"Cowboy", a 1970 crew cab Chevy, was Randall's first crew cab, but he needed to go bigger | Early YearsEvery once in a while, a vehicle comes along that turns the whole industry on its head. These vehicles are created by visionaries who are always pushing the limits of what is considered the norm. One of these builders is Randall Robertson of RTech Fabrications in Hayden, Idaho. Randall had a fairly normal childhood, riding around the neighborhood on his bike, hanging out with friends, fusing chunks of metal together with a welder. Ok, so maybe normal doesn’t quite fit. Randall has been welding in one way or another since he was about 9. “There was this big biker dude down the street, tattoos up both arms, scared the crap out of me, but he took me under his wing and taught me stuff that I still remember today,” explained Randall. One of those things was that if you were going to do something, do it to the absolute best of your ability. Over the years, Randall has moved around the country, owned several companies, built his own on and off-road race vehicles, and made a living with his hands. But has always remembered what his mentor taught him. Hobby Turned Career 
Randall's next truck was a 1969 Chevy C50 that he made bigger and better than "Cowboy" | “Building vehicles was always a hobby to me,” said Randall. “I had three companies when all that happened in 2008.” When the economy collapsed, so did Randall’s way of life. But instead of throwing in the towel, Randall doubled down and turned his hobby into a career. RTech Fabrications started about 7 years ago and the best way to describe what they do is right on the front page of their website: “We build trucks to do truck things”Specifically, they build 1967-1972 Chevy trucks. And by build, we don’t mean they take a C10 and put wheels and a suspension on it. The first truck they built was a 1970 Chevy crew cab dubbed “Cowboy”. As many of you know, Chevy did not offer a crew cab truck from 1967-1972. However, this wasn’t the first attempt at it either. Where this one differed from all the rest, is you would be hard pressed to tell that this thing didn’t roll off the assembly line in 1970 exactly as you see it. 
After building a few trucks, Randall wanted to build the biggest and best one yet, "The Duke" is it | “Cowboy” garnered Randall and his crew international fame and admiration. From there, Randall wanted to go bigger. So, he picked up a 1969 Chevy C50 3/4-ton truck and turned it into a custom K50 off-road pickup that he called “Drill Sergeant”. This conversion included a custom bed, custom roof, handmade fender flares, lifted suspension, power steering, 4-wheel-drive, and the list of options goes on and on. Randall even molded a jerry can into each side of the bed, forward of the rear wheels. “Drill Sergeant” was bigger and meaner than “Cowboy”, but Randall wasn’t satisfied. He wanted to go bigger.Enter “The Duke” 
Randall used the seats out of a 2010 Sierra for Duke for comfort but wanted them to look the part | This would be the truck that Randall would put everything he had learned up to that point into. Remember what he was taught early on about doing things the right way, well this truck proves that he still lives by that guidance. "The Duke" started life as a 1972 Chevy C50, until Randall got his hands on it. Since these trucks didn’t come from the factory as crew cabs, Randall’s first modification was to put the truck in a jig, cut the cab and frame and extend it. This would make the truck even bigger than “Cowboy” and “Drill Sergeant”. A custom lifted suspension and 40-inch Nitto Trail Grapplers on 20-inch Fuel wheels brings the truck up to a total of eight feet tall. After all of this work, the truck couldn’t be just a two-wheel-drive. Once again, Randall fixed that and converted the truck to a 4x4.On the body side of things, Randall wanted “The Duke” to look more like a regular pickup truck that rolled right off the GM assembly line than the C50 does. To accomplish this, he removed the front bumper and made his own. He then modified the front fenders to end at the top of the bumper and at the running boards, instead of going past them like on the C50. The rear fenders are duplicates of the front and the bed is a factory 8-foot bed. Randall converted the bed to a tilt bed to relocate some of the stuff from under the hood to under the bed. Being that this truck is supposed to look like it rolled off the assembly line, Randall had it painted in factory two tone Ochre and white. 
The 12 valve Cummins pulls air through a K&N air filter and custom intercooler setup | Under the hood is a 12V Cummins 5.9L. Yes, you read that right. Rather than the stock 350ci engine, or even a Duramax, Randall dropped a Cummins turbodiesel into “The Duke”. According to Randall, this choice was because he wanted the truck to be able to get up and go when he wanted it to. And when it breaks, he doesn’t want to have to mortgage his house to have to pay for fixing it. It is well known that the Cummins is a very reliable engine that is capable of producing gobs of stump pulling torque and relatively inexpensive to modify and fix. When you are trying to move a truck that weighs 8,500 pounds, you need as much torque as possible. To get all of that torque out of that Cummins, Randall built a custom intercooler to cool the aircharge as much as possible before it enters the upgraded Borg-Warner turbo. Part of that intake equation is a K&N oval clamp-on filter. This allows the turbodiesel to breathe in as much air as it needs. From the engine, the power enters an NV4500 transmission, NP205 transfer case, and out to a GM 14 bolt rearend. 
The tilt bed gives Randall access to the relocated battery, custom built HVAC system, and more | Inside the crew cab, Randall modified bucket seats and a bench seat out of a 2010 GMC Sierra to look OE in the K50. He then had the seats upholstered with a plaid insert that matches the exterior color. While cruising around town, Randall and his passengers stay cool (or warm) thanks to a custom designed A/C system that is fully integrated into the factory HVAC system. Audio is courtesy of a Pioneer double din head unit that, once again, Randall has integrated into the factory dash and made look completely OE. All of these upgrades give “The Duke” the comforts of a modern truck with the classic look and styling that the older GM trucks are known for.Randall did a fantastic job making “The Duke” into a modern truck that still looks like GM built the truck back in 1972. This truck is truly a one-of-a-kind and it shows in every detail from the custom cab to the HVAC system. Randall has big plans for his next few builds and we know that he will do everything in his power to make them the best they can possibly be. K&N wants to thank Randall Robertson and the entire crew at RTech Fabrications for including us on such an incredible vehicle. |
