67-72 Daily Driver - Need Help

[str82666]

Hey Guys, I am looking to buy a 67-72 to use as my daily driver, but I'm not sure if there are certain Year/Engine/Tranny combinations that would be better than others. I drive about 80 miles a day round trip for work and very little on the weekends. I am just looking for a reliable truck that will get me to and from work. I know gas will be a little pricey but with the money I will be saving by having lower insurance and no loan payment, I should be fine. So with all that said, I am looking for any suggestions. My budget is about $5,000 – I know it’s not much, but I have seen many decent trucks on Craigslist within this price range. Thanks

[Bears63]

Any year in there should work for you just fine, just depends on what you like the most for styling. I would recommend a truck with a small block v8. It is easy to find these trucks that have had 350's and 700R4's swapped into them, so maybe keep an eye out for one of those combos since the overdrive would be a plus to your commute. I would think you should be able to get a decent truck within your price range.

[str82666]

I appreciate the help and agree with the 700R4. What about brakes and other updated equipment throughout the years. Didn't the trucks receive disc brakes up front after '71? Would these kinds of things be something else to consider?

[SATownChevy]

i was able to pick up a 68 that had a 350 and 700r4 for about 2k. wasnt the best looker on the road but everything on it worked. it was my daily driver for 6 years and i drove it back and forth between san antonio and austin, ~85 miles on way. pretty good drive train combo is you ask me

as far as brakes, i had drums all around, made life interesting in the rain or when i push down on the brake and i dont slow down. i didnt have the money to fix all of the brake issues all at once when it was my DD so my brakes never really worked. not a good idea to mix old and new parts but that was all i could do. now that i have a little 4 banger for a DD im tearing up my truck down to the frame and replacing practically everything.
one of the bigger things is that im going with disc brakes all around.

there are plenty of things you can do to upgrade these trucks and they are very simple to work on. they are all pretty much the same with a few exceptions: fleet or side step, long or short bed, ac, disc brakes, engine, tranny, rear end gears, big or small rear window, and the amount of rust (big one to consider)

[Tx Firefighter]

I put 100k daily driven miles on my last truck before building the current one.

For me, it's small block, auto trans, highway gears, power steering and disc brakes.

I've done the overdrive swaps before and they work well, but I prefer 3.08 gears and a non overdrive auto trans the best.

Disc brakes are a must and an easy swap if you choose a pre 71 truck that has drums.

Power steering is an easy afternoon swap too, so it's not a deal breaker that the truck has it to start with.

[Deaol]

I am currently finishing what you are thinking of doing.. and I started with a 68 gmc, power drums, had power steering, 350+4spd (sm465)

In the end I decided to keep the sm465 and the stock posi rearend as I don't do any hwy driving over 60mph..

I did do the front disc swap with newer 73-87 parts, all new braided brake lines, master, prop valve. I also went a step further and replaced 90% of the original brake and fuel lines.

Upgraded the cooling system to a 4core aluminum rad.. some minor bodywork but most of it will come this winter as I want to get it on the road New tires.. of course.. and a few odds and ends.. (plus/wires etc.. oil.. )

All in all I bought the truck for $500.. put another $1000 plus my time in and got a pretty good daily driver almost on the road.

[bad68bowtie]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

I put 100k daily driven miles on my last truck before building the current one.

For me, it's small block, auto trans, highway gears, power steering and disc brakes.

I've done the overdrive swaps before and they work well, but I prefer 3.08 gears and a non overdrive auto trans the best.

Disc brakes are a must and an easy swap if you choose a pre 71 truck that has drums.

Power steering is an easy afternoon swap too, so it's not a deal breaker that the truck has it to start with.

Except I'm not exactly even close to logging the miles Tx does. I've probably put a little less than 30k on mine in the last three years or so, maybe 10k in the two years I owned it prior to that.

Nevertheless, I'm running a 350/350 combo with 3.08 gears out back and my truck is my only mode of transportation. My truck was also upgraded to disc brakes and had power steering when I bought it. Things like a/c would be nice in a daily driver, but as you can see I've gotten by without it for years now, I just sweat a lot in the summer .

[Hubscrub]

i don't see any reason you shouldn't be able to buy nice truck for 5k, around here you can anyways, maybe cheaper just depends on what you prefer and spend alittle on upgrades, and the money you will save on parts vs. fixing a new model and they are easy to work on

[Old Yeller 1970]

Originally Posted by Tx Firefighter

I put 100k daily driven miles on my last truck before building the current one.

