What do you guys think about this..... (I'm new to the world of '67-'72s)

[wgjones3]

Here's the situation... back in August, I went and looked at 2 pickups, a '69 Chevy C10 SWB w/ 2 beds (fleetside and stepside), and a '72 GMC C20 LWB camper special that had been wrecked in front. The guy wanted $2800 for both. The GMC has an A/C cab and all the guages, plus the cab has solid floors and a good gas tank. The Chevy is rough. The rockers are out of the cab, the floors are gone, the tank is shot, the grille is trashed, the bumpers are bent beyond recognition. It has a supposedly built 350 out of a wrecked '69 Camaro w/ only 39,xxx miles on it, but the engine doesn't run too good right now (a buddy of mine swears it's the Holly carb, not the motor itself). The frame, from what I've seen, looks solid.

Basically, between the two trucks, there's the potential for once nice ride, but the $2800 he was asking was way too steep for me, so I passed on the deal (at the time, I was only interested in the GMC anyway).

Today, he calls me up and asks me to make an offer. What do you guys think this deal is worth, having not seen the trucks? I was thinking of offering $1400 for the pair.

My goal is to build a daily driver. I want something with disk brakes up front, a strong enough V-8 to haul a trailer with a car on it, an overdrive tranny (5 speed stick, preferably, but a 700R4 most likely), and a highway gear in the rear end (I'm thinking somewhere around a 3.55 or a 3.73). Of course, i want A/C, a CD player, sway bars front and rear, and power steering.

I really don't want to spend more than $5000 on the whole project. Assuming that the truck stays mostly stock except for what I mentioned above, am I figuring about right for this project? I'm planning on doing most of the work myself, and what I can't do, having my dad do (he can work miracles with a welder). I know it won't be perfect when I'm done, but I want it to be presentable, dependable, and enjoyable.

Well, whadda you guys think?

[cableguy0]

if you plan to only spend 5 grand on it you might as well not buy the trucks at all. i guaruntee you will spend a lot more than that before you are done with it. regardless of what condition its in now. because just from looking at what you want to do the 700r4 alone is going to cost you around a grand and to get the ac up and working probably will cost close to a grand. in my opinion your budget is wayyyyy low

[724x4a/cchevy]

I agree with cableguy0, your gonna have to dish out more cash than that.

[krue]

Welcome to the board from South Mississippi!

A lot of it depends on where you are. I bought my truck about eight months ago for $800 with a daily driver 350/350th combo, the a/c needs a compressor. So for $5000 grand (if I had 5k) I could have close to what you're describing. But I think I got a better start than what you are describing for the money.

[dtlilly]

Welcome to the board.

Adjust your sig to show what market you reside in.

What shape are the two beds in? Motor problem sure could be a pos Holly. Get 'em for as little as possible, part out or scrap the rest, and you will have a good project truck.

[Vince M]

Make a list of everything you know you will need and what you want to do. Put a price next to each item. Total up all of it and then double that and that should get you a good ballpark figure of what it will cost you.

[Longhorn Man]

Well, if you and your dad can honestly do all the work yourself, then you can probably pull it off.
One place to save some money would be scrapping the 700R4 idea. It won't save you all that much fuel (in most cases) and you shouldn't tow in OD anyways.
Welcome to the board from Snowy Central Ohio.

[lukecp]

Welcome from Missouri!

Always at least double your budget for any automotive project......if you think you can do it for $5k, plan on $10k. Double the amount of time too......right now my project is about 2 years behind and twice the budgeted amount i planed for it.....but i'm working on a daily driver too.

However, you should be able to buy a pretty nice truck for $5 grand....there are a lot of nice ones on Ebay in that price range, as well as for sale here sometimes. It would be much more cost effective to spend $5k and get a truck that is already pretty nice, instead of buying a $1k truck and putting $4k into it

[Carl71]

Agree 5k will not do it. If I had it to do over again start with a nicer truck. Less work and money...... No matter how good you are the parts cost money and add up quickly Good Luck and Welcome..

[dtlilly]

Good points on spending more up front, you will have a nicer truck when you hit $10K, It's a disease, be warned

Before we know it you'll be restoring the LB truck too

You come to the right place to get your fix

[dropped_71chevy]

Here's something for ya.

The original owner of my truck put 12000 dollars in my truck. It looks like he put a maaco paint job on it and a seat cover. It's hard to build a nice truck for under 10k when you're starting out from scratch especially when you're spending 2800 for two far from finished trucks.

I'd find one good solid truck that runs and be happy with a 350 sb and 3 speed tranny. The overdrive mainly helps on the highway. Just take your time and build it over time

TT

[Palf70Step]

Welcome to the board from (at least today) cold south Mississippi. Don't know where your from but it sounds like you would be paying a lot for what you are getting. I picked mine up for $1000 and it was a decient driver until I tore it apart to restore/fix it up. I think you could do alot better for the money thean what your describing. For $5K check out the parts boards, you could probaly find a super nice one for that or less.

[Baradium]

You might be able to pull it off...

What do you mean by all the guages? Do you mean it has a tach etc too? (If yes, then I wish my truck had that).

Start thinking about how much a brand new truck would cost to be what you want, and think about much money you'll save regardless with the older one... plus it'll probobly be more reliable if you do it right.

Does the GMC not have a motor etc?

Tell him a price you are actually willing to pay for the trucks, don't worry about insulting him. If he doesn't like that idea he can say no and you can walk away. The price you are talking doesn't seem horribly bad from your description, but it could probobly be better.

Good luck with whatever you decide!

I would also consider buying an already finished truck if you have the money right now. The downside is not knowing how good of a job the other guy did. Some people like not having to do the work, but others would rather do the work and maybe even spend a little more money and know what they are getting and knowing that they are responsible for it.

[old Rusty C10]

just to give you a heads up on a project im working on which is a 1976 c10 and im not looking to build a show stopper here either
Started out with an old work truck that was worth $200 a complete rust bucked no optioned 1976 C 10 with a six cylinder 3 stick
between a whole new cab $400 for a parts truck with an excellent cab and $200 to transport it from PA, fenders $120, Bumper rear $100, bumper $100 front new bed $700, gas tank and straps $75. paint for the chassis $50 new front end $400 new reap springs $50, brakes calipers rotor s drums hardware $500, rims ( ok rallye wheels i went for that ) $125 assorted hardware $150 exhaust system $200 V8 motor $300 400 turbo trans wi converter $500 seat reupholstery $250 door panels and one new glass $300 body filler and repair stuff $250 paint for body and engine ( paint done professionally in Maaco $1250
assorted parts from dealer $375, new rug.underlay $130 and a bunch of extra crap ive bought for the project from ebay and stuff $250 we are at $6975 for this truck thus far. I did not opt for a crate motor or a good transmission at like $3000 in that and i did not opt for billet pieces or stuff like that, doin up a truuck is not cheap In retrospect i should have bought one already done for like $4000 and saved some bucks but i am doin this with my son as a project that is the only reason its worth it. My advice is dont be lookin for the cheap ways out it aint gonna happen
welcome to the board