Too many options!

[hebbard]

Hi -

I posted this over in the welcome center etc, but i figure everyone likes pictures, right?

I am looking at restoring a '71 short bed stepside that belonged to my dad + grandad. Currently has an inline 6 (250?) and three on the tree. The i6 burns a bit of oil and I am told it needs a rebuild

In the same yard is a '67 that is in a bit worse shape, but has a 283 and limited slip diff. Don't know about the state of the 283, transmission, etc.

I like the 67 front best, but the 71 is in much better shape and has all the options, disc brakes, etc, so I am thinking about making a mashup with the better body and all the parts I want from the 67.. opinions welcome!


Also there is a wrecked chevelle in the yard that has a 350 motor and probably t350 xmission, but lord knows if any of it is salvageable. There is a tree that has grown over it since it was parked 30+ years ago, and the pine needles/dirt are up to the middle of the hubs!


So considering the options

A) rebuilding + keeping all original with i6, +/- rear end. "old school"
B) rebuild 283 and front clip swap, rear end swap, maybe move some other pieces. "period-correct"
C) 350/350 from chevelle rebuild and swap, front clip and rear end from 67 or chevelle if salvageable "frankentruck"

Here are some photos - please correct me if the years are off, I am just repeating what I heard. Take a look and tell me what you think!

[slow-1]

Welcome to the site!

I think the 67 is a 70, but I am no expert. The grill is the big difference in them and would swap right over I believe.

You will spend as much getting that 350 running as you would a crate motor (I know, I just rebuilt mine).

You are right...you have a lot of options.

[hugger6933]

Put the 350/350 in the 71 and then the rest of the better body parts onto it. It looks like you have plenty to make two good trucks from the three you have why don't you make that part of the plan keeping that in mind in the back of your head for later. If you use the 71 stuff you will have the more desirable 5 lug setup and also the 350/350 will be a easy swap, most anyone on here can help talk you through it. That would leave you with two trucks a 67 and what is a 69 or 70. When and if the first project is done and it leaves for some reason or you find it is a lot more fun to build'm than to drive'm [that is the way it is with me after the shake down runs I could care less about them basicly]. But most of that is due to the fact that I work on them all day for a living and they all are for sale at some point. So I would think about the two truck Idea it is not gonna cost any more to build the first truck going that way than if you were using all in one package. Jim

[Keith Seymore]

Save 'em all!

(lol)

In any case, those are a couple sweet trucks. Good luck with your decisions and your rebuild(s).

Our first truck was a '69 GMC stepside with a straight six and three on the tree. We warmed the six up and installed a 3.11 low gear Saginaw four speed with a floor shifter; 3.73 posi rear axle. It was a sweet little package with a lot of off-the-line grunt.

K

[Mister-B]

Both are nice trucks, but the 71 has a camper in it and a roof over it. It is probably in better shape, and you can take the camper off. The second truck appears to have a '69 front end, and I would agree with you that it is an upgrade over a 71 front end, so you may as well swap

[mmiddle]

Welcome to the madness.
The first truck is a 71/72, the second is a 69/70. The 69/70 should be a 307 or 350 engine.

The 69/70 looks a little worse for wear, but maybe still salvagable.
Post a pic of the SPID label inside the glove box and post it. It will help us figure out what you have.
I agree, after an engine has sat this long it is usually cheaper to replace it with a brand new create engine from GMPP.

I would see no benifit grafting the Malibu front end on to these trucks. The time and money spend could be used upgrading the existing suspension with better handling results. See the guys at No Limit.

[hebbard]

Thanks for the info, MMiddle -

To be clear, I wasnt thinking about putting the malibu front clip on - just the motor and transmission from it.. front clip was supposed to come from the 69-70 truck.

307 is less exciting to me than a 283 - I would probably rebuild the i6 and keep it original or get a crate 350 in that case. I will be back down there (grandparents house) for thanksgiving and try to get the SPIDs etc.

What is the best way to move these things 700 miles- tow dolly? pay somebody to flatbed them?

[67ChevyRedneck]

You don't need to swap the front clip between the 69-71 chevys, only the inner/outer grille shell, everything else is the same.

I would not restore the 71. Rebuild the front and rear suspension. Clean up the interior. Get everything to work. 350/700R4 and drive it.

You should sell the 71 to me, no need for a tow dolly

[mmiddle]

700 miles.... bit the bullet and have them professionally hauled down to you. By the time you tow a trailer that far fight half the day gettting one on then driving all the way back home 3 times you have spent that money and more. Unless you just want excuses to go see granny and grandpa.... Then I certainly would not fault you.

[mmiddle]

The more I look at these pictures.... Oh my gosh, these are unmalested time capsules. Something that many of us dream about finding. I look forward to seeing more pictures.

[67ChevyRedneck]

Is the primered car in the first pic a 55-57 chevy?

[k5hart]

Welcome from Charleston!

If the '71 is as clean as it looks in the pictures I would be tempted to pull the camper, clean it up, rebuild everything mechanically, lower it, and drive it as it. But, I think you could take the best of both trucks to make a real nice keeper for yourself and put the other together enough to sell for someone else to restore. But....they are your trucks so do what will make you happy.

I'm too curious what the primered car is in the first pic. So, I'm guess these aren't in Charleston? They are somewhere 700 miles away.

Look me up if you need anything around here.

[hebbard]

it is indeed a 57 - belongs to someone else though - good eye!

Cool about the grille as well, that will be an easy swap if I decide to do it.

