1973-87 Chevy squarebody pickups have gained the respect they deserve as hot rod and custom project material. They’re more affordable than the uber-popular 1967-72 trucks (for now) and there are plenty of restoration and upgrade parts available to build one to your liking.

Take Dez Ferrell’s 1978 C10 Cheyenne Super. As the owner of Nessy’s Kustoms in Glendale, Arizona, she needed a truck to do parts runs and such. And since it would be a rolling billboard for the shop, it had to be an attention-getter.

Since we’re curious types, we asked Dez why she named the shop Nessy’s.

“It comes from a nickname I was given,” she said. “People said my attitude was like the Loch Ness monster—only few have seen it. Any time I had an attitude I was referred to as Nessy. I figured you need that edge and a bit of attitude to be successful, so I named the shop Nessy’s Kustoms.”

Which makes the Cheyenne the Loch Ness C10, we suppose.

The squarebody is not Dez’s first classic truck rodeo. She did the body and paint work on several custom trucks, including a 1956 GMC, a 1956 Chevy, and a 1955 Ford F-100. The Ford was a radical custom built as a homage to the legendary George Barris’ ‘Kopper Kart’ ’56 Chevy pickup.

The Cheyenne build also served as a hands-on project for women who wanted to learn about building hot rods and getting into the hot rod industry.

”I used the truck to as a teaching tool to show students how to work on cars and also to show women that this industry is great and we can build some amazing things,” Dez told us.

Dez found the C10 on Craigslist for $1,200. We’re sure you’ll be totally surprised that it wasn’t exactly as described.

“I was told it only needed a carb and a few minor parts,” she explained. “I towed it to my shop and find out the engine was completely trashed and the transmission needed a full rebuild. The body was also worse than I expected. So instead of just building a nice shop truck I had to do a complete restoration.”

Dez tore the Cheyenne down and got to work. She brought the body back to life and added some mild custom touches like a fuel filler door moved to the bedside corner pocket, a steel rear roll pan, and a shaved firewall. Dez then broke out the paint guns and sprayed the Cheyenne two-tone black and mint green with some metalflake added for extra sparkle.

The truck was dropped four inches in the front using QA1 Street upper and lower control arms, McGaughy’s lowering springs, and McGaughy’s shocks. Dez added a QA1 front sway bar to improve the Cheyenne’s handling.

The rear of the truck was dropped six inches using new leaf springs; McGaughy’s C-notch, flip, and rear shackle kits; and McGaughy’s shocks. The Cheyenne rides on 275/40-ZR20 tires mounted on 20-inch American Racing Salt Flat wheels painted black to match the truck.

The engine situation didn’t go as smoothly as the rest of the build. Dez bought a used 350 cubic inch small block Chevy to replace the bad motor the truck came with, but after teardown she found that it was junk as well. She decided to go the crate engine route with a remanufactured long block. Dez also had a set of GM 487X heads redone and fitted with Proform roller tip rocker arms. The 350 is topped with a Holley Sniper throttle body system mounted on a Summit Racing Stage 1 dual plane intake manifold.

A rebuilt Turbo 350 automatic transmission is mated to a TCI Breakaway torque converter. It sends power back to a GM 10-bolt rear axle outfitted with a Yukon Gear 3.08 ratio gear set and Dura Grip limited slip differential.

Dez didn’t neglect the Cheyenne’s interior. She replaced the factory gauges with custom-designed gauges from Classic Instruments fitted in an Autometer Direct-Fit dash panel. The cigarette lighter panel was converted to a charging station for phones and other electronic devices. The truck’s bench seat was reupholstered in black vinyl with teal inserts, and the headliner was painted in black metaflake to color-coordinate with the exterior paint.

You can learn more about Dez and her shop in this Hot Rod Podcast interview on YouTube. It’s worth checking out.

Have a GM squarebody project of your own? Take a look at some of the parts Dez used on her ’78 Cheyenne.

Engine
SUM-K8800 Summit Racing Pro SBC Cam Kit
SUM-150123 Summit Racing Hydraulic Roller Camshaft Installation Kit         
SUM-1457200 Summit Racing Chromoly Pushrods
PRO-66906B Proform Roller Tip Rocker Arms
MIL-18755  Milodon Oil Pump, Standard Volume
MIL-23050 Milodon Oil Pump Driveshaft
SUM-226012 Summit Racing Stage 1 Intake Manifold
SNE-550-511 Holley Sniper EFI System
SNE-565-300 Holley Sniper EFI HyperSpark Distributor
SNE-556-151 Holley Sniper EFI Hyperspark CD Ignition
SUM-889009 Summit Racing 8.5mm Ignition Wires

Engine Accessories
SUM-G9006 Summit Racing Long Tube Headers
EMS-MS108-15MB Eddie Motorsports Valve Covers
AAF-ALL81345 Allstar Performance Wire Separators
SUM-239433B Summit Racing Air Cleaner
SUM-384018-KIT1 Summit Racing Performance Fit Radiator and Fan Kit
SUM-340400BL Summit Racing Serpentine Accessory Drive

