Empire Made brings custom Chevrolet C30 to Jay Chou

Jay Leno His garage has many iconic vehicles: Mustangs, Covites, Lamborghini and more. I’ve seen many of these videos, but I don’t remember seeing GM “square” trucks in Leno’s car cathedral. Things changed when I saw Empire Fabrication’s 1978 Chevrolet C30 get involved.

In the video below, Empire Fabrication founder Sean Ramage gave Leno an 18-month “Elwood” crash. The owner purchased the truck to visit and placed it in the Empire Store in Ventura, California. Ramage and his staff soon learned that some donor body panels were needed. Once they get these, they start to restore certain parts, such as the remaining original sheet metal, door handles and steering wheel, while upgrading other parts.

The thirsty original 454CI gas V8 was pulled out, replaced by a more efficient and brave 24 Valve Cummins turbodiesel. Of course, when the Empire is in Engine Bay, it ensures that some goodies are added to the bank power supply and install a custom intercooler system. Now outputs 260 horsepower and 350 lb-ft of torque. Instead of the original Turbo 400 or Dodge transmission, the Empire opted for the Allison six-speed automatic.

As part of the build, Empire brings the look even fresher with new highlights, thoughtful paint selections and a set of modified wheels. It took 22.5-inch aluminum half wheels and machined them to 22 seconds. Elwood may be pretty and shiny, but don’t let its appearance fool you: it will be used for work. The owner will use Elwood to pull his performance truck.

A long trek to the event means that the owner will spend a lot of time on the steering wheel. That’s why Empire modified the reseat for more comfortable seating and installed a more modern stereo.

Watch the video below to ride with Jay Leno as he learns about this impressive build.