What do you think of this 78 GMC? ($1600)

[71Blazer]

I'm driving to Oregon to look at this in a couple days but what do you guys think?

Here's the ad copy from Craigslist...
1978 GMC 3/4 TON 4X4 FLATBED TRUCK - $1600

FOR SALE . 1978 BROWN GMC SILVERADO 3/4 TON 4X4 8'FLATBED TRUCK.305/85/16" GOODYEAR TIRES ,6 1/2 LIFT,AM/FM CASSETT,CB. 1 TON SPRINGS WITH OVER LOADS, REBUILT 1985 SBC 350 4 BOLT MAINS.194 150 HEADS,HEADERS DUALS.GM ALUMINUM MANIFOLD. 4BBL CARB, ENGINE CHROME KIT.TURBO 400 TRANSMISSION WITH SHIFT KIT .HALOGEN LAMPS ,NEWER RADATOR AND TRANS COOLER,AM/FM CASSETT.BELLY BOXES , HEADAKE BAR. EXTRA HEAVY DUTY GAS SHOCKS. DUAL GAS TANKS.BLACK WINCH BUMPER. HD LATE RADEATOR . FLAT BED HAS HEAVY DUTY REAR HITCH..REAR BACKUP LAMP IS NEW .CB.NEER NEW SPAIR TIRE, 1600.00 503 325 9687

And some other pics I had him send me...

[79BIG10]

Not bad at all. I would try for $1200 and see what he says. Take the bed off and sell it towards a new fleetside bed. With a real bed it would look really good.

[71Blazer]

I was actually wanting a flatbed for hauling firewood and hay The only thing (and I thought I would never say this... must be getting old) is that it is too tall when it comes to loading up that flatbed. I was mostly curious to get some feedback on the price. To me if the 4WD works and it drives tight then it is worth what he's asking, isn't it?

Thanks for your input.

[vtblazer]

Originally Posted by 71Blazer

The only thing is that it is too tall when it comes to loading up that flatbed. To me if the 4WD works and it drives tight then it is worth what he's asking, isn't it?

Thought the same thing about the bed being a little tall for general purposes.

Might check on the final drive ratio, 4:11's might be okay with the 305's but I'd still rather have 3:73's if it were going to see any highway driving.

Price seems good. (would be around here anyway)

Check those cab corners good.

[71Blazer]

Thanks for the replies, I'll be back with a truck or a good story.

[71Blazer]

So the plot thickens... I just came across an ad for the very same truck except here he lists the asking price at $1400 and says the engine is a 307 not a 350?

Seems fishy..?

1978 GMC SIERRA, CLASSIC, brown, at, 4wd, 6.5 lift, 3/4 ton w/1 ton springs & overloads, rebuilt sbc 307 4 bolt mains, alum manifold. $1, 400. 503-325-9687. Astoria, Or

http://adcache.collectorcartraderonl...1/84094181.htm

[Jonboy]

I didn't think they ever made a 4 bolt main 307.

[70rs/ss]

I was thinking maybe a typo, cause they never did make a 4-bolt 307. 350's mostly then BBC. Have a friend call and quiz him, to see about the motor and if it is the same truck? Good Luck.

[eagle23]

For the price and if it fits your needs for hauling firewood and hay, I'd approach it from a how-does-drive-and-function point of view.

You know it has a V-8, though the flavor is TBD Once all's said and done, I don't know that it would matter much for casual use. If the plan is more than that, then it's a different story.

Brian

[71Blazer]

Not wanting to waste my time driving 4 1/2 hours each way I called him today and he confirmed it to be a 350 4bolt not a 307. He says he knows this from the casting numbers on the front of the engine and even claims it to be a high nickel casting. I'll have to take his word for it at this point until I can run the numbers for myself.

And he isn't consistent with his asking price. I ran across the higher ($1600) priced ad first but found this lower ($1400) priced ad later and he acts like he won't honor the lower price?

I think I'll start at $1200 anyway depending on what i see when I get there.

Thanks for the input... Wish me luck!

[84 400]

71 blazer,
when my buddies and i go looking at a truck we allways take some cash with us. We bring the full amount but keep whatever we think he will take in our pocket and the rest in our cab. When you show/ tell a guy you'll give him 1200 cash right there on the spot a deal is made most of the time. if you don't mind in dealing in cash and carry ing that much on you you could try that. 6.5 is kinda high for hauling but i bet it would be fun wheeling a truck like that and that is what it looks like he was building it for. Check it out run the numbers test drive and check out those cab corners. if it looks good drives out nice and seems okay go for it

just my .02
ian

[71Blazer]

So when I got there...

Of course it is hard to tell in pictures what a truck really looks like but the body wasn't my main concern. I could live with a farm truck body as long as the mechanicals all work fine.

The power steering had issues, a suspicious thud came now and then from underneath, and of particular frustration to me he couldn't get it to shift into 4WD without reefing on the shifter and then only sometimes. The overload springs had no stops to come up against and I began to get the feeling that the whole thing was cobbled together. I offered him $800 then regretted it immediately thinking of driving it that far to get home. Luckily he only came down to $1000 and I walked away.

I know ultimately you get what you pay for and I know my better judgement won out in the end. I got to see some beautiful country so it wasn't a total loss.

Maybe I haven't learned my lesson but I'm not ready to let go of my diamond-in-the-rough fantasy yet.

[vtblazer]

Good call.

[BigDan3131]

Yeah its not worth it to buy junk only to end up spending a fortune on it. There are tons more trucks here in good shape then in Cali where everything older gets destroyed because they dont care.