This is a truck you may recognize as the Hoonigan Boomhauer, a comprehensively rebuilt 1974 Chevrolet C10 that’s said to be good for an eye-watering 600 bhp. It’s now being offered for sale out of Folsom, California.
This project started out as Zac Mertens of Hoonigan needed a pickup that he could daily drive and that could haul his motorcycles. Things got a little out of hand during the rebuild phase, as they often do over at Hoonigan headquarters, and as a result the Boomhauer was created.
Fast Facts – The Hoonigan Boomhauer
- Chevrolet’s C/K series included two-wheel and four-wheel drive versions – the two-wheel drive variants were marked with a “C”, while “K” was used for the four-wheel drive models. The C10 was a popular two-wheel-drive (rear-wheel drive), half-ton model within the Chevrolet C/K truck range.
- The C10 first appeared in 1960 and it sold well, it provided a good option for those who needed to haul cargo but didn’t need four-wheel drive and the body styles on offer included Stepside, Fleetside, Suburban SUV, and Panel Truck.
- The 1974 Chevrolet C10 you see in this article is a member of the truck’s third generation which are best known as the “Box Body” or “Square Body” generation due to their styling.
- This truck has been comprehensively rebuilt with a modified chassis, new coilover suspension, new brakes front and back, and perhaps most importantly, a Texas Speed & Performance 434 cubic inch (7.1 liter) LS3 V8 under the hood that produces 600 bhp.
What Is Hoonigan?
Hoonigan was co-founded by Ken Block and Brian Scotto in 2010. In the years since the company has become of the best-known automotive brands of its kind, with 5.5+ million YouTube subscribers, 1.1+ billion views, and a slew of awards including three Emmy nominations for their Amazon Prime Original Series “The Gymkhana Files.”
Power is now provided by a 600 bhp Texas Speed & Performance 434 cubic inch (7.1 liter) LS3 V8 which is mated to a GearStar-Pro 4L80E Level 4 automatic transmission, this then sends power back through a QA1 carbon fiber driveshaft to a Currie 9-inch rear end.
Block was one of the co-founders of DC Shoes, after selling his stake in the brand for a handsome profit he bought a race car – within just a year he was ranked fourth in Rally America.
Everything changed in 2008 when he contacted Brian Scotto’s magazine 0-60 to create a film that captured his unusual precision driving style – it became the first Gymkhana film. This film became a viral sensation, and it now has over 16 million views on YouTube.
Tragically, Ken Block was killed in a snowmobiling accident in January of 2023. The automotive world mourned his loss as one – his daughter Lia Block now carries his mantle – she’s become a highly-rated professional racing driver.
Building The Boomhauer
The Boomhauer was built by Zac Mertens of Hoonigan back in 2020. As the story goes he saw a Moon Eyes footprint gas pedal sitting on a shelf in fellow Hoonigan Vinny Anatra’s garage. The two men got to talking about it and Mertens learned that it was from Anatra’s old Chevy C10 – Anatra told him that if he ever bought a C10 he would give it to him for free.
The body of the truck has been left largely unmodified with plenty of patina and some rust showing, only the lowered ride height and the wheels give any outward clue as to the truck’s actual performance potential.
As it happened, Mertens actually needed a pickup truck to haul his Harley-Davidsons around, so he bought himself a 1974 Chevrolet C10 and took Anatra up on his offer.
Now as with any vehicle that gets the Hoonigan treatment, the C10 didn’t stay stock for long. Once it had been driven into the workshop the strip down process began, first by removing the major accessories from the small block V8.
After this the interior was removed, and the engine and transmission were pulled out as a single unit, after which the front clip was removed. At this point the original front suspension was all removed and replaced with a far more capable arrangement consisting of a new QA1 coil-over suspension kit with tubular front control arms, high travel springs, an upgraded sway bar, and polyurethane bushings.
The rear suspension was given similar treatment with a matching QA1 coil-over suspension kit with a rear sway bar, adjustable truck arms, a panhard bar, and a torque arm. The frame was also notched to allow the axle enough clearance given the truck’s new lowered ride height.
Above Video: This is the original video about the Boomhauer from 2020. It goes into detail about the build process and shows the completed truck in action at the end.
Perhaps the most important change from a safety perspective was the addition of four-piston Wilwood Superlight 4R big brakes with Wilwood Pro spindles along with a Wilwood master cylinder and proportioning valve. This allows the truck to stop much more effectively that it could in stock condition, and it was certainly a sensible upgrade given what was just about to happen in the engine bay.
A Texas Speed 434 cubic inch (7.1 liter) Gen 4 LSx V8 was sourced and paired with a GearStar-Pro 4L80E Level 4 automatic transmission with a Yank 10-inch torque converter.
The engine was resleeved with Darton steel sleeves, it also has a Texas Speed sheet metal intake manifold, PRC 260cc chambered aluminum cylinder heads, a BFD stroker camshaft, and forged internals.
The finished truck rides on a set of full-face Detroit Steel Smoothie wheels shod with grippy Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires.
The cargo bed in the rear remains original, it was used for hauling motorcycles and thanks to the fact that it already has plenty of wear and tear it can be used without any worries about scratching the paint.
As the truck was intended to be a daily driver it was also given a Vintage Air air-conditioning system and Dakota Digital gauges, and Mertens explained back in 2020 that if driven gingerly it could even return close to 20 mpg.
Selling The Boomhauer
After the Boomhauer was completed the truck appeared in numerous videos and promotions before it was acquired by the current owner in 2020 through a Hoonigan promotional giveaway.
They have now placed the truck up for sale on Bring a Trailer, and it has just 4,000 miles on the odometer since its comprehensive rebuild.
The truck is being sold out of Folsom, California and you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more or register to bid.
The interior of the truck is largely original, it does now benefit from a Vintage Air air-conditioning system and Dakota Digital gauges however.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
