Questions about a 68 C10 CST

[WhiteCST]

Hello all, I’m new to this site so please if this thread is in the wrong place let me know. I realize there is an introduction thread but I had a few questions to ask and so I thought this would be more appropriate. Now with that out of the way, down to business. Two weeks ago today I purchased this White 68 CST. It’s got some rust in the usual places, rocker panels, cab corners etc. PO gave me a new rocker panel and cab corners so there’s that. Bed has been tubbed amateurly. Passenger fender is from a different truck, but the rest of the body is original. The TH400 is factory but the 305 in it from the 80’s is not. All AC equipment is there except for the compressor. Interior is a mix of nice and rough. I have been looking for a project C10 for awhile now and it’s difficult to find one in my area that isn’t a rusted waste of time or a fully restored truck. I’m in this truck $1200 and am wondering how I did pricewise and as far as how “good” of a truck this is with the options it has. I’ve looked around on the forums for values of trucks but haven’t had much luck, and online searches result in restored trucks. I’ll post up plenty of pics and the SPID which has most of the options legible. Any ideas on what this truck is worth would be great and highly appreciated, I think I did alright but let me know if not. My plan for the truck is a restomod powered by a single turbo 5.3 merged with a 4l80e trans. Thanks in advance for your input!

[68bowtie]

You did just fine. Too bad the original seats aren’t there. Congrats on the buy and welcome to the forum!

[WhiteCST]

Thank you! I was very bummed that there weren’t bucket seats. But as the the previous owner put it “the one it has is pretty rough so it’s a perfect time to buy buckets”

[BRL]

Twelve hundred bucks...and it runs?

You did just fine.

Turbo 400 transmissions have a good reputation BTW.

Welcome to the forum!

[WhiteCST]

Glad to hear it wasn’t a waste! Never bought one of these and hardly seen any for sale way out here in southwest Kansas. And I’m a fan of the TH400 and used it in some of my past vehicles but not a fan of the lack of 4th and overdrive lol. Great for a red light truck but I’m needing a good daily. Thanks for the welcome!

[68Gold/white]

I'm not a fan of O.D. transmissions. Mostly due to the extreme expense of them, and lesser reliability compared to the stone age 3 speed automatics, (TH350 and TH400)..

A 3.07 gear and a TH400 nets a pretty good driver. If you want to go down the highway at 75 MPH every day, the O.D. deal will be better!

My 67 C-10 (406 small block) and 68 (396) will both have TH400's and 3.73 gears, just my choice...

There's always benefits from reduced RPM's and cruising speed....but these old VERY heavy pickups don't gain as much of that benefit as a lighter car...

[WhiteCST]

I hear what you’re saying and that’s definitely something to think about. I think I’ll try to find someone in my area with that set up and see how I like that. The hydromatics are without a doubt stronger and more reliable. But an overdrive trans mission can get there with a little help. I’m selling my charger soon and will be replacing it as my daily with this truck once the swaps have been made. I’ve read about guys getting 20+ miles per gallon with an N/A 5.3 and the 4l60e, good tune and just a small amount of weight reduction. But I’ve had nothing but bad experiences with those and I refuse to build what I think is an inherently flawed transmission lol hence the decision for the stronger 4l80.

[WhiteCST]

And strangely enough the 4l80 isn’t worth its weight in gold around here. I’ve found a few high mileage pieces for good prices that would be perfect to send off to get rebuilt stronger.

[cypressbog]

$1200 for a runner is good. I just sold a 68 C-30 step side for $1500 and the body was way worse. 1st course of action should be getting rid of those ghetto wheels, lol

[WhiteCST]

Yeah they’re posted up for sale already. Someone will want them, but not me lol. Looking for some cheap cheap steelies for it to sit in during resto. If I can’t find anything like that, Cragar’s soft 8’s look to be a pretty good deal for the time being.

[weq92f]

Yeah, 1200. You did good! I was not going to say anything about the wheels in case you were in love with them LOL!

Since you're not... good deal.

-klb

[WhiteCST]

Definitely not partial to the wheels. They belong on an Escalade or some nonsense like that. I have some 5 lug torque thrust style rims I’d like to use if I convert to 5 lug. Also seen some US Mag Ramblers that looked decent. Or these 6 lugs on this truck. Really want to go 5 lug but don’t know if I can justify the price.

[WhiteCST]

Originally Posted by weq92f

Yeah, 1200. You did good! I was not going to say anything about the wheels in case you were in love with them LOL!

Since you're not... good deal.

-klb

Post pics of that 240z if you have any!