Truck restoration projects always put a smile on our faces, and it's easy to see why. There's something encouraging about watching a classic pickup that has lived a long, hard life receive a top-to-bottom rebuild. It erases decades of wear and tear, and allows us to see these workhorses brought back to their original beauty. In some cases, they're also upgraded with performance parts and modern accessories. Today, we'll be taking a look back at five Chevy and GMC truck restoration projects that feature parts from the Classic Industries GM Truck parts catalog.

The classic Camaro is an American icon on wheels. Since its launch in 1967, this vehicle from Chevrolet has had a lasting impact on the automotive industry and the hearts of car enthusiasts around the world. As a result, it's no surprise that so many people have chosen to restore them to factory condition, or modify them into hot rods for the street, track, or drag strip. Classic Industries has been supporting Camaro fans by providing hard-to-find parts for these vehicles since 1976. Today, we'll take a look back at some of the many awesome classic Camaro builds we have photographed at our California headquarters over the years.

Whether it's a movie, TV show, or book, every great story has a few twists and turns that make the ending all the more satisfying. The hero narrowly overcomes disaster time and time again, but everything works out at the conclusion. Such is the case with the tale of Mike Arthur's 1967 Mustang. It was purchased in the '60s, stolen and recovered in the '70s, and damaged in a shop fire in the '90s. But thankfully, it survived and was restored it to its original beauty.

The Chevrolet Camaro is unquestionably one of the most iconic American cars of all time, but it shares this high level of prestige with its big brother, the Corvette. These two-door sports cars from General Motors have shared real estate in dealership showrooms for decades, and even though they're not direct competitors, they do share similar characteristics and a similar spirit. So, when Ryan Duncan set out to rebuild his '68 Camaro, he decided to drop in the heart of a Corvette: an LS3 V8 motor. After all, a little sharing among siblings is a good thing.

Classic Industries offers a huge variety of restoration parts for GM, Mopar, and Ford vehicles, and even though we only offer catalogs for certain models, many of the parts we provide can be used across a wide range of platforms and body styles. This 1928 Ford Model A resto-mod build, owned by Mikael Bjork, is one such example. We don't offer a dedicated Model A catalog, but Mikael was still able to source several components for this truck (and his other classic vehicles) from our site.

The Chevrolet Camaro has been an icon of performance and speed for more than five decades. Its blend of a sleek exterior and raucous V8 engine has carried on across generations. Today, some choose to restore these vehicles to factory-fresh original condition, while others have fused elements of early and late Camaro models to create something unique. This second-gen 1972 Camaro SS falls into the latter category, with an LS3 V8 and 6-speed manual transmission transplanted from a fifth-gen model.

Over the years, we've seen quite a few restomod builds arrive at the parking lot in front of our Retail Showroom. This category of vehicles combines original-style restoration parts with modern components to create a unique blend of old and new. Many restomods add only a handful of subtle changes under the skin, and some take this further, replacing the entire engine and suspension with brand-new parts. However, few restomods we've seen are as extreme as this 1973 Charger. In fact, so many of its parts have been swapped out that some might say the term doesn't adequately describe it.

The 1955-57 Chevy "Tri Five" is an undeniable classic that has remained popular and desirable across generations of automotive enthusiasts. Its sleek lines and elegant curves look just as good today as they did at Chevrolet dealers more than six decades ago. As time passes, it brings new trends, and the Tri Five has been adapted to fit many of them, from gassers to hot rods to modern pro-street or pro-touring builds. And of course, many of these vehicles have been restored to original condition or lightly resto-modded to fit the owner's taste.

Modifying production cars into race machines is nothing new. Ever since the automobile was invented, enthusiasts, tinkerers, and adrenaline junkies have been figuring out creative ways to squeeze every last drop of performance out of these four-wheeled conveyances. However, many distinct build styles have stemmed from this mission. In the late 1950s and early '60s, the "gasser" style grew in popularity, especially among the 1955-57 Tri Five Chevy models. Even today it remains instantly recognizable. This 1955 Chevy gasser is a beautiful example of this historically-significant hot rod category.

In 1977, the film "Smokey and the Bandit" hit the silver screen and took the automotive world by storm. The black and gold Trans Am Special Edition driven by Burt Reynolds quickly became one of the most iconic movie cars of all time, and inspired countless Americans to head to their local Pontiac dealers. Sales for the Trans Am skyrocketed after the film's debut. Even today, this increased demand has caused true Special Edition cars to maintain higher value. However, the availability of reproduction parts has enabled Firebird and Trans Am owners to create their own more-affordable tribute builds, such as the example seen here.