Where/How did you find your Truck ?

[SCHRUMGMC]

Originally Posted by Rockit

I found mind striped and dumped in an empty lot next to the Rail road tracks. No motor, trans, front fenders, hood to name a few things missing. Doing a little research I found that the owner had quit paying on it and the dealer who sold it had died. I talked to the dealers wife and she said that she would do the paper work and I could repo the truck and give her $350. The guy got wind that something was up so he moved the truck. But I had the plate number and I got a cop to run it, found that the truck was In his father In laws name so I drove by his house and there it was. With the papers in hand, knocked on the door, gave them the papers, through a chain and couple of tires on it and I was out of there and now a proud new owner of a 71 swb.

I was always worried that the guy would try and get even. So wouldn't you know it he rents an apartment next to were I work. I started having trouble with the breaks, when I checked under the truck I found the break lines cut. That was 30 years ago.

Crazy story my friend, any trouble lately ?

[allchevy58]

Found mine about a mile from the house. I had just sold a 70' K10 project days before this 72' was brought out from the backyard and a For Sale sign put on it. The 72' was a nice driver, just needed a good cleaning up and some tranny fluid. Been driving, cleaning and fixing up since. Got 72' for $700.00 more than I sold the 70' for.

[WIDESIDE72]

Mine was sitting in a pasture in Mustang Ridge, Tx. I had previously bought 67-72 parts from the p.o. and gotten to be friends with him. He called and told me about the truck and said he would sell it to me for $500 delivered, which was about 50 miles. No engine or trans, originally a sbc v8/ auto military truck, now a Cheyenne

[Syndrome]

My Grandpa bought my truck new in 1970 for $2595. Just months after purchasing it he was killed by a dynamite explosion while trying to put out a fire in a neighbors yard. Had he been around longer he probably would have opened a Chevy dealer branch in the area. There are a few other trucks around that were his but the current owners will not give them up.

I ended up getting it from my Dad he only had it for 1 day before he gave it to me, I told him years prior that I wanted it.

Years ago the motor was blown by my eldest uncle, naturally they took it out and sent it to the crusher..

Now it has a 350 tbi out of a 87 Chevy van, I've gotten it to run for about 50 feet then the pickup line got plugged and I haven't been able to get back to it since. It will be warming up in a few months and I will get it running and road worth soon.

[Haggis]

Was talking to the wife, we decided that we needed a truck. The budget was tiny, but she didn't care what it was as long as it could get us to Home Depot and back. I took my chance and started looking. Found it in the local classifieds after looking at one other truck that had almost no floor left, had been posted for only 2 days and he already had other people interested, so I grabbed my cash and headed out. It had the usual rust, nothing unexpected for the price, but it ran and drove fine. $1500 later I was on my way home. Only thing I had to replace was the mirrors and I drove it all summer just like that. I've started a minor resto now but its still the family workhorse.

[russgoodman]

I saw mine on CL about 30 minutes south of me in Texas. I watched as the price went from $4500 to $3500 to $2500 to $1800. I kept thinking it would keep going lower and then I never saw it again. My wife was watching Counting Cars with me and they had a 68 C10 on there they painted orange, and my wife loved it. She really doesn't care for any of my other cars so I figured if I found another truck in the same bodystyle she would enjoy it more. I was searching Oklahoma City CL and found an old ad for the original truck in TX. I called the number and spoke to the previous owner and he said he couldn't sell it so he traded it to a guy with a bodyshop and gave me the guys number, and that he had heard the new owner had got it running. I called that guy and spoke to him, he seemed a bit foggy of what truck I was talking about at first, but he said he would meet me and I could look at it. I lied to my wife about getting called in to work for a sick coworker and headed to Texas. I met the guy at his bodyshop and followed him to his house. Seriously this guy had about 300 old vehicles from 50s to 70s behind his house. Some were complete cars, and some were parted out. He also had sections of hoods, fenders, doors, etc. He parts cars and sells at swap meets on the side. He wanted $2500 for the truck but the other guy had told me he traded it for about $1600. I got him down to $1800 and he agreed to swap a tailgate off a 68 that he had to replace the cool airflow gate that was on there. Of course my winch on my trailer wouldn't work, and we had a heck of a time loading it. Plus I had to drive home, unload the truck where my wife wouldn't see it so I could surprise her, change into my work clothes, and unhook my trailer all in the time that I would normally be off work. I got all that done but I was sweating so bad when I got home. She never even noticed that or the trailer missing. I surprised her a few weeks later with it. 1969 C10 swb.

