Proof of the durable Chevy

[vern kelly]

These two puppies got me through 42 years and I still got em! 66 C10 and 67 Chevelle Malibu Wagon. Were and still are my daily drivers. Not sure if the pic will work.

[vern kelly]

Got the Truk when I was 17 first car. Wagon was my Gramps and bought off him in 84. Sure there are some others like me out there in Chevy land! Please post your story!

[cwcarpenter98]

Sweet rides! Please share some more pictures of both

[AcampoDave]

Here's my story. Back in the mid 80's I bought a 1961 C10 for my work truck. Then as now I ran a service route in my town and surrounding communities. When the truck rotted out, I gave it to my brother to "finish it off" and bought a fresher '61 for me. My brother did finish off the '61 body but not the 283 under the hood. So the truck made one final journey back to my house where I yanked its 283 and put it in my recently (at that time) acquired '64 C10. That was in the late 2000's and I still have it there today. I have never had to pull a head but have done the timing chain and changed the rotten freeze plugs, re-painted and re-sealed the thing a few times...etc. and here it is. I don't know how many miles it already had or how many more my brother and I put on it in those 36 or so years, but wow....I know it's a lot.
Edit: I remember my brother got PO'd after I put an HEI on it in the early 90's when he had it at my house for a few weeks. He still didn't trust those " new electronic crap distributors" Those were good times.

[vern kelly]

Ran one two weeks then the other two weeks. Each car has over 300,000 miles.
2nd engines from the 80s still going strong. Daughter took the pics. Looks like I have to post one at a time.

[vern kelly]

Da Wagon

[vern kelly]

I bet there are lots of us out there!

[vern kelly]

AcampoDave :Luv you kept the ram horn exhaust manifolds.

[cwcarpenter98]

Sweet! You can attach up to 5 pictures per post, you just have to hit the upload button for each picture (5 times) before you post

[The Rocknrod]

Originally Posted by AcampoDave

Here's my story...I don't know how many miles it already had or how many more my brother and I put on it in those 36 or so years, but wow....I know it's a lot...

That is amazing. I wonder how many miles? And it's still purrs.

[44th Miss Inf]

Nice set of rides.

This is the 65 my grandfather bought new. Going to my nephew (pictured) eventually.

[vern kelly]

Best mod on both cars was Pertronix ignition 1181 Lobe Sensor on both cars in 2000! Climbing up in the engine compartment with engine running to tune dwell was cool when I was 18 but not now! Like that it is still stock looking. Only had the Truk towed once when I broke a ball joint back in like 81! Wagon and Truk never let me down. 2nd moters have 210,000 Wagon and 190000 Truk.Use 30 Wt straight grade. Rebuilt each Holley twice. They start better than fuel injected too!

The trick is to know the car by driving the car and keep er tuned!

[vern kelly]

44Miss Inf: Looks like a great step side for him. Keep er runnin!

[AcampoDave]

Originally Posted by The Rocknrod

That is amazing. I wonder how many miles? And it's still purrs.

It does still purr, no fouled plugs, doesn't smoke, has good compression but the the granny tranny it had was getting worn sycros ....

Maybe also a good story for this thread....One day (maybe around 2012) while running my service route I spied a granny tranny, along with a 60-62 V/8 bell housing and torsion bar set up abandoned along some unused railroad tracks. They were just dumped there by the crossing on a country road. I drove an older Toyota on the route then, so I just backed up and snagged the tranny and and bell housing. I put that tranny behind that motor in my' 64 and it worked beautifully. Good syncos, smooth bearings, shifted great. I later sold that tranny for a hundred bucks when I went with a 3 on the tree. (Sold the bell housing later too. Those things are like hen's teeth.) That tranny may well be in service to this day. You know, one man's trash.....

[Braunschweiger]

Sweet stories, great cars.

[Chevy Fleetside]

I bought this truck 9 years ago to use as a work truck. After I got it running and driving I didn't want to use it as a work truck but I have to haul stuff somehow. I picked up a 2002 Dodge ram with a cummins diesel but it had some damage so I am repairing it. I still have to use this one from time to time. I am doing a job up in lake Tahoe so I drove this from San Francisco to Lake Tahoe. The closest Home Depot is in Reno, coming back from Reno yesterday my GPS took me over 431 which reaches almost 9,000 ft. I have a three on the tree with overdrive with a manual lockup. Second gear locked up was the best combination to climb up the hill. That gear is a little taller than second gear but also a little lower than 3rd gear.

[factorystock]

Originally Posted by vern kelly

2nd moters have 210,000 Wagon and 190000 Truk.

Are you using original heads or heads with hardened valve seats?

[vern kelly]

Factorystock: Both cars have hardened valve seats and were rebuilds by a local shop at the time 84 and 87. The truck has a mild high compression 9.5 to 1 with a mid RPM Isky cam/ original 3.90 rear end. 600 CFM Holley manual choke using ported vacuum advance on carb with a 1" spacer on edelbrock performer intake. Pertronix Lobe sensor ignition coil and plug wires. Use AC R45 flat seat plugs. Gapped at <.040. Turbo hydromatic 300 trans with shift kit and vega floor shift. Only run 91 octane. Used to tow a speed boat with er too! Each car garaged 1/2 the time and keep em covered with quality Cal Car covers. Body work done a couple times: last in 2011 for Truk and way back 97 for da wagon!

Wagon is stock 8.5 compression with a stock cam. original 3.42 rear end. Set up same as the Truk with everything else except plugs are AC R45s also gapped at a tight .040. Wagon is pretty darned near original in and out. 600 CFM Holley with electric choke on a 1/2 inch spacer for hood clearance.

[factorystock]

Thanks for the info Vern.