From the Factory or From the Garage?

[OldSkool71]

How important is it to you how a truck or your truck was equipped from the factory? Does it make a difference to you if the truck or your truck was originaly equiped or was put together after the fact? Would you give up your original factory equiped truck for a restored put together truck? It is what it is at the end of the day, right? Just looking for some opinions.

thanks, Ron

[Longhorn Man]

I like mine like I want them.
I wanted a torque monster, so I put in a cad motor.
There is very little on my longhorn that is original... VERY little. But I like that it gives a stock(ish) vibe.

[Longhorn321]

Part of the fun of it to me is dealing with the same things they dealt with 40 years ago so I mostly like it stock. That being said...my truck is not a trailer queen by any stretch of the imagination nor will it ever be. The truck is for me to tinker with and enjoy and if something is not quite stock but it suits me then so be it. I have drum brakes and they stop OK...I just give a little extra stopping distance. I have a points dizzy and when that goes I may change to electronic but for now it's working fine so...down the road I go! The 350/400TH/410:1 setup is horrible on gas mileage but I don't drive it that often so it's not really killing me on fuel costs. All in all, if I had to choose, I would choose stock over street rod but I am not totally opposed to mods....JMHO!

[Stocker]

My truck is almost completely stock, but that's mostly due to lack of:

1) Imagination

2) Talent

3) Shop or garage

4) Until recently, time -- but 1, 2, & 3 still apply

[Longhorn321]

Originally Posted by Stocker

My truck is almost completely stock, but that's mostly due to lack of:

1) Imagination

2) Talent

3) Shop or garage

4) Until recently, time -- but 1, 2, & 3 still apply

That's another reason...or 4 really why mine is mostly stock. And I'll add one more:

5) Lack of $$$

[unclewatts]

Hey, ya want a hot rod or do you want people to say "Look at that nice old truck"? Very subjective question. My preference to to remain as stock as possible on the outside but make the interior comfy and add some goodies to the engine to make it a little more efficient and maybe add a reasonable amount of power at the same time. For example I upholstered my doors and added the fancy Cheyenne Super headliner neither which was stock to my truck. I also had the seat reupholstered the way I wanted it. On the engine I added an RV-1 cam, MSD HEI, Heddman Headers with 2 1/2" pipes and Flowmaster 40 series Classic mufflers, and balanced and blueprinted it. So I get a little more comfort and performance than a factory stock truck and the people I pass say "Hey, looky that nice old truck". I'm not saying that is the way for everyone to go but it makes ME happy and after all, it's my truck!

[Longhorn321]

Originally Posted by unclewatts

it makes ME happy and after all, it's my truck!

AMEN Brother!

[red71c10]

I like my truck the way it is. It's a base Custom-10 and I'm happy with that. If I'd wanted a Cheyenne Super, I'd have held out for one. Other than a few things (dual exhaust, 3 point seat belts etc...) my truck is mostly stock and original. I want to fix it up as best I can with my limited re$our$e$, but I don't plan to upgrade anything. It has metal door panels and a rubber floor mat so I won't be going to vinyl and carpet ever. I am open to modest mechanical or electrical upgrades, but for the most part it will stay the way it is.

[Andy4639]

I like my truck to please me when I drive it. That's it. Just like the 07 Tahoe. I want it to please me not everyone else. I like the look of my 71 over the 07 tahoe. I basically put everything on my truck so it would please me when I would drive it to work 3 hrs away from home. That's why it has around 250,000 miles on it also I like driving it.

[72lb4x4]

Mine's a total mutt. Who cares after 40 years? One of the reasons they're so popular is so many were made.

Have yours your way

[prairewolf]

I prefer bone stock over anything else, the ultimate garage/barn find for me would come from a little old lady or old man, who always drove it nice and had it serviced regularly.

