What drew you to the 67-72 Chevy Trucks?

[70 shop truck]

It was my dad. I grew up in my early years on a farm in western Oklahoma. He had a 1970 K10 that was "his truck" and nobody was allowed to use it. When I was about 13 we moved into town and he purchased the chevy dealership but still drove that truck to work everyday instead of using a new car as a demo. About 6 months after getting the dealership they took in a 1969 C10 stepside with a 454 and a 4 speed painted red, white, and blue and the k10 was stored and the stepside became his daily driver. He either drove that truck or the K10 everyday for the rest of his life. I was in Iraq when he passed and my mom allowed my brother (not a car guy) to settle the will and he sold them both instead of letting me have the K10. Needless to say we didn't speak much for awhile. I always feel a bit connected to my dad when I drive or work on my truck.

[Pratts70]

I picked up this beauty for $200 1970 c20 ive always loved chevy trucks it sparked my intrest and now im hooked on 67-72 c10s and20s

[70cst]

Bump

[46stude]

Growing up, we had a '71 Cheyenne. An uncle had a '72 Cheyenne. So I spent a lot of time around them as a kid. I owned a '68 C10 for a little while (biggest POS I've ever owned). Found a '72 Cheyenne a few months back, so I figured "what the heck" & got it.

What freaks me out is the money people get for these trucks & the parts. I like them OK, but they are just old pick ups to me, not financial investments. Honestly, that aspect steers me away from them.

[67 cst swb]

A girlfriend I had during and just after High School was talking as we were driving down a residential street in Denton, Texas in 1986. She said something like...
"We should get married and buy a house and you could work on stuff in the garage... like that there"...
Little did she know she was randomly pointing at a 67-72 4x4 short stepside parked on the side of the street.
That gal and I broke up, but that was the visual introduction the these trucks.

Fast Forward...
In 1988 I was working at a parts store in Rapid City, SD. I was driving a 1973 Chevy blue longbox 2wd.
A guy pulled in to the parts store driving a small back window red on red short widebox with a 283 & Powerglide with a For Sale sign in the window.
I asked him what year it was, he said 1967. I told him... Hey that's what year I was born and that the truck was kinda cool.
He said he was moving and really could use a longbox... A light bulb went off in my head.
So, long story short... a deal was had for trading him my truck and $300 bucks (that was his gas money to get to Montana).
I have had a 67 or a 68 in my life ever since.

That 1967 Short Widebox moved me back to Dallas, Texas in late 1990. I eventually sold that truck in about 1993. I heard that truck was later resold and redone into a show truck in the Dallas area in the late 90's.

I have owned quite a few in that 27 year span, but I haven't had one on the road since about 2002. So, I am really trying to focus on my current 67 project.
I just need to decide to build a small window 67 truck or a big window 67 truck. I need to decide whether to stick with the White I am currently thinking or change to Red in color. Either way... as you see below, it will be a CST and converted to a Short Widebox.

[71CHEVYSHORTBED402]

Dumb luck. I bought my 71 off a car lot for $2800 in 1989, because I thought it was a cool truck. I thought, neat, it has a big block and A/C too.......I like it so much, at one point I had a 72 Malibu that was 90% perfect. Decided one classic was more practical, and there was no question which of the two was gone. Besides, the Chevelle had just a 350. That said, what a ride, especially on the freeway.

Incidentally, I sold that car in 1996 to a guy who uses it as a daily driver. I see it all the time. The only thing he's done is replace the Rallys (WTH?) with a poor choice of wheels, early on. Those Rallys were perfect.

[Jonlopes]

I used to restore 64-72 GM A-bodies (Chevelle, GTO, Cutlass, ETC) starting about 25 years ago and ending when I got married and moved into a condo 12 years ago. Now that I live in a proper home and have a real garage again I am able to satisfy my need for a project. The thing is having a truck would make home ownership a lot easier. I really like the body styles of the 47-54 trucks but they either have the ancient straight 6 or they have so much money into mods I could not think of affording it.
I like the 55-59 body style but I run into the same problems as above, the trucks in my price range were complete tear down and rebuild projects. I am not a fan of the 60-66 body style so that led me to the 67-71 trucks.
I like the factory independent front suspension, disc brakes, AC, engines with modern lubrication, 3-point seat belts, etc.
This series of truck seems to be the perfect combination of modern safety and drivability with old-school Built-to-last construction.

