Looking for advice for my first truck

[jbristo67]

If you go to a bag set up you would want to do away with your leafs and go with a 4 link or if you had a coil truck you could keep your trailing arm setup

[chev-obsession]

if i were you i would get a 71 or a 72, that way you have disc brakes. if you dont like those grilles then you can swap out on off of a 69 or 70. you will probably want to look for one that has minimal rust. (they all have some sort of rust) thats about all i can say.

[youhaveamonkey]

They ALL have some sort of rust. I have never seen one that is original that didn't have SOME rust on it. Unless it has been babied a lot and in a garage. Even in the Bay Area, they rust. I think????? that in the late 60s and 70s that the truck manufactures did not do much about corrosion protection. Could be wrong, but I have a hunch.

My biggest thing, instilled in me from my dad, is, breaks. PLEASE make sure you have good breaks. No matter what, you can always stop. No matter how many performance parts and horsies are under the hood, you can always stop. Even if you get one that has "just had a break job done", it is worth popping it apart to have a look at them. And if you haven't done it before, have someone who has help you with looking at them. Believe me, it is worth it. Stopping is VERY important for your safety and for those around you.

Happy hunting good luck....

[42corsair]

What do you think?

[42corsair]

Asking $2200 - only rust I could find is shown.

[42corsair]

It has a 700R4 w/350. 100k+ miles on it

[42corsair]

Rear end

[chrislehr]

I for one will say I wouldnt go 71/72 just for the brakes.

I have a 70, and I drive.... spirited. My drum brakes certainly dont stop like disc's but they are more than acceptable for what they are.

I bought mine for 2800. Decent body, most stuff working on it, and a year later, I have 6800 into total, and am about to drop 2500 on a new mill.

You can just assume my budget was not as high.

If I had to say ONE piece of advice. You have your cash. Don't be in a hurry. These are 40 years old, and there will be other deals. Don't settle. I wish I had an AC cab, a non-307, and a non-powerglide. granted, I dont care about #'s matching, so I can put whatever I want in there, but would have been nicer to stay close to stock too.

[chrislehr]

100k is a lot for a replacement crate engine, IMO. That rear end needs a rebuild, and the rust is repairable. 2200 is a very fair price, but I stand by my comment - find the BEST one over 6 mos. I bought the first day I looked... granted, the LAST of 4 trucks I looked at and drove, but wish I waited more.

[extd56]

Originally Posted by 42corsair

It has a 700R4 w/350. 100k+ miles on it

It looks like it needs rockers, at least on the drivers side for sure. The cancer is usually worse than what you can see. The roof looks like it might also have issues with the cauking. When you are sitting in the drivers seat look under the windshield rubber on top to look for rust around the windshield. This is a common place to rust and usually overlooked and can lead to a lot of issues.

[jbristo67]

Buy what ever you want and put disk brakes on it. It isnt that expensive

[70cst]

Remeber 42corsair ... Patience is a Virtue. Haste makes waste. I'm sure you will choose wisely. Don't let the fact that you have 1,000's of board members watching you make this very important decision in your life.

[Mayo]

I am kind of spoiled because I got the first truck that I ever looked at for only $1200. It is a 68 Longhorn that is in excellent shape minus the rusted out rockers and the rotting bed floor. There is a little rust forming on the bottom of the fenders and the passenger door but there isn't any anywhere else. One of these days I will get a new wood floor, but they plywood will work for now. But a lot of times I see trucks for sale that are worse off than mine and sometimes don't even run for a lot more money. Now I usually think all trucks are overpriced. But don't rush into anything because there are great deals to be found.

[jbristo67]

The truck I bought was the first one I looked at only I bought it 9 months after I first looked at it. If I had bought it the day I found it instead of waiting like my wife talked me in to I could have bought it for 300 instead of 1000. You see the guy didnt need the money anymore so he didnt want to sell it. Bottom line have what you want in your head. Dont settle for less than what you want and when you find it jump on it.

[42corsair]

Originally Posted by 70cst

Remeber 42corsair ... Patience is a Virtue. Haste makes waste. I'm sure you will choose wisely. Don't let the fact that you have 1,000's of board members watching you make this very important decision in your life.

LOL - well that doesn't bother me, cause that truck is now mine =)

[70cst]

Originally Posted by 42corsair

LOL - well that doesn't bother me, cause that truck is now mine =)

Now begins the beginning of a beautiful luv affair,

[jbristo67]

Congrats man you now have your very own money pit.