Classic of the Month: Shannon’s first vehicle

Shannon’s 1971 C10 is affectionately known in his house as their ice cream truck — or as his wife calls it: his mistress. 

“I don’t get it out on the highway and drive it,” Shannon said. “Just because of the paint job and how much I have invested in it.”

Shannon has owned the C10 since he was 17. At that time, the truck drove very sloppily and rough, but now it feels more modern. It was his first vehicle, and went with him when he joined the military. 

“It’s just so neat to be able to drive it again,” he said.

He originally planned to paint the truck red, but decided against that since the interior was going to be red as well.  “My wife said, ‘Oh, that’s too much red. Can’t do that.’”

Shannon came home with a picture of the Z06 Corvette that was silver with red leather interior. 

“I loved it, with the silver and red together,” he said.

Shannon took the truck to the C10 Nationals in Ft. Worth, Texas where he won Best Interior. He said he was shocked he was able to beat the stiff competition. Shannon said he put a lot of miles on the truck this summer driving it to shows. Most recently, he went to the C10 Nationals in Nashville, Tennessee. 

“My advice is: don’t try to cut corners,” Shannon said. “There were several times I tried to cut corners on the truck to save money. Like, buy a cheaper radiator than the one I really wanted or buy a cheaper fuel tank than the one I wanted. And after I did that, I realized that wasn’t the way to go.”

He advises anyway working on a project to spend the money to save the time later on.

Shannon said the build took time, and many of the parts were purchased from Classic Parts of America including most of the suspension and a passenger-side door. 

“It’s been super handy to have you guys close, and very knowledgeable about what I needed to get for the truck,” he said. “It was always just a phone call away.”