79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

So this past summer a friend of mine sold me a 79 2wd shortbed with 10,000 original miles. Zero rust, new hot rod black paint job and interior, new tires, runs like a top. If you crawl under the truck the tanks, frame rails, brake/fuel lines etc all look almost new. With winter fast approaching I'm starting to wonder if I should subject such a nice truck to midwestern winter conditions. On top of that it will be a handful in snow, even with the 500lbs worth of tube sand bags I have. My dad has an 86 4x4 longbed that he bought as a backup truck for his snow removal fleet. It has maybe only seen snow a few times and for being an original midwestern truck the body is in fantastic shape. Some rust is showing but it is still an extremely clean truck. So I'm debating on selling the 79 2wd and buying my dad's 86 4x4. Problem is, I'm not sure I will get what the 79 is worth with such low miles and in the condition it's in given the state of the economy. That being said, once I finish restoring my GTO there really won't be much of a point to owning the 79, seeing as it's basically a glorified El Camino the way she sits now. So I'm curious to hear your opinions on the matter.

79 Silverado, 2wd, short bed, 12,000 miles, zero rust, new paint/interior, original 350/th400, new tires, still have the original grille with the truck, 3.55 posi

OR,

86 Silverado, 4x4, long bed, 94,000 miles, minimal rust, original and very sharp paint, original clean interior, garage kept, non-original 350/700r4, Boss plow mounts, stainless trim is near perfect, good BGF ATs, 3.42 posi

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

Pictures of rust

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

Pictures of the 79

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

The 79 does look sweet however the 86 4wd looks awesome. 4wd does it for me though.

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

Honestly, I love both trucks so it's a tough call. My biggest concert with the 86 is the fact that it's a snow truck, and even though I will make money with the truck, no matter what I do it will eventually die a slow rusty death. And my concern with the 79 is that it's worth more than most people would pay for such a truck right now, and once my GTO is done what's the point of having two 2wd, rwd vehicles? Especially considering all the outdoorsy stuff I do. I might drive the 86 over the winter to see how I like it then decide in the spring time if I should sell the 79 when the market for such a vehicle is a little stronger.

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

If you value your vehicle you don't drive it in the salt. Most people have winter beaters up here. I wouldn't drive either one in the winter but since the 86 already has very minor rust starting I suppose it could be sacrificed.

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

Put that plow on the 86 and make some money with it over the winter months. Then mud and trail ride it the rest of the year.

RIZ

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

IMO, they're so close to each other anyway that you might as well just keep your current one and whatever happens to it due to salt and snow happens to it. If you sell it to someone else, they'll probably just drive it in the snow and it'll end up rusty anyway.

The biggest thing for me is knowing all the trouble areas on my own vehicle. Even if it's basically the same vehicle, getting another has a learning curve to it and you'll inevitably want to do something else to it that will cost more money.

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

Both are sweet trucks. they are two entirely different animals.. the 2wd is great for shows and hotrodding and all that good stuff the 4X4 is a truck you can beat it and haul and get around anytime in that... if you cant keep em both then id get the 4X4 also I beg to disagree about the rust issue the cab in the pic below is northern rust.... what you have is mere surface inperfections

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

I vote keep the 2WD. But I prefer 2WD trucks for some odd reason, they are more capable than you may think. Been driving my C10 since my car is away for the winter and it's done fine in the 2 storms we've had so far this year. I have AT tires and 250 pounds of weight in the bed. Last year I pulled my Dad's plow truck out when it got stuck a couple times. If you're a careful driver and avoid situations where you can get stuck, 2WD is just fine.

Get a good coat of FluidFilm on her and that'll help protect the undersides

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

I would sell the 79 being a rust free short bed you can get some money for it.The 4x4 has more use to me you can plow with it and play off road if you want.

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

Cut and shortin the frame on the 4x4 and switch bodies..Otherwise go with the 4x4..my02c

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

I will probably end up going with the 4x4 but I think I will wait til Spring to sell it. Any idea what these trucks go for with such low miles?

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

86 and get 2 gallons of por15 to give a layer of protection.

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

Never liked POR15. I've talked to too many people who have followed the instructions religiously, both prep and paint, and the stuff still flaked off. Some people love it, but as expensive and involved as it is, I believe there are better alternatives.

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

79 is gorgeous. Why was it painted? If you dont mind me asking.

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

Mice got to the distributor wires and it caught fire. Luckily it was saved before any real damage was done. Replaced the hood and drivers fender and interior and all is well.

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

Por15 only sticks good to real rust anything else it will flake off over time.

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

Got the 79 washed, winterized, and stored in a heated garage for the winter. So far I am starting to fall in love with the 86 4x4... I feel like I'm getting spoiled. Power locks, windows, electric choke, kickdown, this thing is fancy! If this keeps up I will probably be looking for a new home for the 79 come spring time.
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Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

This, that 86 4x4 is gorgeous.

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

keep the both till spring
86 for the winter,see how you feel in the spring,better time to sell the 4X2.

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

86

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

I love having a stupid nice old school 4x4 that s nearly too clean to want to do anything harsh to-BUT, having it that way is what is so attractive about having a 4x4-people don't expect it to be as nice as it is! Its a fun challenge keeping it super clean-you'll soon find that out, too I bet!

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

yup, bye bye '79
use the money on the '86 (little biased-'85 K30)

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

Been driving the truck for a little while now and the engine isn't running 100%. It shakes and clatters a bit and doesn't have any go. Feels like the secondaries aren't engaging and also sounds like the valves and timing need adjusted. I'll hopefully get that done along with a smog equipment delete and an overall tuneup before christmas. Also I found the codes in the glove box so I figured I'd share that. Turns out the truck has some decent options. I was surprised it had 3.08 gears. I thought the 4x4s had 3.42s. Also turns out my dad has a decent camper shell off an 85 long bed. Gonna clean it, sand it, and paint it to match for camping trips etc. Should look pretty sharp once it's finished.

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

Those two tone brown trucks are one of my favorites. You just don't see them very often. I like them mostly stock. At most a couple inches of lift and oversize tires but nothing huge.

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

i would keep the 79. if you need 4x4 and are concerned about driving 4x4 in winter buy a newer one. if you cant rescue both of them send one my way. but i like short squares

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

Gorgeous truck rs74! And yes I plan on keeping it mostly stock. I have my 70 GTO I'm restoring for hot rod mods and such. And I really don't like newer vehicles Marty. Plus I'm still finishing up college so I really can't afford a newer vehicle. It's tough enough trying to restore an old car and pay for the gas for a 4x4 brick on a grad student stipend. I don't need a truck payment on top of it! Right now I plan on selling the 79 in the spring when the market is better. Once my GTO is finished I really won't have as much of a need for a 2wd truck. I'll have the 4x4 for going to my cabin, camping, hunting, hauling, bad weather, etc and I'll have the GTO for sunny days and cruising. It's tough to let go of such a gorgeous low miles rust free truck like the 79, but I'd rather give it a good home and put the money towards my restoration.

Re: 79 2wd shortbed or 86 4x4 longbed?
 

Not my truck. Just the pic i tried to send you when you PM'd me. Had the pic saved for awhile now. You just don't see many that color anymore.