Chassis and Suspension
QA1-52602 QA1 Street Upper Control Arms
QA1-52601 QA1 Street Lower Control Arms
QA1-52896 QA1 Sway Bar
MMC-33128 McGaughys Front Coil Springs, 2-inch drop
MMC-1350 McGaughys Front Shocks
MMC-1850 McGaughys Rear Shocks
MMC-33152 McGaughys C-Notch Kit
MMC-33156 McGaughys Rear Flip Kit
MMC-33131 McGaughys Rear Spring Shackles

Interior
ATM-2137 Autometer Direct-Fit Dash Panel
OER-14031898 OER Dash Pad

Misc. Parts
SUM-760222 Summit Racing Power Brake Conversion Kit
PTP-7-1907-BL Prothane Engine and Transmission Mount Kit
AWW-510347 American Autowire Classic Update Wiring Harness
TCI-24090 TCI Breakaway Torque Converter
YGA-24492 Yukon Gear Ring and Pinion Gear Set, 3.08 ratio
YGA-26016 Yukon Gear Dura Grip Differential

Dex Ferrell with 1978 Chevy C10
Dez Ferrell looks pretty proud of her 1978 Chevy Cheyenne, and for good reason. She and a team of female enthusiasts put it together from start to finish at her shop, Nessy’s Kustoms. And we mean everything—teardown, engine build, suspension, bodywork and fabrication, interior, the works. (Image/Nessy’s Kustoms)
Dez Ferrell 1978 Chevy C10 Before the Build
Dez found the C10 on Craigslist for $1,200. Told it only needed a carburetor and a few minor parts, closer inspection revealed a worthless engine, a transmission that need a full rebuild, and a body that was worse than expected. “It was the first project vehicle I ever bought, and boy did I get bamboozled,” Dez admitted. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? (Image/Nessy’s Kustoms)
Crew with Dez Ferrell's 1978 Chevy C10
Dez used the Cheyenne build as a hands-on classroom for women who wanted to learn about building custom vehicles and getting into the hot rod industry. Here is Dez and her crew taking a break from working on the truck’s firewall. (Image/Nessy’s Kustoms)
Dez Ferrell Installing Summit Racing Pro SBC Camshaft
The used 350 cubic inch small block Chevy Dez bought to replace the truck’s bad motor ended up being junk as well. She decided to go the crate engine route and got a remanufactured long block 350 and a reworked set of factory 487X cast iron heads. The camshaft she’s installing is a Summit Racing™ Pro SBC hydraulic roller rated at .450 inches of lift. (Image/Nessy’s Kustoms)
Engine in Dez Ferrell's 1978 Chevy C10
The 350 is topped with a Holley Sniper EFI sitting on a Summit Racing™ Stage 1 intake manifold. The Summit Racing™ Serpentine Accessory Drive features a 105 amp alternator, power steering pump, high-flow water pump, and Sanden SD-7 AC compressor mounted on a 1/2-inch thick 6061 T6 billet aluminum face plate. It comes with billet aluminum crank, water pump, alternator, power steering, and clutch cover pulleys too. (Image/Nessy’s Kustoms)
Dez Ferrell 1978 Chevy C10
The Cheyenne was dropped four inches in the front and six in the rear with McGaughy’s and QA1 components. It rides on 20-inch American Racing Salt Flat wheels wrapped with 275/40-ZR20 rubber. Dez painted the wheels to match the truck’s paint. (Image/Nessy’s Kustoms)
Dez Ferrell 1978 Chevy C10 Fuel Filler in Stake Pocket
Here’s a neat trick. Dez filled in the factory fuel filler door and moved the filler to the left-side corner pocket in the bed. She also added a steel rear roll pan, and shaved the firewall before shooting the truck in two-tone black and mint green metalflake paint. Painting is her favorite part of a build. “From the moment I held my first paint gun, I knew that was exactly what I wanted to do with my life,“ Dez explained. (Image/Nessy’s Kustoms)
Dez Ferrell 1978 Chevy C10 interior
Dez replaced the factory gauges with custom ones from Classic Instruments. They were fitted in an Autometer Direct-Fit dash panel sprayed with black metalflake. The cigarette lighter panel was converted to a charging station for phones and other electronic devices. The truck’s bench seat was reupholstered in black vinyl with teal inserts. (Image/Nessy’s Kustoms)
Dez Ferrell teaching painting class
When she’s not building stuff, Dez teaches classes to women who want to try their hand in paint, bodywork, and metal fabrication. “I want to show women that this industry is great and we can build some amazing things,” she told us. Interested? Check out class schedules on the Nessy’s Kustoms Facebook page. (Image/Nessy’s Kustoms)
Dez Ferrell Custom Skateboard
Dez is wicked-good at airbrush art, too. Here she is with one of her custom skateboards. (Image/Nessy’s Kustoms)
Keywords
Chevy Cheyenne Pickup, customs, Nessy's Kustoms
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Author: Alan Rebescher

Editor, author, PR man—Alan Rebescher has done it all in a 37 year career in the high performance industry. He has written and photographed many feature stories and tech articles for Summit Racing and various magazines including Hot Rod, Car Craft, and Popular Hot Rodding, and edited Summit Racing’s Street & Strip magazine in the 1990s. His garage is currently occupied by a a 1996 Mustang GT ragtop.