71 SWB in Texas- does this sound like a deal?

[Rreemo]

Hello guys,
I'm new posting to this board, although I've been reading out here for a few months now.

Anyways, I've been looking for a 71-72 SWB Chevy - a buddy of mine came across one in central Texas basically middle of no-where...the truck was sitting out at the edge of some property with a For Sale sign on it. He checked it out and called me right away. the truck is all there, with no rust in the corners, rockers, or floors. All straight sheet metal. The dash has not been hacked either. The only rust is on the inside of the cab above the windshield....I wasn't aware they were common to rust there...anyone else heard of them rusting there?

Anyways, truck has a later model 350 that runs good...it drives decent too. Only issue is berings in the column are rough. The old guy says he'll take $1500 for it.

This sounds like a super deal to me, but wanted to see what you guys think?

Also, didn't all of the 71'-72' models have 5-lug (not 6)? Seems I remember reading that they also made disc brakes standard after 70'...is that correct, or was that just for the Cheyenne models?

I've always had a soft spot for these, my grandfather had a mint 72' when I was growing up....he died when I was only 17, and at that time the truck had 48K original miles, and had always been garaged. I wanted it badly, but my grandmother needed to sell it to pay medical bills....I couldn't afford it at the time, so she tried selling it through a "friend of the family", handed him the keys, truck, and title....never saw him again!

~Rreemo~

70' Chevelle RagTop

03' F250 PSD FX4 - 7.3 for me, no 6.0 junk here!
(Update/Sold) 96' F250 PSD

R.I.P. Rob "Tuck" Tucker 1980-2005

[Longhorn Man]

Let me be the first to welcome to the board.
What part of central Tx is this truck in? I bought 2 trucks in the Killeen/Fort hood area, and was rather ticked to discover (after buying) that they were both from Kansas. (Well, I knew about the first one)
Before that, i had bought what looked like a beautiful 79 Olds Gutles...oops, i mean Cutlas. Screaming deal, straight as an arow black body, olds 260 not running. Turned out to be an Illinois truck with enough plastic filler to hand form a 67 vette.
Point being, make sure it is a Tx truck. The description DOES make it sound true though. The rust you described is actyally very common, and I noticed more down there than up here in the rust belt. My theory on that, (and all it is is a theory) is the heat and sun dries up the seam sealer in the drip rail on top of the cab. Once it dries and cracks, it lets water in and it puddles on top of the windshield. No one has run a better theory by me, so I still stick with that idea.
And if it is as good as you describe, then 1500 DOES sound good. I would tell the seller that it MUST pass state inspection for that price though...but that's me. I expect alot for 1500 bones.
And you are correct on the 6 lug drum verses 5 lug disc...all 1/2 ton trucks were equipped like so begining witht he 71 model year. All the 20 and 30 series trucks also got discs up front, however, they maintained the 8 lug bolt pattern while going to a larger wheel stud.

[Longhorn Man]

What part of tx are you in? We have tons of members down there, may willing to lend a hand when needed.
Also...we love pics....did your buddy get you any pictures of it?

[72CSTC5]

Welcome from Deer Park Tx. 1500 sounds good anywhere in Texas for a truck. They are worth more than Cadillacs around here. See, Longhorn has the best of both worlds, truck with a Cadillac motor.

[truckdude239]

my 71 had disc brakes just not power lol got in an spot today i'd kill to have power steering and power brakes. but 1500 sounds like a good deal to me just go on ebay or some junk yard and pi9ck up another column

[jsbgump]

1500 for a swb is a very good price here in tx. sounds like you should jump on it in my opinion.

[Rooster's 67]

jump and jump fast if the only "real" rust is the visor panel. at $1500 for a short fleet ..............smokin deal.

[Rreemo]

Thanks for the replies! I don't have any pics of the truck just yet. I am near Fort Worth, and the truck is about 3 hours south of here. My buddy lives down near Houston, and does a lot of driving all over south and central Texas as a sales rep. He came across the truck while out on the road a few days ago.

Unfortunatley, he didn't have a camera with him we he saw it....so I haven't seen it in-person yet. He did give me the number, and I called the guy that has it...spoke to him for quite a while over the phone, and he seemed pretty honest about it.

Nevertheless, for that price, I'm planning to just hookup my car trailer and head down there....I think it's worth the 3-hour drive after talking to my buddy that saw/drove it.

~Rreemo~

70' Chevelle RagTop

03' F250 PSD FX4 - 7.3 for me, no 6.0 junk here!
(Update/Sold) 96' F250 PSD

R.I.P. Rob "Tuck" Tucker 1980-2005

[mocwon]

Hey, tell me where it is and I'll go hold it for you.... Just kidding, great deal if it is as it appears. I paid $850 for a short fleet bed and it still needed work.

[nutsforchevys]

Sounds like a good deal to me. I paid 1500 for my 72. It had a perfect body ( at least it did until some #@#$&# sideswiped it and ran off) It came from a old farmer here locally. I am about 70 miles sw of Ft. Worth

[Rreemo]

Well, I picked it up yesterday....he would only come down to $1400....but I think it was worth it. The body is decent, but not perfect. Biggest issue is the rust above the windshield on the inside of the cab. Other than that, the passenger side cab corner is starting to bubble just a little, but all else, like the floors, other corner, etc. are good.

The front clip appears good, except the hood has a couple dents, and the bumper is bent. There are some bad areas on the rear sides of the bed, the right side should be a relatively easy fix, but the left side will probably be better off with a replacement bed side....has a rust spot and some damage around the wheel opening. The rest of the bed is in exceptional shape....the floor, tailgate, front, all...very straight, definatley doesn't look like it was a work truck.

The good part is the drivetrain....it does have a later model 350 in it (center bolt valve covers), so far it seems to run very well. It also has AC, and it's all complete.

Nevertheless, it's about in the shape I was looking for...it'll need some work, but nothing I can't handle. The old guy said that he has only had it a couple years....said he bought it off of a guy out near College Station that was working on restoring it....was sort of a driver/restoration project. For the most part, it appeared that the old guy just likes to buy old cars....he had about 30 cars on the property, and said he just likes to tinker....said he just hasn't gotten around to messing with this one, so decided to sell it. What I thought was funny was that he told me it was "too new" for his taste!

Nevertheless, what kind of info can you guys give me on repairing the inside rust above the windshield? Will I need to cut that section out of a donor truck, or does anyone make a replacement panel?

Thanks again for the replies! I'm sure you guys will start seeing me a lot more on the site!

[butter]

sounds good to me

[Tx Firefighter]

Welcome.

You need to hookup with us other Ft Worth guys sometime.

Ratrod67, Matt67350, Primered69, Blazer Dude, ToddtheOdd, me., countless others too.... there's a bunch of us here in town.

[Rreemo]

Sounds good - I'll definatley be looking to hook-up with you guys!

[shaneschevys]

1400 is a heck of a deal for a short fleet side truck with air. How about some pics of this awesome deal. And count me in for a FT Worth get together!!