any advice would be helpful

[veedubchris]

Hi Guys I'm new here and about to go look at a 72' C10 fleetside with a 250 IL6 3on the tree I'm pretty sure its 2wd. I have some mechanical back round but haven't used it in quite awhile . What I would like to know is , are there any problems I should keep an eye out for while looking over the 72' it will need some restoration but I don't want a junker I've spoken with the owner and he says it has some rust but the frame is solid , he did a valve job and put in hardened seats so it will take any gas, there is an exuast leak from the manifold, he feels that the shifter is screwed up because only he can drive it right ( I think the linkage is just loose after reading StickyGreens post about shifter linkage in FAQ's) and thats the extent of info the owner has given me his asking price is 1500$ Do you think thats reasonable or high/low? Thanks in advance for any help you guys have a great site going here
here she is

[steelhorse]

hard to tell without better pics and hearing it run.If its not in to bad a shape 1500 sounds right.

[Billla]

That would be a very cool FAQ for someone - an inspection guide! Maybe we can kind of hack one out together here.

"Some rust" = Flinstone Car
Take the "hardened seat" comment with a grain of salt unless he had reciepts...but this is not the big deal everyone makes it out to be.
Exhaust leak could be a gasket...or a crack.

Pricing seems reasonable to me depending on the rust - if it's in the cab and bad, then maybe too high...?

Body
- Problem areas are the cab corners, rockers/floorboards and cab supports.
- Check the drip rail area very well
- Check under the cowling; if the truck has been sitting sometimes debris collects and hides rust
- Focus is on the cab - the rest of the front-end sheet metal is available aftermarket - at a price

Engine and Drivetrain
- Standard engine "do's"; do it run? do it use oil? do a compression test. do pull a spark plug
- Drive it - any driveability issues?

Suspension and Brakes
- Probably shot if haven't been serviced
- Safety is what we're looking for - standard inspection stuff.

What else?

[dan42]

72'? That's a long truck! (Everyone on this web site does that, I'm not sure why) Is it a short bed or a long bed? Does it have a wood bed, or a steel bed? Where in the country are you located? (That makes a difference in what to look for in terms of rust, etc.) It sounds like a good deal to me if it's a solid truck, but it also depends on how much work you want to put into it, and what your skills are, although you can develop your skills as you go along. I think Billa's idea of a sticky/FAQ for what to look for when buying these trucks is a good one - of course you could make it 10 pages long, but it would be easy to cover the basics of inspecting a truck. Good luck!

[BigDaddyDave]

I would check as many electrical items as possible to. Turn on the head lights,blow the horn etc.

[veedubchris]

I live on cape cod Massachusetts . the owner of the truck claims he traveled alot towing the truck behind his bus. it has an 8 ft bed that had some rust as the owner claims he rivited some plates in. Im going to look at it next week because I'm waiting for some money to come in, and I want to be able to offer when I'm there if it checks out . when I look at it I will get more pics and post them if I have any other questions

thanks for all the ideas so far

I plan on doing all work on the truck myself and I have a friend that can help me with the body work as I'm more a mechanic than a body guy

[old Chevy guy]

If its on the cape and thats where its lived check hard for rust,look inside too,check above the visors for rust and small holes look around the air vents on the side near the floor under the dash. cab corners and rocker panels a must,also look under hood at the firewall.New England is a tough place for these trucks.Rockers floors,floor supports and cab corners are not as hard to fix as under the cowl and the vent boxes or roof work.Replacement cabs are hard to find on the east coast.

[veedubchris]

Well I looked at it today and the cab is shot tons of rust around doors and windshield. but it ran good and the frame was very clean. So I'll have to keep looking little to much work needed on this one for me