Duplicity

FIRST one there gets served a worm.. or something like that. Emilie of Heighton Restorations was the first one to reach out about this 1964 C10 fleetside that was posted to the Alberta C10 Facebook group. The ever popular and valuable C10 was listed for the low low price of only $2500 and Emilie immediately threw down a $500 deposit to hold it for the week until she could pick it up the next weekend. Luckily the previous owner held true to his word even though he received many offers above his asking price. 

Emilie’s initial plan was to get the truck roadworthy enough to be on the road and drive it as it was but with a stepfather like Chris Heighton and working in a shop like Heighton Restorations, the build quickly transformed into the showstopper now known as “Duplicity”.

Starting in 2021 with the purchase of the truck, Emilie and Chris tore the truck down until all that remained was a bare frame, a cab, and the box. The frame and chassis went to powder coat, and they started to piece together a Belltech 4” lowering kit for a ’72 Chevy including  spindles, springs, and shocks. 

The cab of the truck went to their in-house body shop to have all the rust replaced with new metal, the worst of which was in the roof behind the sun visors because of a large mouse house. With the reputation of Heighton Restorations to be upheld the firewall was smoothed and even the bottom of the cab was body worked before being painted and polished. Once the cab was back on the chassis, expertly done faux patina was completed to bring back the farm truck look that Emilie initially purchased. 

The interior of the cab was outfitted with Vintage Air A/C, custom fabricated under dash vent panel, a Secret Audio head unit mounted behind the ashtray with the ashtray modified with hinges to gain access to the controls. The stereo boasts two 5” Focal speakers in the kick panels and a 10” Kenwood subwoofer powered by a Kenwood amplifier mounted behind the seats. Also mounted behind the seats was the battery shut off and the booster points because of the battery being relocated to under the box. The inside of the cab was painted to match the factory fawn color and the 1988 obs truck seats and 1980 Blazer console were re-upholstered and covered to match with two tone Thema leather from Hydes. 

Door panels were wrapped with the same, but were built from scratch with fiberglass and custom made aluminum trim. The interior is finished up with German square weave carpet and floor mats, Classic Instrument Gauges, Billet Specialties window cranks and door handles, Budnik steering wheel wrapped in same leather as the seats, Lokar foot pedal parking brake and matching brake pedal, and the beautiful sill plates with the custom “Duplicity” logo. The interior work was completely done by Auto Marine Upholstery.

The engine that powers this classy farm rig is a rebuilt 283 with a CVF Racing serpentine system, scripted valve covers, and a 1959 Impala air cleaner set on top of an Edelbrock intake and carburetor. The transmission is a performance built 700r4 and spins a 12 bolt 3.73 posi rear end. 

One of the most noteworthy features of this truck is the bed floor. Inspired by trending epoxy and wood tables that we have all seen going viral on the internet, they dug through storage to find the  original bed floor wood and proceeded to build molds for each piece. The wood was in poor condition and had to be planed flat before pouring the first layer of teal pearl with Emilie’s dog’s tags placed in as a personal touch. The amount of work and time that went into this bed floor far exceeded what she expected and she was ready to throw it all out and find something else on several occasions, but it has been a  talking point at every show its been to and was well worth it in the end.

Chris Heighton and his team are well known for their high-end builds with flawless paint and impeccable fabrication and body work, so Emilie had to keep her stepdad focused on keeping it a patina truck and trying to leave as much of it original as possible. The hood, box, cowl and most of the cab are original patina with the rest of the body being faux. When I first met Emilie she told me about them tying the tailgate to the back of another vehicle and dragging it around the parking lot to mimic 60 years of abuse after it was painted. Good luck spotting the fauxtina mixed in with the real patina. Wrapping up the exterior, the truck rides on a set of 17” U.S. Wheels with modified 1956 Chevy truck hubcaps.

Emilie has been around classic cars her whole life because of her parents and the auto restoration business, and she is excited to join them in her own ride as they venture to shows. ‘Duplicity’ debuted at Calgary World of Wheels where we saw it for the first time, and then it was straight to Spokane Speed and Customs show across the border. She has also driven it to several local shows and has won numerous awards with her favorite being the “That’s Cool Award” from Spokane.

In the future Emilie is toying with the idea of upping the engine displacement for more power and possibly making the switch to air ride. Emilie is also working on a 1955 Volkswagen Beetle. She would like to thank Chris and their team at Heighton Auto               Restorations for all their work and help in bringing her vision to life.

Words and Photos by Brian Holzli