His Dad Bought It New in '73—Now It's Finally Finished

Scott walks us through his 1973 GMC squarebody restoration—a truck with 52 years of family history. His dad bought it new off the lot in '73 for $2,500, and after decades of planning, Scott finally brought his vision to life with help from Fat Fender Garage.

This isn't just another build. Scott's dad taught him to drive in this truck with the original three-on-the-tree transmission. Growing up, Scott and his brother practically destroyed it. His dad painted it white back in 1990, but when Scott pulled off an interior panel during teardown, he found that original burnt orange paint underneath. That's when he knew—bring it back to how dad first saw it on the dealer lot.
Scott's dad owned an auto body shop for 40 years but had to step away for health reasons before he could finish restoring the truck himself. When Scott sent him photos of the completed build, his dad got emotional. He said Scott did the right thing—kept the beauty of the truck and honored that era without going over the top.

The details matter on this one. Those chrome headlight bezels? Original OEM parts, not plastic aftermarket. Real pop metal that's incredibly thin and hard to polish. Scott wanted to stay true to that 1973 look while bringing it into 2025 with modern performance hidden underneath. LS3 dressed to look like a classic 350, air ride suspension, custom widened wheel tubs, and our first bucket seat setup in a squarebody. Factory 1973 bronze paint outside, tan distressed leather with plaid inserts inside.

We completed this build in 7-8 months and debuted it at Dino's Get Down 2025. Now it's in the shake-out phase—1,000 miles of real-world testing before final delivery. That's our standard process to make sure everything works as good as it looks.

BUILD SPECS:
LS3 Engine with Holley Intake & Custom GMC Valve Covers
Wilwood Master Cylinder & Brake Booster
Air Ride Suspension
Custom Widened Wheel Tubs & Raised Bed Floor
Billet Specialty Wheels (Custom Painted & Laser Cut)
Square Body Syndicate Column
Dakota Digital Gauges
Focal Subwoofers & RL Speakers
Custom Tan Distressed Leather Interior with Plaid Inserts
Factory 1973 Bronze Paint

More squarebody content coming soon. Subscribe and follow @fatfendergarage on Instagram for behind-the-scenes updates.

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