Where/How did you find your Truck ?

[YBNORML]

The shortbox I bought in 92'. It was my 14th birthday. I found it in the Bargain Finder. Anyone remember that? Every Thursday was Bargain Finder day, I kinda miss it

Back then it was a rusted out long box. Things have changed a lot since then.

[Already Gone]

Originally Posted by YBNORML

The shortbox I bought in 92'. It was my 14th birthday. I found it in the Bargain Finder. Anyone remember that? Every Thursday was Bargain a Finder day, I kinda miss it

Back then it was a rusted out long box. Things have changed a lot since then.

Wow, 2nd page already. Keep them coming, all are great reading.

Yes lots has changed since 1992, it was even more fun searching for stuff in the 80's.

[PepperTreeGarage]

Found mine on CL....First owner bought it at De Anza Chevrolet in Riverside, put a Cab Over Camper on it and kept it 19 years....Second owner had it 21 years and also used it as an RV.... When he passed, his wife wanted to get it to a good home....I'll be well into my 70's if I keep it as long as these guys did....The only mods done over the years were to help it do it's job better.... Which consisted of carrying the Cab Over Camper.... And, I think, pulling a Fishing Boat, by the looks of the tow hitch that was welded on....First pic is the original CL add as I found it....The rest of the pics is how she sits now with the steelies and caps....Need to find original caps, but these will do for now....Turning it into a Shop Style Truck....Lowered, with the 3/4 ton suspension in tact....Clean the paint and shoot clear over it....Small bed stakes with shop name....You get the idea....Working on it slowly as money becomes available....Thanks for looking......

[SCHRUMGMC]

1959 GMC 100

Great Grandfather bought this Brand new, and when he died in '76 my grandfather got it and used it hauling hay and cattle for many years it started breaking down and then it was pretty much abandoned for 18 years after my Grandfather parked it into our pasture.Eventually it got sent to a Local junkyard where it sat for many years until someone bought it and recently I found it with no VIN or anything. It has the Original Documents etc, and the handwriting was confirmed to be my Grandfathers and others confirmed the truck..Originally was a Light green

Still had my Grandfathers things in the Glove box that he had bought and left in there when he parked it.Even had a Bottle opener mini and I found another one in his Tool box outside and thought that was Cool.

[Shocks]

Bought mine off a former coworker. I had been trying to buy it from him for about 7 years. One day he called and said he would rather me buy it than have a stranger buy it. Now if I can just keep people from coming to my house trying to buy from me. Lol

[TrkEnvy]

Got mine in 2008 in San Bernardino CA. The previous owner had windowed the original 307 and parked it in my uncles backyard. My uncle owed my pop a favor. He talked the guy into giving away the stranded 71 C10 so I got it for the cost of fuel from Vegas to SB and back and have been pumping money into it ever since.

[OregonNed]

My buddy knew I was looking for one back in 2012 and saw what looked to be a very nice '68 long bed clear over in Fruitland, Idaho. After some calls to the owner and based on two photos in a Craigslist ad, I committed to buying it. He gave me first chance since I called first over a couple of other closer buyers. The next weekend we left early and braved the weather forecast to drive get it in his Subaru. The freeway was closed due to snow about half way, so we took a long snowing detour around and back to the freeway. I bought it for the 91 year old owner, and I drove it home. Total trip with ice, snow, bad weather was 18 hours... So worth it, though.. Got it for a great price...

[Sicklajoie]

I was just looking for a 67-72 C/20 to bomb around in and saw this one across the country on Autotempest, which combines all the Craigslists together.
I flew out of Hartford Conn (cash in pocket) at 6am to Cleveland to Denver to Sacramento, drove the truck about 50 miles then caught a flight that afternoon from Sacramento to Atlanta to Hartford. Quite the day. I paid $1100 to get it shipped from Sacramento to Connecticut, which took 2 of the longest weeks of my life because he wanted his car carrier to be full pretty much the whole trip.
First pic is from Sacramento at a parking garage where the previous owner brought it to work that day, next one is 2 weeks later in 10 degree weather in the middle of January back in Connecticut the day it arrived.

