This Patina GMC Was Rotting in a Field — Now It's Road Trip Ready

Full walkthrough and test drive of this 1968 GMC patina build before it heads to its new owner. This truck was sitting in a field here in Arizona fading away — now it's LT1 swapped, sitting on a Porterbuilt Level 2 chassis, and built to actually go places.

This one started as a long bed 3/4 ton and got cut down to a short bed. The owner and his wife wanted a truck they could road trip to California in, throw their beach cruiser bikes in the back, and not stress about a paint job. So that's exactly what we built. Custom bed storage compartments for luggage, a sunken spare tire mount so it doesn't block visibility, tie-down hooks for the bikes, and a 200 amp battery kill switch. It's a patina truck that actually works.

Under the hood is a brand new LT1 with brushless fans, AC, and everything laid out to be accessible and serviceable. Inside, Camaro bucket seats with heat and cooling, a 12-inch display, push button start, cruise control, Dakota Digital gauges with that vintage green look, and a Morel component speaker setup with a Mosconi amp and subs. The truck's name is Zoe — stitched right into the headrests.

Jason takes it out for the last few miles of our 1,000-mile shakedown process. We put 1,000 miles on every build before it goes home. Even with that, he still came back with a short list of micro-fixes — clock calibration, a little wind noise, small stuff most shops wouldn't catch. That's just how we do it.

Would you daily drive a patina truck? Drop a comment and let us know what you'd build yours for — road trips, shop truck, or weekend cruiser.

BUILD SPECS:
1968 GMC (short bed conversion from 3/4 ton long bed)
LT1 engine
Porterbuilt Level 2 chassis
Camaro bucket seats (heated/cooled)
12-inch display with push button start
Dakota Digital gauges
Sparc steering wheel with cruise control
Schott wheels — 12x20 rear, 8.5x20 front
325/35/20 rear tires, 255/40/20 front
Morel component speakers, Mosconi amp, subs
Custom bed storage compartments
Sunken spare tire mount
Backup camera

See more builds and shop classic truck parts at fatfender.com.
Got questions? Hit us up at [email protected].

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