Just bought my old Cheyenne back

[magsnubby]

In November of 1993 i bought a '71 lwb Cheyenne with a decent body, ratty interior, average paint (i don't know what the official name for it is but i just called it baby diaper yellow), 350/turbo 350, ps and power disc brakes. But for $900 i figured it was a decent deal.

I put a horse blanket seat cover on it (i had an '88 Chevy truck seat reupholstered for it later), tilt column, wood rimmed steering wheel, painted the interior smoke gray, added new carpet and did the door panels, dash pad and headliner in cheap gray carpet, shaved all the trim (it was pretty ratty and some pieces were missing) primed it gray, added a stereo, polished up a set of old US Indy slotted mags on 235.60 TA's, slammed it, added A/C and a bunch of other stuff. I drove it for a several years before the engine died.

I put a rebuilt 350 in it with an HEI, headers, Edelbrock Performer manifold & carb, bolted it up to a fresh 350 tranny, and had dual exhaust put on it. That truck surprised alot of new truck/car owners.

I drove it for a few years (about 30K miles) before it lost oil pressure and fried the engine coming home from work one night. I decided this was a good time to build a stroker engine for it, so i bought a new truck and parked the '71 in the garage. It sat there until about February of 2003 when i finally decided i wasn't ever going to do anything with it. I didn't want to move it outside and watch it deteriorate so i traded it to my brother in law. He dropped a used engine in it and drove it for awhile before the engine rolled over and died. He parked it and started collecting parts to build a new engine for it. He passed away before he got the chance to get it finished.

His son put another engine in it and used it for a daily driver until just recently. He offered it to me for $1200. Since it was one of the few vehicles i really regretted selling I just couldn't pass up buying it back. It needs alot of work. The front end needs rebuilding, it needs to be rewired, and it needs to be reupholstered.

This is going to be a long term project. I'm, pulling the engine and putting it in my '56 Chevy sedan, then i'll find a 5.3 with overdrive to drop in the truck. My original plan was to put a '67 front end on it then cut it down into a swb step side. But i found a lwb step side bed on craigslist...and i've always liked the long steppers...and i e-mailed him...

I'll try to get out to his house (he's about 20 miles from me) and get some pictures of it this weekend.

[Stock72c10]

It's always nice to get a loved one back, but:

[jholley]

Now that's good stuff right there.

[OARNGESI]

Wow that truck killed alot of motors does it got the same tranny

[magsnubby]

Originally Posted by OARNGESI

Wow that truck killed alot of motors...

A few. But that's what happens when you drive the crap out of a used engine.

Originally Posted by OARNGESI

....does it got the same tranny...

Yeah it's still running the same tranny.

[rambler]

cool,, I've never been able to find much less, buy back one I regretted selling... and he didn't try to take advantage as well..

[PHAT TONY]

I believe the color may have been "ocra(?)" yellow, I too had one and would buy it back in a heartbeat!

[72 Super]

Good to hear you got your truck back. Goodluck with it! I wish I could get my 71 Cheyenne back.

Ray

[WIDESIDE72]

Originally Posted by PHAT TONY

I believe the color may have been "ocra(?)" yellow, I too had one and would buy it back in a heartbeat!

Ochre
or is it Ocher?

pronounced "Oaker"

[straitnate14]

ya that is pretty crazy that many motors one tranny? I do like your plan of getting a 5.3 for it

[69halfton]

sounds like my buddy.
he bought an 86 chev 4x4, and we put two really junky 350s in it, each of them lasting about a month each (they were truely junk)

then his dad's friend gave us this 3/4 ton 4x4 truck, which we broke the frame in half with wheelin in his back yard, that is a story in itself.

so we pulled the motor out of it, and stuffed it in this 86 4x4, and it ran great, best running free 350 weve ever had. it was always the truck that started at school. sitting outside after a whole day, -15 or -20 degress outside, you didn't even have to pump the gas sometimes, it would just fire.

well, one day on his way back from a swap meet, he got a little carried away, and tried to 80 mph with it on the highway. the thermostat went and he ceased that motor up probably the tightest ive ever seen. so that motor came out, and we put in an old demo derby motor his uncle had (this is the fourth now, all in a matter of about 10 months) and that lasted until he sold that thing about 3 months ago. sorry for hijacking, but that story made me think of this lol...

[magsnubby]

I just did a count, that tranny is on it's fourth engine. The rebuilt engine i first bolted it up to, two used engines (evidently they were really "used" as neither one of them lasted very long), and the rebuilt 350 that's in the truck now.

[magsnubby]

My nephew just came by a little while ago to weld the seat bracket on his Bronco. He asked "Do you have a thousand bucks cash"? "Yeah". He handed me the pink slip and i gave him the money before he changed his mind. Now i just need to finish my '56 Chevy sedan so i can start on the truck.