I guess I should also clarify that when I say restore, I mean restore to running driver/cruiser condition. I don't have any delusions of grandeur getting these ol things back to showroom condition or anything -

Thanks for all the feedback!

k5 i am on johns island - very likely will need your help at some point! haha

[BrianG]

Drive the 71 as is. The patina is really nice on that one. If you like the look of the other truck (its a 69 or 70) than you can just find a new grill somewhere (or buy new) and it should bolt right up to the 71 (don't know if the center piece for the core support/hood latch is different or not though). That truck has the options like you said. Drive the I6 for a while and maybe transplant a v8 in there at some time. When time permits, start tinkering on the 69-70... I think that has potential as well.

That's just my 2 cents though.

[WIDESIDE72]

There is no hard and fast rule of what is cheaper as far as engines go. In my experience, sitting for years really has no effect on the engine as long as no water has gotten inside it. I would say when evaluating an engine, first check out the condition of the oil. If it is a gunky sludge filled mess, you are probably best to stop there, but it might still be salvageable. Change the oil if its really bad. Next is to be sure its not stuck. Pull the plugs and squirt some engine oil in the cylinders and try to turn it over with a socket on the crank bolt. If it turns, then check the compression using a gauge. I wont go into the details of that here. If they are all even and good, next perform a leak down test. This will give a pretty good indication of engine status. If it passes, I like to pull the dist and use a home made oil pump primer my uncle made me from an old dist and get oil pressure before trying to start the engine. Of course i also changed the plugs, and addressed any other issues with the ignition an fuel. I usually drain the radiator and just put straight water dor initial start up, as there is no point in losing antifreeze from a popped hose or faulty water pump, and on the flip side, i dont like to invest in a whole new cooling system until i know if its worth the expense. I have gotten engines running and driving that have sat for 20-30 years so it is do able.

[In The Ten Ring]

If you decide to get rid of the side spare tire mounting and cutout fender on the first truck (one with camper) LET ME KNOW.

My 1972 cut out fender is full of bondo and those are hard to find. I would drive to SC to pick it up, pay you cash, and even hit you with a case of beer/soda.

[425HP409]

I would keep the 6 cylinder in the truck and drive it as it already has AC, Power steering, and disc brakes. install the 69-70 grill and you will have a great cruiser. I restored a friends 69 with the 250 and 3 on the tree and he drives it all the time.

[swamp rat]

I'd keep and fix them both up to running condition first then consider options after that, you may find you like something about both of them enough that you keep them both.

[hebbard]

Saw the trucks over thanksgiving - here are some more photos. According to VINs, the short one is 71 and the long one is 69


1971- THE GOOD










THE BAD






from the 1969-

[67_C-30]

That '71 looks like a very solid truck! As far as being desireable, the '71 is usually more desireable to more people than the 69-70 grill, although the 69-70 grill does have its fans. I'll just say this - WAY more people put 71-72 grills on 69-70 trucks than the other way around.

As far as the engine, there's nothing wrong with a 6 cylinder, but V8's are morev desirable. V8 - autos are even more desireable, although some people (like myself) prefer manual trans.

Now this last part is just my opinion, so take it as such!
That '71 has the patina that a lot of people LOVE. I would recommend either leaving it as it is, or doing all the body work and having it painted it nice. Priming spots or changing panels and not painting it will actually hurt the value of the truck. I

I personally would drop a V8 (the 307, the 350, or maybe even a new 350) in the '71, cleaning it up and dropping a little, and drive the fool out of it.

[chvtrkman]

Wow ! Both those trucks look like they have great potential...

Like what was previously posted, first check to be sure engines aren't seized.
When I let my 69 sit out in the yard for 5 years untouched, I pulled the plugs and squirted a little Marvel Mystery oil in each cylinder and turned the crank with a socket and breaker bar. Once I determined it spun freely, I drained the stale gas from tank, put in fresh points,plugs cap , and rotor, changed oil and filter, dumped some fresh gas in the tank,and it fired up fine.

Have fun with your project.

[swamp rat]

Seeing more pic's i'd give my ..... for one of them.. They are about total unobtainium around here.

[Mister-B]

Originally Posted by 67_C-30

That '71 looks like a very solid truck! As far as being desireable, the '71 is usually more desireable to more people than the 69-70 grill, although the 69-70 grill does have its fans. I'll just say this - WAY more people put 71-72 grills on 69-70 trucks than the other way around.

As far as the engine, there's nothing wrong with a 6 cylinder, but V8's are morev desirable. V8 - autos are even more desireable, although some people (like myself) prefer manual trans.

Now this last part is just my opinion, so take it as such!
That '71 has the patina that a lot of people LOVE. I would recommend either leaving it as it is, or doing all the body work and having it painted it nice. Priming spots or changing panels and not painting it will actually hurt the value of the truck. I

I personally would drop a V8 (the 307, the 350, or maybe even a new 350) in the '71, cleaning it up and dropping a little, and drive the fool out of it.

It's definitely personal preference, but I think a lot of it has to do with cost. The 69 has an inner and an outer grille. Just the inner grille for the 69 is $300, and then you're looking at sometimes $500-$1,500 for a proper outer grille with the Chevrolet embossed letters across the front. You can get a 71/72 grille for $300. There are other odds and ends like the driving lights that are in the 69 grille. Of course, finding a used grille for either is an option, but not always available when needed

[Hawghauler]

What a great legacy! I would probably ignore the chevelle with the exception of mounting supplies on the v8 like the alternator, ps pump, etc. which you might need to upgrade cheaply. I would absolutely get both trucks running and driving. I would decide which truck I liked best after getting them running and driving. Then I would put the best of the two together into the truck I liked best. Sell the remaining truck. Part out the chevelle when you're done. $$$ Then find out how much the other owner wants for that '57!!!

[Lattimer]

Look like 2 very nice trucks. Whatever you decide to do, rescue them both from rotting away!!!