Anyone else here have a beater?

[Thumpin455]

Seen mostly nice trucks that have been rebuilt with great body work. Of course I just got here today, and have only found a few pics, but for the most part I am almost embarrassed to post a pic of my 76.

Its my beater that pulls the race car, runs for parts, and moves firewood. Even though I just did a ton of work to it and its much more presentable, it still isnt something I would take to a show.. I shot some new color on it but due to the rust issues I didnt bother pulling dents out of the rusty box sides, cab corners and doors. Plans for later include some new sheetmetal and repairing the rust, and dropping the right way, but for now its going another winter as my DD.

I may as well post a pic of it, just understand that photoshop and camera angles can hide alot of nastiness..

You have a beater? Post a pic?

[1984Silverado4x4]

Ive got a beater

[PhilaTruck]

That's one of the nicest looking beaters I've seen in a long time. Look in the avatar for something a little closer. Here's an "in progress" shot of the engine install: pic of engine install. I don't know if it qualifies as a beater if you're fixing it up, which I am, slowly.

Here are some more: ugly truck contest

Welcome to the board-

-Todd

[Mr79C10]

Im in

[koreric75]

follow the link in my siggy for a real beater!!!

[Thumpin455]

Hey Todd. I am Todd too.. Figured I would throw that out there for fun.

Mine went from this:


To this:




With the blue donor in the second pic for the 454, a diesel burb for the 700R4 and some bucket seats, and $110 worth of tractor enamel. I didnt fix any dents, didnt do any welding or rust replacement. Just sanded it, primed it, painted it, then put it back together.

Check out the rockers and door in the side shot.. a good angle hides all that..

yours all look pretty good too, just need some cheap enamel sprayed on them. If its a driver, making it all one color does a world of good for them.. at least I think so.

I have around $1000 in this one give or take a few hundred.

Any more?

[beaterC10]

All I have ever driven since getting my license 20 some years ago are beaters. I would post a pic, but it is sitting on a job sight with a 50' portable bucket lift hitched to the back.

[Thumpin455]

Thats a perfect pic man. take a camera to work with you tomorrow.. I drove beaters from 85 until November 04 when i got a 98 Formula, everything else was cheap, multi colored, salvage title, parts cars made into one.. you are not alone. I love my beaters, dont need to worry about scratching them.

[bb1979]

Does this count. This is my DD hopefully in the next year I can get my spare cab and pickup bed repaired and a nice paint job

[Thumpin455]

bb1979 you get a bonus for plumbers crack..

I hope its ok to say that here..

[Restrorob]

First.......

Guess I'm in this crowd for right now.....










Here's one with the rust free bed new fenders and new engine/trans, This is where I decided the engine looked too good for the truck and started the COMPLETE body off restore. EVERYTHING either new or rebuilt, The only original body part being used is the bare cab shell.





May get it all back together one day, Already have everything but time.....

[FlatBrokeRacing]

count me in on this one....

[old Rusty C10]

heres my piece of beater junk

[N2TRUX]

Trucks are trucks, we like em all.

[Malo83]

This is my Daily Driver beater for the last 24 yrs



"Like a Rock"

[Ron 586]

Here's mine. The white 1974 on the right.



My orange 1972.



My outdoor parts department.

[lurch115]

lol that truck looks ALOT better than my '84 4x4....hit 3 deer with it and a PO got ticked at a dairy cow and hit it too....plus iowa winters have been hard on it....

[xtreme80]

Originally Posted by Malo83

This is my Daily Driver beater for the last 24 yrs



"Like a Rock"

Man, yours is one of my favorite trucks on this forum! Definately not beater.

I don't really think mine's a beater anymore, but it definately was when I got it!

[68K20 x Drill]

If my truck ever goes to a show, it is only to rescue someone who had more show than go.

[killthewabbit]

Welcome to the forum, Thumpin455. I'm digging your truck. I've always liked Mr79C10's truck. I've seen Ron 586's 74 in person (I was at that same get-together where his picture was taken), and I love his 74.

There are a lot of us here who are fans of rusted out beaters. I like em so much I created a site called RustRide.com (that's still not finished yet).

In the 5.5 years I've had my truck, I've replaced the engine, trans, u-joints, cooling system, wheels, etc. I was given a pair of repro fenders a few years ago that I just can't bring myself to put on. It just seems wrong to try to undo nature's finish on my truck. The rust holes in the fenders, cab corners, and tailgate just seem like they're supposed to be there.