The 1973-on truck were out for 2 reasons, You have to smog in CA and no wood beds.

[trapdoor2]

Luck...so far!

I grew up working on cars. My brother had a 61 Chevy C10 (with a '64 hood...couldn't stand the original) which we converted to V8...and hot-rodded it, of course. I spent most of my pre-teen years wearing that truck (in, around, on and under it). Busted my first knuckles, lost fingernails to body-dollies, burnt off my eyebrows in carb backfires, near-drowned in gas, oil and water (sometimes all three), set fire to the bed learning to run a torch...etc, etc.

I've never really gotten the 'bowtie' outta my blood...but I've owned a number of other trucks over the years. Dodge, Mitsu, Ford...all have been good trucks.

Fast forward to last year when Miz Diane (spouse) pipes up and sez, "I think I'd like another vintage truck..." (I had a '53 Chevy when we got married...sold it years ago). We currently have a '55 Buick Roadmaster Riveria (hardtop) which is a low-level showboat...but she's not comfortable driving it. She wanted a truck...functional, clean but not too clean to use.

Her first choice was first gen C-10s...but she's open minded (she has a hard time telling one from another, frankly). We looked mostly at 60-63s...cause she liked the wrap-around windshields. That stopped short when we actually found one and took a look at it. Too primitive for her! She's a native southern girl...likes her Auto and A/C, etc.

So...I suggested we look at Gen II C-10's. She really went for the styling right off the bat. BB V8 engine didn't hurt either (oddly, I didn't whine at all ).

Didn't take long to find what she wanted. 69 longbed, CST/10 396.

Took delivery of it yesterday...and the smile on her face when that BB lit up was priceless!

===Marc

PS the smile went away really quickly when she stomped on the unboosted brakes. Now I have two "right now" jobs. 3-point belts (on order) and add power brakes!

[dmw319]

strangely enough, it was the truck from this scene of the original superman movie:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD2mZJDHM-g

I loved the ol' red truck look... ended up with a red 70 stepside

[chaff]

I was coming out of Deer Creek, at the top of Crow Hill, above Bailey Colo. and a lifted, white 71 4x4 was going west with 2 large bull elk in the bed. I couldn't take it all in, the truck was beautiful, the horns were awesome. A couple years later I had a new 72 Cheyenne Super Camper Special 4x4. Yeah I eventually sold it in 84.

[OlSmokey]

I was 17 last year, and I was looking for my first vehicle, I had $2500 and I found a 72 C10 for $2100 and I took a test drive and I absolutely loved it! And my dad says it's a great way to learn and it is super easy to fix and tinker with! I love it

[JasonLS1]

Dazed & Confused, that got me started on the 71-72 C10's, i had to have one.

At first i wanted a black one just like in the movie. After months of searching and taking into consideration of where i live(navajo reservation) 2WD was not really an option. So i found my 71 and its been absolutely a blast. I see all these new trucks on the road and i simply dont care about them, anything new just has no appeal, no character. I dont see my truck as an investment, i see it as my daily driver. I love all things classic/vintage and wish i was a teen in the late 60's early 70's to see these trucks brand new.

jason

[Boog]

In 1971 my girl friend was a farm girl and she drove her dad's 68 fleetside shorty, gold and white, 327. I loved that truck. That truck was replaced by another Chevy. Oh, she and I did get married. We've been together since 1971. She's still a truck girl.

[motorcritter]

I always liked the lines- I had a '75 K10 short bed, hated it, it seemed like everything fell to pieces, or rotted off. Not a good experience. Had a Dodge after that, nice, but not that nice. A good friend of mine, had a '67 short wide that was super clean and all stock (he sold it years ago, so don't ask), I didn't buy it (like a schmuck!), but I had an IH, a '69, and I liked it, until it had fatal problems. I had a series of Japanese trucks, just for work, primarily. Then I decided to retire and move west. All these damned old pickups, just everywhere. So, now it's a '71 Cheyenne, a '69 GMC C2500, a '70 C10 and a '72 C20 parts donor. Just like that!
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[70cst]

Bump

[LongBox]

In 1976, I drove a 68 dodge Dart 2Dr Ht with the 273 V8, until one very cold day, I drove it with the window covered with frost, and wrecked it. Don't ask why.