[95possom]

Have been looking for a factory swb 4x4 for couple years now but the ones I find were either to far gone or way over my budget. I was looking on craigslist one day and their it was. PO had put it on a later model frame and did a darn good job doing it compared to others I've seen. Suspension and frame have been painted and completed. All the bad metal been replaced to. It's still a lot work left but I'm getting their.

[54belair]

Found mine on craigslist--in Tulsa. It had been a project of the last three owners (at least). It had also spent some years sitting in a field somewhere in Ok. The most interesting thing I was able to find out was that the truck was inistially purchased by the university of Ok. and used as a maint vehicle for some years. The truck still has the asset inventory tag on the door post. Had it not been for this id tag, I might have scrapped and replaced the cab as it had lots of hidden rust. Lots of new steel and welding saved it.

[Cali72K20]

I found mine on CL about 10 miles from my house, traded a 2006 Trailblazer SS for it, straight trade no cash. I love this old truck!!!!!

[steelhorse]

My wife's grandpa bought it new and used it on the farm since he bought it new in 67. He used it on the farm till the front crank seal blew out a few years ago and we bought it from him to restore for my wife and kids to drive. We wanted to have it done before he passed away but he passed about 4 months later.

[magwakeenercew2jh]

Great stories.

My good friends/brothers found my first...a '72 LWB Fleet (the white one) in a compost heap in Mariposa, CA. in 8/98. Heads were off and it was piled with brush...All there, though.
We got a SWB frame and bed and put in a 300hp 350. By March of '04 she was in a small feature in Classic Trucks (now purple). By 2006 she was sold...my stupidity.

I retired in 2008. Retired from building and riding Beemers and HD's, too. No more gearhead hobbies on the horizon, I jonesed for a truck. But with retirement came a new money profile.

The same buddy that found the '72 had RAT all built as a nice roller out of mostly ECE adds. He had the rest of the 68/71 parts piled around or on top of the frame (green and silver, etc).
His wife asked him, "You think you're ever gonna finish that truck?" I guess he thought about it and called me.

Thanks to him, his brother, my woman, the guys at ECE, the Forum, some very special Forum Members, and 25g's (hahahaha!), I'm now driving RAT.

That's the short version.

[74baggedbug]

Found it in cl.. The truck had been brought in from California but the guy decided he wanted a 68 camaro instead so he decided to sell the truck.. It's been a love/hate relationship ever since lol

[Tropical Snowstorm]

My first Green and White 72 Cheyenne I got in high school back in 99 when the newspaper was still the place to find vehicles. My dad and I went to look at it and came home with it that day. I wasn't sure if my dad was serious about helping me out with it or not so I pulled the trigger on the first truck we looked at. Ended up being a long but great project and cut my teeth in the automotive world until someone had to have it more than me... stolen in April of 2007 and never recovered.

My second 67-72 was a 71 SWB base model truck I found on a local forum and picked up only to sell it back to the guy I got it from. It has a 2002 chassis and running gear in it last I heard.

My current Wheatland/White 72 I found on eBay. It had been listed several times over and had no bites. I kept an eye on it and after the third re-listing I sent the owner an email and he accepted my offer. I drug it home in 2008 and have had it ever since.

[EdSevered]

I've told this story in another thread...so forgive me if you've already seen it. It's too darn cold to do anything but talk about my truck, or read about others.

