RideTech transforms a truck in 48 hours at Barrett-Jackson

Talk about pressure: Imagine taking a car to an auction, doing a complete upfit on the premises and then selling the vehicle 48 hours later!

That’s precisely what RideTech, an aftermarket suspension company, did last week at Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale sale, where it transformed a 1968 GMC C10 pickup truck and then sold it for $82,500 (price includes buyer’s fees).

RideTech had done two previous 48-hour builds — one a Chevrolet Corvette, the other a Camaro — back at its own shop in Jasper, Indiana. This time, however, the workd would be done in the Do-It Yourself Pavilion at Barrett-Jackson.

“We wanted to expose this success to an even larger audience,” said RideTech president Bret Voekel. “There was no better place to do it than at the largest automotive lifestyle event in the world, Barrett-Jackson Scottsdale.”

The goal of such two-day turnarounds is to show that it can be done, that a reliable hot rod can be built in 48 hours.

The truck used for the build was a restored vehicle but during the build it was upgraded with Forgeline wheels, BFG tires, Baer Brakes, Fitech EFI, a No Limit Engineering fuel tank, Currie crate rear end, Vintage Air air conditioning, Classic Instruments gauges, a Kicker stereo, C&R radiator, American Autowire wiring and a full RideTech StreetGrip suspension.

The build began Saturday, January 14, with the truck placed in the DIY tent. After some disassembly, teams from American Autowire, Vintage Air, and Classic Instruments began working on their areas of expertise. RideTech staffers began their work on Day 2.

The build was divided into several-hour blocks — but not to exceed 48 hours total. The weather took a turn for the worst on Day 3 and the rest of the week remained cold with sporadic rain and wind causing problems and delays.

By the half way point of Day 4, the gauge cluster was in, wiring was nearly completed, and the a/c was in and tested. Other components were installed and fluids were added.

The truck’s first-time start occurred at the conclusion of Day 6 and by Day 7 the truck was back on the ground and ready for the vinyl wrap install by EAWraps. On the final day of the build the exhaust was completed and the vehicle was shined by Adams Polishes.

Despite the challenging weather, the build was, indeed, completed within 48 hours of work time, thanks in part to help from the local So-Cal Speed Shop, which built and supplied some needed parts, with other parts coming from United Pacific Industries.

You can go to RideTech’s website to see a replay of the full build process.

RideTech and Barrett-Jackson have announced that plans already are being made for another 48-hour build in Scottsdale in 2018.

Photos by RideTech and Nicole James