Probably stupid questions, but I really don't know

[don t. - 72gmc]

Currently I own a 72 GMC, 3/4 ton long bed. I have found on the web a 70 GMC 1-ton that seems to be in very decent shape.
Now for the stupid questions......
1 - How many others have bought a vehicle sight unseen? Truck is out of state and way to far for a weekend drive. The seller has sent pics, and they do confirm the decent shape.
2 - Im use to 350-4bbl engines. This is a 396-4bbl. Besides the obvious, whats the difference? Parts available? Anything I should ask but don't know about?
3 - What is an "open rear-end", related to the truck (grin).
4 - How hard is it to find AC parts? Seller says its all original parts are there. Personally, AC is not a deal breaker. I prefer 2-75 AC anyway(real big grin).

Thanks much.
I do appreciate it.

Have fun......don t. ......

[PanelDeland]

You might try to get a local BB member to look and take more pics for you.Many people buy thru Evil-bay without seeing but I don't have any experience with that.Remember that the seller is probably only going to take pics that make the truck look good or at least as good as it can since he is trying to sell it.

[RACINJASON22]

I bought my truck sight unseen. Could be win win or a lose lose situation. Mine worked out I was dealing with a very good seller. A good thing to do is reqest pics of certain areas of the truck the seller did not supply on his own.
That way if the seller is intentinally trying to hide something you might catch this. Also request pic's of know problem areas. As for the 396, parts are as available for it as they are for the small block just a little more $$.

[67ChevyRedneck]

1. Not yet. If you think it will be a good buy, make the trip out there with a trailer or whatever, but don't be afraid to look at it, not like it, and drive home empty handed.

2. 396 is a big block motor... thats all I know 'bout 'em

3. A "non-posi" rear, meaning only one rear wheel spins.

4. Not sure on this one either, but LMC (and I'm sure others) seem to offer most, if not all A/C parts for these trucks.

[Bob Moore]

2 - 396 is a bigblock. Parts are harder to find for the accessories with the correct short water pump i.e. PS brackets,pump, resovoir, pullies - alternator brackets and brace - AC compressor brackets. The motor mounts and towers are somewhat hard to find - you'll want them so the exhaust will clear. The engine parts are about the same cost wise SBC v BBC.

[cruiserman]

As long as the AC compressor brackets are there, you're good to go. Big block parts are more expensive.

[jimmydean]

I bought my truck sight unseen, but it was a driver and it was $600, so I had low expectations. I was very happy with the outcome.

[bowtieboy93]

if u go and buy a truck off of eBay sight unseen make sure u have every single angle of that truck on picture email the seller and ask him what the conditions like where has it been sitting for the last while what was its original purpose work or pleasure was it ever in an accident get picture of the door gaps and everything like that and how well is everything is it street legal at the moment or does it need work to be able to. u need questions like this to buy something off of ebay and if 60% percent of these questions come back as something u dont want BACK AWAY!!

[Madbomber88]

I bought mine that way. The seller was pretty honest, it was the shipper that screwed me. He reversed the battery cables and fried a bunch of wiring...
Just know that pictures always look better than it really is in person, or at least that is my experience.

[don t. - 72gmc]

Thanks to all for the info. It was helpful.

Seller has communicated via email, did send additional pics, but I will ask for more. I have actually talked , via phone, to the guy for about 15 minutes, seems nice enuf. It was a frequent driver til gas prices went up, since then maybe 1000 miles over the past 2 years.

Truck is more than street legal, but I really wouldn't drive it home.
WAY!! to many wide-open country miles for winter driving.

My only other options would be to.....
...get a transport service. Does this site have a list somewhere? I'll check.
...get out there somehow, rent uhaul truck n trailer to get it home.
...find something closer but here in the rust belt, its gonna cost more.

One more question. Misc parts availability?
Stuff like brakes, driveline, rear-end. Are parts easily available?
Seller said a rear brake drum was scored, un-turnable, was having problems locating one.

Thanks again......don t. .....