We got our first C-10 early last month. It's a '71 Chevy Cheyenne LWB with an '87 350/350, 73K original miles. (pic below) My original intention was to use it as a fun daily driver to replace an '84 GMC Vandura conversion van, and quit putting so many miles on our '06 Honda Element.

Since we got it, I just been tinkering in the garage on the weekends to get to know the thing and bring my knowledge and skills back up to speed. So far, I've replaced the old leaky Q-jet with an Edelbrock 1406, put in a fuel regulator, new plugs and wires, oil change, etc.

I must give my wife props, she is an excellent money manager, far better than I am. And she's not a cheapskate. She has made some truly amazing things happen with our meager salaries and I have learned that if she says we can't afford it, we can't afford it.

Anyway, when I first found the '71 on c-list, I carefully broached the subject with my wife and laid out my case for going into the nest egg. You all probably know the drill, "easy to work on", "parts are everywhere and cheap", "better gas mileage than -insert other beater with a heater here-", "you keep telling me I need hobby", etc, etc. She begrudgingly accepts the idea and gives the non-committal, "you know we really can't afford this, but okay, we'll look at it, NO PROMISES, ". And I was sure that she meant the "no promises" part. So on the fine Saturday morning of October 5th, we and the dog pile dog into the Honda and take the 50 mile drive to check the thing out.

When we get there, it turns out I knew the guy selling it, you know, friend-of-a-friend. He and I spend about two hours bs'ing about people we both know, cars, trucks, politics, yadda-yadda, while I look it over we talk about the truck for maybe 15 minutes. My wife quietly spends time with the dog, they go for a walk, play in the yard. Finally, he and I get to brass tacks, we haggle on price a bit, we agree on a price, with the caveat that my wife is fine with it. I go over and talk with her, with a tone in her voice I can't read, she says "how much?", I tell her, she says "it's up to you". Oh boy, I don't know what to think. I give her another chance to kill the deal, "are you sure?", she nods. OK, I pull the trigger, the seller and I shake hands. He asks, "how much do you want to leave for a deposit?"

My wife walks up and pulls a wad of crisp Benjamins out of her purse, and hands them to me not saying a word. "What have I got myself into?", I wonder. After 12 years married, I've never seen her act like this. I count the wad, it is the exact amount he and I agreed upon.

(Now I am simply wasting too much time at work, with this...but I gotta finish)

We drive separate vehicles home and don't really discuss this event later in the day. Still bewildered, and starting to get really bugged, the next day I ask her about it. She says: "I knew we were going to buy it, the second you showed me the pictures online. I fell in love it as soon as I saw it. I hope you'll let me drive it sometimes." I was dumbstruck.

To finish up...At her request, the truck has gone from being an intended DD (drive it until the wheels fall off) to winter storage, only top-shelf parts, "you shouldn't put too many miles on it", "yeah, power windows and locks would be cool", "you should do the manifold, valve covers and radiator, before you finish with the carburetor, you're just going to have to take it apart again". How did I get so lucky?

Sorry this post is so long, but that's our story. So, here's OUR '71 Chevy Cheyenne:
Attached Images

[Already Gone]

I just want to thank everyone for positing and sharing their stories. No story is too long or too short, they are just great reading, so keep them coming!!!

[vectorit]

Every old truck and car I have "found" has always been just dumb luck.

The last one, which I shared here was a 1970 k10 was discovered during a business meeting. I was sitting in the office of my client talking business, when I noticed a picture of his family on his desk. In the background there was a 1970 K10... I asked about it, he told me all about it. At the end of the meeting, he said he was shopping for a new truck and could use extra down payment cash. The rest of the conversation I think everyone knows.

I didn't need the truck, but it was cool and I always wanted one like that. SO I bought it, had some fun with it. Sold it later, because it was not getting along with my Suburban sitting in the driveway

When one has an eye for these trucks, they just stick out in your everyday life. Like the one I found years ago as I was kicking back with friends at a back yard grilling get together, and I saw the roof of a 67 SWB in the neighbors yard. When I mentioned it, my buddy said... "Oh that POS? I wish my neighbor would find someone to buy it so I don't have to look at it anymore..." Yep, that's how I have found just about all of the cars and trucks I have acquired over the years.

