Low mile 68 c10 TN Craigslist find (not mine)

[Tomahawk30]

Originally Posted by chaff

What is this "metal tape" you refer to, I've never heard of it before? I am assuming it so the magnet wont find the bondo.

No, it was more like a metallic duct or exhaust repair tape that was literally taped over the seams that had rusted through and then had rattle-can bed liner sprayed over. Quite a "repair", but you did have to look close to see it because of the thickness of the spray on liner. This was done between the inner bedsides and wheel wells in the bed, and also the full length of the driver side floorboard at the door sill. Somebody had also replaced the driver rocker, but just ignored the inch-wide, foot-and-a-half long chunk of floorboard that was rotted away right behind it so that the new rocker was really only attached at the front and back of the door opening. Except for that lovely metallic tape that was covering the whole thing.

[Tomahawk30]

Well, apparently the truck sold last night before he got the additional pictures to me. I asked him to send me any he might have just out of curiousity. I did talk to him again yesterday and asked where he'd bought it and what the backstory was. It's crazy, but almost too out there to be BS. Maybe it is, but now I'm bummed that we'll never know for sure unless the buyer happens to be a board member...

The story was that years ago the truck was stolen from the original owner, who purchased it new in Knoxville, TN. It wasn't recovered for 30 years or so, until somebody bought the property where it was stashed (my impression was maybe they bought it at auction). The new property owners find this old truck out in a shed or barn and when the numbers are run on the vin (maybe they tried to license it?) it comes up as stolen. The truck then goes to the original owners next of kin (the grandson referenced in the ad). The current seller bought it from him as it sat last June and took it to the local Chevy dealer and dropped $3500 having everything gone through to make it roadworthy again. He now has a job where he is on the road and this truck was the only other vehicle he and his wife owned beside his work rig. She couldn't drive the manual steering / manual brake setup comfortably, so he was looking to sell or trade it for a car for her.

Now I never got a chance to see it in person, and that whole story about it being stolen and stashed could has been complete BS, but it was such a crazy story I had to at least share it! I did ask a police officer friend if it was possible that a theft recovery vehicle never got a branded title, and he thought it was at least possible because back then he didn't think there was really a standard mandatory branding process like we have today. I have no idea what the whole truth was, but it was an interesting story if nothing else. Hopefully a current or new board member ended up with it and can enlighten us! I personally hope it was as he said just because it would be cool to see that type of thing still happening today!

Meanwhile, the search goes on for my next truck!

[special-K]

All the harder to believe. Wouldn't he be able to buy his wife a nicer car for $8,000? Or more?? I dunno,I've seen enough to find this too hard to believe. Took a '68 to a new car dealership and said fix everything? Really? Like you said,you'll never know. But,I feel I already knew. Sorry >

[Tomahawk30]

Originally Posted by special-K

All the harder to believe. Wouldn't he be able to buy his wife a nicer car for $8,000? Or more?? I dunno,I've seen enough to find this too hard to believe. Took a '68 to a new car dealership and said fix everything? Really? Like you said,you'll never know. But,I feel I already knew. Sorry >

Ya, most likely BS, I know. But I'm the type of guy that likes to hope that these bizarre, off the wall stories can sometimes be true. I like to try to see the best in people and give them the opportunity to prove me wrong. Sometimes they do just that, and I'm still cautious where I spend my money, but when it works out for the best it feels pretty good!

[Carl Spangler]

Sorry that deal didn't work out for you. The price seemed too good to be true so there's possibly more to that 'stolen vehicle story' than you were given. If the stolen part is true then it sounds like a case of bad juju at best.

Anyway, between these sort of craigslist "deals" and the Barrett Jackson craziness it really does make finding a nice old truck a REAL challenge. Either chase ghosts or PAY UP............ take your choice!

cheers
JohnG

[Tomahawk30]

Originally Posted by Carl Spangler

Sorry that deal didn't work out for you. The price seemed too good to be true so there's possibly more to that 'stolen vehicle story' than you were given. If the stolen part is true then it sounds like a case of bad juju at best.

Anyway, between these sort of craigslist "deals" and the Barrett Jackson craziness it really does make finding a nice old truck a REAL challenge. Either chase ghosts or PAY UP............ take your choice!

cheers
JohnG

Eh, no big thing. Honestly I enjoy "the chase"! Looking for trucks, researching ones I've never really looked into, and learning something new is a lot cheaper than buying another truck anyway!!!