For me, it's small block, auto trans, highway gears, power steering and disc brakes.

I've done the overdrive swaps before and they work well, but I prefer 3.08 gears and a non overdrive auto trans the best.

Disc brakes are a must and an easy swap if you choose a pre 71 truck that has drums.

Power steering is an easy afternoon swap too, so it's not a deal breaker that the truck has it to start with.

Only difference between me and TX Firefighter is mine has the 3:07 rear gear and a 4 speed. Otherwise my experience and preferences are exactly the same. I do recommend 4 speeds. You'll get slightly better gas mileage, they're indestructible, (although you'll get to do a clutch eventually which isn't that big a deal) and I think they're a lot more fun to "drive"!

[str82666]

OK, so I have settled on a few different trucks as a daily driver, but my options are all over the place and I need some more help. I have decided that A/C and Disc brakes can be added later and that has really opened up my options, but I cannot deal with the factory dash being cut for a CD player. That just ruins the truck IMO. So now I must settle on an engine/tranny combo, and again I am trying to get the best MPG as possible. I have found a few different BB 402 and SB 350 all paired with the TH350 tranny. I would rather have the BB and I have been told that there really isn't a huge difference in the 402 and 350 MPG because the 402 has so much torque that is doesn't use a lot of power to get the truck up to cruising speed. Now that sounds a little odd to me but that is just what I have heard. Does anyone know the stock MPG for a 402 and a 350? If there isn't a huge difference, I think I should go for the BB just for future value sake. What does everyone think?

[cdowns]

just keep in mind with a 40year old vehicle it's not a set it an ferget type of thing b prepared to do constant maintenence to keep it on the road and reliable

[str82666]

No, I understand that. Do you think there would be more maintenance with one over the other?

[don t. - 72gmc]

Originally Posted by str82666

Does anyone know the stock MPG for a 402 and a 350?

On my 72 GMC C20 LWB 350/th350, I was getting 9-11 MPG.
On my 70 GMC C20 LWB 396/th400, with a new-er Skip White HEI dizzy im getting 10-13 MPG.
Both are driven a mix of hiway, city, country roads.

I have no idea what kind of gears are in my rear end.

One key to better(?) MPG's is to keep the 4-bbl secondaries from opening any more than you need.

HTH...good luck...don t. .....

[57larry]

for what I seen around here, 5 grand will get you a good truck with little work needed. look for discs, auto, power

['72customdeluxe]

A 5k truck might cost you your job if it is anything like mine were. Unless you have another car. But if you're swapping the drivetrain out right away you'll be fine

[str82666]

So a BB does get better MPG. How the hell does that worK?

[Nova70]

I use my 350/TH350 for daily driving. I get about 13-14mpg turnin' 35's.

[don t. - 72gmc]

Originally Posted by str82666

So a BB does get better MPG. How the hell does that worK?

In my case, my 70 BB was getting 8-10 b/4 HEI.

[Warrens69GMC]

You might want to spend 15-1900 on a "beater" like a 4 cylinder Dodge Caravan (1998+ model year) that will get 25mpg, and spend the rest on the C10 and upgrade as necessary.

[str82666]

LOL nice but I'd rather drive a minivan off a cliff. Besides I like a challenge.

[Dingfodgy]

If I were to have a DD truck of this era, with the budget you have, I would try to find a straight, running and solid truck for around $1500-$2000. At the same time I would be looking for a LS engine and T56 six speed(or 4L60E auto) from a totalled late model truck, F-Body or GTO and do the swap. I see LM7 and LQ4 truck drivetrains on CL for ~$1800 quite often. I don't see why you couldn't get into the high teens with this combo, plus the new LS engines are proving to be crazy reliable. Any residual cash could be put towards a quickie Maaco paint job, A.C., suspension mods, rims and rubber, etc, etc.

[leddzepp]

Avoid rust on whatever vehicle you buy. Mechanical work is easy and cheap compared to body and paint. Mileage for me isn't even a consideration in these trucks.

[str82666]

I agree. A good rust free body is my first priority.

[str82666]

That's not a bad idea. What other vehicles came with the LS/4L60E setup other than an F-Body and GTO?

[Dingfodgy]

I would look at any '98 and newer Silverado, Tahoe, Suburban or Van for the powertrain. The 1/2 tons will generally have a 4.8 or 5.3 whereas the heavier duty models will have the 6.0. All the trucks run iron blocks and have a torque-oriented intake and will be much less $$$ to score than an all aluminum unit from a Camaro/FB, Vette, or GTO.