[texjake]

I had seen this '68 truck on many trips out to the gun range sitting out at a farm house & just never really stop by to ask about it & figured it might be too expensive or that it wasn't for sale. But one day I finally had the time to stop & check out the truck. What sold me on the truck was when I raised the hood and notice that it had a big block & auto trans with AC, PS & PB & no rust. I contacted the seller and beat him up on the price until he came down from $4500 to $3000. I paid the man, grabbed the keys & title & drove it home, it was mine now! Yippee Ki Yay!

[67&72]

My first 67-72 was a solid dark green deluxe trim white top 70 long 1/2 2wd with 32K original miles. Late 2000, I was asked to come to an estate auction to look at it to give them a possible price range on it. It was stored in the shop and was a very original and complete truck but was running a bit rough from sitting. I told them it would need a little tune up and clean up to give a true value. They were not selling it in the auction. Coincidentally, I was looking to buy a house with some property and a shop and this place was perfect. I asked and they said it was going to be sold but not right away but they would rent it to me until they were ready to sell, I jumped on it. I moved in Feb. 01 and the truck and a clean 89 Caprice that did not sell at auction was still being stored. Of course, I now had a chance to check the truck out top to bottom, I definitely wanted it! It took several months but I finally made a package deal for the truck and the Caprice. Fixed up the Caprice and sold it. Used that money to buy gas tank(rust) and all other parts for fuel system and tune-up as well as rally wheels w/tires etc. Truck ran and drove like a new one. I decided to buy a new truck(my 02 GMC HD DMAX I still have w/44K) so I sold the 70 for down money and it went to Washington State in late 01.(that is another story)

My white(orig. orange) 67 SWB 230 6 cyl. 4 spd. 90K was next. Found it in local shopper called "GOOD NEWS". It was hidden in the back in the "too late to classify" section. Drove up with Dad and bought it and drove home with one stop for oil since it was coming out at the back of the motor pretty quickly driving at highway speeds. I got a 72 LB stripped roller given to me for the 5 lug discs, etc. Sold the package deal as a father/son project.

My 72 LB was a nice truck mostly original except for motor. It was the dark green white center and top 2 tone w/deluxe trim. I had put a V8 in an 88 S-10 blazer and was driving to work. A guy I knew had the 72 for sale but I had not asked price. He approached me to see if I would trade even his truck for my Blazer and of course, I did it, no brainer! I fixed it up a little and detailed it up and sold it to a guy in Pennsylvania several years ago and he still owns it and loves it!

Finally, this Saturday I contacted a guy with an ad on CL for a Muncie 4 speed w/bellhousing and shifter/linkage. I went to look at it and bought it and looked into his carport on the side of his shop and there it was, a 67 SWB w/factory V8 auto. He said he had sold it to a buddy but it was for sale. Contacted him and made a deal and bought it that same night. It is still 6 lug but came with a 71-72 complete 5 lug rear and most parts to change front to 5 lug. I have wanted another one for a while, but have not really been looking, and this one just fell into my lap! Made for a very good day, got a great deal on a Muncie and what I consider and even better deal on the truck since I would not have known about it if I had not found the Muncie!

[SeniorVerde]

I was having lunch with a pal I hadn’t seen in a while. We were catching up and talking about what we’d been up to. He asked me if I had found a home for the blower motor I had been putting together since high school (’97). I told him that I’m waiting for the right ’67 small window, manual, shortbed, with power brakes.
My buddy says, “wow.. it’s going to be a while, huh?”
“Been 12 years so far, but I’m not going to spend the money until I can start with exactly what I want this time.”
So, we leave the restaurant and are riding in his car to go visit another old pal who lived in the area.
Turning a corner, we see this with a for sale sign on it.


"You want me to stop?"

Sure enough, '67 shorty, small window, 3 speed (now a 5 speed) and power brakes already converted to disc!

