Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

they check the milage very closely where i live. if that was the case why could'nt anybody go to the bmv and say that your truck only has 500 miles on it. that is because there is a thing called the paper trail that will follow you. i have the service record that ws done the day before he died and the chevy garage has the mileage at 18 less than what the title shows. he just had it serviced to put away for the winter when it was parked. either way once it is on the title you can not take it away that is the mileage from know on.

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

AWESOME FIND! I believe it the way that original GM hose and tower clamps look. Even the valve cover decal. You probably can also get a date code off the tires if it truely was stored since 1973. They do look like original bias tires from that period.

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

i just put about 2 gal of diesel down the carb today and got some plugs,points,cap,rotor and fresh oil i would love to see if it will turn before i make up my mind firmly on the 402/400 transplant

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

So if that's the case, you could in theory drive it for the next 4 years, put 25k on it a year and the title would still say 7000 miles.When you say they check the miles very closely, what do they check? If it hasn't been registered in several years... or is from a different state, your paper trail ends. It's not like you can get a Carfax report on it... so its really hard to prove.
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Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

^ yeah agree, a null value.

@fwells67
"you can not take it away that is the mileage from know on." - not true
I'm buying a new instrument cluster (read odometer) for my new engine, new suspension = 0 miles.

I don't think people are "hating" (screamin_c10) either, just talking.
Overall, it doesn't equate to much if the truck has sat, unmoved, for 38 years.
That doesn't really appreciate its value any - just that it's a nice find.

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

True'er words were never spoken! Ignore the haters and enjoy that awesome find. Besides, if you can't trust a little old lady, who can you trust?:)

The majority of the evidence that I can see supports low mileage. Fix it and enjoy it. I know I would:)
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Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

yes the title would stay the same until it was registered again and they would check the odometer with the title and then it would reflect that. i could not care less if it was a million miles now it it what it says and nobody can change it now or ever so from my standpoint that is 100% original miles now and it could never be proved otherwise now

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

I'm no being a" hater", I'm not saying that it definitely is not a 7000 mile truck. What I'm getting at is what is being shown as positive proof isn't really a solid way to proove anything. Without seeing it in person I can't say with any reasonable doubt one way or the other, I hope for the OP's sake that it is correct. At any rate it is a great find for a great pric, and he should enjoy it.
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Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

the only thing i do know is this thing is probably 85% or more original and what would make it better for me is to get it running and i am going to try very hard to do that before i do anything else

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

i have alot of paperwork to go with the ladys story backing it up . one piece is the original gm invoice from 2 days before his death when he parked it showing the miles when it was serviced then drove home and parked and there is many more papers of evidence showing her story is true. also one more paper shows 2 weeks prior i have his insurance claim showing the milage from them for a busted winshield and the paperwork and receipts from the same gm garage for the new winshield,gasket and chrome trim. i could go on for hours about all the paperwork i have with this truck documenting it's history since he bought it with 14 miles on it.

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

I seriously doubt you are going to get that engine running if it truely has sat for 38 years.
You would have to tear it apart and reassemble it, and even then it might not go without $$ thrown at it (read new engine).
I'd definitely keep the BLOCK and rebuild it.

just saying :smoke:

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

you are probably right but i figured it was worth a shot. i have used diesel and kero before on motors that were locked and got them running so i figured i might as well try it first. if it dont work i will then transplant the 402/400 combo. but i will still keep the orig block and heads

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

very cool

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

Oh it can be done. I did it to a 67 Mercury Cougar. It was wrecked in 73 and sat until 2006 when i bought it. Locked up tighter than a well diggers butt.
Never smoked, never took the engine APART. Ran like a singer sewing machine. LonghornMan can testify to it.

And i personally know how hard it is in Ohio to get a title done and make them put actual miles on it. My Cougar only had 71K on it when i bought it. They tried to tell me it didn't matter. That they were going to just say it was over. I cried foul. Showed them pics of the 73 tags i took off of it. Told them they could call the original owner and ask her. That it was original and they were going to put ACTUAL mileage on the title. Because it was actual.
Lots of little things on this truck area sign that mileage is ACTUAL. Look at the chrome on the instrument bezel. Not worn. They are ALWAYS worn on trucks with lots of mileage. From wiping dust off guages all the time.

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

Great truck- great story. Thanks for sharing- enjoy it!

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

Did it look like the OP's engine? Was it stored in similar fashion as the OP's?
Just asking/talking folks. Don't get so defensive (not you fine).

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

I like your truck and believe the story. But I wouldn't get hung up on the low miles. It would probably be in better shape if it had 50-70 thousand miles.
But a black loaded 71 for 2k. Congrats!!

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

The title thing can be faked pretty easy in NJ as I understand. I got a title issued with exactly 80,000 miles on it with my truck. The title was issued in 2011 as a replacement title. I can tell you it has 108,*** miles on it because I know its not 8,*** and its been off the road since 1993. So someone at DMV took the word that this truck had exactly 80,000 miles on it and issued a new title.

That being said I would say your truck is original. For years my uncle was trying to get and Super bee off a family that had it stored in a barn when thier son deployed for war and never returned and it had some 15,000 miles on it. That car had rotted away right where it sat for so 30 years. Yours looks better than that!

Id like to see you keep that 350 rebuild it if you have too, that thing is too precious to start swaping drivetrains now!

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

that is 100% true once it is on the title you can not it it taken away to read less miles i do not care who you are i know because i have had people try before thru the bmv. the milage can never go down once it is put on the title

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

^ We are saying that if you replace the engine it won't matter what that peice of paper says. Just numbers man, no monetary value. I'm a nobody by the way. Thanks! Good luck

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

i know that is why i decided to try real hard and get this thing running before i make any decisions on changing it out

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

you might be right but the differance is i have the one and only title ever issued to the truck. never a replacement or another owner. this truly was a 1 owner truck.

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

No offense va, but I think this thread is full of common sense. All comments. Whether or not people agree with others point of views, I think it's all valid in one way or another.

Re: 71 garage find stored since 73
 

It's actually over the line for trolling and has been reported so it should stop