Cummins-Swapped 1977 Chevy C20: A Masterpiece of Customization

Taylor Swanson’s Cummins-Swapped ‘77 Chevy C20

PHOTOS BY THOMAS SEABURY

Throughout his time of owning and operating Northern Nevada Window Tinting in Reno, Nevada, Taylor Swanson has serviced vehicles of all types and styles. The experience has allowed him to take an up close and personal look at cars and trucks old and new, and over the years, he has narrowed down his list of favorite makes and models. Every single custom classic truck that passes through his shop has reaffirmed Taylor’s lifelong partiality to them, which has finally led to him purchasing one to build for himself.

Grounded

“I have a soft spot for Squarebody Chevy trucks’’, Taylor shares. “I had an ’84 K10 in high school, and I recently started to be overcome with the need to seek out and buy another vintage Bowtie truck that I could customize my own way.” After searching high and low for the perfect truck to buy, Taylor eventually found it in a 1977 Chevy C20 Scottsdale pickup. The sky’s the limit with a truck like this, but he had no intention of taking it higher in altitude. He envisioned his truck slammed to the ground, rocking a nostalgic factory paint scheme, and featuring all the styling and detailing that goes into the most impressive showpieces. With that image in mind, Taylor began laying out a plan of action to get there, which included calling on a handful of talented shops and automotive artisans that he has developed an admiration for during his time in the industry.

“The truck didn’t lay body on the ground at first, so we had to completely redesign the suspension and cab mounts to sit it down lower.”

To get the party started, Taylor and his good friend Bruce Gurnea began tearing into the C20’s factory frame by first Z-ing the front end, notching the rear 10 inches, and sectioning it 3 inches underneath the cab. Next, the duo began outfitting the altered chassis with top shelf components to bring it all together including a Porterbuilt front Dropmember system and a rear 4-link setup. Next, Slam Specialties SS-8 air bags and Ridetech HQ shocks were affixed to each corner, and an Accuair e-Level air management package was wired up to give Taylor one-the-fly ride height control. While the guys were at it, they also bodydropped the C20 3.5 inches to bring the truck crashing down to the pavement. Sure, these are all extreme measures to take with a perfectly good classic vehicle, but this is exactly what Taylor wanted—and it was starting to look as good as he envisioned.

The next order of business was to select a set of wheels and tires that would better suit the much sportier look Taylor was after. What he chose was a set of 20-inch diameter Detroit Steel Delray wheels that have been covered in Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires. To bring that heavily upgraded rolling arsenal to a proper halt, fresh braking components were assembled and installed. Front Power Stop brake kits were put together, as were Ruff Stuff disc brake conversion packages on both sides of the rear end. A Wilwood master cylinder and a Hydroboost system followed suit to give Taylor reliable braking power that would prove to be highly necessary after the next phase of the build began to take shape.

“We built the truck nice, because we did it twice.”

Here Cummins Trouble 

With the C20’s dramatically altered chassis system well taken care of, Taylor was ready to take another huge leap within the project. Throwing a modern engine in a vintage GM pickup is commonplace these days. While LS and LT platforms stand out as some of the most popular swaps in a project such as this, Taylor had something else in mind. If you haven’t picked up on the trend yet, he tends to like things that are a tad bit out of the ordinary, which we most certainly admire! There’s nothing better than seeing someone go against the grain with a truck model that is commonly customized, and the decision to run with a P-pumped 2000 5.9L Cummins diesel engine was a major league curveball. Dakota Sargent of Fullhook Performance in Las Vegas was recruited to handle this portion of the process. Taylor didn’t randomly pick Dakota’s name out of a hat though. He has built a huge reputation for himself in the diesel performance industry, and Taylor had no doubt Dakota would make this unique engine swap a success.

“He envisioned his truck slammed to the ground, rocking a nostalgic factory paint scheme, and featuring all the styling and detailing that goes into the most impressive showpieces.”

A stock condition Cummins drop wasn’t exactly what the guys had in mind, as the inline-6 diesel engine was severely beefed up and dressed to impress. Dakota doesn’t take any half measures, and just one glance under the C20’s hood immediately drives that fact home. With more modifications than can be counted in a timely fashion, the Cummins turned into an absolute beast. There isn’t a component that hasn’t been replaced, rebuilt or upgraded throughout the build. Through the strategic combination of each individual performance component, Dakota delivered a well-fitting, high performing ‘out of place’ diesel engine that has knocked many onlookers off balance.

