A SURPRISE GIFT FROM A FRIEND IN THE FORM OF A 1968 GMC C1500.
It’s no secret that the go-to engine of choice for swapping into C10s is the LS. For many years, if you lived in the Los Angeles area, the guy you would call to get your LS swap done is none other than Johny G of Johny’s Garage. He now resides in the Phoenix area and is still very much in the C10 and LS swapping game, especially now that he’s gotten a mint 1968 GMC C1500 from his good friend Ronnie Wetch of C10 Talk. Ronnie owned the truck for many years and had plans for it, but just never got around to it. He figured it should go to Johny, so on April 1 st of last year, he called Johny up and told him to pick up his truck. To Johny’s surprise, he was the new owner of the ’68 GMC that he always wanted, and the build began immediately.
Johny’s love for classic GM cars & trucks began in high school – particularly when his grandfather passed away and left him his beloved 1966 Chevrolet Impala. From there, Johny became obsessed with everything Chevy & GMC. Over the years, he’s partnered up with us many times for SEMA builds like Buttercup in 2016, Blueberry in 2017, Money$hot in 2019, and Prom Queen in 2021. For his ’68 GMC aptly named “Blue Bunny”, he had a clear goal in mind – to keep it clean and simple. Johny wanted a truck that wasn’t over the top that we could enjoy during the week and cruise on weekends to meets and shows.
When you pop open the hood, the beating heart of Blue Bunny is an L59 5.3L Gen III motor that was usually found in GM SUVs & trucks between 2002-2007 – nothing fancy, just a good reliable motor. To keep the build consistent with the theme of simplicity, Johny opted to go with old school air suspension without height sensors – relying on nothing but feel to adjust the height of Blue Bunny. Instead of repainting, he decided to keep the patina look and clear coated the original paint. Headlights, parking lights, side markers, and taillights were all provided by UPcarparts. By the time Dino’s Git Down came around, the truck wasn’t 100% completed, but good enough to allow us to shoot some photos and video.
Johny mentions to those that want to get into a Chevy/GMC project is to set a budget and build the vehicle for you and not for anyone else or for the sake of clout. We can’t wait to see what else is in store for Blue Bunny!
