The One That Got Away...(pics) - The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network

RainDog · 01-09-2003, 10:37 PM

Hullo folks,
Finally got a new scanner, so I could show you guys the truck that got me started on this here addiction, and tell my little sad story. I apologize in advance for the length of the post. To my regret, these are the ONLY pics in existence of my truck. It's since been parted out and junked so far as I hear.
This was the very first vehicle I ever bought, a 1972 C20 Custom Camper, when I turned twenty, and wound up with it only because I stumbled over an ad in the Little Nickel for "72 chevy truck, $600." I'd had to save for months to get even that much. Took me almost a month running back and forth between Seattle and Kent every day to get it running, and finally talked the fellow down to $400. I wasn't looking for a 67-72 chevy, didn't know anything about cars, just wanted "an old truck."
I found this board two weeks before I sold it (about ten months ago, I reckon), and it wasn't until AFTER I'd gotten rid of it for a $3,500 '76 C20 that I began getting sucked in. Suffice to say, it's in my soul now, as many of you can relate, and I would have given anything to get this truck back. Not just for sentimentality, but this was the meanest, most-reliable, most solid vehicle of any kind I've ever "met," no exaggeration. It only got 4 miles to the gallon, and I never so much as changed the oil in the six months I owned and drove it everyday. Took it on three 900 mile trips (gas money put me in the red every time), in the snow, on 4x4 trails, used it to knock over highway signs in Eastern Washington, even once hauled 3,000 lbs. of topsoil thirty miles. It was a tank, absolutely unstoppable.
It was originally a SoCal truck, so, as torn up as the body looks, there wasn't one single bit of non-surface rust anywhere. The 350/350 and q-jet were original, as was the alternator and points-setup. Someone had put Cherry Bombs on the pipes and spray-painted the damn thing red (it was originally blue)sometime ago, but other than that it was bone stock. The interior was shot, seat torn up, dash pad missing, and the odometer had probably rolled over at least once, even though it said 103,000 when I brought it home.
My dad has owned a deli here in town for over thirty years. I've worked there since I was eight. I'm sure almost every guy here knows the pride one feels working closely with your father. He'd finally saved up enough money to move the business after being in the same location for thirty-one years, the biggest dream he'd had since I can remember. We spent two months installing equipment, painting, dry-walling, plumbing, doing everything with the help of family and friends to save money, working every night from four until ten getting it ready. The day I finally got the truck running (turned out to just be a bad coil in the dizzy), signed the papers and drove it away, also happened to be the day before we opened at the new location. When I pulled up to the new place, my dad was standing outside, beaming. Emotionally, my dad has always been like granite, so when he asked if he could be the very first one to ride in my "new" rig, it was one of the proudest and happiest moments of my life.
He didn't say anything about how much time I'd wasted on that truck already, how crappy it looked, that you literally couldn't hear ANYTHING over the noise in the cab; no lectures about the gas mileage or it's impracticality as a daily driver for a college student working part time at a deli. Just had me take him down to the beach and back, grinning like a fool the whole way. When we got back, he put his hand on my shoulder and said, "I guess this is a big day for both of us."
Sorry for the length of the post. I'm sure many of you have similar stories. I've owned a '76 C20 ($3,500) and an '85 S10 Blazer ($3,250) since I sold that first truck, and between the two I spent around $8,000 fixing problems and paying tow truck drivers, including two new transmissions, a new transfer case, and one 500-mile tow bill. I ended up selling them both, not-running. Never got so much as a flat tire in the '72.

Peace,

RainDog

DanoDMano · 01-09-2003, 10:48 PM

Great story man!!!!

I too remember my first car, and the headaches that went with it trying to keep it on the road.
I remember being so low on cash that I went two months without a good starter in my 1969 impala.
I had to get out, open the hood, and tap on it with a hammer while my girlfriend turned the key!!

I always had enough money to take her out though??? (screwed up priorities I guess???)

Anyway, nice truck, and I am sure alot of good memories!!

Take er easy!!

nroden · 01-09-2003, 11:09 PM

Good story.. I think many of us feel the same way about our trucks.

72K10 · 01-09-2003, 11:21 PM

RainDog - great story. These trucks do have a way of gettign themselves attached to you. My dad had a '70 that we used for nearly two decades, hauling wood, towing cars, and a whole lot of hunting and fishing. When I got back from overseas after a hard tour in Germany / Croatia / Bosnia / Hungary, I bought a 72 pos that is, after $6K, still a pos, but I love to drive it. These pickups have CHARACTER, and you can't buy that.