[BC10]

After looking at three others that I found on craigslist, I finally found her in Sacramento. Bought her at 1am in the morning, in a dark parking, because I had to drive back home to get cash, and then drive back to complete the transaction. I checked the title, paperwork, and it was all legit. Payed in cash and rumbled her all the way home at 3am in the morning, with a big fat grin on my face. Total hours of driving in that one evening was 8 hrs!

A week later while pulling out the interior, I found a bunch of "legal documents" that were hidden in the back of the bench seat, all with the original owners name on it.

Turns out... the previous owner that I bought the truck from was a very recent ex con...
And I thought I was soo lucky to have found the perfect truck... guess I am luckier than I thought.

[BlacklandCamper]

I found mine at work one day. A local kid came in to my store, he had been there before, and was well known to me, during the conversation, he lamented that he needed more money to buy parts for the truck he was driving. In jest, I asked if he had anything he could sell. He responded, "I have an old truck I need to get rid of." I inquired as to why he needed to get rid of a good project, and he responded that it was on someone else's land, and they needed it gone, which posed a problem for him, as he had no place to move it, and no motivation to work on it, as it was, in his words, "Just an ugly old Chevy."

I asked, half serious, how much he would want for it, and was mildly shocked when he said that he would let it go for $500.

Trying not to appear as though my jaw had maintained it position, and was not currently a hazard to my navigating the area behind my counter, I wondered aloud how long it would take me to pony up the money, to which he interjected, "Oh, I have another two months to get it moved, so I can take payments."

Forcing myself to remain firmly footed, I asked just what kind of truck it was, thinking that it would most likely be a rat infested heap of early nineties fuel infected brilliance, to which he replied, "I think it's a '71, all I know is it's old."

I asked if there was any chance I could go look at it after I closed up shop for the evening, and let him know if I would buy it after making sure it was worth the effort, and he said that would be fine. So, fast forward some of the longest hours in recent memory, I made my way to the pasture where the truck resided. Needless to say, I was ill prepared for what was waiting for me. I had driven past the truck a few times, and had wondered if it would be a good base for a driver, but had always convinced myself that I would never have the money to acquire it. Yet here it was, a 1971 C20 Custom Camper, with a straight body, rust free frame, wood slat bed, and a complete drivetrain, with a better-than-imagined wiring harness.

After having a good look at everything, I agreed that it was in fact an old Chevy, and asked again how much he wanted. His reply almost floored me.
"My uncle gave it to me, and told me it was worth like 4 grand, but he's crazy, it's just a beat up old truck, I probably couldn't get more than $500 anywhere, so all I need for it is $500."

I told him that I had $50 on me, and could get him the rest inside of the two month time limit, at which point, I would take it home.

He agreed, and we shook on it, (a legally binding agreement in Texas). The next week after I got paid, I had him meet me at the store to collect payment, and wrote out a bill of sale that he signed, and received a copy of.

Six weeks later, I had a friend meet me, and we hooked it up to his Chevy, and towed it the 10 miles to my house.

Since then, I have talked to the uncle who gave the truck to the kid, and while he is NOT happy that he sold the truck, he is good with the fact that it has found a good home, and will be put back on the road.

So, now I find that I am not allowed to sell the truck, (as if I would!).

First pic is how it sat when I came to take it home.
Second is being towed by my friend.
Third is how it sits now.

[Kennuck]

Found mine on Ebay for sale in Rockingham NC. The seller claimed it was owned by Economy Auto Parts in Rockingham for 42 years and then sold to the owner I bought it from 2 years later. The second owner didn't do a whole lot to it so it was pretty much stock and unmolested.

