Why did you buy a squarebody?

[camshaftgsxr]

Just post up your stories about why you chose a square and how you came to purchase it.

I'll go first, I saw a bunch and loved the front end I didn't know anything about them at the time othe than I wanted a 4x4 because we had a narly gravel driveway while I was searching for a bada$$ four wheel drive the driveway got paved so I started looking for others, my mom found one in the iwanna (redneck craigslist lol) that was out of my price range by 500 bucks and after bickering for hours I gave in and we went to look at it, it was all grey and dirty, I had some second thoughts and wasn't sure but the seller fired up the cammed small block and that was all she wrote it sound like the muscle cars at the cruise ins on Friday nights and that's all it took I drove it home

[trevor73402]

Well I was born in 1980, so squares were the common "truck" when i was growing up. My dad had them, my uncle had them, and my mom even had a '85 C10 SWB for a while. I've always loved them, but mainly the SWB 4x4's. My best friend had a '86 C10 SWB while we were in highschool and we spent lots of time cruising in that lil black C10. Well as I got older and more financially stable and I started to realize that "newer/modern" wasn't really where my true love was. I wanted a 80's model chevy, but it was going to have to be a super nice one to meet my expectations. I looked for over a year for a SWB 4x4. I finally found one out in London, Kentucky. I'm in oklahoma so that's about 985 miles from me. I called several times and talked to the owner. It looked and sounded like a true show winner and pretty much what i was looking for. My aunt has been a flight attendant for Delta for 30yrs so she got me a Buddy Pass to fly round trip to Knoxville for $89.00 so I said why not.....and flew out to look at it. I left DFW at about 5:30 am, flew into Kentucky and was picked up at the airport, went to see the truck, drove it, and made the deal. I was back in DFW by 9:00pm that night. It cost me $450 to have it shipped back to me from Kentucky to Oklahoma. I never take it anywhere without getting multiple comments on it. I don't drive it alot, but everytime I do it always puts a smile on my face, and at this point in my life that's pretty important to me. I don't see myself ever selling it, but if someone offered me a insane price for it, I'd let go mainly because I'd have the money to actually to a ground up build of the same truck on my own. I love having it, but I'd love it even more if I knew that I had turned every single bolt on it with my own hands.

[dmartin1]

ok ill give it a shot.
i was 15(16 at the moment).
i took all my birthday and x-mas money and money i saved from working for my nana,my mom,and neighbors which added up to 500$ even.
my dad told me he'd buy me anything under 2,000$.
i wanted to buy my own truck to have the pride.
i looked at a big block blazer with my dad that was BEAT DOWN hard.it was disgustin.i said nah.
so we drove neighborhoods lookin at trucks and i found this old 1979 longbed 3/4 4x4 chevy sittin with all 4 flat tires 5 different colorsbroken windshield4 different rims etc.sat there since 1992.
i insisted i wanted it,cool old chevy 4x4.i take after chevys from my dad,all hes ever had.
so we drug it home with a chain watching cobwebs and rust and dirt fall off of it.
i cleaned it,stripped entire inside,outside etc,did a nice primer job,over the previous year i have worked and gotten all new carpet,and insullationdash,all new dash components and electrical,a new built 355 small block 325hp,headers true duals and cherry bombs,wodden gt grant steering wheel,new 2004 power seats etc.bought a 4" lift,eagle alloys and bfg mudders for 200$ from a neighbor.and got a free tube grille.and its at where it is now.it aint much,but its actually really really clean inside,new door panels etcbasically 70% restored inside.

it aint much,and its all i got.but,atleast i have the pride of saying i bought my own truck at the age of 15,and using all of MY money and doing my own labor to fix it up.
only thing my dad has helped me with on the entire truck,was aligning it in the bay with the hoist.

and there it is.ha

[84c10tony]

Because it was new, it was 1984, it was all they had.
I had wanted a 4x4, 350, 4spd c10 etc and this, "all they could find in rootbeer brown metallic sb stepside" 4x2, 305 700r4 auto came in and bought it.
Now after 26 years and 200k I am doing a whole lot of resto now, someday the rootbeer brown with be shot again over the rattle can white that I put on to protect it for awhile...lol, that was 15 years ago.
funny thing, the walmart 88 cent can of white gloss over gray primer lasted better than the original paint. no, really.
Also after a few aftermarket wheels, the 15 x 7 rallys are finally coming together next week with 225/70/15 Destination a/t's going on due to 2.73 gears lol, gotta laugh.