Crank · 01-10-2003, 12:26 AM

Okay who parted her out and junked her, I'm goin' to Cali and layin the smack down on someone, How could you junk a truck like that, it's a beautiful thing; the bond between the man and his truck. Nice story. Sorry I can't share the whole loving father thing though. Must be nice. lol
Brandon

**breeh** · 01-10-2003, 12:39 AM

It is now only a matter of time until you get another one.

krazy_texan · 01-10-2003, 02:10 AM

hey guys i am living that story right know i am 18 years old and a senior in high school and have recently purchased a 71 custom/20 being the first of 3 vehicles that i have to pay for out of my own pocket i have a father who is always griping at me cause he says it is nothing but a piece of sh** cause it sits in the driveway more than i drive it and i am always calling him at work to bring me a gas can somewhere but i love the truck all the same to tell the truth when i wrecked it in september of 02 i crawled up on the hood and started crying because i had put so much work into it and it was going to the body shop the next day to get painted and i had to start all over, going to swap meets and picking up a fender, grill, and hood on the salary of a teenager working at a fast food joint but i love my old chevy there is no doubt about it and i vow to keep it as long as i live.

RainDog · 01-10-2003, 03:00 AM

Whatever you do, Krazy, don't sell it! I sold the old girl for $200 to a tattoo artist friend of mine who was (is) building a custom 71 C20. From what I remember, he tore the drive train, bench seat and suspension out of mine, then sold what was left for $500 (don't know how he managed THAT deal). He told me the guy he sold it to wanted the cab and frame, but ended up junking the whole truck instead, about 6 months ago. There's a little bit of comfort knowing it was an "organ donor," and them big ass coil springs it sat on for thirty years are now on a less-fortunate truck.

RainDog

sgtjed · 01-10-2003, 05:27 AM

great story.
my first truck,vehicle was a 1968 gmc long bed that i got for 500 bucks back in the 80s. it was straight as an arrow and ran good after i rebuilt the motor.
as we all are in youth we get rid of things. i would love to have another 68 gmc and get rid of my 70 c10,but i gonna stay with the 70 for now as the gmc's are gaining in price.

dubie · 01-10-2003, 10:23 AM

I only see red X's where the pics are supposed to be. Great story btw.

RainDog · 01-10-2003, 12:01 PM

Dangit, I dunno what happened, worked fine last night....oh well....

Raven Lunatic · 01-11-2003, 06:41 PM

When I was a kid on the farm, we had a 69 chevy with a straight six and three on the tree... it was supposed to be mine, but not old enough to drive yet (by law anyway)... one year the old truck got stuck in a slough back behind the house and it just sat there... springtime, the slough filled up and so did the truck... when the slough dried out me and a buddy went back there with a battery and fired that ol' ***** up, like nothing happened... couldn't believe it, that engine had been sitting in water for 6 months or more... anyway, shortly after the step father got pissed at me for some reason and took it away, and shortly after that blew the engine to bits (he used to blow alot of engines when he was younger)... that was 20 years ago... 8 or 10 years ago I hear he had a crusher in to clean up a bunch of old vehicles in the "back 40" and wouldn't ya know it, he fed that old 69 to the monster... a cryin' shame, all it needed (besides an engine) was a driver's door (heavy wind caught it one day and bent it back over the front fender) and some TLC... I'll never forgive myself for not saving it, but I was 1000 miles away at the time...

Anyway, that's my story of heartbreak...

