Buying your first truck...

[snyder66]

I'm looking for some advice regarding buying my first truck. I am a middle-aged guy with little to no mechanical experience, but, I love old Chevy trucks. Ebay is pretty much my only soucre for these trucks. I do have a great idea of how to price these trucks and what to expect to pay for them. Could anyone help me with some guidelines? Thanks

[Vintage Windmills]

You may find better deals on craigslist. Try using Searchtempest for easier and broader craigs searches.

[Jacfourteen]

Welcome to the board! If you are looking to learn some mechanical skills these are great vehicles to learn on, they are much easier to work on then the newer cars.

[Already Gone]

Have you decided which year and type, long or shortbox, you want. Are you looking for a truck you can jump in and drive/use right away and maybe poke and putter and learn (as I did and still am) how to do things to the truck. Using the internet is great way to learn prices and valiues of the various trucks. There is also the regional and supply and demand aspect which adjust pricing.

[PanelDeland]

Welcome!!! Just keep reading.There are tons of posts about what to look at when buying.The best advice I can give is to spend more and get a better body to begin with.The mechanicals are fairly easy on these trucks and every vehicle from this era.The bodywork can get expensive quick.

[Clyde65]

since you are firmly in the rust belt, I would consider looking in the AZ,TX,NM,OK craigslist. If you find something that interests you, holler out at someone who might be in the area to go take a peek at it, also if they are willing maybe they can/could house the prize for you until you make a trip south. Lots of great guys on this forum willing to help anyway they can. I am in DFW southwest area, holler if ya find something. Just an idea but worth thinking about.

[snyder66]

I like the long beds. I need a 4 wheel drive. I pretty much like anyuthing before the 88 Chevy trucks, I think this is when they changed styles.

[Danny Bost]

Do you have a budget in mind? I agree that buying one from the southwest and shipping it up there might be your best bet. We have a lot of relatively rust free trucks down here and they are fairly affordable as well.

[snyder66]

$5000-$7000

[jakeblues652]

i just bought one the this past week, and they are hard to come by in pa. i was looking for like 2 years before i found a decent one, and i hopped right on it, and now its sitting in my driveway. i agree with them also, mecanicals are easy(this is coming from a 15 year old), and body work is pricey.

[ChevLoRay]

Spend the money for the best physical condition vehicle you can find and afford. Since you say you're middle-aged (I'm 63), you need to also think about a time frame. As we age, it becomes a maintenance issue....your body, not the vehicle. You want to get as much of it done while you're able. We have no guarantees for tomorrow. I had a stroke 4 years ago and it has made life much more meaningful, with or without a truck project. As for my truck....it's in paint/body hell going on 3 years. Drivetrains are the least of your worries, and the easiest to address when necessary.

[mcbassin]

You can get some really good deals here on Craigslist. Ebay is going to be higher, more people looking there. Welcome to the best truck board!

[Already Gone]

Originally Posted by ChevLoRay

Spend the money for the best physical condition vehicle you can find and afford. Since you say you're middle-aged (I'm 63), you need to also think about a time frame. As we age, it becomes a maintenance issue....your body, not the vehicle. You want to get as much of it done while you're able. We have no guarantees for tomorrow. I had a stroke 4 years ago and it has made life much more meaningful, with or without a truck project. As for my truck....it's in paint/body hell going on 3 years. Drivetrains are the least of your worries, and the easiest to address when necessary.

At 61, I agree with you 100% Don.

[special-K]

There's a nice little shortbed on CL in Cumberland,PA.Or,it was there last Monday when my friend looked.It was $5,000.

[Six862m6]

Originally Posted by Already Gone

At 61, I agree with you 100% Don.

And I agree with both of you guys as well and I'm "only" 29. I look at it this way; mechanical work is mostly knowledge and little skill (diagnosis of mechanical issues is a little different), but body work, GOOD body work, is so much skill its pretty much an art form and must be practiced time and time again to truly "get it right" for most people. I bought the truck I bought because whoever the P.O. had do the cab really knew what they were doing. Though certainly not perfect, the floors, rockers, cab corners, and cab mounts were one of the nicest jobs I'd seen around here. No sheet metal screws or rivets holding things together, weld seams were finished to look smooth, etc. Also the rocker BACKINGS were installed, which many people don't take the time to install on the quicker, looks good from 15', jobs. I simply do not have the skill nor the time it takes to master this skill. NOW, there are NUMEROUS mechanical issues with my truck (none severe) and the wiring has been BUTCHERED and I've been methodically repairing it. Eventually I plan on just buying both front and the rear harnesses new from one of the common vendors. Anyway, point is, definitely go for the solid body over mechanical issues.

[ChevLoRay]

Wiring is one of those things that also require some talent. Sure, you can get some butt splices and black tape and patch in a piece to replace a frayed section, Y3, but a 38-yr old+ truck that you sink some serious money into and then expect to drive and perform well.....especially after we have become accustomed to fuel injection and disc brakes and cold AC....that truck deserves a decent wiring system.

