Soo do you think this was a good deal or not ... ?

[Zone47]

This is my first Chevy truck ever. I'm still trying to figure out details about exactly what it is trim, engine and tranny wise.

It's an 83 C10. It's from Texas and the body is amazingly straight for being as old as it is. I can't find any bondo in it anywhere, and of course there isn't any rust underneath.... just dust.

The engine and tranny was supposedly swapped out 30,000 miles ago for a rebuilt 350 4 bolt main engine and T350 trans. The engine ID is 3970014 which is a 68-79 350 2 or 4 bolt. The AC compressor is in the way of the other numbers on the deck that I need to further narrow field. Rear end is a 10 bolt ( I'm not sure if it's limited slip or not). It has dual tanks. Truck has never been hit or wrecked.

Soo, I'm trying to figure out what trim package the truck is. The dash has a Silverado badge, the truck has power windows, locks, gauges, AC, PS and brakes ... but there are no badges or fender wheel trim ( all that could have been ditched during a repaint). Did they make a C10 Silverado? Title just says C10

Tires are almost new, brakes are decent, front end looks to be older bushings and ballj oints, but isn't loose. Odometer shows 79K but could be more and title reflects it could be past the 100K mark.

Interior needs some freshening up ... new carpet and some door panel work. Seat is newer and clean. Paint is somewhat faded, but I think it will buff out and shine up a bit.

I paid $4,800 for it. I don't know if that was too much or average, but it a pretty solid base to start with restoration wise. Problems are, the tranny drips fluid, and just about everything needs serviced ... brake fluid purged, radiator flushed, new plugs, headers repainted .... oh yeah, it has new dual exhaust from the headers back.


Here are a few pix >







Thanks for any input or tips!

[J Knight]

Nice truck, looks like you got a fair deal. You got tailgate and cab band with stacked headlights, most likely a Silverado if original to truck.

[71swb4x4]

Paint and body work are difficult (for most) and expensive. If that was done right you have $4,800 in body work and paint alone had you bought a rust bucket instead. All the mechanical work is fun and relatively easy (for most).
I say you did good.

[dfrank]

Looks like a good truck to me!

[CircusWagonJim]

Good deal. Probaby has a cloth seat and carpet too. It's a Silverado.

[motornut]

looks good,don't think you could find that here for that,it's a good deal

[Zone47]

Thanks, I don't know the market that well and was hoping I didn't pay too much. Yeah, it has carpet and carpeted door panels.

It runs and drives pretty well. I'm looking at it as a useful and cool muscle car alternative!

[Tony_SS]

Looks like a great truck to me.. prices on them seem to have gone up so yours sounds fair. No rust is a huge bonus!

[WhiteyChev]

Silverado was a top trim level at the time. It could be ordered with out AC. Gets you the power option, carpet, & other fancy bits.
Good deal imo

[tucsonjwt]

That truck would get $3500 easy here in AZ desert, so $4800 is a great price (did you pay shipping to you also?)

I suggest that you carefully try to use cleaner/polish on a small spot in the rear of the box to see if the paint improves. Light rubbing compound will also help if the cleaner/polish does not work. (I use a wet rag quickly over the rubbing compound before it dries, then quickly wipe off/buff the excess water with another clean cloth. I use Nu Finish as a final wax on my vehicles and use it about every 3 months (but paint bakes off quickly in the AZ sun.)

I would leave emblems and fender trim and other chrome off as much as possible - all attract dirt/rust and a clean look is more modern, IMHO.

If you need interior work - don't get any kind of dash cap - have it recovered by an upholstery shop or get a new OEM one and paint it to match. A local upholstery shop can recover the headliner cheap - same for the seat.

If the OEM seat is not a good fit for you, I recommend late model Chrysler Sebring Convertible seats because the have integral seat belts, and seat belts are a weak point on these old squares (re: intertial lock feature is iffy at best.) Make sure the Sebring seat belts work without the ignition on - the early 97-2000 (I think) required power on before the belts worked.

Nice buy.

[Zone47]

Thanks. It was a local truck brought up from Tx. No rust at all and never been hit... so yeah, it's a survivor.

The interior and paint need refreshed. The seat is a generic recover but looks ok. The carpet needs replaced. Door panels are pretty grungy. Someone put some kind of cover on the dash, yeah that could be better too. Nice refurished headliner. Paint may buff out, but to make a truly nice truck, it needs redone.... and good thing I know how to paint

Thanks again for the info. It's a good solid project.

[natedogg]

Look at your spid sticker (If it is still there) located inside glove box or on the inner fender. YE9 is the RPO for a true Silverado. Also, I think the center of the grille and between the head lights should be same color of truck on 83-84 models.

[Gregski]

can we see a shot of a side profile, I would like to eye the wheels

[y5mgisi]

Myself, i say it wasnt a "good deal". But you certainly didnt get ripped off. In my eyes, it looks like you roughly paid market value for it. Which is nothing to be ashamed of if its a truck you were after.

[Zone47]

Originally Posted by y5mgisi

Myself, i say it wasnt a "good deal". But you certainly didnt get ripped off. In my eyes, it looks like you roughly paid market value for it. Which is nothing to be ashamed of if its a truck you were after.

Thanks for your honest opinion. To me, the value in the truck is that it's a totally rust free truck ( I live in the salt belt ) and the other thing is all the panels are straight except the drivers door has a minor dent in it. I may have paid a slight premium in that regard ... but at least I didn't have to fly down south to buy a truck sight unseen.

No stickers in the glove box sadly.

I have a side shot I'll post later on.

[silverbear]

I agree that the SPID tag should tell you the true trim level the truck was equipped with. In my experience the original fender badges were attached with a nut on the inside of the sheet metal. So if they removed it during a re-paint they would have needed to fill the holes in???

Nice truck and I think you did good on the purchase price.

[y5mgisi]

That was my point! haha! Was that if you paid a premium, it was for a reason and it was worth it!