01-09-2003, 10:37 PM	#1
RainDog Registered User Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Burien, WA, USA Posts: 391	The One That Got Away...(pics) Hullo folks, Finally got a new scanner, so I could show you guys the truck that got me started on this here addiction, and tell my little sad story. I apologize in advance for the length of the post. To my regret, these are the ONLY pics in existence of my truck. It's since been parted out and junked so far as I hear. This was the very first vehicle I ever bought, a 1972 C20 Custom Camper, when I turned twenty, and wound up with it only because I stumbled over an ad in the Little Nickel for "72 chevy truck, $600." I'd had to save for months to get even that much. Took me almost a month running back and forth between Seattle and Kent every day to get it running, and finally talked the fellow down to $400. I wasn't looking for a 67-72 chevy, didn't know anything about cars, just wanted "an old truck." I found this board two weeks before I sold it (about ten months ago, I reckon), and it wasn't until AFTER I'd gotten rid of it for a $3,500 '76 C20 that I began getting sucked in. Suffice to say, it's in my soul now, as many of you can relate, and I would have given anything to get this truck back. Not just for sentimentality, but this was the meanest, most-reliable, most solid vehicle of any kind I've ever "met," no exaggeration. It only got 4 miles to the gallon, and I never so much as changed the oil in the six months I owned and drove it everyday. Took it on three 900 mile trips (gas money put me in the red every time), in the snow, on 4x4 trails, used it to knock over highway signs in Eastern Washington, even once hauled 3,000 lbs. of topsoil thirty miles. It was a tank, absolutely unstoppable. It was originally a SoCal truck, so, as torn up as the body looks, there wasn't one single bit of non-surface rust anywhere. The 350/350 and q-jet were original, as was the alternator and points-setup. Someone had put Cherry Bombs on the pipes and spray-painted the damn thing red (it was originally blue)sometime ago, but other than that it was bone stock. The interior was shot, seat torn up, dash pad missing, and the odometer had probably rolled over at least once, even though it said 103,000 when I brought it home. My dad has owned a deli here in town for over thirty years. I've worked there since I was eight. I'm sure almost every guy here knows the pride one feels working closely with your father. He'd finally saved up enough money to move the business after being in the same location for thirty-one years, the biggest dream he'd had since I can remember. We spent two months installing equipment, painting, dry-walling, plumbing, doing everything with the help of family and friends to save money, working every night from four until ten getting it ready. The day I finally got the truck running (turned out to just be a bad coil in the dizzy), signed the papers and drove it away, also happened to be the day before we opened at the new location. When I pulled up to the new place, my dad was standing outside, beaming. Emotionally, my dad has always been like granite, so when he asked if he could be the very first one to ride in my "new" rig, it was one of the proudest and happiest moments of my life. He didn't say anything about how much time I'd wasted on that truck already, how crappy it looked, that you literally couldn't hear ANYTHING over the noise in the cab; no lectures about the gas mileage or it's impracticality as a daily driver for a college student working part time at a deli. Just had me take him down to the beach and back, grinning like a fool the whole way. When we got back, he put his hand on my shoulder and said, "I guess this is a big day for both of us." Sorry for the length of the post. I'm sure many of you have similar stories. I've owned a '76 C20 ($3,500) and an '85 S10 Blazer ($3,250) since I sold that first truck, and between the two I spent around $8,000 fixing problems and paying tow truck drivers, including two new transmissions, a new transfer case, and one 500-mile tow bill. I ended up selling them both, not-running. Never got so much as a flat tire in the '72. Peace, RainDog __________________ "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats."

01-09-2003, 10:48 PM	#2
DanoDMano Pronounced "Pew-al-up" Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Puyallup, Washington Posts: 845	Great story man!!!! I too remember my first car, and the headaches that went with it trying to keep it on the road. I remember being so low on cash that I went two months without a good starter in my 1969 impala. I had to get out, open the hood, and tap on it with a hammer while my girlfriend turned the key!! I always had enough money to take her out though??? (screwed up priorities I guess???) Anyway, nice truck, and I am sure alot of good memories!! Take er easy!! __________________ Classic GM Trucks of Washington Club Member 1970 FS chevy,350/350, Edelbrock cam and intake. Holley 650 carb,HEI,AT,Tangier Orange, 18's, Power Locks, Truck Photos

01-09-2003, 11:09 PM	#3
nroden Registered User Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Springfield, MO Posts: 1,098	Good story.. I think many of us feel the same way about our trucks. __________________ Nick Rodenberg 72 Cheyenne 10 V8 350/TH350 white/ochre/white/ochre, ochre/saddle interior Retired and in the dry... still runs. I now drive Red '01 Ford Focus... better MPG!!!

01-09-2003, 11:21 PM	#4
72K10 Registered User Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: New York Posts: 288	RainDog - great story. These trucks do have a way of gettign themselves attached to you. My dad had a '70 that we used for nearly two decades, hauling wood, towing cars, and a whole lot of hunting and fishing. When I got back from overseas after a hard tour in Germany / Croatia / Bosnia / Hungary, I bought a 72 pos that is, after $6K, still a pos, but I love to drive it. These pickups have CHARACTER, and you can't buy that. __________________ RLTW 70C10 72K10 72K10 Cheyenne 72C10 Cheyenne Super

01-10-2003, 12:39 AM	#6
breeh Recovering 67-72 Addict Join Date: Oct 2000 Location: North Bend, WA Posts: 1,788	It is now only a matter of time until you get another one. __________________ 68 Short Fleet 4x4; 427; BTO Level 3 700R4; NP205; Dana 60 front and rear; 4" lift with 35's; Disc brakes; AGR variable ratio steering; factory bucket seats; factory tach and tilt. "Friends call me cruzer cuz I like fast cars and fast women"

