New vs. building old one

[Ziegelsteinfaust]

The one thing I will say is that if you go old you have to be an enthusiast about the truck your going to get. They often can be quite reliable from the start even if they don't look so, but they will need attention. So if your not going to do much of it yourself they can get expensive quickly.

I just got my 74 C20 for $900 because it ran rough, and I played the game. Turned out the guy before did not tune the carb anywhere near right, and a couple of hours of playing it is as right as its going to be till rebuild time. Yes its a rough as one could imagine, but runs like a top with 4 new tires. Also compared to fixed up ones for $4000 or more mine is a blank canvas, and it will be my way when done. Something I can never get off the dealer floor.

In my area of Southern California if time is on your side you can find good runners for less then $1500. To completed restored trucks for $5000 or more.

[sethv]

Payments suck. I will always keep my '78 around cause I know it's usually always there when I need it. And if you treat the older stuff right it will treat you right My Chevy has 204k miles and I would trust it to California and back the way it is now.

[manimal]

6 months after you purchase a new truck, you have an OLD truck anyway...build an OLD truck to begin with.....

[88Jimmy4x4]

I have both new and old LOL

[Gigem]

I asked myself this same question, and am going to test it out.

My truck will have a new, turn key GMPP 350 HO, 330 horsepower.
My truck will have a new, pro built 700R4 transmission
My truck will have the rear end pro built with new 3.42 posi gears
My truck will have a new Vintage Air AC system, pro installed
Front end has been rebuilt. Brakes done. Truck was clean when I got it.
I will Dynomat and insulate the crap out of it, to keep the heat and noise out.
My truck will get a decent "mech-less" stereo.
Gonna leave the body alone. It's far from perfect, but that's fine by me.
Will get new carpet, a headliner and maybe a new seat cover. I am watching the "replacement seat" threads, and Craigslist... I might jump if I find something nicer...

My truck will be basically new from radiator to rear end gear. It has the three things I really need - reliable power, cranking AC and tunes. Nothing else... No power windows, no power locks, no Nav, no airbags, no EFI, no computers, no ABS, no remote door locks, no power seats, no power windows. Hell, it doesn't even have power brakes.

I have a short commute to work.

I will see if I am happy with the truck as a daily driver. I hope so.

[Telecasterjoey]

Originally Posted by Gigem

I asked myself this same question, and am going to test it out.

My truck will have a new, turn key GMPP 350 HO, 330 horsepower.
My truck will have a new, pro built 700R4 transmission
My truck will have the rear end pro built with new 3.42 posi gears
My truck will have a new Vintage Air AC system, pro installed
Front end has been rebuilt. Brakes done. Truck was clean when I got it.
I will Dynomat and insulate the crap out of it, to keep the heat and noise out.
My truck will get a decent "mech-less" stereo.
Gonna leave the body alone. It's far from perfect, but that's fine by me.
Will get new carpet, a headliner and maybe a new seat cover. I am watching the "replacement seat" threads, and Craigslist... I might jump if I find something nicer...

My truck will be basically new from radiator to rear end gear. It has the three things I really need - reliable power, cranking AC and tunes. Nothing else... No power windows, no power locks, no Nav, no airbags, no EFI, no computers, no ABS, no remote door locks, no power seats, no power windows. Hell, it doesn't even have power brakes.

I have a short commute to work.

I will see if I am happy with the truck as a daily driver. I hope so.

Thats pretty much what i'm thinking bout doing, My only dilemma is winter and salt... I'd hate to put a decent old truck through it lol

[D13]

My daughter drives my 99 3/4 extended, it's 5400# and air bags, she'll walk away from most any reasonable accident.

My personal drive of choice is a square. I just can't get comfortable in the new trucks with the seat mounted belts. And the lower foot room isn't good.

I haven't had a truck payment in 10 years, my insurance is reasonable, my plates are $100 less per year for the square. But mostly I just like it.

[spencer_41188]

eather way you look at it its cheaper to do it yourself

i would build it ... i did and i never have to worry about the repo man

my best advice is get a fileing cabnet to save all the receipts for all the lifetime warranty parts youll put on it over time

start with a solid running base and invite your friends and faimly to help work on it on the weekends to make it what you want and what you get is what you want and memories made you cant buy that with a new truck

[Rubble]

I like the no payments part too,been using a 86,81 & 82....depends which one I want to drive & what's running at the time for daily work trucks the past 2 1/2 years with no regrets.Simple to work on,parts are cheap and I enjoy driving them! I am lucky that I got a heated shop to work on them,I am a heavy duty mechanic,so that part comes easy.If your going to run these older trucks for a daily driver,you have to be willing to do most of the work yourself.Good luck rolling your 1980 chevy into the local GM dealer to get a tune up,the truck is more than likely older than the guy working on it& he has never touched a carb!! Working on my trucks is half the fun too,it's rewarding dragging some old pos home,then getting it running!! I even got the wife driving them now too!!
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[Rich84]

Originally Posted by Rubble

I even got the wife driving them now too!!
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I don't like when my wife drives my Square..She attracts too much attention ..lol

[Rubble]

The 80 C20 is pretty much hers,I have to ask to drive it....
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[Telecasterjoey]

Originally Posted by Rich84

I don't like when my wife drives my Square..She attracts too much attention ..lol

ha ha, this summer the girlfriend and I were moving and we were using my two trucks, we were cruising up the highway I was behind her with my 97 and she was up ahead, every guy that drove by her slowed down and honked lol.