“…the decision to run with a 2000 5.9L Cummins diesel engine was a major league curveball.”

“While I do love how everything turned out with the engine, I would make one suggestion to others out there looking to do the same modification”, Taylor mentions. “If I were to start over from the beginning, I would recommend going with a 12-valve application not a 24-valve due to hood clearance issues. Other than that, I love how it came out—even the custom engraved valve cover that tends to polarize the crowd. It does get a lot a love, but it also gets just as much hate.” Either way, Taylor is unphased by the negative reviews he sees and hears about his on-truck decisions.

“I love how it came out—even the custom engraved valve cover that tends to polarize the crowd.”

Keeping Things OG 

The C20’s original factory paint was good enough to keep in place, which was a huge bonus for Taylor. The naturally weathered colors give off the true vintage aesthetic he was chasing. To further build on the truck’s cosmetic attributes, a set of Slosh Tubz squared wheel wells were positioned underneath the hood to better frame the diesel mill. The bed floor was raised 7 inches to accommodate the suspension system below, which can be regularly maintained though the strut-assisted center panel that lifts with ease.

In just 18 months, Taylor was able to completely transform his ’77 Chevy truck, as well as send some shockwaves through the show scene while doing it. While the only easy facets of the build include tinting the windows and polishing the original paint, Taylor pushed through and stuck to his guns. “We built the truck nice, because we did it twice”, he admits. “The truck didn’t lay body on the ground at first, so we had to completely redesign the suspension and cab mounts to sit it down lower. It’s always cheaper and easier to buy a truck like this already built, but there’s nothing like diving deep into a project like this and seeing it through.”

1977 Chevy C20 Scottsdale 

Owner

Taylor Swanson
Reno, NV

Engine & Drivetrain 

• Shop: Fullhook Performance, Las Vegas, NV
• 2000 Cummins 5.9L inline 6
• Custom motor mounts
• Scheid Diesel P-pump conversion kit
• Farrell Diesel Service stage 3 P-pump
• Industrial power steering pump
• Custom air-to-air intercooler piping
• Factory connecting rods, pistons, rings and compression ratio
• ARP rod bolts
• Hamilton 188/200 camshaft, 103# valve springs
• Billet keepers and retainers
• XDP 7/16-inch pushrods
• ICT billet intake manifold
• Dynomite Diesel stage 5 fuel injection
• Steed Speed headers
• Full custom 409 stainless 4-inch exhaust system
• Stainless Diesel S366 5-blade mafia turbo
• Custom engraved King Speed billet valve cover
• 1995 47RH 2WD transmission w/ custom trans crossmember by General Transmission, Reno, NV
• Diesel Performance Converters billet triple disc torque converter
• Derale transmission cooler under bed
• Firepunk Anteater shift kit
• 4-inch one-piece driveline w/ 1350 to 1410 conversion U-joints

Chassis & Suspension

• Factory 1977 frame modified by Taylor Swanson and Bruce Gurnea
• Z-d front frame, 10-inch C-notch, sectioned 3 inches under cab
• 153-inch wheelbase
• Porterbuilt front Dropmember, 4-link rear
• Slam Specialties SS-8 air bags
• Ridetech HQ shocks
• 3.5-inch body drop
• Accuair e-Level air management
• Mustang II rack and pinion steering
• Boyd Welding fuel cell
• OEM 14-bolt rearend narrowed 7 inches

Wheels, Tires & Brakes

• 20-inch Detroit Steel Delray wheels
• Firestone Firehawk Indy 500 tires
• Power Stop front brakes
• Ruff Stuff rear disc brake conversion
• Wilwood master cylinder
• Hydroboost

Body & Paint 

• Paint by Nick Kline @ Nevada Auto Corrections, Carson City, NV
• Factory Russet metallic / Santa Fe tan paint
• OEM grille
• LMC Truck bumper
• Slosh Tubz squared wheel tubs
• Bed floor raised 7 inches

Interior & Stereo 

• LMC Truck factory bench seat w/ original Buckskin tan upholstery
• Dakota Digital RTX gauges
• Retro stereo deck
• Igloo console cooler