01-10-2003, 12:26 AM	#5
Crank Registered User Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Crittenden, KY Posts: 1,965	Okay who parted her out and junked her, I'm goin' to Cali and layin the smack down on someone, How could you junk a truck like that, it's a beautiful thing; the bond between the man and his truck. Nice story. Sorry I can't share the whole loving father thing though. Must be nice. lol Brandon

01-10-2003, 02:10 AM	#7
krazy_texan Registered User Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: West Des Moines, Ia Posts: 3,233	hey guys i am living that story right know i am 18 years old and a senior in high school and have recently purchased a 71 custom/20 being the first of 3 vehicles that i have to pay for out of my own pocket i have a father who is always griping at me cause he says it is nothing but a piece of sh** cause it sits in the driveway more than i drive it and i am always calling him at work to bring me a gas can somewhere but i love the truck all the same to tell the truth when i wrecked it in september of 02 i crawled up on the hood and started crying because i had put so much work into it and it was going to the body shop the next day to get painted and i had to start all over, going to swap meets and picking up a fender, grill, and hood on the salary of a teenager working at a fast food joint but i love my old chevy there is no doubt about it and i vow to keep it as long as i live. __________________ Krazy Texan My Trucks are made with Wrenches not Chop Sticks 1967 GMC 3/4 ton "Johnny Cash" 1990 v1500 suburban 1967 Ford f100 Swb 4x4 "green bean" GOD BLESS JESUS, JOHN WAYNE, AND THE ALAMO

01-10-2003, 03:00 AM	#8
RainDog Registered User Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Burien, WA, USA Posts: 391	Whatever you do, Krazy, don't sell it! I sold the old girl for $200 to a tattoo artist friend of mine who was (is) building a custom 71 C20. From what I remember, he tore the drive train, bench seat and suspension out of mine, then sold what was left for $500 (don't know how he managed THAT deal). He told me the guy he sold it to wanted the cab and frame, but ended up junking the whole truck instead, about 6 months ago. There's a little bit of comfort knowing it was an "organ donor," and them big ass coil springs it sat on for thirty years are now on a less-fortunate truck. RainDog __________________ "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats."

01-10-2003, 05:27 AM	#9
sgtjed What if? Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Choctaw,Oklahoma Posts: 649	great story. my first truck,vehicle was a 1968 gmc long bed that i got for 500 bucks back in the 80s. it was straight as an arrow and ran good after i rebuilt the motor. as we all are in youth we get rid of things. i would love to have another 68 gmc and get rid of my 70 c10,but i gonna stay with the 70 for now as the gmc's are gaining in price.

01-10-2003, 10:23 AM	#10
dubie Registered User Join Date: May 2000 Location: Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada Posts: 8,855	I only see red X's where the pics are supposed to be. Great story btw. __________________ My name's Tim and I'm a truckaholic My 56 Chevy shop truck build http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=562795

01-10-2003, 12:01 PM	#11
RainDog Registered User Join Date: Mar 2001 Location: Burien, WA, USA Posts: 391	Dangit, I dunno what happened, worked fine last night....oh well.... __________________ "Every normal man must be tempted at times to spit on his hands, hoist the black flag, and begin slitting throats."

01-11-2003, 06:41 PM	#12
Raven Lunatic On the Hillbilly Highway Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Edmonton, Alberta Posts: 90	When I was a kid on the farm, we had a 69 chevy with a straight six and three on the tree... it was supposed to be mine, but not old enough to drive yet (by law anyway)... one year the old truck got stuck in a slough back behind the house and it just sat there... springtime, the slough filled up and so did the truck... when the slough dried out me and a buddy went back there with a battery and fired that ol' ***** up, like nothing happened... couldn't believe it, that engine had been sitting in water for 6 months or more... anyway, shortly after the step father got pissed at me for some reason and took it away, and shortly after that blew the engine to bits (he used to blow alot of engines when he was younger)... that was 20 years ago... 8 or 10 years ago I hear he had a crusher in to clean up a bunch of old vehicles in the "back 40" and wouldn't ya know it, he fed that old 69 to the monster... a cryin' shame, all it needed (besides an engine) was a driver's door (heavy wind caught it one day and bent it back over the front fender) and some TLC... I'll never forgive myself for not saving it, but I was 1000 miles away at the time... Anyway, that's my story of heartbreak...



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