Flower Power - by Miranda Kurpe

Flower Power - by Miranda Kurpe

It’s been said that an apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.. That may be true but in this case it’s not an apple, it’s a Flower. Jason Chute AKA @ybnorml is known for many things, most prevalent being his passion for building one of a kind C10’s, and his pride in his children. He may build the sickest rides around, but his true zeal for life comes from raising his three children to be the future of the vintage car community. Even though it’s a dying hobby that may not leave many affordable options for the up and coming generations, Jason takes extra time to make sure his kids get hands on experience and feel pride in their family projects. The most notable being his 1968 GMC 910, which his daughter Karsen has named “Daisy” because it..“looked like the flower”

Jason is only the second owner of this classic pickup. The journey started off in the fall of 2019, when Jason attended an auction with a dozen C10’s hoping to score a new project truck. Unfortunately the auction was a dud but just as he was leaving, Jason received a text from a friend with a link to a Kijiji ad for “the perfect truck” it stopped him in his tracks. It was unbelievable, the truck was just like the one he had in high school, which he had regrettably sold a few years earlier. It was a dream in butternut yellow.

The truck spent its whole life on a farm in Milk River (Southern Alberta). Jason knew instantly that he had found exactly what he’d been looking for. So he bought it sight unseen on September 24th 2019.

At this point Jason was already a seasoned professional when it came to building C10’s, having done numerous 67-72’s over the past 30 years. Daisy was in good hands.

This flower is no pushover.

Jason installed a rebuilt 327 out of a 1967 Impala, a 4L60 transmission out of a late 90’s Chevy pickup and a factory 3:73 posi rear end. In addition to the drivetrain Jason shortened the frame to factory short box specifications, adding a custom step notch for clearance allowing it to have a static drop of 5”. The frame has been painted and fully detailed, but the body still has original paint. The lower cab rust was repaired and the box sides were shortened with the bed scars left for show. The bed floor was lifted 4 inches to make room for the notch and since we’re on the subject of the bed.. It has ORIGINAL wood from a 1970 parts truck! The wood was repaired as needed using decorative maple inlays then stained black and cleared to match the rest of the truck. All the body panels minus the front inner fenders are untouched original GM parts. The tailgate was a rare find, coming from an abandoned project out of Phoenix Arizona. Being that it was the exact same colour and wear as the rest of the truck. The truck was then clear coated to preserve the original patina and restore the trucks timeless shine.

Daisy is equipped with factory buddy buckets in Parchment vinyl, with a factory tilt steering wheel and a factory tach. When asked about his future plans with the truck, all he had to say was “Drive the wheels off of it” Which would be impressive since he currently runs US Hustler Mag wheels. 20’s on the front and 22’s on the back!

Jason daily dives all his classics in the summer, including Daisy. They frequent local cruise nights and he takes the kids out for ice cream and back and fourth to school, because “Trucks are meant to be driven!”

Although it could be considered a home build, Jason says it couldn’t have been completed without the help of some very talented people. Precision Performance took care of the exhaust, wheel alignment and tuning. Justin and Darren at C42 Squared helped by shortening the box sides. The clear coat was was done by GB Hotrods out in Stony Plain and Robert helped with all the rust repair. The cut and polish was expertly done by Arron at Shine Syndicate and Quinn at Resto Revolver modified the frame and various other items. But the most important help of all came from his three children, Kaleb, Karsen and Kendall. Even if it was just a simple “hold this” or “move that.” Seeing the pride they have in the truck means the world and they are already calling it “their truck!” This would make many men cringe, but not Jason. Since isn’t it every dads dream to see their kids follow in their footsteps and put value on the life/vehicles they’ve worked so hard to build. The whole project took 2 years to complete, with 12 months actual built time. Which is impressive to say the least, even if he does consider it a pandemic build.

Jason’s always been into classic cars/trucks. He remembers getting an issue of “Truckin’ Magazine” in Jr High and that was it, he was hooked. He also had a couple uncles who were very into rebuilding vehicles and they were a big inspiration and help when it came time to build his own project truck. Jason got his first truck at fourteen, a 1967 Chevy long box in pastel yellow. That VW yellow would forever set the benchmark for his dream build. Over the years he built numerous mini trucks before getting back to his roots of 67-72 C10’s.

Jason is currently doing a frame-off restoration of a 1967 Long bed with original paint. It will run a 6L LS/4L80 set up out of a 2002 Chevy pickup. In the winter Jason daily drives a dropped 2017 Yukon Denali, which he keeps meticulously clean.

With carpentry by day, and vehicle modification by night, it’s safe to say that creating one of a kind masterpieces is in Jasons DNA, which has undoubtably been passed down to his children. There’s never a dull moment in the Chute household, cuz at the end of the day... Why Be Normal?!

Check out a future issue of Cruise Culture Magazine to read about the 1972 factory 2WD Blazer that Jason’s owned for 15 years as well as other projects.

Article and photography by Miranda Kurpe

Read the Magazine for free here:

https://www.magcloud.com/browse/issue/2444411

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