Simple & Strong

As the owner of GM Truck Center in Burbank, California, Henrik Halrapetian wanted a rig that could show what his shop could do, but also something he could hit the trails in. He didn't need an all-out rockcrawler or a fancy show truck, just something simple and strong with a clean look. But with Henrik's '73 GMC Jimmy being such a nice example of a rig that started out as the same rig tons of you readers own, we thought this might help get you motivated to get in the garage and start wrenching, and maybe even give you a few ideas to steal.

Since Henrik makes a living finding rust-free GM trucks in various states of disrepair across the Southwest, cleaning them up, and then selling them to folks all across the country, he quickly came across this old Jimmy in need of a few upgrades when he was ready to start a project of his own. The upgrades he included were a GM 502 crate motor, with a supercharger, a burly four-speed tranny, and a 205. Underneath are some 1-ton axles, and they all spin 35-inch rubber. The whole truck has been a work of passion by Henrik and his crew to show off their skills, and now they are ready to go play.