New guy: 78 Silverado, 17900 original miles, TONS of pictures

[KMK454]

Hi everyone!

Cliff notes: Bought a 1978 Chevy C10 Silverado, black/red, 17,900 original miles at time of purchase, TH350, 3.07 rear, 305 V8, BONE STOCK except for headers and a "cherry bomb" exhaust.

Full story:

My only car for well over a year has been my ever faithful 2005 Corvette. It's a Z51 coupe with a 6 speed and a bunch of subtle mods that transform the look of the car. This thing served as a great daily driver, and I love it to death. It was also my utility vehicle, weekend toy, track weapon, and personal bullet train for interstate travel. But after about 47000 miles, the whole daily driver and light utility pieces of the equation are starting to really wear on the car. Or perhaps I just don't have the heart to subject my prized 'vette to speedbumps, ruck sacks, and other equipment anymore...

So I began searching. The obvious match to an impractical sports car is a practical pickup, but this is a problem since I am not a truck guy, and I am definitely anti-SUV. Yeah, I'm one of "those" types, sorry.

But it if has to be a truck, it has to be a Chevy. My second car had to interest me, otherwise I'd sell it in a month and go back to daily driving the 'vette. I'm just that silly and passionate about automobiles. So the only way to quell the "negative" of a truck was to make the truck an older and more unique one.

Old trucks are awesome. They are pure. I love cars that are pure and have character. It doesn't get more pure than a Chevy V8 mated to a TH350 on a timeless pickup cab/bed design. The new trucks are nice, and I looked at a Silverado SS, but nothing about it excited the gasoline in my blood (face it, if you're on a car forum you have some in ya).

I found a 1978 Chevy C10 Silverado online listed as a 1 owner truck. It was black/red, original paint and interior, factory AC, TH350, 305 V8, AM radio with FM convertor, a 3.07 rear end, and 17,900 miles!

The rough story is someone owned it since new until he died and the family held the vehicle until now. I'm not 100% certain on this and might try to investigate further, though.

After a drive or two and a month of thinking about it, I finally negotiated a fair price, and here she is:

















I will reply to this thread immediately and post a few more pics.

The ONLY rust exists on the two non-stock pieces: the long tube headers and the "cherry bomb" exhaust. I'm thinking of putting chrome tips on the exhaust, but will probably leave the mufflers as they give it a 60's muscle car "wop wop" sound. They also smell like global warming, and I love it.

This may bother some, but my philosophy is that cars deserve to be driven, and a truck like this belongs on the road, doing what it was intended to do. She barely had a chance over her first 28 years of life, so I will let her stretch her legs some (and I promise she'll get the TLC she deserves). The truck has already taken me to and from work a few times (my commute is about 2 miles one way), and it will be my short trip run-about as well as a carry-all for bulky or dirty objects that won't fit in a Corvette hatch.

And in case you were curious, here are some pictures of the Corvette. Right now it's in storage until I permanently move to Fort Stewart by June 1, so no pictures of the two together just yet. They have met, but I think the Corvette is a little jealous of my new love...

This first pic is the most recent with all the mods done. The other pic was before the red calipers:


At Carolina Motorsports Park:


Mods: Corsa Sport exhaust, lowered 1.5 inches, black wheels, iPod hardwire, red calipers, red Grand Sport stripes, 20% tint, fire extinguisher mount.

The truck will not be modded, it's just too original to mess with, but a chrome bumper and chrome rally wheels (think 68 Corvette) would look so cool. I do need a bedliner and bedcover, though, so as to protect the original paint in the bed. Any help on what to do here is appreciated. I would like to have utility yet first and foremost protect the bed from scratches, rust, and standing water. Thanks!

If there are any meets going on in the southeast, let me know!

Also: going in for first oil change tomorrow, is there anything else I should do? Air filter check? Tranny fluid? Differential fluid? Belts? It IS an old truck, but it took me from Charlotte to Fort Benning without burning a drop of oil or leaking/smoking, so it seems very tight. It has also fired up in 10 degree weather. Any advice is always appreciated.