Need Advice: K20 as a Daily Driver/Everyday Truck

[spmartin11]

Howdy,

I am completely new to this world in the sense that I have never owned a 67-72 truck. But in all other aspects, I feel like I belong because I have wanted to own one since I was a kid and the urge to make myself an owner has become almost unbearable over the past few years.

All that being said, I drive a 2008 GMC Sierra 1500 4X4 today and I really like the truck, but I don't have the space or the funds to own both. The wife has agreed to me selling the GMC to buy what I have always wanted, a 71-72 K2500/K20 to use as my daily driver and do everything truck.

I drive about 20 miles roundtrip to work and live in a suburb of Dallas and frequently drive 30-40 miles on highways with 70-75 mph speed limits. I also would take it on 3-5 hour road trips every once and a while. I USE my truck, load it up with a yard of soil, transport materials back and forth to renovate my 100 year old house and the occasional tow.

I'm a wrencher and can fix pretty much anything. I replaced close to every part on my 91 Sierra until it hit about 300k and I decided I needed a new-used truck 4 years ago. So I am not concerned about the up-keep as long as I can find a solid dependable truck to start to start off with.

So, I just wanted to get some response from guys who were in my situation and made the plunge with your opinions on the biggest drawbacks/pitfalls and also the BEST reason to go ahead and move forward to join the clan. And also some help pointing me in the direction of some trucks I wouldnt find out there on CL, ebay, the normal classic car sales websites with a budget around 15-17 tops.

Sorry for the lengthy post and..... GO!

[Orange Crate]

First of all.......

I used my 72K20 as a daily for a number of years, they are good reliable trucks. I also "used" mine as a truck. If you have the ability to do the up keep you are already ahead. Find a good example and keep it running. This forum is a wealth of info too!

[benbloom]

Welcome to the forum! Regarding the k10/k20s, my biggest piece of advice would be to get one that has the right differential gear ratios for your use. Ive owned two k10s, one was a manual 4 speed with the granny low gear, and 4.10 gears. I drove it for years, and it was of course more fun than the automatic, but the combination of stomping down on that heavy duty clutch every day, the sloppy nature of these shifters, gear spread designed for pulling stumps, and low gear ratio made this thing a pain to drive every day. trust me, with most of these manuals, you will not be driving 70mph... My other k10 was an automatic, and i swear to you this thing is as comfortable as you could ever want. the automatics tended to be geared much higher, and the spread is much more even, so for daily driving an automatic would make a lot more sense in my mind. The only automatics these k series trucks came with was a turbo hydramatic 350, one of the best transmissions of all time. I love bangin gears as much as the next guy, but in this case i think youd be better served with an automatic, unless of course you wanted to swap the stock 4 speed with an NP400 or something with overdrive.
good luck fella, you will not be sorry if you end up going through with this, these trucks are the ultimate mix of classic and modern.
The wife sounds like a bit of an angel too, try to keep loving her even after you allow this new 4x4 lover into your life...

[jeffahart]

I would be looking for working AC for sure. I would take auto or manual trans based on what's available for price. I rarely use a clutch to up shift anyway, and if I'm at the right speed and rpm I can drop into a lower gear no clutch(except 1st gear). You will be sitting up and driving the truck anyway. Unlike modern vehicles, where you kick the seat way back and recline and relax.

You will get the benefit of the easy trouble shooting of..... gas or spark! They are about that easy to keep running!

[68350]

I would get an automatic for daily driving. I would also put some highway tread 35" or so tires on it to help get the rpms a little lower for the highway driving. These trucks are awesome for daily use. Good luck on your search!

[spmartin11]

Thank you for the responses already!

I agree about the A/C, it's an absolute must when 2-3 months of out the year the average temp is 95-100 and humid. The gearing advice is really good, I was thinking 33'-35' on the tires already. I've got my eyes on a 71 with a 383 stroker, manual 4 speed with 3.73 rear end at the moment.

I would most likely swap the tranny at some point for a 5 speed or one with overdrive.

And to address the ease of maintenance, that is one of the biggest reasons I want one of these trucks. I'm tired of having to troubleshoot a dozen things before finding whats actually wrong with my 08. And parts, replacement and custom, are plentiful and pretty cheap for these trucks.

The only thing that still holding me back is losing my rear seat and extra set of doors. But thats what a toolbox and maybe one of those rolling Extang Revolution rolling tonneau covers is for.

[jocko]

Originally Posted by spmartin11

The only thing that still holding me back is losing my rear seat and extra set of doors. But thats what a toolbox and maybe one of those rolling Extang Revolution rolling tonneau covers is for.

TOOLBOX! No way, that's where the backwards mounted JC Whitney seats go for the wife and kids. (Dog rides up front)! Just kidding - welcome to the K20 seekers club. I know what you mean about the back doors. I hate the look of them, but they sure come in handy...