I am looking for the little old man who ordered the 67 CST, but paid extra because he wanted the 427/425 hp. .......... its ok to dream a little,alot.

in my opinion, all the right vehicle ever needed was better wheels and tires.

kent

[special-K]

I think the question is asking if it makes a difference if it matters to you if,for example,a Cheyenne Super w/ all the bells and whistles is original or created by gathering all the goodies and making a lesser truck appear as a fully loaded Cheyenne Super.

as more time passes it becomes more important.It matters to me that the truck is factory.With the wide spread popularity the masses have diluted the importance of "as built" to the masses.But it`s the same with any vehicle in my book,there`s factory and there`s clones.It will always mean more to me to have the real deal.The same goes for a stripped no option truck.I just like the "it is what it is" factor.
I`m not dissing clones,I`ve build my share.I bought a highly optioned`72 k/20 Cheyenne Super Custom Camper because it was such a great,fairly rare,factory example.I proceeded to gather the few options it didn`t have that I wanted.i fought with myself because if I adding options to make it have everything would have diluted the wow factor of how it was actually ordered and would put the truck in the same class as one that had it all added.I also gathered a different color interior to go with a different color of factory paint,to suit me.I decided I could do what I planned with any run of the mill truck and leaving this truck "as built".Now,years later,these trucks are all the more collectible as well as harder to find unmolested and the colors are one of the most popular combinations.So,I`m glad I held off.That truck is far more valuable "as built".

There`s nothing wrong with "building to suit".But it`s just not apples to apples.i`m building a`67 GMC Custom short wideside with a 327.That would be a rare top-of-the-line truck if it was factory.but,it`s a`71 frame and cab,`70 bedsides with sidemarkers filled,buddy buckets and 327 from a`68.It will have factory parts from all over the country gathered by me and assembled by me.It`s like I`m the factory .If the truck was factory built I wouldn`t change a thing.But,I`m building this as i want as a hot rod from parts off of truck that I imagine had all been put to death.I think there`s added cool factor there.

[69GMCLonghorn]

I have a cousin that's into the whole hot rod scene. They have the usual suspects: '40 Ford 3 window, '32 Ford, etc... NOTHING on the cars is original because it was all crap by today's standards: Engine, tranny, rear end... none of it is as good as (stop me if you've heard this before!) "a 350/350, Ford 9 inch!!" What would the world be like without this BORING A** drivetrain combo?! Yeah it's good stuff, but for crap sake, do something different! You spend a million dollars on a paint job you can shave in; be different with the engine at least! I'll give up the fight one of these days. It's useless I realize.

So on to our trucks: I like them because they were GREAT from the factory! About the only thing lacking was an overdrive, but many came with higher rear end gears so they were a little more driveable. You can either modify the heck out of them like Andy does, or keep them stock, or some hybrid in between (I did NOT just say the "H" word!!). These trucks are worth something, but not $100,000 unless you put $200,000 into it. So do whatcha like, have fun and enjoy it!

[68shortstep]

From UNCLEWATTS: "My preference to to remain as stock as possible on the outside but make the interior comfy and add some goodies to the engine to make it a little more efficient and maybe add a reasonable amount of power at the same time."

X 2

My approach on the button. Just gotta work on the interior when there's time & $$$$.

A total stock rebuild on a 350 / 350 provides more power than I need & can get down to the pavement, & 99 out of 100 who see it think it's a cool old stocker, driven down the road by an old gray-haired f*rt. (me)

I was into the "go-loud, & go-fast" rigs in the late 60's - early 70's, but I've mellowed a bit, with age. Hopefully, like a good bourbon does, maybe.

[jojo]

I'm not restoring mine so factory isn't important to me on this one. Maybe the next project I do will be factory.

[vectorit]

For me and my burb, I am restoring it just as it was when my Dad had it and I rode in it. He did a few things to it that took it away from 100 percent stock, and I continued most of those on into my restoration since they make me remember the day he did them.

If there was some option that was not ordered with the burb from the factory, and it was cool to look at and use I'd probably get it and put it in. Heck, I'd love to have a set of tow hooks. They weren't originally there, but could be ordered from the factory on my burb. So that being said, if I had those hooks I'd put them on and think nothing of it.

[highperf4x4]

I guess I have the same impression that K did. It sounds to me like the question is whether factory installed options are preferred to dealer installed options.

Of course my answer would be yes, factory installed is preferred but if it's a restortion project then everything should return to the condition in which it came from the "dealer" in.

I can give a prime example. Factory A/C is awesome, Dealer installed A/C (under the dash unit) ..... not so much. However, if you're going to restore the truck to original, you don't want to slap an A/C cab on it. You want to stick with the Dealer installed A/C.