shielding throughout
• Dash blasted, epoxy-primed, re-welded for flush MB Quart MDR2.0 head unit
• Custom stainless HVAC control panel (1.5 inches deep) with micro switches and sliding potentiometer
• Fiberglass kick-panel sub enclosures
• Under-dash aluminum panels carpeted
• Door panels with aluminum inserts, fabric matching seat; Nu-Relics power window switches in medallions
• Custom aluminum door pulls in armrests
• Compact HVAC unit preserves toe room
• MB Quart RW-304 12-inch subs in ported box with dual-flare external port (designed with David Lee)
• MB Quart RA1-280.4 amplifiers in floating rack with acrylic end caps
• 8-inch MB Quart DS1-204 shallow subs in fender kick panels
• MB Quart QSE-216 6-inch mids (off-axis firing)
• Acrylic trim rings with red LED backlighting
• Metra Tsunami wiring, RCAs, terminals
• 1× XS Power battery (engine/chassis)
• 2× isolated XS Power batteries (audio/air)
• IOTA onboard power supply (for shows)