First off, let's get this straight: the elephant reference relates to the truck's size not the jungle animal's skin, sloth, or stench. Perhaps the comment is based on the 44-inch massive meats and the 12 inches of lift that it takes to fit them on a '70 C30. And maybe there is some merit in comparing the truck to the trunk because the truck likes to throw mud all over itself too.
Aside from mud slinging, Mike Platz built the GMC as a form of "stress management." That's a lot of stress considering that he bought the truck as his first form of transportation over 22 years ago--when he was 15, but that's one for his shrink. Over the years, Mike has built the truck up several times, including the most recent version, which took about 11 months, $5,000, and "approximately 3,380.8 beers." Mostly, he notes, all of the benefits come from having a carnal knowledge of the workings of his truck and that the truck knows about working in the field, in the mud, or in the gravel pit.