When bidding on it, it had a reserve so I thought it was probably the usual out of this world Ebay reserve and it wouldn't sell, but I bid anyway so I could keep an eye on it. As the auction neared the end it had still not met the reserve, but then I checked on it and found the reserve had been lowered and since I was the high bidder and the reserve had been lowered to below my bid all I had to do was resubmit my last bid and I would be the high bidder, so I resubmitted my bid and waited.

So now that it looked like I might win this truck I called the seller to get some additional details and confirm the condition. During this phone call he rattled off a long list of things that would come with the truck that amounted to $1300 worth of new parts. As I watched the last few minutes of the auction nobody else bid and I ended up getting the truck for $2850 including all the new parts.

I have since stripped it to the frame for its restore and I am so happy with the condition of this truck. Trucks that have been on the road for 1 year have more rust on them up here than this one has.

So if anyone in near Rockingham could verify its history I would be very grateful.

The first picture is the truck sitting in my drive way after the 12 hour each way trip to go pick it up, and the second is it sitting in Rockingham.

[special-K]

Since this thread is asking from a one and only truck point of view I'll use my first here. I went with a friend to buy a '66 Impala SS off the OK Used Car lot at Sport Chevrolet in '73 and saw it. It was a yellow shortbed '72 with white interior and big block. I didn't like the change in body style and here was a chance at a barely used one that couldn't be cooler. Not a single scratch in the bed. It was solid ochre,plaid seat,402/3spd,and wood floor...$2,800

[Lou Boffa]

CL after looking every day for months, in multiple cities and going to see at least 50 trucks over a 6 month period. I'm still looking for my second one. It'll come.

[Coley]

Ebay....yep, similar to Kennucks experience.
Backstory: I had a really nice '72 blue/white (Texas) highlander years ago that had been stolen in Toronto....never saw it again.
I thought I would never find another one as close to the originality and 'out of the box' purchase condition as to what this '72 truck was.
However....10+ years later....and probably 100's or 1000's of possible trucks I came across another '72 blue/white-C10 Highlander with air/tilt, etc...and this one was from California (north east of sacramento I think towards Reno).
Importantly..the truck was very original and in nice condition...NOT mint, but nice...and unmolested with a very clear history on the truck. That is just what I wanted.
Interestingly and importantly to me.... it was optioned EXACTLY like my first '72 that was stolen and the original ownership history story was almost identical. It was as if 2 brothers...one in Texas and one in California...decided to buy identical trucks and maintain them in some identical way in 2 different states...LOL.
So (like Kennuck) I placed a bid but it didn't make the reserve....however I put in a second hidden bid that didn't do much until the last day of the auction when another guy bid my first bid up....THEN...my second bid took over and to my surprise.....met the reserve (wtf?)....oh oh....I was 'all in'. My wife was there when I said exactly that ('oh oh')...and she just laughed. She knew how much that first (stolen) truck meant to me and us (we were 'courtin' back then)....so she was completely supportive.
Well....I won it....and had a hauler bring it up to Washington state near the border where I went down and retrieved (drove) it back...no sweat.
I love it.....and really importantly....it is a really good truck not just in good condition, but....a really good truck...reliable, nice to drive absolutely NO regrets.
However, for most people I wouldn't recommend buying off of Ebay simply because most buyers do not do their homework on what they are bidding on and this is usually why they are disappointed afterward...my two bits.
Keep them stories comin' guys!
Coley

[kijocoz]

i bought mine for $1800 on cl 292 w/2speed auto no rust (other than bumpers) it was able to be driven 60+ miles home,needless to say i raced over there so fast! it needed a bkake line and a new battery.

[abraham.hd]

I recently purchased mine in san Antonio Craigslist, they had posted it under auto parts, asking 3000 bucks, thankfully the owner had hold it off for me to pick it up on the weekend.

[kcsa75]

I hadn't really been looking for a truck. I either saw a 72 on the street or on TV and remarked to my wife that I always wanted one of those. She said I should get one then. Silly me, I looked on AutoTrader and found this.

