Advice, please

[coreyjhen]

For the past few months, I have been gathering the parts to rebuild my '69 C10 and swap in an LSx. This Sunday, I awoke to find no truck in my driveway. A friend of a friend has a '63 LWB stepside that he is willing to sell for a reasonable price. I understand that the frames are basically the same, so I can keep my mounts, etc., but what about other differences? For example, how is parts availability for the earlier trucks? The windshield is massive and looks expensive - is that true? Any pitfalls I should watch for? Or would I be better off to look for another '67-'72?

[shp4man]

So somebody ripped off your truck? Man, that stinks. There are some significant differences. How good of a deal is the '63?

[jocko]

63 is first year for the independent front suspension and last year for the wraparound windshield. I think you need to ask yourself what you want and then look for it rather than feeling like you perhaps should jump on the first thing that pops up If you WANT a 63 LWB stepper, then go for it. Parts not as common as 67-2, but they are available. Really need to determine what you want, then search for it. The 63 is a vastly different truck from a 69 that you were gonna stuff an LSX in.

[Mathew21]

When doing a custom build follow your heart. If you prefer 67-72 then find another one. You're going to be investing a lot of money into a truck make sure it's what you want.

[AcampoDave]

When I read your post, I had to look to see if you lived in California. Car theft is rampant out here because it's considered a "low level" crime and from what I hear the perpetrators are simply booked and released. I give you credit for wanting to start over again. Take your time, get what you want and obviously take the steps necessary to help prevent yourself from becoming a victim again. I hope you had good insurance.