Check out www.wiringharness.com. They go by the name M&H Fabricators. Wes, at Classic Heartbeat (a site vendor) got me a good price on a buncha harnesses for my truck. You can PM him and see what he can do.

Even though my truck didn't have any electrical issues when I tore it down, the wiring came out and I got new harnesses because I don't want see it go up in smoke for want of a $200 harness...and that was the most expensive one.....if my memory is correct.

[Six862m6]

Originally Posted by ChevLoRay

Wiring is one of those things that also require some talent. Sure, you can get some butt splices and black tape and patch in a piece to replace a frayed section, Y3, but a 38-yr old+ truck that you sink some serious money into and then expect to drive and perform well.....especially after we have become accustomed to fuel injection and disc brakes and cold AC....that truck deserves a decent wiring system.

Check out www.wiringharness.com. They go by the name M&H Fabricators. Wes, at Classic Heartbeat (a site vendor) got me a good price on a buncha harnesses for my truck. You can PM him and see what he can do.

Even though my truck didn't have any electrical issues when I tore it down, the wiring came out and I got new harnesses because I don't want see it go up in smoke for want of a $200 harness...and that was the most expensive one.....if my memory is correct.

Agreed, not to mention most of the factory wiring's insulation (outside of the cab anyway) is brittle. I've already talked to Wes on something else and plan on spending some money with him shortly after the new year. Need to get the holidays out of the way first. My truck has had a 73-80 (verified off the casting numbers on the back of the block) 400 small block dropped in it, and converted over to HEI and internally regulated alternator. Whoever installed the alternator really needs to stay away from any kind of wiring... first was that they wired it up as if it were a single wire alternator (when the two "signal" wire connectors on the alternator, for lack of a better term, were plainly visible). Second, instead of using the nice large 8 or 10 gauge portion of the battery cable (whatever size it is) positive wire that is supposed to be used for running to the alternator, he used the 14 gauge to connect to the charge terminal on it. And third, he left the factory regulator connected to the harness!!! And he wondered why the battery was always dead after driving it for awhile but when he had the alternator tested it always tested good...... Anyway, stupid things like that abounded in my truck, most of which I've cleared up well enough until I buy some new harnesses next year. I know they sell harnesses already made up to utilize HEI and the internally regulated alternators on these trucks, I wonder if WES can cook up one that has wiring for an electric choke on the carb already built in too.... would be nice. Anyway, the most expensive harness is the main harness inside the cab looks like and its running well over $300 most places.

[Already Gone]

If you are still looking for truck I came across these on Ebay and actually one of them is in PA although I dont know if its near you but its closer than Texas, but I like the Texas truck. I'm sure you will get some other opinions on these trucks.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWAX%3AIT

[96blazr]

Originally Posted by snyder66

I'm looking for some advice regarding buying my first truck. I am a middle-aged guy with little to no mechanical experience, but, I love old Chevy trucks. Could anyone help me with some guidelines? Thanks

Hi Snyder and welcome
Let me assure you that you CAN find something that you can afford and you don't necessarily have to go to ebay to purchase your truck. There are plenty of dealers that have solid reps and nice trucks. Search on the web for dealers near you and go see. Perhaps the BIGGEST favor you can do yourself is to make sure and buy something, for the most, that's "Done" or "Finished". I bought mine that way. Don't buy a "project" or something that will take you 5 years to "build". If you have the ability, space, tools and all the resources, then go for it, but since you're like a lot of guys I know, buy something "Done".
The body on my truck was done, but the engine and engine bay wasn't all that, but I drove it for 4 years and still had a great time going to cruise-ins and Shows. I even got 2 first place trophies My point is this; take your time and find WHAT you want for the price you can afford. It took me over a year to find my truck, but once I did, I was ready to move on it.
Hopefully you have a dry, covered space to keep it in too. This is very important, cause if you're going to spend you hard earned money on something you've always wanted, then you should make D**n sure it's kept Dry.
Become a member of a local Hot Rod club and a member of SEMA. Both are fantastic resources for help with finding mechanicals and finding help.

My motto for my truck as been: Minimize down time-Take it in steps. Got the engine and engine bay done over the summer. Next on the list; ShowDeck from Bruce Horkey. Should have that done and installed by February. I have scheduled for the Bench seat to get reupholstered in March. And if, for some unforeseen circumstance, none of this happens or I have to put it on hold, I’ll still be able to drive and enjoy my Truck. Minimize Down time-Take it in Steps.
Sit down and seriously think about what year (67-68 or 72?), what Bed style(Step-side or SWB) or length (SWB or LWB or LNB) you're looking for. Color: if you find the perfect truck and it's got everything you want, but it's this nasty looking 80's Purple with 80's style wheels, can you see beyond that and live with it till you can change things? If yes, then don't let color dictate whether or not you buy it.
Log on here and ask all the questions you can, that's what we're here for.

Oh and by the way, when you shopping, take a camera with you and take pics and post them on here, so we can give you honest assesments.