...is how Michael Rieck describes his wild big block ProCharged 1971 Chevrolet C-10.
Sand cars originally perked the go-fast junkie inside of Rieck, but that fizzled out when he started a family and his own business. Once established and feeling the need for speed once again, Michael picked up something a little outside the box, a trend that would obviously continue as his builds progressed. “I bought an Audi sedan, and turned it into a 700hp daily driver and did a little bit of racing with that car,” he said. During his adventures with the Audi, some buddies invited him out to watch a street race, and that was all it took. “As soon as I saw this, I knew the 700hp car was not enough for me and that’s when
a friend mentioned seeing a truck for sale on craigslist, so I went and bought it and then starting building it into what it is today.”
For 24,000 bucks the 1971 C10 was in Rieck’s driveway, and, while it was in overall good condition with a solid body (it was an Arizona truck), the chassis needed some love and the street LS3 motor and 4L80E transmission had to go. “The deconstruction of the truck started” added Rieck. “This is when the real financial investment in racing began. Every nut and bolt was changed.
The truck was already setup for a big tire, but still, numerous chassis,
“It’s a 3400lb refrigerator that goes 4.46 at 165mph!”
After purchasing the truck, although it was setup to run a big tire, Michael quickly realized that it needed some serious work in the chassis department in order to handle the level of power he planned for it. The slick blue with silver stripe paint work was completed by Raintree Automotive of Scottsdale AZ.
suspension, brakes, electronics, engine and drivetrain modifications were necessary.”
Rieck worked his way through the build, which didn’t go as expected, at least for the first year or so anyway, and he ended up building the engine twice. “I definitely got screwed over quite a few times until I met the right people,” he said. Once the build was full on and Michael had those people in his corner it was done within a few years, and has been an ongoing project ever since.
Advanced Product Design (APD) has been one
of those “right people” on the build and Joey Hessling not only put Rieck on the right track, but built him a killer boosted big block that has proven to be near indestructible. 572 inches of BBC to be exact, that started life as a HIPped Brodix tall deck aluminum block with .400 raised 55mm cam tunnel and .937 lifter bores…APD was up to some pretty serious business! A Callies Magnum 4.500” crankshaft, spins MGP Rods pinned to Wiseco boost-friendly forged pistons with Total Seal rings. APD also took care of the CNC ported
Brodix BB-3 Xtra heads and filled them with Manley titanium valves, PSI springs, and Victory1 retainers and locks, Manton steel rocker arms and Manton 1/2” pushrods.
Atop the intake sits more of APD’s handiwork in the form of a 1300cfm Billet Enforcer blow-thru carb along with a Pro Series elbow. They were also responsible for the
APD 15GPM belt driven fuel pump and matching boost referenced bypass regulator. Speaking of boost, a ProCharger F3-121 RaceDrive centrifugal supercharger is responsible for forcing the copious amounts of extra air into the mix.
Backing the big bad big block is one of Carl Rossler’s tricked-out Turbo 400 3-speed automatics
with a Neal Chance billet bolt-together converter. As you’d expect, the military-grade build continues with a Fab 9 rearend stuffed with a Strange aluminum Ultra Case, 4.56 gears and 40 spline gun drilled axles suspended from a Chris Alston’s Chassisworks 4-link with double adjustable coilover shocks. Alston’s is also responsible for the chassis
The C10’s wicked stance is thanks to the Chris Alston’s Chassisworks parts used throughout the build. A bulletproof Fab 9 rear housing holds a Strange Ultra center section, 4.56 gears and 40 spline gun drilled axles. As you can see in the race shots, those long wheelie bars are much needed!
...572 inches of killer boosted big block that has proven to be near indestructible. ..
Michael Reick’s Truck makes a KILLER Pass at Las Vegas Motor Speedway!!
Body & Paint:
Raintree Automotive-Scottsdale AZ, 1971 C-10 Chevy Pickup metallic blue with silver racing stripes.
Chassis Modifications: Chris Alston’s Chassisworks.
Suspension:
Front is tubular A-Arms with Penske shocks and rear is a custom 4-Link with double adjustable Penske shocks.
Engine:
APD 572 with a HIPped Brodix tall deck aluminum block with .400 raised 55mm cam tunnel and .937 lifter bores. Rotating Assembly: Callies Magnum 4.500” Crankshaft, MGP rods, Wiseco pistons, Total Seal rings.
Cylinder Heads:
APD CNC ported Brodix 3Xtra heads filled with Manley titanium valves, PSI springs, and Victory1 retainers and locks, Manton steel rocker arms and Manton 1/2” pushrods.
Induction & Fuel Delivery:
APD 1300cfm Billet Enforcer blow-thru carb along with an APD 15GPM belt driven fuel pump and matching boost referenced bypass regulator.
Power Adder:
ProCharger F3-121 RaceDrive centrifugal supercharger.
Transmission:
Rossler Turbo 400 3 speed, Neil Chance convertor, billet bolt-together.
Rear:
Fab 9 rear end, Strange aluminum Ultra Case assembly HD40 9 ½ spline 3rd member, 4.56 gear ratio, 40 spline gun drilled axles.
Brakes:
Wilwood 4 piston.
Tires & Wheels:
Tire- Hoosier. Wheel- Race Star Wheels.
Interior:
MSD dash, Precision Air Shifter, Kirkey seats, Simpson safety equipment.
ET & MPH:
4.46 and 165mph in the 1/8th-mile.
Thanks To:
APD –Advanced Product Design- Joey Hessling for motor/ carburetor, for all the daily phone calls and for building me a stellar workhorse killer combo.
I definitely want to thank my Crew Chief Richard Gaston. He has been there for every oil change, maintenance, race, win/loss, etc, many many thanks to him.
build and the main reason the truck is slammed to the weeds.
Since the C10 sees track duty only, the interior is race only. A cage sur rounds Rieck, while a single MSD digital display relays info and a Pre cision shifter actuates gear chang es. An aluminum dash and carbon door panels are used to try and shave some weight off the already heavyweight hay hauler.
We’ve already mentioned that the Chevy can bust out mid 4’s in the 1/8th at over 160mph, but it also can handle the long haul with 6.98 quarter-mile hits at near 200mph. The highlight of Michael’s 3-year drag race career so far, though, was
last November when he set the track record at Irwindale Speedway with a 4.46 at 165mph. So, while this big Chevy pickup may be intimidating
in size alone, make no mistake, it has everything it needs under the hood and behind the wheel to get the job done.
RPM