[meatwagon83]

build one!if you take care of it and keep it maintained it wont let you down, i use my truck for work and have driven it to texas , north dakota and south carolina with out any problems

[DetroitDan]

I keep my 82 for chores, dumpruns every weekend, hauling a ton of pellets every two weeks in the winter, now has a snow plow on it too. In the summer it hauls our 11k camper up to the mountains 100 miles. I would love to be able to drive it everyday, but 7-8 mpg kills me. So I bought a 70 Z/28 for a DD, figured a little 350 would save me money on gas, and it does. Not Prius-level savings, but noticeable. Probably going to swap the th350 for a 700r4 for better 1st gear and OD. Mostly I just like driving cool stuff, but I tell my wife it's for gas savings over the truck. Well, winter comes along so the Camaro has to go into the garage, and since the K30 is so bad on fuel I had to get yet another vehicle, (to save on gas). I went to look at an 87 C10 for $1500, but it was a POS so I was going to walk, then the guy asked if I was interested in his Suburban. Ended up buying a 98 GMC C1500 Sub for the $1500, Vortec EFI with OD gets better mileage than the Camaro, has a remote starter and heated seats and loaded with leather etc. So I figured it's the ideal winter beater, trucks the kids around and is (fairly) cheap to operate. People think I'm nuts, buying a V8 Suburban for an economical commuter, but it's all in comparison to what I was spending to feed the 454. Subs from California, has not a speck of rust anywhere on it, only negative is it has over 230k on it, so there is no resale potential at all. Did the math and if I run it til spring I will be slightly ahead, if I can get $1000 for it I'll be ahead.

Love coming back and re-reading this old thread from time to time, it really makes me re-dedicate myself to my 82. Still plodding along with restoring it, haven't had much extra money to put into it, but it hasn't given me any reason to need to. Maybe in the spring I'll finish up a couple weak spots on the body and get some paint on it, that will make all the difference in the world.

I almost want to try driving the 82 daily for a month, just to see how the fuel mileage would stack up against a truck payment. But it's so much easier to push the button and start the Suburban from inside my warm house.

I have considered a lot of different ways to build my crewcab to make it more efficient. Gear Vendors, OD transmission, 6.2 with a turbo or a 6.5 turbo and a 4l80e, but it would all cost so much to save just a little. At this point it makes more sense to me to keep it for the heavy lifting, and run smallblock stuff for DD. Can't wait to get rid of the Sub and start driving the Camaro again. As nice and comfortable as it is, I hate driving it because it is so bland and unnoticeable. Maybe I have ego issues, I need that occasional thumbs up or wave I get when driving the old crew or the Camaro;>

[69GWC]

I say build it as well new stuff breaks down all the time just have to walk into any dealership to see that, My wifes 2011 Equinox left her on the side of the road with only 28,000 miles. Of course I cant get her to drive a older car she likes all the comforts of the new stuff....lol
plan on selling my 06 real soon and am going to do like others and update a older truck for my DD. I have a 79 dually that I have thinking about buying.
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[notyo_cheez]

Time and money being the most important resources to make building an older one, presently I'm not flush with either one it seems. Will be in the market later in the year for a new vehicle and buying one is winning. Other issues such as not being able to hook up a MIG welder without upgrading the electrical service at the house, pursuing rust-free sheet metal is an expensive hassle, and life keeps getting the way are working against the build.

Not getting much interest from a craigslist classified to offload it so I might be calling the knackers to haul it away. Taking a big financial hit on this, you'd have thought that I've learned my lesson on other projects but I guess I'm an idiot or a glutton for punishment.

[Damon23]

I too wanted to build a older vehicle and just drive it. I looked at both options and for me having a older vehicle and a new one just works. It has to work for you. I take long trips with the family. We go to Daytona, Ft. Lauderdale and pretty much all over the southeast on vacations and we drive those. Comfort, safety, fuel economy and reliablity are the main factors for me. The other thing is I can finance a $40k truck but I dont have $40k on hand to try to build a comparable older vehicle and that is what it would take cause I cannot do all the work. I'd have to have a crew cab 4x4 or Burb and to retrofit all the modern stuff would be expensive so I might as well buy a new one and drive worry free for 5 years 100k miles. You dont get that on a built older vehicle. So, like I said, the situation has to work for your needs cause everyones is different.