Give me pointers on buying a square body

[3672300]

So Ive narrowed it down to 3 trucks, struggling between the 3 and looking for advice on which is the better one to buy and enjoy as a weekend driver/toy.

1) 1979 K10- $4000, black truck now painted brown, ex-shop class project truck, minimal rust in cab corners, small lift and tires, 350 crate motor, auto, basic clean truck.

2) 1975 GMC High Sierra- $5900 still looks factory, paint faded, minimal rust, 400 small block and 4 speed, needs interior upholstery, needs tires, most original of the 3 im looking at.

3) 1978 K10- $3400- Original yellow truck now blue, 383 crate motor, auto, rust on all 4 corners, looks the nicest from 50 feet, definitely needs new interior.

I guess im just torn as to if its better to buy more of a project, or buy one more complete. Did you spend more on the front end of back end?

[motornut]

I'd pick #2

"most original of the 3 im looking at" is what I'd look for

[JIMs70GMC]

#2 for me too. I like the manual trannies.

[Bears63]

#2 for me as well. Originality and manual transmissions are my key points.

[Keith Seymore]

#2. Go for the least amount of rust. Manual trans is a plus.

Everything else is easy.

K

[Eyegore]

#4 I'd keep looking or look a next state over.

[77K10Silverado]

Depends on what end result your after..? If you want to restore one, let us see the RPO sheets in the glove box and we can go from there. If you just want a turn key job then go for #1. Id say #2 would be more desirable, just depends on all the options.

[3672300]

Originally Posted by Eyegore

#4 I'd keep looking or look a next state over.

#1 is 1,400 miles away

#2 is 511 miles away

#3 is 723 miles away

#4 is an 84 Silverado, brown and tan, 350/350, lifted, mudded, wobbles at 50mph, has a slight miss, $4000 and is 18 miles away lol.

[E.D.75GMC]

I vote #2. Same year and colour as mine haha and can't go wrong with a 400/4 speed combo.

[3672300]

How bad is this rust?

[jlelec]

# 2 That color is really nice when fresh, the 400 is nice too.

[77K10Silverado]

Not as bad as my rust! Lol. They all have it until you restore it. That's not so bad IMO.

[Your41Plague12]

#2 all day long. I love the 73-76 trucks, especially 4x4's. The fact that it's a GMC makes it that much cooler to me. Hands down, that's the one I'd pick.

[bdiamond]

At 500-1000 miles away everything is usually described much better than it is. Its like internet dating. Everyone is slim, athletic and big breasted. Unless I was going to look at it in person I would be very hesitant to drop that kind of cash. If they own up to minimal rust its probably worse than you are expecting. Plus I kind of liked #4 that was close to you.

[tucsonjwt]

I don't know why you TX guys have so many rusty vehicles.

I would pass on all of them. Like girls who look pretty from a distance, then they open their mouths and you find they need a lot of dental work.

For the $$ you are talking, find a rust free truck.

What is your ultimate goal - a lifted hopped up truck or a nice stock driver?

One thing is true about all old vehicles - you will have to spend a lot of money to get them completely reliable - so start with one that has a good rust-free body. Regardless of how these truck look, you should be more concerned about how they run. It is not just the engine and transmission that are a concern, there is a ton of other stuff - air conditioning, heater, brakes, tires, shocks, battery, alternator, front end components, etc. If you like working on all of this stuff yourself it is less of a problem, but good parts still cost good money.

[3672300]

Tucsonjwt, #3 is from Tucson

[tucsonjwt]

A lot of vehicles in the SW came from the rust belt. A native AZ truck will not have rust. I would still keep looking.

[bdiamond]

I think these trucks came from the factory with rusty rockers and in the early 70's most checked the option box for rust above the
wheelwells too.

[andrewmp6]

I would go number 4 because its close to you,And use the fact that it death wobbles to talk the price down on it.

[3672300]

Originally Posted by andrewmp6

I would go number 4 because its close to you,And use the fact that it death wobbles to talk the price down on it.

Death wobble took the price down from $7000 to $4000

[andrewmp6]

Only way that truck is worth 7k is if it has 1 ton axles and a doubler np205/203 in it.To me as it is 3 to 4 grand max if it has no rust and the miss is just a bad plug wire.

[Bears63]

Originally Posted by 3672300

How bad is this rust?

What rust? Seriously, that is not that bad. You should see my '78, it is pretty much swiss cheese. I get my pants wet if I drive through a mud puddle.... No joke!

[Joesjunk]

#3 for sure. You can't go wrong with original paint

[N2TRUX]

Dude you live in Texas, and your considering rusty rockers? While these Northern gents dont see that as a big deal, in Texas thats $$$ in body parts. Find the nicest body as you can afford. Body work will cost you more than any other repair.

[pointer80]

Hey guys, I live in northern Michigan and we are definitely the rust belt of America. I just bought a 86 4x4 from phoenix Arizona and the price of the truck + having it shipped to my door + my nephews finder fee and expenses it is costing me a total of $4500.00 $1500 is expenses and $3000.00 for truck. It is completely rust free.