On The Road: A DIY crowd-pleasing GMC

Ron Tkachuk’s 1971 GMC radical custom pickup is a crowd pleaser.

“Every time I show it, so many photos of that truck get taken,” he says, and adds, “That’s because of all the drastic alterations that have been made to it.”

A trained General Motors mechanic originally from Prince Alberta, Saskatchewan, Tkachuk worked in a garage for a few years but then left the trade. He’s done a little bit of everything since when it comes to building vehicles, from working on the mechanics to completing body, paint and interior jobs.

A self-taught upholsterer from the age of 17, Tkachuk has been stitching interiors for several years from his Water Valley, Alberta shop. He’s built many custom vehicles but says he’s never taken on a start-to-finish special construction project for a client – he prefers to build them and drive them for himself.

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Ron Tkachuk’s 1971 GMC

In 2012, Tkachuk traveled to Edmonton where he picked up the 1971 GMC truck as an unfinished project. The previous owner had started many of the custom modifications, including chopping the top five inches to lower the roof height.

“He had the vision, but not the expertise to finish the truck,” Tkachuk says. “He was just in a little bit over his head.”

With the truck in his own shop, Tkachuk got underway finishing many of the body modifications. The chopped top needed to be correctly lined up and welded, and an extra three inches of metal had been added to stretch the rear of the cab. The doors are the stock length, and the drip rails were shaved.

Over the windshield, Tkachuk added a three-inch visor that makes the cab appear even longer than it is.

At the back of the truck, Tkachuk worked to complete shortening the pickup box. It lost five inches, while the rear fenders were widened three inches. The rear bumper was tucked in and a set of LED tail lights off a 1967 Camaro mounted in place.

Instead of welding metal into the pickup box, Tkachuk installed a wooden bottom and covered it with an outdoor carpet-type material.

A rough set of original front fenders was exchanged for a set of replacement panels, but Tkachuk spent a great deal of time manipulating all other body parts.

“I did a lot of sheet metal work to finish up what had been started,” he says. “I loved the look of the truck as I got it, but I added many touches to make it my own.”

Underneath the truck cab and box, Tkachuk shortened the chassis five inches and lowered the suspension by adding special components from Belltech Sport Trucks. Belltech is a company from Fresno, California with expertise in lowering the ride height of many different pickups.

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The interior of Ron Tkachuk’s 1971 GMC

Tkachuk painted the chassis and replaced or rebuilt critical safety parts including tie rods, ball joints, steering box and brakes.

Under the hood, a GM crate engine was installed backed up with a Turbo 350 transmission.

“It’s a standard 350-cubic-inch engine that makes about 320 horsepower,” Tkachuk says. “It’s nothing special under there. I didn’t even run headers, so it’s all very simple.”

Tkachuk finished the metal work and prepped the body for paint, spraying his own coats of primer. He then handed the truck over to a professional painter and had it finished in a hard-to-miss tango pearl orange.

Inside, Tkachuk utilized power-adjustable bucket seats and modified an overhead console from a Chevy Blazer. He made his own lower centre console, and trimmed it all out in brown leather. Other power amenities include steering, brakes and windows.

The truck rolls on a set of 20-inch Boss wheels equipped with low-profile Extreme ZR Nitro tires.

From start to finish, it took Tkachuk one year and two months to complete the truck. He’s since driven it some 6,000 miles, regularly attending local car shows and twice going as far as Penticton, B.C.

“When I show it, I display it with the hood closed. It’s not what’s under the hood that’s special; it’s the overall lines of the truck with all of the body modifications,” Tkachuk says.

“It’s won a few awards (including World of Wheels 2017 Full/Radical/Handbuilt Truck), and it’s nice to be recognized,” he says, and concludes, “Even though it’s a show-quality truck, it was built to drive and it runs great out on the highway.”

Greg Williams is a member of the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Have a column tip? Contact him at 403-287-1067 or gregwilliams@shaw.ca.

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