There are engine swaps, and then there’s Chevzilla. What started as a 1986 Chevrolet Silverado C10 has become one of the wildest cross-brand builds in recent memory — a Ford-powered Chevy that not only makes impressive power but also wins races.
Built by Jody Gunter and his team at Gunter Specialty, Chevzilla defies tradition by ditching its bowtie roots for a Ford Performance 7.3-liter Godzilla V8 crate engine. The naturally aspirated setup includes a 92mm GT500 throttle body, Ford Performance intake manifold, and a BTR Stage 1 camshaft, while still retaining variable cam timing. Power management comes via an OBR control unit — the same used in Late Model Racecraft’s “Green Goblin” Fox Body project — ensuring seamless integration between old-school metal and modern muscle.
The engine sends power through a 6R80 automatic transmission controlled by a Quick Shift 6 system, feeding a Ford 9-inch rear axle with 3.70 gears. Supporting hardware includes a big aluminum driveshaft and custom headers — the latter built from scratch since off-the-shelf swap kits simply don’t exist for this kind of setup.
When Gunter brought Chevzilla to Late Model Racecraft’s Texas dyno facility, the truck put down 472.5 horsepower at 5,800 rpm and 511.9 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm on 93-octane pump gas. Those numbers came in 91-degree heat with 43% humidity, proving the build’s reliability under less-than-ideal conditions. Considering drivetrain losses, that output is remarkably close to Ford’s rated 626-horsepower engine dyno figures.
The project didn’t just perform on paper. At Holley Ford Fest in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Chevzilla took first place in the Godzilla engine class after running an 11.75-second quarter mile — hitting Gunter’s goal of an “11-second shop truck.”
By blending Ford muscle with Chevy style, Chevzilla breaks all the rules — and wins doing it.
