Ol Yeller - 71 Cheyenne SWB BB

[Zoomin]

For those of you that enjoy seeing a project go from start to finish in Overhaulin fashion, this thread's not for you. This one will go slower than even my normal standards because I've got another truck that I'm working on too. I'll post info on that later.

Anyway, I found Ol Yeller on a major auction site. He's a fairly rust free example (better than my 72 Super by a long shot), having spent his whole life in sunny southern California. I am the 3rd owner, and it came with the original black license tags.

I'd been looking for a SWB BB ever since I completed the 72 Super. To me, a lot of the fun is in the treasure hunt of finding parts, meeting the folks that sell them, and rescuing these rascals and saving them - maybe for my kids or grandkids, who knows. Regardless, it's my hobby that I've been into for a while. I've done Camaro's and Vettes, but when I found the 72 back in 2009 I've been bitten by the C10 bug. Hard. I own 4 of these now, and I still peruse the sites looking for more.

Here's pics of how he looked when I picked him up. Pretty original except for the wheels (ralley's - my gosh you'd think they were standard on these, nearly everyone runs them), and in the engine compartment, the 402 is original, but it's got headers, HEI, and Edelbrock carb and intake.

Dang! It had some real nice patina going on, but the PO decided to prime the hood and cowl panel:


Tailgate had been replaced, but this one's in pretty decent shape.


Typical original condition interior - cracked steering wheel and dash pad, old radio, but no cutting.


Pulled off the cover to find foams that have seen better days, but the Build Sheet was still resting comfortably in the springs.


Engine compartment. Fairly clean, considering. AC is all there, but not working, new master cylinder and booster.


Check out how many holes are in the doors - I think it's had nearly every kind of mirror installed over the years. The SPID says it came with sport mirrors, but the original owner had a camper in it all it's life. That turned out to be pretty good for the bed though - it's in real good shape.



The tubs look bad, but it's all surface rust. No dings or holes.


Lots of nice patina, but no rust-through. I wish he had left the hood alone.