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"You can never have too many trucks" was printed on a T-shirt that Marty Carrillo saw at an auto show in Phoenix. He and his brother now have a fleet of roughly 15 trucks.
Marty and Matt Carrillo grew up in Orem. Their father owned a pickup, but didn't want to get it grubby with yard work so, in 1990, he bought a 1962 GMC with the 305-inch "Big Six" engine to do the dirty work.
The boys loved their dad and his old truck. Matt Carrillo, who was 10 years younger than Marty, started driving it in the back pasture when he was 11. Marty Carrillo drove it in high school until he bought a 1971 Chevrolet Blazer from a local grocer.
Their dad passed away in 2004, and Marty Carrillo has his '62 — but the old truck was more of a beginning than an end.
He had a 1963 GMC long bed with the same 305 V-6 — it had been the shop truck at a Massey-Ferguson dealership in Preston, Idaho, and then on a farm until he bought it in 2009 ... for $400, as it barely ran.
It had been sitting and was "farm-fresh" with grease and hay. Marty Carrillo lowered it and took the motor out. He hasn't rebuilt the engines in any of his trucks, just cleaned, painted and given them fresh gaskets. He replaced the rotted wood in the bed with license plates, as a unique touch.
In 2019, Marty Carrillo added a 1963 GMC long bed 4x4 to his collection. He calls it "Frank," for Frankenstein, because the parts of lots of different trucks got it where it is today. He bought it from a "kid" who had bought it for a ranch and put in a Cadillac engine. Marty said the truck had been rolled — its smashed body panels were replaced by old Chevy ones — though, they kept the GMC badging. He grabbed a transfer case from a 1974 International pickup, used 1979 Chevrolet K20 axles, a Pontiac Turbo 400 transmission ... and now you understand the Frankenstein reference.
At the UVU Auto Expo, Matt Carrillo was showing his 1971 Blazer and his 1962 GMC ½-ton, two-wheel-drive truck he calls "Stumpy." It was offered to him in May 2020 as a parts truck, but when he saw how much it had together, he couldn't chop it up. It has a utility body, and he believes it used to work as a telephone truck for BYU and maybe Mountain Bell.
He changed the stance, lowering it four inches and giving it a smaller, sportier tire and wheel combination from a mid-1970s Chevrolet truck. Yes, it has the 305 V-6, with the extra-rare, plaid valve covers.
The work truck originally had a three-on-the-tree transmission, but a subsequent owner switched it to four-on-the-floor. Matt Carrillo then put in a 5-speed engine, taken from a Chevy S-10 pickup.
Matt Carrillo said he drives Stumpy daily — and thinks he has nine, including two Blazers. He also has a few modern cars for his family to get around in. Marty Carrillo has a handful, too, so it's hard to get an exact number.
The restoration of their dad's GMC that started it all is on hold as Marty Carrillo decides what to do with it. He said it runs and drives, but he is practicing work on other trucks as he decides whether to restore it or just preserve it, as is.
The brothers have joined Utah truck clubs, and are making plans for the C10 Nationals, June 23, at the Utah State Fairpark. No S-10s or El Caminos are allowed. Just trucks, and lots of them. Because you can never have too many trucks.
