My PO post rant!

[Dano69c10]

I thought I wouldn't say anything about my '70 c-10 that I bought on eBay, but it is getting to a point of frustration that I can't deal with. When I went to get the truck, the hood would not open, PO tells me it's a broken driverside hood hinge. We get the hood open and everything in the engine compartment looks fine. He starts up the motor and it sounds killer! He knows I live 30 miles away, looks me in the eyes and tells me he'd drive the truck anywhere. The truck is straight and no rust so I pay the man and head for home. I start the truck, put her in gear and away I go happy to score a swb fleetside.
1) I go to replace the hood hinge with a good used hinge I have. I remove the hinge at the hood no probs, I remove the bolts on the fender and two come out OK, but the third one (which is a silver grade 5 bolt from the PO) has a detached weld nut and spins freely. Great a 10 minute job turns into a 1 hour job. Finally have to chisel out the third bolt. Install the the hinge,I'm pissed but the job is done.
2) I go out in the morning and there is a puddle of tranny fluid under the truck, what now! Turns out the tranny is leaking from the front and rear seals, OK I say, some members assure me it's an easy job and it's not too bad, but a Saturday is shot to hell. I say to myself no prob jst a little work to get the truck roadworthy.
3) I drive to truck to home depot and the drivers window goes off track and the passenger window is stuck closed. Turn around and go home, driver and passenger regulators are shot and the vent windows are crooked. I open the vent windows and they won't close. I say to myself, you should have checked the window operations before you paid the man, my bad. The windows are so heavily tinted, so I replace the door windows, vent windows and regulators with some used ones I have. This takes the good part of the day since some screws are rusted in the vent window and regulator. Chiseling, drilling and retapping, I'm good to go.
4) I want to replace the late model bucket seats back to a stock bench seat. I look at the bottom of the bucket seats and the PO used black pipe as spacers between the seats and the cab floor with some cheap bolts which he drilled through a pristine floor. I thank God that the bolts didn't snap as I was driving to work, and go to remove the bolts. The outer bolts by the doors are cake to remove, but the innners are not accessable because the rears are right at the trailing arm crossmember and the fronts are on top of the flow masters. Out comes the sawsall, and with the vengeance of an ancient samuri I cut those suckers out. The seat have back pockets and in these back pockets have to be about 30-40 condoms (brand new in the package). Disgusted I throw them away, and then the wife comes in later asking me where those condoms in the trash came from, I tell her, but I can tell by the look in her eye she is either pissed because I didn't check the truck before I brought it home from the PO or she thinks I'm a freaking perv. The only good thing to happen is that the stock bench goes in without a hitch.
5) I drive the truck to work, park in a great spot. Go to lock the drivers door and the tumbler won't turn. It was working fine, but of course it is not working now! I'm so pissed, I just leave the truck unlocked the whole day not caring if someone steals the truck. Get out of work and there the truck is, giving me a sh!~-eating grin. I go home and replace both locks with with a used set I have at home. I think OK, it will get better. After all I haven't had to buy any parts, and I'm slowly cleaning out my parts stash so maybe it's a good thing.
6) Driving to work on a rainy morning and the cab windows fog up (probably because I'm nervous as hell wondering what is going to fall apart next.) I turn on the fan switch and it works! I Go to the AC/Heater controls and set the bottom lever (good), set the middle lever (good), go to move the top lever to defrost and without even applying hard pressure the lever breaks and falls to the cab floor. I can't see out the windsheild now, pull over and want to cry. I tell myself, it's a classic truck that just needs some lovin'. I have a clean rag, so I wipe the window at every stop light and make it to work.
7) The truck is a little to low for my taste, so I decide to replace the springs with some extras. As I jack up the truck I notice I have a three piece drive shaft! From the tranny, it's driveshaft, tranny yoke, drive shaft. Now this is where I lose it. There is no carrier bearing! There is a piece of folded over cardboard wedged in between the yoke (which is in the middle of two driveshafts) and the cab floor. Seems that when they lowered the truck the drive shaft wouldn't work with the carrier bearing so they removed the carrier bearing. OK cardboard! Give me a freakin break! I go to sit in the truck and ponder what my next move is and the button from the driverside door handle pops out!
I reassure myself that I have the parts just sitting in the garage, so it hasn't cost me anything other than time, but I'm pissed off at this guy. I' afraid to go to Pomona this weekend, because if I see this guy I'm gonna dot his eyes and get arrested.
Now it's gonna cost me more some good cash to get a driveshaft built.
With what I paid for this truck, OK maybe I'm a sucker.
But with the guy going on about how he is a religious man, his truck is this classic collectors item, its turnkey ready to go/show, and yet he jerry-riggs everything WTF!
On the plus side I have a straight truck with no rust, yet. Although for what I know of this guy it's all probably bondoed.
There are other issues like a mile of wiring under the dash for the stereo and door poppers/locks. (none of which works.) Theres a 4 gauge wire running from the engine compartment to the rear of the cab? There was enough white powder battery to look like a winter wonderland under the battery tray. And as a final last straw
8)My wife says there is another puddle under the truck, this time it's power steering fluid on my new cement slab. The wife hugs me, pats my back and says it's going to be alright. The wife is cool that way.
Sorry but I just needed to rant, to some guys and gals who probably know to some extent the pain I feel.
Moral: never buy a "restored show" truck without doing a 100 point checkup on the truck. You'll be glad you did.
I feel better now, so I'm going to install the springs, measure for a new driveshaft and fix the power steering this weekend. Hopefully next week it will just be a bad memory, until I discover the next PO mistake.
I hope someone can learn from this and not make the same dumb mistake I did.
Wow is this what therapy is like?

