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If you are a true car guy, your vehicle is more than just a mode of transportation. It’s an extension of yourself, and is something that you are proud of. We’re all car guys here, and we all spend a lot of time with driving, detailing, and even working on them. Unfortunately, we all know that familiar pain of letting go of a certain old car for something new and different.
In some cases, we inevitably keep looking back on what we had, wishing we hadn’t let it go. We know a lot of people that feel this sort of connection to their first car, first project car, or the car dad had when they were younger. In a way, these “relics” become members of our family. Care to dispute that? If so, then why do we name them? It’s hard to deny the impact they have on us.
The Family Introduction
This couldn’t be more true than in the case of Craig Wick and this 1975 Chevy C10 pickup. Craig lives and works out of Auburn, Washington, where he is the owner and founder of Wicked Fabrications. He is an automotive enthusiast by nature, and in his case, he turned a hobby into a profession.
Craig started his business by working out of his garage, in 2002. The weekends revolved around cars, while the five other days of the week were spent designing new products for a company that builds wood burning stoves. “It got to the point where I didn’t really like what I was doing at work, and my wife wanted me on weekends,” Craig said. “So with his wife’s support, his passion for cars, and his experience in performance automotive work, he started Wicked Fabrications. It’s now, 14 years later, and they are operating out of a full-sized shop with nine employees.
Craig has built and worked on more cars and trucks than most of us can even imagine. Through all of the high-horsepowered classics he’s worked on, there are only a few that stand out in his mind. This 1975 C10 is one of them. It’s not because it’s the fastest thing he has ever built, and it isn’t the rarest either, but to him and his family, it could never be replaced.
Humble Beginnings
“It started out as an ugly lime green color, I think it was actually the factory paint color.” Craig tells us about the beginning of the project. Initially, the truck didn’t belong to the Wick family, it was another family member’s hauler. When the truck was initially brought to the shop, it belonged to Frank Ropo, Craig’s father-in-law. The initial plan for the truck found Frank and Craig working together on Wednesday nights and weekends, but unfortunately, while the truck was in process, tragedy struck. “About two years into the project, Frank was diagnosed with a terminal brain tumor and passed away a few months later as the truck was almost ready to be painted,” he said.
“After Frank passed, working on the truck became therapeutic,” Craig said, “and in the end, it was finished as something done in memory of Frank.” With more than 1,000 man hours on the truck, Craig said the biggest challenge was finishing it in a way that he feels Frank would have wanted.
It started out as an ugly lime green, I think it was actually the factory paint color. – Craig Wick
Although Frank never got to see the truck finished, Craig feels that it’s built exactly how he would have wanted it. “Frank picked the color,” Craig said, “and he always wanted something with flames.” With the help of Jon Byers of Byers’ Custom and Restorations, the paint and body is as smooth as glass. Apparently, Frank also wanted something that could perform well, and according to Craig, it’s definitely more than just a good looking truck … it is built to drive.
Big-Inch Bruiser
Under the hood is 468 cubic inches of big-block power, topped with a Dart intake and an 850 cfm Holley double-pumper carburetor. The engine has forged JE pistons, Eagle H-beam rods, and a final compression ratio of 10.5:1. Built to run hard, the engine also features ported aluminum heads, titanium 
valves, a steel GM crankshaft and an Ultradyne solid-roller camshaft with 256 and 260 degrees of duration at a .050-inch lift, and a valve spring compressing .650- and .660-inch lift.
The motivator is followed up with a 700R4 transmission, that was rebuilt by TransEnd, right in Auburn, Washington. The transmission is fitted with a 10-inch Continental torque converter, and the driveline is ended by a 12-bolt Positraction rearend with a 3:73 gear ratio.
The engine is one of Craig’s favorite aspects of the build, and said, “It’s a precision built engine that features only the highest quality parts.” Let’s not forget to mention that everything under the hood is either chromed or polished, and looks just as good as the outside of the C-series Chevy.
Creature Comforts
Craig describes the interior as a “backyard job,” as he did it himself. The seat was donated from a friend who had it sitting in the backroom at his house for quite some time. A man of many talents, he did a professional grade job on the interior, but that isn’t surprising, considering that he strives for nothing less than professional results in everything he builds.
“Before Frank passed away, we talked about what he wanted,” Craig told us. “When it came to putting it together, it still felt like we were doing it the way he would have wanted.” Frank had been collecting parts for years, so he could put together this truck, so it made sense to finish it in a way that would make him proud.
The Youngest Wick
Craig’s son Kyle, now 16, was only two years old when Frank passed away. “Even at two years old, I was always spending time with him,” Kyle told us when asked about his grandfather. Kyle has a special connection with this truck, as one of Frank’s final wishes was for it to become Kyle’s when he turned 16. For Frank, Craig, and Kyle, this truck has become a thread that weaves together three generations of automotive passion.
After school and on weekends, Kyle works doing little things in his dad’s shop, and helps out however he can. He also works over at Byers’ Custom and Restoration, prepping little stuff for paint. “I’d like to stick around here at my dad’s shop,” Kyle says, “I want to learn how to do more and be able to work on more things around the shop.” While Kyle could have grown up enjoying anything this world has to offer, it just so happens that he is into classic muscle just like his dad and grandfather. Not only is he into cars, but he says he even prefers trucks.
Not many of us have a car or truck that is as close to the family as Craig’s. The connection they have really brings a new meaning to the phrase “part of the family.” It also serves as a reminder of how important it is to spend time with the people you care about. In a time when everyone is constantly plugged in and looking at their phones, televisions, tablets, and computers, what could be better than taking a little time to work with your father or son on a project together.
We know that none of us would trade anything for the time we have spent working on cars with our families and friends, and we’re sure Craig would agree, especially in the case of this truck and the time he spent with his father-in-law.
Building a car can be one of the greatest things that a father and son can do together, at any age. Not only do you learn a lot, but you get your own piece of American muscle out of it. “I always think about Frank whenever I am driving the truck,” Craig says. “He never got to drive it after it was finished, so I always think about how happy he would ave been about how it turned out.”
