Saw a '77 K10 at a local dealership

[REDisFASTER]

I was coming home from school when I spotted the sexiest truck I have EVER seen! It was a 1977 Chevy K10! Indeed it was a project truck, it had white smoke coming out of both sides of the exhaust. I thought it had sidepipes but it only had a couple of big holes in the exhaust. The engine bay and engine itself was pretty greasy (not something 'normal' people like, but for grease monkeys, its cool. It had a 350. Its carbureted, but its missing the air filter, so it was just an exposed carb... Not exactly a good thing, but its the heartbeat of America. And Summit Racing should have a nice crate engine I could build up for a good price and drop in the truck.

It chassis is in 'solid' condition. Meaning, it did have some rust on the expected parts, but overall, it could still drive through a brick wall and live another day. The truck has been lifted (suspension lift, not body lift) and has aftermarket wheels and tires (rather used). Its also got an aftermarket front bumper and Hella fog lights.

The salesman was looking for $4,500 CAD as is.

I only snatched two pics of it with my POS 0.3 mega pixel camera phone, but you can get the general idea.






The body's not in bad condition. The bed has some rust, but that's expected from a truck. The only rust thing I'm concerned is the chassis. Its got some parts that need to be cut off and re-welded with a new piece of metal, but other than that, its still rock solid.

As for the smoke from the exhaust, its 10 degrees Celsius here, equivalent to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Its also rather humid, as well. I'm walking around with a very light sweater.

As for wiring, its recently got a new distributor and plugs, and it looks like its been installed correctly and securely.

As for oil leaks, the grime from under the hood looks just like someone made a mess and never bothered to clean it up. But then again, engines and trannies are cheap if you know where to look, right?

As for rust on the body, nothing some small sheet metal can fix... Its got a very clean body. The door window openings are in great condition. The only major flaws of this truck are the dash board... Rotted away to sh!t, and the shocks... The leaf springs are fine, as well as their mounts, but the shocks look like they're dead weight. Looks like a few of the shocks might even be bent...

Body and chassis wise, its fine, it'll last a decade if this current condition is maintained. Longer if I the chassis rust is removed. Shouldn't be too hard, since its a truck, take the bed off, work on the chassis. Put it back on, strip the cab, take the cab and front end off, work on the chassis. Put it back, bam! Overall steering alignment is spot-on, though.

The only thing I'm concerned about is the exhaust, engine and shocks. It smells like its running VERY rich... I can smell quite a bit of gasoline, so it may be the cause of the white smoke... The engine looks greasy, but the price of a rebuilt engine shouldn't be too bad to find on Craigslist or something. As for the shocks, Canadian Tire, Van & Truck World, Summit, or Parts source should be able to fix that no problem.

My dad is good with haggling, but the guy we're haggling is Italian... I don't mean to sound stereotypical, so forgive me if I offend you, but they're just too hard to haggle with. When they found a step they like, they just don't back down on it... My dad says if he'll give it for $2,500, we'll probably take it, but that's too big of a cut from that $4,500 as is asking price...

About the mileage, I wasn't able to see. The dealer wouldn't let my punk-ass kid sit in the 'monster truck'...

I wanted to ask, what do you guys think of this truck.

Thanks in advance for your replies.

[wedgemon]

Don't be fooled! Check the VIN. The headlight surrounds are 79-80. But the hood doesn't seem to have the extra reveal in the front - which means it could be pre 79 or 79-80. The VIN will tell.

Either way, you may want to check the VIN history, too. This one may have an acciDENT in it's past!!

That looks like my 1980 - but, with a lift...


BTW - Mine cost me $2000 in 2004.

- Dave

[texanidiot25]

I sent him here, knew you guys would be a bigger help then me.

[Eyegore]

Wow I wish i could ship some of these 4x4's here in Phoenix,
red $5000
Blue $2700
LWB $3000

These are just a sample whats on craigslist here in the valley, they do not belong to me.

[chev74]

honestly, i REALLY want a 4x4... nothing wrong with my truck, just have always wanted one.

I dearly love my truck, but would trade her in a heartbeat for a pre 73 4x4 in worse condition than Ginger

here she is:

[Fraser Beatty]

Where in Ontario are you? I know from personal experience that trucks are generally more expensive here in Ontario than in the States, but $4500 seems a bit steep. It is a dealership though, so the price is bound to be higher than a private sellers price. I agree with wedgemon, make sure to research the truck's history, and if something doesn't line up, stay away.

[REDisFASTER]

Originally Posted by Fraser Beatty

Where in Ontario are you? I know from personal experience that trucks are generally more expensive here in Ontario than in the States, but $4500 seems a bit steep. It is a dealership though, so the price is bound to be higher than a private sellers price. I agree with wedgemon, make sure to research the truck's history, and if something doesn't line up, stay away.

I'm in Ajax. Hopefully getting a new job soon, so I can save up and get it (hey, a jobless 17 year old kid can dream, can't he?).

The next time I see it, I'll try to get the VIN number and get some more info of it through the DMV (I think its $20 for them to give you some info on the vehicle as well as past and current owners).

I'd like to know, where are the VIN #s usually on trucks like these? I'd like to know, since its a lot different (for me) compared to newer vehicles. My ex-neighbor had a '71 Corvette Stingray and I couldn't find the VIN, even though it was right infront of me, on the A-pillar.

[texanidiot25]

There should be a metal plaque riveted to the driver's side door jam.. or a sticker. Gives all the basic info about the truck, including the VIN. Also on the door of the glove box. Thats about the two main places on a truck..

[old Rusty C10]

nice looking truck but i too think too steep even for a dealer..

