A C-10 That’s Been There Through it All

There are lots of reasons that old trucks can hold strong sentimental value for people. For some, they just plain harken back to the good ol’ days when trucks and (depending on the era) gas were cheap. Others might remember that cool uncle or neighbor who had a flamed paint job and Cragars. You know, the dude who rolled around with the rear air shocks pumped up all the way. Reliving that kind of nostalgia can awaken all kinds of feelings about our younger years, but these feelings are usually the strongest when there is a direct personal connection involved.

Jose Leanos’ ’72 C-10 is one of those trucks that is awash in sentiment, as it has been an important part of his family since before he was even born. In fact, his is one of the most heartfelt stories we’ve heard in a long time. Jose shared his story with us candidly, saying, “Around 1975, the C-10 was a trade-in at a dealership. [The original owner] traded it in for a new body style square-body, so the ’72 was put on the dealer’s used car lot. This is where my dad first saw the truck. He fell in love with it and went into the dealership and walked out with a great deal.”

“As the years went on, the truck became  an integral part of the budding family’s dynamic,  serving as its primary mode of transportation to everything from the grocery store to church on Sunday mornings.”

You’d think that things would be smooth sailing from that point, but Jose continued, “There was only one problem: The C-10 had a three-on-the-tree, and he didn’t know how to drive it. So, he phoned a friend to come help him. He learned to drive it on the way home from the dealership. By the time he got home, he was an expert.”

As the years went on, the truck became an integral part of the budding family’s dynamic, serving as its primary mode of transportation to everything from the grocery store to church on Sunday mornings. “It was even the vehicle that took my mother to the hospital when she was about to give birth to me,” Jose recalled.

“As we all know,  there’s a lot of pride that comes with having a custom ride,  and Jose rocked the C-10 for many years before finally deciding to redo the truck.”

Unfortunately, there were also some tough times ahead, and the C-10 took on an even more important role. Struggling financially, Jose’s parents had to make some drastic decisions. “As a kid, I remember my parents losing our home due to finances. My dad put a camper shell on the truck and threw a mattress in the back. He would park it in an alley at night and we’d call it home. My sister and I thought it was fun, since it seemed like we were camping. I can only now imagine the stress that my mother and father were going through as a young couple in their 20s. This went on for about a month or so until they were able to get back on their feet.”

With things looking up, the family was able to move forward. As the years went on and Jose finally reached legal driving age, he was handed the keys to the truck to use during high school, by which point he had already been bitten by the custom truck bug. Jose remembers, “I lowered it and put a cheap paint job on it. It wasn’t the best, but I was satisfied with it for a while.” At some point, the original engine was even swapped out for a later-model Vortec 350, and that three-on-the-tree was dumped for a user-friendly, trusty ol’ Turbo 350 automatic.

As we all know, there’s a lot of pride that comes with having a custom ride, and Jose rocked the C-10 for many years before finally deciding to redo the truck. The local heroes at The Choppin’ Block in Fresno, California, assumed the task of getting the truck to lay flat on the ground. The crew has things down to a science, and quickly cut the frame directly in front of and behind the cab for a Z’d front end and a custom back-half clip. Slam Specialties ’bags with an AccuAir management setup make Jose’s truck sound like an angsty teenager at the touch of a button (you know, pssshh), and Delmo’s 22-inch CST wheels with whitewall Diamondback tires add a modern spin to a classic GM design.

As it turns out, one of your favorite magazines would also play a role in Jose’s truck getting its stunning paintwork. Jose tells us that a trip to the grocery store got the ball rolling, “After picking up a copy of Street Trucks, I saw a really nice C-10 that I fell in love with. While I was reading the story on it, I discovered that it was built by a local shop named Lewis Milinich Body Shop. I knew that these had to be the guys to make my dream come true”

We’re guessing that Lewis’ shop and crew exceeded Jose’s expectations, because his truck is absolutely gorgeous in person. The perfectly restored exterior pays homage to how the truck appeared when it belonged to Jose’s dad, while staying true to Jose’s own tastes. The dropped stance and restored interior by Big Daddy’s Upholstery bring the whole package together, and family history aside for a brief second, we hope Jose hangs on to his C-10 until it’s time to pass it down to the next Leanos kid.

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BUILD SPECS

OWNER

Jose Leanos
Hanford, CA
1972 Chevy C-10

Engine

• 1998 Chevy 350 engine
• Edelbrock 650-cfm carburetor
• Hooker headers
• Custom dual Flowmaster exhaust
• Painless wiring harness
• Vintage Air front-runner pulley setup
• Be Cool radiator
• 1975 GM TH350 transmission

Chassis & Suspension

• Work performed by Joe at Choppin’ Block
• Front frame section Z’d
• Custom rear back-half
• 4-link with wishbone
• Slam Specialties RE8 airbags
• CPP modular drop spindles
• Choppin’ Block control arms
• AccuAir air ride management system
• Wilwood master cylinder

Wheels & Tires

• 22×8 and 22×10 Delmo CST billet wheels
• 255/30ZR22 and 285/30ZR22 Diamondback tires with custom whitewalls

Body & Paint 

• Work performed by crew at Lewis Milinich Body Shop
• Slosh Tubz inner fenderwells
• Raised stock bed floor
• One Piece Windows glass kit
• Repainted stock blue and white with Axalta products

Interior & Stereo

• Work performed by Big Daddy’s Upholstery
• Factory seat reupholstered in leather
• Door panels and dash restored
• Vinyl headliner
• Classic Instruments gauges
• Billet Specialties steering wheel

Special Thanks From the Owner: “Thanks to my wife, Griselda, as well as Ray Greenlee, Lewis Milinich, Caanan Smith, Bill Lynch and everyone at Lewis Milinich Body Shop that helped make my dream come true.”

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