[asphaltburner]

Yo!
FRANKENTRUCK was FREE!



Todd.

[JohnSerbian]

Well, for starters having a truck just allways seem more practical. Where ever you go you can just throw what you need in the back and Bam! That's it. When I finally had the bread to get myself a new vehicle that I could really, truly be stoked to be driving, I looked around and said, " It's either a 70's Chevelle or an 80's Chevy truck." The lines on those bastards have never equaled on anything else and that and the classic Chevy V8 just seemed to be the way to go. Don't get me wrong, the mid to late 60's Impala's lines are sweet and even the Nova's were pretty cool, but the Square body's are just perfect when you look around for modern/ classic trucks. Considering there were no real affordable Chevelles around, nor worthwhiel ones with the budget I had, I went with the search of a Chevy truck. What I found was a small picture of a Gmc through the Auto Trader that had bumper guards like teeth that fit the bill. I went to test drive her and right when i fired it up I knew it was meant to be. I didn't know any better that it was actually a completely eradicated exhaust gasket and flange that was the sound I instantly feel in love with, but hey, I was young. That and she was metallic blue with the white underbelly and top. Not long after I went to the junk yard and got a second set of teeth for her, she looks like a strange wild boar, its awesome. Soon my friends, I'll post pictures, but not yet. No, I want her to be perfect, and I still have things to do.
Yes, there is really a reason why we drive these monsters, and that is Love. We are lucky to live in this era of modern human transportation, where classic vehicles can still be had for practically a song and new ones for 3 quarters of your yearly pay. In all of human history we should be down right Proud to have been apart of the time when the manifestation of beautiful, original, classic and just plain rad vehicles roamed the surface of our planet, regardless of how many dumb ones there are out there. Many heros and pioneers have laid the foundation of who we are. And it is with pride that we can take from that and improve the designs. But nothing will ever take the place of a true classic. Keep riding, and always remember where you come from, for that is a sound way to improve.

[GmtGmt]

I have allways though that these type of trucks was THE PICKUP TRUCK
it screams American they are BIG and SQUARE
first time i ever saw one was in the movie Cannonball Run 1 loved them ever since mostly the crew cab duallys


I bought mine at an incident was going to buy an old Ford f250 with 351W but the seller backed out. placed an add looking for a 80s truck
a guy contacted me about a old rusty chevy 3500 he had i could buy cheap and i did

Iam damm proud to own the bests Trucks ever made

[mcmlxix]

got it cheap and almost no rust....

[gchemist]

I had a 83 and 77 in high school.

[thirdstreettito]

I've always loved Chevy/GMC trucks. And I saw them in a few movies, such as "Cannonball Run", and a few other movies, plus that was the only car my dad owned that I really remember(84 C20 CCLB Rust Machine).

Also, I love diesels, and I heard the 6.2/6.5's are very reliable and cheap to find. So I got one. I loved it, but because of me it became a piece of crap(I'll never do that again).

[old Rusty C10]

the first squarebody i had was because at the time i was a contractor. I did a job for someone and they had this rusty old 76 sitting on their farm. When i completed the work the guy told me that I would have to wait a week or so to get the balance of the money owed to me which was $200. I came back a week later to get paid and got another sad story how he didnt have the money yet and if i could give him some more time. Sensing that the guy was going to be a deadbeat I told him that he could give me the old rusty truck sitting out there and we could call it even if he had a title for it. He thought about it for a few minutes and decided to show me the truck. It was rusty as all heck and he said he hadnt run it in a while but he guessed if i wanted it he would call it even for what he owed me. I needed a battery right off but the sucker fired right up once the battery and one terminal were installed . That truck was used for a while hauling trash off of construction sites then it began a restoration that was never finished due to my sons lack of behaviour.. but thats how i came upon my first squarebody

[tucsonjwt]