[dwaite72lnghrn]

Drums for the H072 are hard to find no new drums being made today. There have been a couple of rebuild threads on the H052/H072 axles on the board. U-joints, carrier bearings are still available. The pre '72 motor mounts are still available I believe at NAPA. The vacuum boosters OEM are harder to find but can still be had. The open rear with big blocks seem to wear spiders inside so you get a big "CLUNK" when you go forward reverse. A hard run BBC will eat stock timing gear in 90k miles. How far is it from you?

[jbon64]

dont commit to anything until you see it up close and personal. a few weeks ago i made a 6 hour trip , same deal , email pics ,phone conversations, more email pics . glad i made the trip because the guy i was dealing with painted a really good picture of this truck over the phone , and the thing was a total RAG .!!! basically a primer colored turd . i made a low offer and havent heard back .

[special-K]

As long as you ask the questions and get honest answers,it`s no different than buying on sight.
People get bad deals everyday on vehicles that they crawled all over and stared holes through.

[KFreddy]

My .02,

Start by getting the vin #, then do a bit of research to see if the vin matches what the seller is telling you the truck is. Purchasing a truck/ car sight unseen totally is a crap shoot. If the person is honest great, if not you completely out of luck and stuck with the purchase.

-fred

[GMCBubba]

with the dana 60 rear, the brake drums are expensive (120-150) but still available from many places (got mine from partsamerica.com). i just replaced mine because they were way past worn out. otherwise i think most other parts are available except those listed above.

oh, and i looked into transporting mine with the rental truck and trailer and it would have been way more expensive than hiring transport

[don t. - 72gmc]

"How far is it from you?".......over 2k miles.

"People get bad deals everyday on vehicles that they crawled all over and stared holes through.".......Not me (rolling eyed grin)

"transporting mine with the rental truck and trailer and it would have been way more expensive than hiring transport".....then ya gota include tims off of work, cost to get there. Ya, I can see hiring the transport but then ya go back to sight unseen.

Maybe its time to look elswhere. I don't need a truck tomorrow.

Thanks again.....have fun......don t. ......

[fosheec]

Just a thought, but 72's didn't come with a 396. They came with a 402. Granted, that is just a 396 bored .030 over, but if it really has a 396 in it, then it is not the original engine.

[GMCBubba]

also, imagine a worst case scenario with problems in the areas that you might inspect when you see it in person. would that become a deal breaker, or would you still plan on getting it and fixing it? if you're going to get it anyway, then dont' worry about it.

i bought mine sight unseen. granted, it's my grandfathers that was in possession of another person for 3 years before i got it. couldn't be too much wrong, right? well, they did put a horribly leaking engine in it, the drivetrain has some loud clunks in it, and i just spend $400 on a complete brake job. i probably overpaid for it, but had to have it for sentimental reasons. but i'd still do it all over again

[gmc1969custom]

I prefer to look at a future purchase in person and in the daylight. But I have drove from East Texas to Houston for a motorcycle and it worked out okay. A few months later I met a guy in Waco to buy another motorcycle and when I got there (he had drove it from Austin) It had extremely bad weather cracked tires. He had told me they were in perfect condition, the pictures he had sent me didnt show me otherwise, the bike only had 2200 miles, so after about 30 minutes of telling him my opinion on the situation I got the bike 200.00 less than we had talked about. Just be careful before you take the leap! I am all about keeping my word, but unfortunately everyone is not as honest as the guys are on this board.

[fnoblitt]

i bought mine through ebay from a "donated vehicle for causes" place. there were alot of pictures in the ad. i was more concerned about the truck being complete,with no missing parts.i was suprised to find a recently rebuilt 350 motor,but the transmission and carrier bearing were shot. i was looking for a truck to do a total restoration on anyway. it was 150 miles away so i took a car trailer and went and got it. i'm happy with it. got it totaly torn apart and the restoration process is underway. can't wait to "get r done" !

[krue]

IF you pass on it, tell the guy to join the board and maybe another board member can get a deal. If it's not as good as he says, he probably won't show here.