About to look at a 72, few questions

[79 silverado]

i'd always been more into the newer square bodied trucks because they were cheaper and easier to find, but I'm going out to meet the owner of a 72 thats for sale which would be my first of this body style. Here's what I know:

Its a 72 C20 Cheyenne Camper Special, 350/AT, PS/PB, front disks, 140k miles, new dual exhaust, supposedly runs/drives great.

He told me that at some point before he had bought it there was some bondo put into the cab corners (this would be over 5 years ago) so he had bought new corners, rockers, and some misc panels to redo the truck, then a divorce kept him from ever getting to it so it sat in storagge for the last 5 years, only occasionally driven. I know that there is supposedly a minor hole near the edge of the floorboard /rocker panel on the driver side.

I know to check drip rails, roof of cab near windshield, cab mounts and bed mount cross sills for rust, as well as under battery. Is there anything else special that I need to be careful of thats a problem on these trucks? I had tried to do a search on the board as I bet a thread like this comes up often but didnt find much - mostly posts announcing a new addition someone bought. Sooo... any tips appreciated

[Chevy_Man]

Make sure you check under the doors and in the vent boxes at the kick panels....But from the pics the truck does not look bad at all....Check the wire tray under the hood also.....Just go get it and convert over the the better looking body......lol just jokin....go get it....

Eric

[cypress TX 72]

Nice Truck -
I think the answer to your question depends upon what you plan to do with the truck? The truck is 35 years old!
If you plan on doing a restore - then I think frame/suspension issues are priority. Cab corners - thresholds - drip rails - front passanger fender (under battery) - passanger wheelwell - and battery box - are normal for everyone of these trucks, the severity of these is the question. The fender and wheelwell are cheap enough to replace - the cab corners and thresholds, obviously have to be cut in. $$$
The vent boxes in the cab (behind the fenders by the doors) is another BAD spot and depends on the severity.
The drip rails are the deciding factor in most restore options and most of the time are hidden by bondo or shotty body work - if the drip rail failed or rusted through and the ceiling of the cab (not the roof) starts rusting - FORGET IT... the only think that is cost worthy of fixing that is finding a new cab - period.

All the rest is; not only repairable - but also fairly inexpensive. Parts are abondant - even those parts that were non repopped a couple of years ago are now readilly avaliable.

now here is the good news - it's a C20 - 3/4 ton - which means that it is even more rare than its little brother the C10 - down here in Texas they are extinct!!

we like BIG trucks and believe it or not i have seen these trucks raised as much as i have seen them lowered - here in Houston - and with the rear contol arms in the C10 the way they are - its much easier if the truck already has leaf springs.

I have built many of these trucks - and probably will continue, so if it comes to the point that you dont want it anymore - just let me know, Im pretty far away, but Ive bought them from far away before, never that far though.

Good Luck and BTW; these guys on this site are a wealth of information - - always refer to the site before making any big purchases for this truck - I absolute guaranty you'll save money and time every single time...
This is a great site put together by great people!!!

Cypress TX

[Billla]

Originally Posted by 79 silverado

Is there anything else special that I need to be careful of thats a problem on these trucks? I had tried to do a search on the board as I bet a thread like this comes up often but didnt find much - mostly posts announcing a new addition someone bought.

Sounds like a good opportunity for a pre-purchase inspection FAQ - anyone?

[79 silverado]

Well, I got home late last night from looking over the truck and wanted to first thank you guys for responding to my post...

Here's the outlook... the truck looked better in the pics than in person. It had been undercoated many years ago which helped some areas and hurt others. All 4 cab mounts were rock hard and not rusted near the bushings themselves, but were almost non existant near the rockers. The floors were good except one drivers side hole. The bed floor was all straight and solid except near the posts in each corner by the tailgate. The ceiling of the cab did not have rust through near the windshield. Engine ran strong, choke stuck a bit at startup for a high idle till it got kicked down. corners and rockers had been done in a so-so repair a long time ago, probably at least 10 years... The arms running to the rear end had a plate of steel welded/bolted onto the underside which looked to have been there a VERY long time, not sure if that was factory or added later to help hold more weight, or because on was bending/cracking and someone tried to reinforce it. The tires themselves were good for local use, but rears were studded and fronts had wear, would need changing for a long trip.

I had to pass on the truck because of the unknowns for me, I'd be using the truck when I drove down to new orleans to later become a driver I could work on. This old girl looks like she needed someone who wanted more of a restoration project. I had talked him down to $1500 cash for the truck, less than he had been asking, plus he was including 2 rockers/full cab corners and the old manuals. I only wish I had a camera with me to take better pics in case someone else here was interested. Its located probably 2 minutes from I-95 at the mass/NH border. The owner was a really nice guy though, his name was Tim. His cell number is 978 618 4734 and I just figured I'd toss it up there like I said, just in case.