[cypressbog]

WELCOME!!!

Get a 71 or 72 for the factory front disc brakes. PS & PB make driving easier. AC is a must where you live.

[gable74]

I drive my 72' K20 w/ an Easton 4.10 locker everyday. Its an automatic and has (soon to be functioning) A/C. I love driving it, its a blast. Give yourself about 2 weeks to acclimate to the truck. The tall gears and louder than modern car exhaust take a bit of getting used to.

[jocko]

Gable, I think 4.10s are too much gear for highway use for a daily commute of more than, oh, 3 or 4.2 miles. Therefore, you should sell me that there Custom Camper!
(Ha. I ALMOST bought that beauty - kinda regret it, I think it's a very nice one - original dk blue to boot).

But seriously - I didn't catch how far the op plans to drive daily - but if it's a 45 min commute to and then from work each day, fuel econ will mean something to ya at that point. So, bigger tires (if you like that sorta thing) will help, as mentioned, or leaning more toward the K10 side with 3.73 will help. Or better yet, o/d trans and enjoy - that is probably the best thing you can do to help your gas guzzling. However, if you do the math and figure out how much gas you COULD have bought for the price of a new o/d trans - the questions becomes whether or not you plan to keep it a LONG time - if yes, then you will get your money out of an o/d eventually.

[Mike C]

3.73 and 35" tires with the 4 speed would be ideal for highway use and give up nothing in the utilitarian arena. You can always add AC if the truck doesn't have it and the aftermarket units are way better than the 50 year old GM setup.

I'm an old car guy and drive old cars, but it is a real commitment for it to be your only car. It will break just as anything out of warranty will break. It's not a late model which means all sorts of things for a driver. Air bags, retractable seat belts, crumple zones, antilock breaks are all lacking.

The real question is can your wife put up with you driving a 45 year old truck as your only transportation? My recommendation would be to sell the late model truck, but the truck you want, and get a beater car to drive either alternating with the truck or when the truck is broken. You can drive the truck when the car is broken...

[Foureye71]

MY 71' K1500 is my daily and the only downsides to it are the lack of a/c, which I don't really mind as I'm always driving around with the windows and floor vents open,and it rides a little rough but that can easily be remedied with a new set of shocks. The ones on it now look at least 10-15 years old. It also has a 3.08 rear end and is on a set of 31x10.5s so its good but not great on gas.

[In The Ten Ring]

Even in WV an air conditioner helps a great deal, so that would be a nice thing to have.

I like changing gears, even on the column, so that is going to be up to you on what you want.

My truck is a 4.11 rear end so I agree on having a higher geared tranny. I may change mine to a 3.73 at some point.

I guess just look out for the rust areas on these trucks and expect to put some money into one.

A backup car is always nice.

I'm not big on computers and airbags......as for anti theft, you could hook up a coil isolation switch, a brake jack (goes under brake pedal), and a fuel line cut off valve. I plan to remove my column shifter and take it with me when I have to park for any length of time.

[TheCougarine]

Sounds like if you can do your own wrenching and you don't mind paying for gas then theres really no reason not to get yourself one. I'm sure selling your GMC should net you enough funds to buy a pretty nice truck to start with and these are pretty reliable and simple overall. My last two daily drivers have been 67-72 era trucks and I've not had any more problems out of either of them than most people I know with late model trucks. If you're going to do a lot of highway driving then an automatic might be something to look into so you might have a more freeway friendly rear end but thats up to you. These trucks were driven daily when they were new and survived just fine with their low rear end gears.

[benbloom]

oh yes and that also reminds me. power steering and power breaks make a HUGE difference in how it feels, unless you are one of the few out there that genuinely prefers the manual driving, power steering and power breaks will make it another 10x more comfortable

[gable74]

Originally Posted by jocko

Gable, I think 4.10s are too much gear for highway use for a daily commute of more than, oh, 3 or 4.2 miles. Therefore, you should sell me that there Custom Camper!
(Ha. I ALMOST bought that beauty - kinda regret it, I think it's a very nice one - original dk blue to boot).

LOL...Hmmm, let me think it over for a few days.

I drive about 5 miles each way to work, no highways so its not a bad commute at all.

Its not my only car though so if something goes wrong I have a few others to choose from

[AnotherWs6]

I don't daily my truck, but I intend to drive it to work often when I get my new brakes on and seat belts installed. And yes, simplicity!!!!! My G I love tinkering with this thing. It's an older Chevy, there are no mysteries.... If you've been into cars for awhile you already know 14 times more about a truck you don't own yet than the one you currently do.

[RichardJ]

If you want to replace your '08 with an older truck with similar reliability, drivability, creature comforts and safety features, it's going to take a big wad of cash and a great deal of luck. If you're looking for a truck to use as a daily driver and perform the work you mentioned, a truck that needs new wheels/tires, new brakes and AC plus possible undisclosed hidden repairs needed, doesn't fit the bill.