After that epiphany, I decided that I would fix it up just like I want except that I would leave the rust and dents on the outside alone. I want big wheels and bags later like the photoshop in my avatar, and I'll probably get them at some point - but the rust will still be there. In fact, it will probably be worse (or better, depending on how you look at it). Not only am I not ashamed of that, but I'm proud of it. Rust is not a crime.

I love my beater RustRide. I drive it everyday to work, 35 miles each way. There's a link to my gallery in my signature.

[blazer2007]

Here is mine,it used to be my dads truck for the winter then he got another one and nobody wanted the s.b.,it was very rusty so I put on new fenders,doors and welded some quarters on spindles and flipped rear.Is a 6 cly 3 speed and just won,t die.

[Thumpin455]

Originally Posted by killthewabbit

Welcome to the forum, Thumpin455. I'm digging your truck. I've always liked Mr79C10's truck. I've seen Ron 586's 74 in person (I was at that same get-together where his picture was taken), and I love his 74.

There are a lot of us here who are fans of rusted out beaters. I like em so much I created a site called RustRide.com (that's still not finished yet).

In the 5.5 years I've had my truck, I've replaced the engine, trans, u-joints, cooling system, wheels, etc. I was given a pair of repro fenders a few years ago that I just can't bring myself to put on. It just seems wrong to try to undo nature's finish on my truck. The rust holes in the fenders, cab corners, and tailgate just seem like they're supposed to be there.

After that epiphany, I decided that I would fix it up just like I want except that I would leave the rust and dents on the outside alone. I want big wheels and bags later like the photoshop in my avatar, and I'll probably get them at some point - but the rust will still be there. In fact, it will probably be worse (or better, depending on how you look at it). Not only am I not ashamed of that, but I'm proud of it. Rust is not a crime.

I love my beater RustRide. I drive it everyday to work, 35 miles each way. There's a link to my gallery in my signature.

Please dont kill me.. Thumper = rabbit.. For up here, or even back home in Nebraska, you have a clean truck! Mine was a twin to yours, black with red interior, stepside, 350. Well when I got it there was a tired 305 in it, the rear fenders had rusted almost off the bed and I actually used a cargo strap to hold them up. One dropped on the rear tire when I hit a bump on I-80.

Picked up the fleetside box from a buddy, it was white so it looked like a police special. Flat black ensued for a while. The front fenders were so far gone I couldnt keep the window clean in the rain, it was splashing up from the tires. Rooster tails thought the rust holes is interesting. So I had to do the fender swap. They are the only new metal on it. Got a hood from a junker that wasnt rusted, only straight piece on it.

Next I swapped one of my Pontiac 400s in to replace the 305. It was the bottom end from an older race engine, new bearings, rings, oil pump, and low compression heads and a mild cam. Needed that for my 65 GTO, so now it has the 454 and a 700 from a 4x4 Suburban. Had to swap the tail shaft for the 2wd app.

Eventually I will replace all the rusted parts, make it nicer inside, but still a driver/parts chaser. Up here things rust really fast, so it will get a body off probably every other year to keep the frame in good shape and the floors in it. I didnt do it this year because I am restoring my 67 Cougar and the money was going into it rather than sheet metal for the truck.

Next big project is dropped spindles, new leafs and flipped axle because the PO dropped it with a torch. Its on the snubbers everywhere it goes, but man its reliable and pulls the trailer great.

[EricS76]

Truck started out as a freebie from my Father in Law. Got it 3 years ago as a 1977 C-10 with a 250 and three speed manual on the tree. He had used it for gathering firewood for 20 years and had not cleaned the bed out much, so it was rusted out. Got a local welder to make a flatbed for me. About that same time I ran across a guy who was needing to get rid of a 82 C-30 that had a new 350, but had been recked. Picked it up for $400. Put the 350, SM465, and 14 bolt full float in it. That's as it sits now. It's used for ranch work and hauling hay to the closer pastures.

[PhilaTruck]

Hey, nice truck , Eric. Looks like that thing could move a mountain!

[killthewabbit]

Hmm, Thumper, wabbit..... Weird.

Thanks for the compliments. It actually photographs pretty well. There are enough battle scars on it to keep people from parking next to me at work unless they absolutely have to. That makes me laugh - like their car might catch rust or something. Hee hee.

Being down south here, we get a fair amount of rust. I can't imagine it would be as bad as you guys get up there, though. I thought about a fleetside on mine, but the stepside kinda grew on me. I drove past the truck for sale for 6 months before I stopped and scored it.

I like the way your truck looks. Checking out the pics of when you first got it, was it parked in the side of a hill or something? The mud on the driver front makes me think that someone just drove it home one day, but the brakes failed in the driveway so they ran into a dirt pile then said 'F@!k it - I'll fix it later'