The price was right - $450 + $250 for a bed top. 1973 rusty C20 454/400 LB. Kept it from 1981 until 2002, as a second beater/hauler truck. Had the notorious soft camshaft replaced, normal repair stuff, etc. Gave it to a coworker who races pro stock - he took the big block and trans out for backups/rebuilds for his race car. It was the fastest vehicle I have ever known - can't beat that 454/400 combo - even faster than my 63 split window Vette. Looking back, I should have just bought a new work truck somewhere along the line and kept it, since the repair cost and scarcity of parts for these old square bodies is getting to be a real pain. The only problem with that is that the one new work truck I bought in 2000 I didn't want to get dirty/banged up, so I sold it and bought another square body (gluton for punishment).

[67_C-30]

I am the biggest 67 - 72 fan there is. With that being said, I grew up around these trucks as well, and I've always had a sweet spot for them too. My dad had a '73 Cheyenne SWB that was hugger orange with the woodgrain trim in the center (YEAH baby!) It had the obligatory dual glass packs, and 10" ET slotted mags with some big fat wide white letter tires on it. We called that truck Ol' Red, and I loved it! I was like 7 or 8 when he got another truck, and I actually cried when he sold it. He sold it to the ice cream man, I have still haven't forgave the ice cream man! His next truck was a '77 SWB stepside 4X4 that was black with the factory 4X4 graphics and the white roll bar . It was cool looking truck, but I never attachment to it like I did Ol' Red. The next truck was an '81 SWB 4X4 with a 350 and a SM465. He drove that truck for years and years. He also had a '78 GMC SWB with the Heavy Half package that became my truck. I drove through HS and college and sold it to my brother who eventually turned it into an 11 second street/strip truck.

My recent return to squarebodys is due to my love three things: 1)Blazers 2) 6.2 diesels 3) CUCV's! I have always loved CUCV's and after getting familiar with them and becoming a fan of the 6.2/6.5 diesels, it was a no brainer to pick one up. I love this thing and its pretty much all I have driven since I got it. Its getting 20 - 21 in town mpg, and drwas lots attention everywhere I go.

[primrrd]

Like others, these trucks were new when I was in high school and I always dreamed of having a cool one with cragar ss's!
- In the late 90's I was looking for something out of the ordinary and cool that was modern enough to have ps/pb/ac without having to rebuild an entire truck. I found a sweet stock 81 silverado and have driven it daily for years now. (in primer- hence my handle..
The nice thing about the 81 is it's carburated and with an hei ignition it is practically trouble free! I did some collision work on a guys red and tan silverado in the early 90's - he claimed to have almost 300k on it!
(he had one rebuilt motor and trans...)
I expected with the scarcity of 67-72 trucks that a nice square swb would be the next trend in classic trucks. I tell my wife I will never own another vehicle if I can swing it! Maybe a nice lt swap in the future? I bought new rotors, new wheel bearings, new brake hoses, pads and recon rotors at the local a.z. for just over 200 beans, a starter is 50.00, as is an alternator.
I need to rebuild the front end and those parts will be just about 300.00.
Its out of the ordinary, its got all of the modern comforts, it is easy to maintain and inexpensive.. what's not to love?

[pseudopimp]

nobody's mentioned the Fall Guy? that truck was awesome. my grandpa had a few GMC's and Chevy's as work trucks till they switched to fords. I always like chevys so when i was in college i was saving money to buy a truck becuase my friend had blown my previous truck up. i was set on 67-72 they seemed more classic at the time ('96). a fraternity brother came in and said he saw a 4x4 chevy that looked like me sitting at a dirt used car lot. i went to test drive it and it ran out of gas. i still bought it. it was my daily driver till '06. never have enough time to tinker with it. sometimes the to-do list seems forever long.

[67_C-30]

Originally Posted by pseudopimp

nobody's mentioned the Fall Guy?

No doubt. The Fall Guy truck was my favorite 1979 1980 1981-1982 1983 -1984 usually LWB GMC, but sometimes SWB, and ocassionally even a Chevy truck as a kid!

