So, I've had MANY...I can't even count. My first car(at 15) was a '68 Chevelle SS396...I was ruined. I've always gravitated toward the Squares, but my main obsession has always been the drive train I first owned.
i recently changed the locks, got custody of my sons, and had to sell my Square to finance the happiness of my sons, myself and my house....The Beast is gone
Anyways, I started looking for another. I've always been fond of the '73-'80s. As I was looking on CL, I sarted thinking the '67-'72s were pretty cool. I, not that picky...again, it's the drive train mainly.
4 days ago I was talking with my buddies son, who randomly mentioned a truck a friend of his dad's was selling...a '72 GMC Shortbed Stepside with a big block 400(I explained there is no such thing, he insisted is was a big block). A couple hours later I was looking at it.
Dude comes out and said, it was a family truck from TX willed to a 6 year old nephew. He was given the truck and money to fix it up. Said he put $7k in the drive train and drove it 200 miles in 10 years. On the kids 16th birthday...he tried to give it to him, and he didn't want it. It sat 2 years and he fired it up. He said "It blew the rear main seal, and I'm not mechanically inclined." There was no oil at there rear of the engine.
I looked under it and saw a 12 bolt rear, a TH400 and a Big Block. Told him I'd give him his asking price minus towing...he held his hand out.
I got it home, put a battery in it, fired in 10 seconds...sounded like 4 Harley's and lost 2 quarts of oil in one minute...the leak was from the oil pressure guage, the brass tube was snapped.
I took off the bumpers, rubbed off some rust stains, changed the oil....it is wickedly fast. It's a 402, which is a 396 w/454 head because GM ran out of 396 heads.... I'm going to drop it 3"/5" amongst a mess of other things.
Here are some pics. I gave him $1000, minus $75 for towing...