[Hoods69BadBowTie]

Ya I gotta agree that seems way to steep for that. It don't look to bad but thats pretty pricey. I would wait and see what you can come up with later on.

[Fraser Beatty]

I am 17 years old too...don't get your sights set on one truck, especially one that is pricey...keep looking around, and eventually you will stumble across a decent truck for a decent price.

[ChaseDale3and8]

I have to agree that $4500 is way too much money to give for a truck in that condition. I'd move along and look for a much better example elsewhere. It isn't like these trucks are rare, and this is just my opinion so take it for what it's worth. ...Joe

[Mickey_D]

There's a VIN plate under the driver's end of the driver's side windshield wiper. It's behind the windshield, right where the dash pad meets the windshield.

[Russell]

For 4500, you should be getting twice the truck!

I'd be extremely concerned about the way the bodywork was done on that truck. If the chassis is rusty, and the suspension worn out, then you can be sure that truck was beat on off-road. I imagine that thing has a few cm of bondo in places to fill the dents and make it look pretty.

If the truck is smoking white, that is an indication of coolant leaking into the exhaust, though it may just be condensation.

Keep in mind that the truck may look huge, and uber cool becuase of that fact, but it only takes about a thousand bucks and a weekend to make any old truck that tall.

If I were in your shoes, and you really have your heart set on one of these trucks, I'd definitely try to find a stock 3/4 ton 4x4 to start with, and build it myself. There are a lot of us 4x4 guys on this forum that would be happy to offer our past experiences with how we lifted our trucks etc, and make sure that you can get it done safely, and for the least amount of money.

Besides, you'll never learn anything by purchasing a polished turd from a dealership, all built up already That, and engine swaps are WAY easier on stock height trucks, LOL

[bluex]

Originally Posted by Mickey_D

There's a VIN plate under the driver's end of the driver's side windshield wiper. It's behind the windshield, right where the dash pad meets the windshield.

Thats 81+. 80- will be on the door jamb and/or glove box as previously mentioned.

[Fraser Beatty]

^^^ My 79 GMC has the vin where Mickey_D described.

[ChaseDale3and8]

The VIN # is on the dash from 79 and up. ...Joe

[74 shortbed 406]

4500 is way steep. I have a neighbor that sold his 83 blazer with factory 58K miles no rust and newer style buckets and bench seat for 4000. No lift all factory condition.

[REDisFASTER]

Originally Posted by Russell

For 4500, you should be getting twice the truck!

I'd be extremely concerned about the way the bodywork was done on that truck. If the chassis is rusty, and the suspension worn out, then you can be sure that truck was beat on off-road. I imagine that thing has a few cm of bondo in places to fill the dents and make it look pretty.

If the truck is smoking white, that is an indication of coolant leaking into the exhaust, though it may just be condensation.

Keep in mind that the truck may look huge, and uber cool becuase of that fact, but it only takes about a thousand bucks and a weekend to make any old truck that tall.

If I were in your shoes, and you really have your heart set on one of these trucks, I'd definitely try to find a stock 3/4 ton 4x4 to start with, and build it myself. There are a lot of us 4x4 guys on this forum that would be happy to offer our past experiences with how we lifted our trucks etc, and make sure that you can get it done safely, and for the least amount of money.

Besides, you'll never learn anything by purchasing a polished turd from a dealership, all built up already That, and engine swaps are WAY easier on stock height trucks, LOL

Good advice. I'll probably go this route, but I'll still see if I can check out the VIN.

And yeah, engine swaps are much easier in stock height! Besides, I'd like to learn a bit from wrenching on some GMs, I've grown up with Chrysler/Dodges, Nissan and Mazda all my life, would like to learn a little bit more about the 2nd part of the big three

If this is the case then, what specific year(s) would I be looking at for this specific body-style of K10s?

[74 shortbed 406]

Nothing is easier to work on than a k10 or c10 of almost any year. Parts are cheap and most junkyards are full of swappable parts. Good luck finding what you are looking for and good wrenching...

[Russell]

This body style of truck was made from 73 though 87, if you can, I'd try and find an 87 1/2 ton 4x4.

The 87 trucks have better automatic overdrive transmissions, and fuel injected engines, which are a big improvement over the older carbs.

Lifting these trucks is the same from 73-87, so no worries about buying one that is easier to lift than another.

Buy something that is nice inside and out, in good mechanical condition, then change things from there

[REDisFASTER]

Thanks for the reply!

May I ask, why do you recommend a fuel injected model versus one with a carb? (Other than the usual reasons that they're usually more efficient and less finicky to our ever changing climate).

I was actually looking for a carbureted one. Never owned a vehicle with a carburetor before, always wanted one. C3 'vettes are getting scarce and expensive in my area (I will only buy a Corvette if its a 1971 model, I just have a thing with that year).

[Russell]

Carbs work well, and are pretty simple, for sure! They can get similar mileage to a fuel injected engine if tuned properly too.

However, if you go with the fuel injected truck, you won't have to mess around with tune to get that kind of mileage, and you'll have FAR superior cold weather behavior. A carb can be very temperamental when you get below -20C or so. Gotta choke the engine a whole bunch, and high idle it till it warms up.

A fuel injected engine will fire up quick, and won't stall / bog every time you touch the gas before it warms up similar to a carb. Again, these kind of problems can be fixed on a carb, but it takes a fair bit of time and effort to get them there.

My old 80 used to fire up at -35C to -40C on the second crank like usual, but it couldn't be driven for 5 - 10 minutes without stalling the second you put it in gear. I also got really poor gas mileage with it all the time, but that may have been my lead right foot that just had to hear those secondaries sing every time I accelerated