First two photos are right after I got it home. Third is more current.

[DGulliver]

Several years ago, I had regretfully sold my '72 stepper that was finished, and always wanted another. I answered a CL ad for a '77 Camaro RS a couple hours away and saw it there for the first time. It used to be a show truck with Gremlin tail lights, frenched antenna, etc., but had been put back into regular use. That was many years ago. Over time, and through several car deals later (a '70 C10 step 6cyl, an old Corvette, a '73 Burb, etc..) we became friends, and I finally talked him out of it.

the '77 I went to buy where I saw it the first time.


The 'burb I sold him


the '70 I bought



finally the '72 as it sat when I saw it (with '70 grille)



As it sits today, and still needs a lot. I love it though, and drive it daily. This forum has been a great resource!

[sean1969c10]

My buddy had my 69 c10 sitting behind his barn. He had done some work for the po and they gave him the truck as partial payment. He has a very nice 72 Cheyenne Super, so this was just sitting. We ended up making a deal, $500.00 I got the truck minus the engine and trans.

[Spartan]

Was looking at cl for another 4x4 J4500 (1969) and saw the ad. Memories of my dads 69-70 panel and old divco came streaming back. My dad and uncle were hippie loggers and fire jumpers in the early 70's and had a few of these. It's what sparked my desire for old 4x4 trucks. After shedding a few tears I called my friend who found it covered in brambles where it was parked when the original owner passed. He didn't title it so I am the second owner. I gave him a bit of cash and traded him an 89 commanche 1 ton I was going to turn into a safari/rock crawler to deliver it to me.

I blame my dad and uncle for inheriting a love for old stuff. They were inspirational. They lived fast and died too young but were around long enough to show me just how well built 60's stuff could be. The logging/mining and wild places vehicles just hit that nerve and I wish I could restore them all but most served such brutal lives...

Since my first one I've spotted three more in brambles waiting for me to do some archeology and rehab on them.

Cheers

[69Rumbler]

I won my truck on a hand of poker

[Rockit]

I found mind striped and dumped in an empty lot next to the Rail road tracks. No motor, trans, front fenders, hood to name a few things missing. Doing a little research I found that the owner had quit paying on it and the dealer who sold it had died. I talked to the dealers wife and she said that she would do the paper work and I could repo the truck and give her $350. The guy got wind that something was up so he moved the truck. But I had the plate number and I got a cop to run it, found that the truck was In his father In laws name so I drove by his house and there it was. With the papers in hand, knocked on the door, gave them the papers, through a chain and couple of tires on it and I was out of there and now a proud new owner of a 71 swb.

I was always worried that the guy would try and get even. So wouldn't you know it he rents an apartment next to were I work. I started having trouble with the breaks, when I checked under the truck I found the break lines cut. That was 30 years ago.

[IronX]

my mother bought mine new in 1971, mynparents took it on vacation with a slide in camper until I was 16. me and my brother learned how to drive in that custom 10 truck and one day she got tired of looking at it in the yard. She called me to come and get it so its now sitting in my workshop and its being restored and has everything it came with new.

[Rockit]

Spent the winter doing up grades. Rear disk breaks, moved the gas tank, cleaned up fire wall, bucket seats, 78 power steering box, rebuilt rear end AND NEW BREAK LINES

[CGerow]

Had an older gentleman come in to where I worked and said to me...."you remember me?...you asked me if I ever wanted to sell my truck to let you know. I could not remember having that conversation, but I bit and agreed to go and look at it. Turns out it was about 6 blocks from my house, and it was a 71 LWB Cheyenne. I immediately fell in love with it, and was not leaving with out it. When I asked what he wanted, he said, "I figure its worth about 1500,i couldn't write the cheque fast enough.....that was 26 years ago this spring, and it is still very much a part of our family.