Valor C10: A Hero’s Rebuild

To bring the Valor C10 to life, we turned to someone who doesn’t just build trucks - he crafts rolling art. Dustin Hacker, founder of Nostalgia Hot Rods, has made a name for himself in the world of custom fabrication with builds that are bold, expressive, and unmistakably original. His work has graced our SEMA booths more than once, and his passion for the craft is unmistakable the moment you see one of his creations.

Now based out of a new, state-of-the-art shop in Cedar City, Utah, Dustin and his team are raising the bar once again-this time with a truck that blends their signature style with our vision of what modern muscle can look like.

Valor C10: From Rust to Righteous – The Rebuild Begins

We knew from day one that Valor C10 wasn’t going to be some patina-slicked cruiser with a fresh coat of paint and nostalgic vibes. This truck is a tribute. A battle cry. A purpose-built machine wrapped in raw American pride. And like any good mission, it starts with stripping things down to the bare essentials and rebuilding stronger than ever.

The original cab wasn’t in bad shape considering it spent decades battling the elements, but time and exposure had done their usual damage-light rust in the floorboards, aging door pillars, and years of dents, dings, and crooked panel alignments that all told the same story: this truck had worked for a living. But we’re not here to preserve history. We’re here to transform it. Valor C10 is about evolution, not preservation. So the first move was to get brutal with it.

First order of business: a full teardown. The cab came off the frame and onto a rotisserie and rolling carts for the long road ahead, cutting out cancerous spots, welding in fresh steel, and making everything straight, smooth, and true. This won’t be a rolling Bondo machine. We’re building with metal, not mud. We’re not chasing show-car perfection for the sake of mirrors and trophy tables - we’re building something that can take a corner at speed and look damn good doing it.

The bed? Same treatment. Once we separated it from the frame, it became clear we’d need more than just surface cleanup. No shortcuts, no filler fakery - every inch of it is getting real metalwork. Inner fenders are getting custom modifications to clear the new suspension geometry and the meaty rubber we’ll be stuffing under all four corners. Tailgate’s being smoothed. Wheel tubs are getting widened. Subtle mods, sure - but all aimed at creating a cleaner, tighter, more aggressive look.

This week, a massive milestone: delivery of the Speedtech Performance ExtReme chassis. If you know your C10s, you know this is a serious piece of kit. Out goes the old-school leaf-spring setup, and in comes a full independent rear suspension, engineered for true performance. We’re talking track-day handling in a full-size pickup.

This isn’t just a suspension swap-it’s a complete DNA rewrite. The factory bones were never meant to handle the kind of power or precision we’re throwing at this thing. The Speedtech chassis gives us not just strength and rigidity, but the perfect platform for the next wave of high-performance parts.

The four-way adjustable QA1 MOD coil overs are installed. We’re dialing in the ride height, and mocking up the driveline components to ensure everything fits before final paint and finishing. Because when you’re dealing with this much power, everything-every weld, every bolt, every bracket-has to be right.

"Leaf springs are out. Independent rear suspension is in. Valor’s got the bones of a road course bruiser. Agile, balanced, and ready to grip."

Dustin Hacker

Coming Soon: Horsepower and Heartbeat!

We won’t spoil too much yet, but under the hood is going to be a monster: a 6.2L aluminum LS block fed by a Whipple 2.9L twin-screw supercharger, pushing 650 horsepower to the wheels. Backed by a Tremec T-56 Magnum, this truck will row through the gears like a legit muscle car-but with a soundtrack and feel all its own.