[Codez67Chevy]

My uncle always had this old truck sitting out in a field. Once in a while he would drive it around. I never knew at the time what kind it was but I really liked it and wanted to drive it. One day I asked him if I could drive it? He said if you can get it to start just keep it in first gear and slowly let the clutch out. He sat next to me and I got it rolling. I initially was taught how to drive with my grandpa in his old CJ7 but I learned way more driving that old truck. When I hit 15 my uncle gave me that truck. Sure does have a lot of sentimental value to me. Love that old 67.

[SeniorVerde]

My '71 sat for at least 10 years, neglected in front of this house that was on the way to a friend's house.
I had stopped before to see if it was for sale. I knew it wasn't doing much in it's current location, so it might go for cheap, but you know how some people can be weirdly sentimental. So I would check up on it from time to time. Even took the long way home just to see if all was well whenever I was in the area, but there was never anyone home.
One day I happen to be cruising by in my '67 and the guy was finally out in his driveway, putting some hokey hand-painted for sale sign on a stake in one of the bed rail holes.
I locked up the brakes and backed up and pulled into his driveway. The owner was laughing and shaking his head, and new he had caught a fish with the first cast- as he put it.

He told me he was the original owner, and had used it for a work truck for many years and then something quit and he just parked it. He wanted to fix it up, but didn't know how. He said I can take it for $500 if I promised to bring it buy when I had it fixed up again. (showing up in my '67 probably helped the sale). I got it to run, but the brakes were gone. He even called up AAA, telling me he gets a free tow a year, so he'd just have it flat bed hauled to my place. What a guy! I heard he moved to Sun Valley Idaho, so when the big block is in it, it's road trip time!

[NobleSix]

bear with me.... my sister is what you would politely call a people person.

the 69 sat literally across the street from me for a few years, beginning in '03 when we moved in. i sat and dreamed and wondered, and thats about as far as it went for a while. in 07, my sister was dating a guy who had a buddy who was a buddy of another guy who owned it. long story short, and a few buddies later, she ends up married to one of the buddies of the guy who owned it. while sitting in the garage and b.s.ing over a few beers, we struck up a deal: $100 whenever i could get it to him and hed sign over the bill of sale he had. later that day we pushed it into my yard. a few days later i went to the dol to ask what my next step was, and they ran the registration etc. turns out, he had no legal claim to the truck, and i was happy i didnt actually pay the guy the money. so i followed the directions given to me by the dol, and tried to contact the last titled owners to no avail. so legally i can register it in my name for a few years then apply for a title. a few years and a few policy changes later, the title arrived in the mail december of 2013. shes mine, all mine for the low cost of tabs and a registered letter.

i also replaced the battery+cables, alternator, waterpump, and discovered that the head gasket was blown and it took the block and head out right betwen cyl 2 and 3. $250 on craigslist for another 292, a new set of gaskets, and she was back on the road!

[NobleSix]

my 67 is kind of a neat story. when i had the 69 road worthy, i would just drive it around the neighborhood, wandering aimlessly for hours on end. during my meandering i saw a very neat looking 67 that was a little lower with tinted windows and aluminium wheels. the thing that caught my eye the most was the sticker that said " fook your riceburner " it made me chuckle. so i forget exactly what year it was, but i was working with this kid for a while, then i sought employment elsewhere. that kid i worked with, also worked with a good friend of mine and was wondering if anyone he knew wanted to buy an old 60's chevy truck. a few txt messages later, and a starting price of $300, i went to go take a look. lo, and behold! she had somehow migrated clear across town. he said she wouldnt hold a charge and wouldnt run despite all he had done to it. one look under the hood told me everything i needed to know. this kid had no clue what he was doing. talked him down to $100 and 2 packs of marb 100's and shes been sitting in my garage, graciously donating organs to the 69, awaiting her turn in the sun. shes a real looker for an ol gal, but her body desperately needs some tlc. i only hope i look and function as good as she does when im her age.

[c20pickup]

my mom found mine. along side the road in town

[Already Gone]

Are we done, there has to be more stories.