This 1964 Chevy K20 Is A 40-Year Swap Meet-Built Masterpiece

This 1964 Chevy K20 Fleetside pickup has been an ongoing build for Michael Goll of Southampton, New Jersey, for more than 40 years. Over those decades, it has evolved into the awesome rig you see today. Michael has integrated creativity and fabrication skills, and as you’ll soon read, it also incorporates a massive number of parts sourced from swap meets and salvage yards across the U.S.

Inspired In The Early 1980s

Michael’s fascination with trucks began in the early 1980s after watching Bob Chandler crush cars with his 1979 Ford pickup. Inspired by Bigfoot, he set his sights on building a truck of his own, except it had to be a Chevy. At just 16 years old, he bought a C10 and got to work. “I would visit junkyards to scour for parts to build with,” he says. Here’s a cool detail: Some of the parts from that original C10 are integrated in this K20.

Reworked 350 V8

Powering the K20 is a 350 cubic-inch V8 that Michael obtained from a 1972 Chevy Biscayne station wagon. He paid just $100 for the engine, which he says had “lame compression and a two-barrel carburetor.” Michael broke out his tools and went to work on the mill. After tearing into the engine, he made several upgrades including 327 cubic-inch V8 cylinder heads and a 600-cfm Holley carburetor. Fresh air feeds through a custom air filter assembly, while spent gases exit through car show-sourced stainless steel headers, 2 1/4-inch-diameter stainless steel tubing, and Cherry Bomb mufflers. A swap meet-sourced radiator mounted on a custom bracket and backed by dual electric fans keeps temperatures under control.

Muncie SM420 Four-Speed, Rockwell T221 Divorced T-Case

Beneath the truck is a 1966 Chevy chassis, complete with its original Muncie SM420 four-speed manual transmission with ultra-low 7.05:1 First gear. Behind it sits a divorced Rockwell T221 two-speed transfer case that Michael, of course, scored at a swap meet. It’s the same style transfer case that originally came with the 1966 chassis, but this one was in much better condition.

Vintage Axles

Up front, the K20 rides on a vintage closed-knuckle Dana 44-5F 3/4-ton axle that still retains its original manual locking hubs and factory drum brakes. The period-correct steering system also came from a swap meet. Out back is another vintage assembly, an Eaton HO52 heavy-duty full-floating axle upgraded with a swap meet-sourced Detroit No-Spin differential. Both axles turn 5.13:1 gears, giving the truck plenty of grunt on and off the pavement.

Leaf-Springs And 38s

The K20 still rides on a leaf spring suspension, just as Chevy intended. Michael had Camden Auto Springs build custom 8-inch-lift spring packs for the front. Out back, lift comes from 6-inch lift blocks that were original to the 1966 chassis and 2-inch-lift springs. Rancho shocks control the ride at all four corners. The lift is enough clearance for burly 38×12.50R16.5LT Interco Super Swamper TSL tires mounted on 12-inch-wide American Racing wheels with custom acorn-style lug nuts.

Creative Body Mods

Michael says, “I wish I could have used all original steel body parts, but they are not easy to find or cost effective.” Even so, he either fabricated or hunted down nearly every part he needed. The fiberglass tilt front clip and bedsides came from US Body Source. He fabricated the inner bedsides from 14-gauge stainless steel and integrated them with the truck’s original wheel wells. Michael also designed and fabricated the removable front inner fenderwells, giving him unobstructed access to the engine when needed.

The tailgate came from a South Dakota salvage yard while Michael was on vacation. “It still holds some of the original dents that came with it,” he says. He also fabricated the tailgate chains and trunnions from stainless steel. The vintage bumpers? Yep, those were another swap meet score.

The current cab, the fifth one the truck has worn over the years, came from California and was yet another swap meet find. The doors turned up while Michael was wandering through a salvage yard in Arizona during another vacation. For the bed floor, he sourced white cedar from a wood mill. He and his father grooved and trimmed every board before finishing the bed with custom stainless steel strips between each plank.

Finally, the bright red paint was applied by Maaco.   

Interior Features

Inside, Michael kept things simple and functional. The cab features a re-covered bench seat, a factory 1964 gauge cluster found at a swap meet, and a full set of Sunpro engine temperature, oil pressure, and amperage gauges. A Sunpro tachometer and a bank of switches keep tabs on the engine and control the electric fans, respectively. Behind the seat sits a vintage 18-gallon fuel tank that, you guessed it, was another swap meet score.

Originality Was The Goal

From day one, Michael’s goal was to keep the truck as original as possible. For example, that’s one of the reasons he retained the manual steering and brakes.

What started as his first vehicle has evolved into a truck that has been part of his life through decades of memories and adventures. He has used it for camping, hauling canoes, and off-roading. It was also the vehicle he and his bride drove to their honeymoon in the Poconos.

It’s a heck of a truck with one heck of a story.

Photos by Ken Brubaker and Mike Goll