[Leroy-B1]

This truck was legit even the story about it being stolen I had looked at it when it was first recovered and it was as he said it was the wood was rotten in the bed when I saw it and the new owner had it replaced

[Tomahawk30]

Originally Posted by Leroy-B1

This truck was legit even the story about it being stolen I had looked at it when it was first recovered and it was as he said it was the wood was rotten in the bed when I saw it and the new owner had it replaced

Wow! Thanks for the confirmation Leroy! Good to know that I wasn't totally crazy in buying the story... . What kind of shape was it in when you looked at it?

[Leroy-B1]

It was nice had been stored in a barn/shed while lost I think there was a Chevelle recovered from same property also....was up in elizabethton ten wood was gone paint was bland but was clean and looked like it would clean up nicely...was for sale for over a year before it finally sold had a ridiculous high price on it and the people didn't even know it was a 50th...truck was one of most solid originals I had ever saw and I don't remember the rocker or door being messed up looking...I was quoted 9500 when I looked at it and that is why I walked it didn't run well after sitting and tires were dry rotted plus I am more of a short bed guy long beds here are traditionally a lot cheaper....I looked at it in hopes of converting to short bed but couldn't at the price I was quoted and wasn't going to drop that much coin on a long bed....I bought a one owner 50th long bed that same day about 15 miles from this truck for 1200 it wasn't as nice but was as solid

[Tomahawk30]

Interesting. Wonder how long it took them to get down to that $4500 mark he said he paid for it? Sounds like it would have taken some coin to get it going for sure. Well, hopefully somebody shows up on here with some pictures one of these days...

[Already Gone]

The ad is now closed.

[special-K]

I'm a trusting person,too. I give people a chance to prove me wrong. But,when it comes to buying I have to get a handle on it before handy my money over. Gotta admit the whole thing didn't sound right. The part I couldn't get a grip on is,it's a very low mile sought after 50th anniversary that someone took to a dealership (who does that??) and spent all that extra money only to turn around and sell for what actually could be 1/3 of it's value. I mean,what's a freshly gone over 50th anniversary with 34k on it worth? More than he had in it,I think. Musta needed money really bad and really fast. It happens,but add the stolen story to all that? Ok,we found a really exceptional hard to believe story that was actually true. One where the one who jumped on it w/o question made out like a bandit

[Tomahawk30]

I absolutely agree that it was the craziest story I've ever heard about the history of a truck, but those make the BEST stories when they are true! I love a rig with a cool backstory... I know its rare that the crazy stories pan out, but when they do it adds something to the cool factor of a rig for me. Some trucks are just 5th or 6th owner trucks with no real history or sentiment attached to them, while a one-owner, grandpa owned original is what everybody dreams of stumbling across!

My first classic rig was a 68 Firebird that I spotted in an industrial park with a for sale sign on it. After I bought it I learned that it was the same Firebird that I'd loved and had a chance to buy right out of high school from a family friend. It had changed hands (within the same extended family) and travelled across two states before I bought it, but 12 years after I had to pass on it because I was headed off to college I still ended up with the same car. It wasn't anything super high dollar or special (it had the Delorean designed OHC 6 cylinder with the Sprint package), but the backstory made it more special to me. I regret giving that car up to this day, and I've tried several times to track it down again...

Bouncytruck's 72 Blazer was originally purchased and delivered to the gas station owner in my little home town in Eastern Oregon. My Dad actually worked for him in high school, was there at the station the day it was delivered, and watched old man Donaldson pay for it with $100 bills out of the wad of cash he always carried with him. If Bouncytruck were to ever sell that Blazer and I was in a position to afford it, I'd be showing up at his doorstep with a wad of $100 bills (although it would be considerably larger than the stack old man Donaldson handed over back in the day)!

[ho70]

The seller of my truck stated he keeps his old cell number from North Dakota (area code as well) when he moves to Georgia. That may explain the TN\Michigan number

[special-K]

My X has lived in Florida since '06 and still has a Maryland area code. Can't tell squat by an area code anymore.

I've had plenty of vehicles with great histories,created some great stories in ones I've owned,too. Then there are the ones bought by folks I know with great history as well. I sold my '63 Riviera to a guy,then years later spotted it next to a house in a totally different area. I had bought it from the original owner,in 100% original low mile condition (yes,a little old lady),in '82. I felt it was my obligation to stop in and give this guy the history as I knew it. I owned it 20 years myself.

[slow-1]

Sorry you didn't end up with the truck...that truck has a very interesting story to go along with it, thanks for taking the time to share it.