I needed a vehicle real fast, and bought a 71 GMC C1500 Custom. It was a 350/350, with genuine fake ukumbeke wood interior trim. I loved that truck, but when I moved to the city, I did not have enough space for a car, my van, and a pickup. Sadly, I sold the pickup.

Years later, i saw a very nice 69 GMC, and after scouting around, bought it, because I realized that of all the old vehicles I had owned, I liked the looks and simplicity of the old GMC the best. It is simple, tough, and reliable, and hey!, I really like the looks.

[toolboxchev]

Its simplicity, ease of repair and the best part, its all detroit steel.

[LongBox]

Originally Posted by toolboxchev

Its simplicity, ease of repair and the best part, its all detroit steel.

And you can climb right into the engine compartment to do any work required.

[OregonNed]

There is something about a truck I have always liked. I have two older brothers who always had cool cars - a first generation Camaro, '69 Super Bee, a first model of the Barracuda, a big block Chevelle - but when my dad bought a used '65 before I could even drive, I think it was the coolest vehicle to me. He sold it a few years later - but since then I have owned a '65, a '66 - and now the '68 - all with small blocks.

[weq92f]

When I was 17 in 1985 my only vehicle was a Honda NightHawk motorcycle. My parents decided I needed something with some safety equipment and so I was given a '68 cherry red SWB step, 350/powerglide/??open, 4 wheel drum brakes. It was rusty underneath ( and stayed that way the entire time I owned it ) but had a spankin' new diamond tuck dark red cloth interior that was very sharp. It had skinny black steel wheels and was not much of a looker but it was mine! Manual brakes, manual steering with the biggest steering wheel I'd ever seen!

That truck stuck with me until about the mid nineties when it was traded away for a cookie cutter post-university car. By that time I had become a pretty good backyard mechanic you see as I was my only option for fixing this truck. Over the years the truck was transformed slowly so that when it was put to pasture it had a stronger, built 350, nice 350 tranny, 3.73 rear, Air Conditioning ( I built the A/C system using an under dash unit that would absolutely freeze you out of the cab ), decent driver paint, big 17 inch chrome spoke wheels and 275 wide tires. I put on and dealt with about a 14 inch "sport" steering wheel too --think: no PS. My last look at it was at some dealership in Norman Oklahoma as the sales guy drove it away.

Forward to 2015: I reached a point in life where it was time to go back to the 67-72 C10. My family was willing to allow the time and expense and my finances were in line with my expectations and so the green light came on. After about a year of active searching, I found a suitable candidate at the right price point and brought it home just a few months ago.

The feeling I get when I drive the truck puts a smile on my face and fills me with joy that comes from deep inside and brings with it a load of emotion from the most exciting times of my life when I was young and free and rolling everywhere in my C10!

-klb

[BugzC10]

Retired 2010, sold my 99' C5 FRC Corvette a year or so later. I needed something to keep me wrenching. I spotted my truck on Craig's List. This is one of the pictures when it was forsale......had to have it. Been hooked ever since.

[rob32472]

My dad bought his 72 new just two weeks shy of when I was born. I guess riding around as a kid in that old truck made me love them..... He still has the truck and drives it everywhere he goes.

[Myoldtruck]

I got the bug back in the early 80s, my dad owned a 68 c60 tanker truck. I worked with dad on the weekends as a teenager making deliveries. Later I got my license and drove the truck with dad in the passenger seat. They were the good memories with dad, I loved bouncing around in that truck.

Fast forward and I sold my 04 ford van to my son and I needed a new every day car. Found my 70 c10, and I love the simple things about this truck and the bouncing around again.

[James the III]

Emission laws..

[5567Cruiser]

The frontend of the 67 to 68 pick ups especially the grille always appealed to me as a simple clean design and I have seen a lot of later models with 67-68 front clips. I also saw a Overhaulin episode and Chip Foose liked the 67-68 grille and hood also. I have had 2 67's and my current one is a keeper and my son has his eye on it so I think it is in the family to stay.