[A.P.]

Man that sucks.

[truckdude239]

wow and i thought mine sucked

[sjarrett71]

It sounds like your truck is possessed!!! Or maybe just mad at you for taking it away from the PO, you know kind of like a dog that poops on your brand new carpet right after you get it home.

[Ole Blue 68]

I feel your pain! Did anybody go with you to look at the truck when you bought it?

[cruiserman]

Par for the course. You should see my old cruiser. I've killed the POs many times over in my head.

[BigSky71]

I feel for you man, the PO definitely worked to pull off a few "prop up" fixes to get the truck sold.

But I gotta ask, did you not see the driveline thing when you climbed under it to check the cab floor and mounts?

[Dano69c10]

It was a friday evening and a friend dropped me off on his way out of town.
The truck is soo low, when I looked under the truck it was out of view. The exhaust system with the Flows kind of hid it also. I could only see the rear part of the driveshaft. The cab mounts were good.
The wife told me that I should just tear the truck down and start over. Of course I have to finish my '69 first.
Thanx for the support.
Dano

[Ole Blue 68]

Originally Posted by Dano69c10

It was a friday evening and a friend dropped me off on his way out of town.

I say this having been in your shoes, you should have gotten your friend to stick around and look over the truck at the same time you were. I missed a bunch of stuff when I bought my truck and I swore that the next time I bought a vehicle, I'd have a second pair of eyes there with me.

[smitty62]

Man, I really do emphasize with you....been there, done that. I learned (the hard way) in 1968 that you can NEVER trust someone who spouses religion when you are striking a deal. Now, before anyone gets their panties in a wad, let me explain my feelings on this. I am NOT an atheist or anti-religion. However, I believe a man's religion is between himself and his Maker...and He is not impressed with those that use religion to further their cause, whatever that cause may be. Since 1968, when I was royally screwed by a "God-fearing" contractor, I walk away from ANY and ALL deals where the seller starts telling me what a religous person they are.........I have never been sorry.
They may be the most God-fearing person on the planet, I don't know. They have my admiration if it's true. But I also know it should NEVER be part of making a deal on a truck or anything else. I'm off my soapbox now.....

[timcos]

You know...I have been there, done that and did not get the t-shirt. I chuckled as I read your rant cause I could have written it on a previous truck I owned.

I look at it this way. When I buy one of these beauties (and it is not beautiful when I buy it) I expect everything will need to be replaced. I am so relieved when something is not.

I guess what I bought was a VIN with most of the parts...someplace to start. I am so relieved that so much is available...and I am so relieved there is a place like this to some to for a pat on the back and some info.

[arkracing]

Take the 3-piece driveshaft and throw it through his front window (since he is only about 30miles away)

They are all like that. I thought my truck was pretty decent and I checked it over good - when I cut the rockers off the truck the other day - the floor is not what it appeared to be

[LawMan02]

I just want to thank you. After reading your post, you have just turned my very bad day into a great day. Thanks

[70rs/ss]

Man I laughed so hard I am crying!! I know this sucks, but if you didn't spin a wrench on it,it isn't "YOUR'S" Get it, I don't want to know what you paid for it, but I assure you when you are finished with the parts swapping, you'll have a nice driveable truck and a heck of a funny story to tell. I know it is not cool to derive pleasure from your pain but the bit about your wife looking at you like you're a perv becuase of the jimmeez!!

[1fast71]

typed ya a lil novel huh lol

[gouldie]

this is one reason why i dont like buying modified vehicles. you never know what the po was thinking.

[onetonk5]

dont know the latin....but buyer beware.
You made the deal.
I bought my truck sight unseen from a board member through ebay.....more problems than he admitted but i have always accepted the consequences of my actions.

[jaros44sr]

Originally Posted by onetonk5

dont know the latin....but buyer beware.
You made the deal.
I bought my truck sight unseen from a board member through ebay.....more problems than he admitted but i have always accepted the consequences of my actions.

Caveat emptor???

Dude I feel your pain, but you sure made my week brighter. I am finally at a point where I have removed all traces of the PO

[KAILUAZ]

I feel ya, I bought my 70 knowing very little about these trucks. The PO did a bunch of strange stuff, but like someone said earlier,,, its not yours till you turn some wrenches.
I think about the vehicles I've sold; someone cursed me too I'm sure!

[retodd7711]

take some pix of the broken, jerry rigged, or plain broken parts. Then some day when your truck is show ready pull those pix out and say "good job,man"
Plus it may help to remember when you buy your next used vehicle

[retodd7711]

remember the guy who said he was burned out and frustrated with working on his truck? Pull out those pix and see how far you've come. Sometimes it's hard to remember that p.o.s. you bought when it's all shined up

[Black 95 TSI]

I feel your pain man, my firebird is the same way, the dude throw a cheap paint job on it and made it look pretty, but i never took the time to look under it ya the floors are shot, and this weekend im goin to help a friend get a 53 chevy truck from ebay and i will post pics when we get it

[70cst]

Gee...
I thought Caveat emptor meant, "I'm going to emty your wallet"?
When I bought my 70cst the guy said he would have no problems driving it 300 miles home. The first stop I made to get gas the battery went dead, and the starter was shot. By the time I get her home the alternator was shot.

I wasn't to happy then but as I look back what a hoot!
Good luck with your truck. It's times like these when you start bonding with your truck.

[jbon64]

religious ? isnt a satanic cult considered a religion as well ? religious doesnt always mean a good thing . i agree with the majority on this one , you'll look back and laugh about it in the future