Famous Trucks: Bella’s 1963 Chevy C10 from Twilight

Based closely on the novel by the same name, 2008’s Twilight follows protagonist, Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart), who recently moved from sunny Arizona to live with her father, Charlie, the police chief in the small, rainy town of Forks, Washington. 

Upon moving to the area, she draws the attention of Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson)—a mysterious local boy and adopted son of a local doctor, Carlisle. Unbeknownst to Bella, Edward and his entire family are vampires, turned by Dr. Cullen while on their deathbeds. 

Quickly, Edward and Bella begin an odd romance, which takes subsequent turns as she uncovers the truth about the Cullen family, especially when tensions heighten as she befriends Jacob Black (Taylor Lautner)—a member of the Quileute tribe, who have a long history of feuding with local vampires.   

The Truck: 1963 Chevy C10 

In the film, Bella drives a 1963 Chevy C10 pickup truck purchased by her father from the Blacks (Jacob and Billy). While similar to the truck described in the books, the screen-used counterpart isn’t an exact match. For instance, the books describe the truck as a red 1953 model—however, the pickup appearing in the films is at least a decade newer and more orange than red. 

The truck appears in several standout sequences throughout the first movie, including Bella’s reintroduction to Jacob Black, Bella’s first arrival at Forks High School, and Edward’s heroic intervention when a fellow student, Tyler Crowley, almost collides with Bella after losing control of his van in the school parking lot. 

In this sequence, Edward uses his enhanced speed and strength to traverse the parking lot in seconds, pushing Bella to safety and stopping the van with his bare hands. But it’s more than an exciting scene—it’s the first instance Bella suspects Edward is something supernatural. 

Build Your Own Twilight-Inspired Truck 

If you’ve ever wanted to live out your own Twilight fantasy, devoid of vampires, rainy weather, and a supernatural love story, consider building a replica of Bella Swan’s truck from the first film. In this section, we’ll walk through everything you’ll need to create a screen-accurate replica of Bella’s truck. For the sake of time, we’ll focus on the movie version, rather than the truck from the book. 

Platform

To kick things off, we’ll need a platform to build on. The screen-used truck is a 1963 Chevy C10 with a step side bed, meaning the actual box is narrower than a traditional fleetside, with large fenders covering the rear tires. 

For a tribute build, any model year truck from approximately 1960–1966 should work, as they all share generally the same sheet metal and chassis aside from a few minor details. The main qualifiers are that the truck is a half-ton, two-wheel-drive with a short, stepside bed.  

Body

With any luck, you’ll be able to find a truck in a similar patinated red-orange color. While we’re unsure if the screen-used truck wears its factory paint, our best guess would be no, as no vibrant orange colors were offered in that year. However, the color could be the result of a red paint job and decades of wear. 

The truck's body appears relatively stock, with factory chrome bumpers, grille, and bodyside cladding. Aside from a notable dent on the rear driver’s fender from the collision with Tyler’s van, it's also relatively straight. 

Wheels and Tires

Bella’s truck sits on factory steel wheels with OEM hub caps. The wheels are paint-matched to the body color for a slick, vintage appearance. If you’re having trouble locating a set of OEM wheels and matching hub caps, consider opting for a vintage-inspired wheel design, like the Black Rhino Solid wheels, available in multiple colors. 

Wrap these wheels in a suitable all-terrain tire, like the Toyo Open Country A/T III, for a setup that rides as good as it looks. 

Suspension

No radical lift kits or heavy suspension modifications here. Bella’s truck appears to sit on bone stock suspension and at factory ride height—but that doesn’t mean we can’t perform a couple of upgrades to improve performance and ride quality. Factory-replacement dampers, like Superlift Shadow Series shocks, are a terrific replacement for leaking, corroded, or blown-out factory counterparts, restoring much-needed ride quality to an aging pickup. 

Cruise Your Twilight Tribute Truck in Style

With these modifications performed, you’ll be well on your way to cruising around town in a screen-accurate replica of Bella Swan’s truck! Just try to stay out of the Pacific Northwest, unless you’re looking to be turned into a vampire’s next meal. 

As always, we offer all the parts and know-how to piece together this build and countless others at RealTruck. For additional information, check out the rest of our articles on RealSource™, and don't hesitate to contact the experts.