questions before I buy

[captain]

I am looking to buy a 1969-1971 (preferably a '71) C-10 but I have a few questions. There are certain things I would like that I will probably have to add after I get the truck. Problem is, I don't have the skills, equipment or space to do much on my own.

Here's what I want
V8 (not sure if I want big or small block)
Floor shift manual tranny (I just like 'em)
Fleetside (long or short)
Power steering
Factory A/C

I am looking to replace my daily driver with this, so I want one in good mechanical and cosmetic shape. The great majority of the trucks I am seeing on Ebay or Collector Car Trader Online are automatics. Are the floor shift manuals actually that rare? My dad had one, but he did the conversion from an automatic himself.

Should I just buy an automatic and pay to have it converted? If so, what's the ballpark cost for that?

I also saw a post about a 6-speed tranny that had several people talking. If I buy an auto and plan to convert it, should I just go ahead and buy a big block and have that tranny put in?

Thanks

[rambler]

I know there are a few members in the Houston TX area,, and I think there is a club there as well... Floor shifts are not rare,, 4 speed anyway,, Just keep looking till you find what you are really wanting... Part of the enjoyment of owning one of these, of course, is building what you want, but it can and will get very expensive paying someone else to do that work..... I'm not veyr mechanical myself, but learning in the process.. what scares me is the body work.. good luck

[SWEET7T]

V8's are pretty common, though there are quite a few I-6 out there.
Where I am at, fleetsides are all over the place, I rarely see a stepside.
4spds are just as common as an auto. It sounds like you want a truck that is already in good running shape, but at the local junkyard here, there are 6 c10/c20 fleetside longbeds with manual trannys still in them!
powersteering; some have them, some don't. If you get one without, it isn't a hard to convert.
Factory A/C. They are becoming harder and harder to find (or maybe I'm not very lucky). If you get a truck without air, you can get aftermarket kits for ~$950 like VIntage Air, ect.
Happy hunting

[bigvinnie]

It would seem to me that, for your purposes, you'd be better off buying a truck with a factory manual trans that had a solid body...

but like others have said, drivetrain conversions on these trucks are not difficult, so I'd be more interested in finding a truck with a solid body to start as a platform...

[tom hand]

I would say that a floorshift is a fairly rare bird in an air conditioned truck. Most of the 4 speeds were work trucks. Most of the trucks with a few options had automatics. I would just find a rock soild truck and add air or 4 speed as needed

[nightmare]

around houston, you'll find decent looking/running trucks for around $2k or so. like the rest have said, go for a solid body for a start. the rest of the drivetrain is trivial. by the way, not too many of the junk yards around here have any of these trucks. i've found 2 or 3 that have them, but they want an arm and a leg for the parts.