Solve the logistics and any possible money problem, then take your time to select the right basic truck to build it the way you want, in your own time.

Replacing your '08 with someone else's problems will be a much bigger headache than using a code reader to fix the occasional problem you may now have.

[AnotherWs6]

^^^^^^While you're kinda right your also kinda wrong. I scored my truck - everything restored and rebuilt - everything works - brand new aftermarket AC with factory rear setup - for a very reasonable price. Flew down and drove it 700 miles home no problem.

OP you're not going to find the perfect one tomorrow, but with 15-17 grand available you an do just fine. Rebuilding something is not a something YOU are looking to do.

[spmartin11]

Another, you are totally right. If I am rebuilding something, it would be after jumping off the cliff with the first one. I could very easily grab up one with a pretty straight body that requires just about everything or a lot of the things that were mentioned above, but in the end I see the dollar signs greatly exceeding the 15-17.

We have another very reliable vehicle and I have a 68 beetle in the garage that runs just fine. So I a couple of other options to use if the truck is out of commission for more than a day. So I am not concerned with that so long as I get a good dependable foundation to start with.

The responses so far have been great and are right in line with my thinkings. Just wanted to see if I was too far off base and all this has done is make me think 'Why didn't I do this sooner?!?!?'

Thanks guys!

[Keeks2915]

There are a ton of benefits to doing this from thumbs up everyday to just the "feel" and smells you don't get in a modern truck. I have had dozens of classic vettes and have had half dozen of these trucks, including a 72 GMC I learned how to drive on (3 on the tree), and how to do lots of stupid things 16 year olds do.

The BIGGEST negative is safety. I'm sure you know about defensive driving because these things don't stop no where nearly as quickly as modern trucks and you WILL be seriously injured in any medium crash with no air bags, and no soft interior surfaces.

Of course you can be hurt just putting around in a hobby truck, but your odds of an accident will go way up if you are using it every day.

I would go for it, but drive it like a motorcycle looking out for all the tards on the road....

[franken]

The ride of a 4x4 3/4 ton will be a lot different from what you drive now. My K10 rides like a buckboard, but I like it.
Gas mileage will be maybe 12MPG.
As others have mentioned the gearing may not be what you'd like after a while. If you like manual, the NV4500 is a popular swap. I have one in the garage along with a range box and round pattern 205...
I think sometime in 69 they switched to the NP205. I seem to recall parts are getting scarce for the 221 used earlier. 71 brought disc front brakes--nice to have.
Get some 3 point seatbelts.
I'd be looking for a 71-72 manual trans truck...

[swamp rat]

Only drawback? Gas mileage, i get about 8 on a bad day and 8 on a good day LOL!

[In The Ten Ring]

Oh yes, the bad gas mileage! As I recall (when my 1972 was actually running) it got around 10 mpg. My dad's 2005 GMC Canyon though, bought new, only gets 12 mpg!

It has also had som%e very annoying computer problems that were a very expensive fix. That's a problem my truck has never had.

As for defensive driving, just drive like you have some sense. People think that an SUV, truck, or other heavy vehicle can somehow evade physics....that's where their problems come from. 99% of accidents are caused by someone not paying attention, going too fast, or following too closely. Some jackhole (in a large pickup) was tailgating me today and yep, something happened and I had to come to a speedy slowdown. Fortunately for me (and his boss's insurance premiums) he didn't rear end me.

[El Dorado Jim]

Originally Posted by spmartin11

Thank you for the responses already!

I agree about the A/C, it's an absolute must when 2-3 months of out the year the average temp is 95-100 and humid. The gearing advice is really good, I was thinking 33'-35' on the tires already. I've got my eyes on a 71 with a 383 stroker, manual 4 speed with 3.73 rear end at the moment.

I would most likely swap the tranny at some point for a 5 speed or one with overdrive.

And to address the ease of maintenance, that is one of the biggest reasons I want one of these trucks. I'm tired of having to troubleshoot a dozen things before finding whats actually wrong with my 08. And parts, replacement and custom, are plentiful and pretty cheap for these trucks.

The only thing that still holding me back is losing my rear seat and extra set of doors. But thats what a toolbox and maybe one of those rolling Extang Revolution rolling tonneau covers is for.

this sounds like the perfect truck ,the 383 stroker is an awesome engine, the 3.73 gears will give you good all around power and mileage for what you will be doing with the truck and the 71 has disc brakes, I prefer manual transmissions,I removed the in cab tank on mine and just use the two saddle tanks, gave me some storage behind the seat....I love driving my truck and would rather have it and my other old rigs than anything newer,I have a '72K20, 74K20, 73K20 suburban, welcome to the site!!