[76/85 Truck]

When I was about 10 and started to really notice trucks, my mom bought a 98 chevy, and I watched my dad try to work on it, and quickly realized how much easier it was to work on his 1980 CJ-5 Jeep, and anything else before computers. Then I saw pictures of my dad with his trucks he used to have, a 67 stepside, a 70 fleetside, and several 73-87s. After that, I began to notice how great they look, how good they sound, how easy they are to work on, the quality of the GM workers, and I fell in love!

[boatpuller]

i wanted a lowered short bed. and,in my opinion.there isn't a better looking truck for a lowered short bed than chevies of that era.

[87 chevy silverado]

like asphaltburner said, mine was free 2 motor on the last leg a the gear box broke threw the frame.



yes i did fix the slug (previous owner)

fixed the frame
an the newest pic of the truck (radio flyer)
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pi...34574800&saved

[engineco713]

I was born in '75 and my Dad seemed to always have a square body. He past away a few months ago so I inherited his 86 c20 longbed. Funny thing is, I saw his truck sitting at a garage that also sold cars. I stopped to look at it and they said it wasn't for sale, it was getting a new carb installed. I didn't realize it was my Dad's truck as I didn't see it much because he also had a 98 Dodge. So after my Dad past away I was taking care of my Dad's affairs and his friend said, "Did you talk to the garage about his truck?" I said, "I have his truck and nothing was wrong with it that I could tell." He said, "No, his old Chevy." I didn't know he still had it as he would get one, keep it for a while then sell it but usually didn't go long without one. This one he had for a while but it had been sitting because he had gotten sick. He wanted to get it running again, hence why it was at the garage. So I went to the garage told them what happened and asked them what I owed for tow and storage and if I could put the carb on myself on the lot(just for the fact that I did it myself). I told them I wanted to restore it to honor my Dad. They told me what I owed and that I could put the carb on if I wanted, but to go get the title switched. It took me a couple weeks for the title but when I went back they put on new wipers, the carb, new air breather, did an oil change, and replaced a headlight. I tried to pay them for the extra stuff they did but the owner, who knew my Dad for years said, "I told you a price, so that's all you pay. I did the rest because he would come in from time to time and bull-****". I felt bad about not paying for that stuff but the guy wouldn't hear of it. So now I have my Dad's old truck and am starting the process of restoration. I have a long hard road ahead but I will get it done someday. Everytime I drive it I think back to when I was a kid sitting in the passenger seat wishing I could drive. Now, when I really miss my Dad I take it for a ride and feel like he's sitting there with me in the passenger seat. I know I could find a truck in better shape to start off with but it was my Dad's. I have had several offers already even in the shape it's in but I don't think I could ever sell it. That's my story........RIP, Ernest Leroy Tyson..1935-2010.....I love you Dad.

[Keith Seymore]

...because it was better than walking.

(lol)

Seriously, though - you can read about it in my intro thread.

I had a '86 Suburban as a company vehicle. When it was taken away, I needed something to drive and, since I worked at the truck plant, there was no other choice for me than a new pickup.

Now, 24 years later, I've lost my company vehicle again and "lil Red" has bailed me out - again!

K

[motornut]

bought a 78 sub 400$ for the great running 350 ,(350 removed 305 put in)drove it till to rusty,(not safe for dog in back)(bought a 87 sub 4x4 for camping,winter weather and removed the second row seats and kept the 3rd row.Was geat space with a 100 lbs husky/shep mix dog running around the truck.i brought a full size bbq camping,with the seat removed it slid in behind the drivers seat UPRIGHT.Good thing too with the fireban on there was no campfires allowed.Oh and i just got a new Chiwawa dog <<<<<<<<<<see pic born july 20

[CaliDude76]

Price was right... (Pops handed me the keys).. how could I resist?.. It's been with us since 1989 when Pops bought it off a car-lot

[GM72K10]

why you chose a square and how you came to purchase it.

Because there are no more 67-72s around here!
Also cause I love the K30s and there were no 67-72 K30s except Napco conversions.

[West Texas Z]

Well, I have always have been Ford truck man, perferably (93-95 Ford Lightning). But I went to a car show once here in Lubbock and saw the Hills Rod booth and saw that you can make a chevy nice. lol That was litterally the moment I was set on buying a square body and never looked back.....plus Lightnings are hard to find here.