1977 Chevy C10 Silverado Plumbing truck

[Vince311]

Tribute: 1977 Chevy C10 Silverado - Abe’s Plumbing truck (circa early 1980s)

Build time: ~2 years

Back story: This tribute to my dad’s plumbing truck honors one of the most formative
chapters of his life. In the early 1980s—one of the toughest periods the plumbing trade
had ever seen—he was in his late twenties, raising a young family, and fighting to keep
his newly founded plumbing business afloat, a business proudly named after his plumber
grandfather. Those few years were difficult, but they shaped him as a man, leaving
memories that have lasted a lifetime. Out of the more than 30 vehicles he would eventually
own, the Silverado remained one of his favorites—the way the dual exhaust sounded,
how it drove, the two-tone paint. Though I was young, the truck made a lasting impression
on me too, certainly fueling my love of Chevy square bodies. The handful of surviving photos
are all that remain of that bygone era. The photo of him standing in front of the truck preserves
the spirit of those years—hopeful, determined, and proud—and it’s the essence I set out to
honor with this tribute.

Takeaways: I’ve gained a whole new appreciation for scratch builders—the amount of trial
and error, patience, and tenacity required is immense. Painting proved especially frustrating
at times, and I likely will approach it differently on the next build. The tonneau snaps on the bed
aren’t quite what I hoped for, and shaping the pipe rack pushed me to the edge. I highly
recommend using a “build sheet”; it’s an excellent tool for organizing and planning the project.

Base Kit: MPC 1/25 Deserter
Resin body: 1978 Chevy long bed
Parts acquired: Barden style rear bumper, baby moon wheels, front suspension, tires
3D parts: Ridgid pipe vise, thermos, towing truck mirrors, slam locks
Scratch built and Mods: Canopy, 4wd to 2wd conversion: lengthen chassis, lengthen/route exhaust,
lengthen driveline; spark plug wires, heater hoses, rear window sliding frame, pipe tie-downs, ABS
and copper pipe, camper hold down brackets, dash materials, seat belts, AT column lever, bumper mounted pipe vise
Custom decals: seat covers, fender emblems, trim emblems,  license plates, Chevrolet tailgate emblem, Abe’s Plumbing door sign
Paint: Duplicolor Perfect Match and primer, Spray Max 1k clear, SEM Color Coat, Testors enamels, craft acrylics

Shout outs:
Resin Silverado body: Morgan Automotive Detail
3D designer (pipe vise): Terry Fairlamb; 3D printer: Andy Lesiak
Reference build: silent123's GMC truck
Decal printer: Diamond Dale’s Decals

Edited Thursday at 11:12 PM by Vince311
correcting typos

[Oldriginal86]

You’ve done your dad proud. Great looking tribute to a memory maker.

[Chuckyg1]

Wonderful story and tribute to your day, and a beautiful built. Your dad is smiling.

[Bugatti Fan]

Very nice commercial vehicle model with an interesting back ground story too !

[Rocketman455]

That truck is spot on. Really nice replica. Great job.

[espo]

I think making a model of a truck or car that was such an important part of our life, and of course your fathers as well, is a great experience. You get to relive that time in your mind. Your build looks every bit as nice as the original and the clean way that you detailed everything.  

[Jim B]

Great looking Chevy.  Very well done.

[BKF]

Great looking piece of history. It came out great.

[ChrisR]

Looks great!

[PappyD340]

Super nice build, well done!

[1972coronet]

WOW ! That turned out sweet !

I'd followed your W.I.P. of this - the final product is perfection ! 

[Valvefloat]

Thats a superb replica

[Mattilacken]

That’s super! Great looking model of that truck! Great work and a great honor! 
My dad did also have a squarebody when I grew up and as for yours it stuck the for him and me. His was a ’85 Suburban that he bought late 1987, with black and sand two tone.