Saw a 1977 Chevy C/K at a local dealership

[REDisFASTER]

Texan might have more info on this classic truck.

I was coming home from school when I spotted the sexiest truck I have EVER seen! It was a 1977 Chevy C/K! Indeed it was a project truck, it had white smoke coming out of both sides of the exhaust. I thought it had sidepipes but it only had a couple of big holes in the exhaust. The engine bay and engine itself was pretty greasy (not something 'normal' people like, but for grease monkeys, its cool. It had a 350 (5.7L for those who go by litres). It was carbureted, but it was missing an air filter, so it was just an exposed carb... Not exactly a good thing, but its the heartbeat of America. And Summit Racing should have a nice crate engine I could build up for a good price and drop in the truck.

It chassis is in 'solid' condition. Meaning, it did have some rust on the expected parts, but overall, it could still drive through a brick wall and live another day. The truck has been lifted (suspension lift, not body lift) and has aftermarket wheels and tires (rather used). Its also got an aftermarket front bumper and Hella fog lights.

The salesman was looking for $4,500 CAD as is.

IMO, its a little too much for a project car. Especially one which
probably won't last too long unless it had some major heart surgery.

I wanted to ask, what do you guys think of this truck. And please, "it looks sweet" kinda stuff. I'm talkin' real dealing-discussion.

I only snatched two pics of it with my POS 0.3 mega pixel camera phone, but you can get the general idea.

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb177/REDisFASTER/Photo0001.jpg


http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb177/REDisFASTER/Photo0002.jpg

[texan_idiot25]

How cold is it in Canada? Carbureted engine's don't compensate for the cold, so it's rather normal for them to give a bit of white smoke, since their dumping as much fuel as they would in the warmth. Air filter, just goto auto zone and pick one up, the stock ones were restrictive anyways, but pulled colder air.

How many miles on it? Leaking any oil? Starts up easy?

Hell, if it runs fine and strong with no knocks, miss-fires, or anything of the sort, it will last you plenty long. And if not, junk yard yourself another motor, again a cheap thing. Remember, I paid $750 for my engine and trans, an original small block and TH350. Just gotta watch for the deals.

Check for rust in the rocker panels, around the windshields, and the bottom of the front fenders. These trucks were more rust prone then mine. And always look for crappy wiring someone tossed in... My truck is victim to it as well.

For all the work that's on it, I'd pay around 4500 for it here in the US. A seemingly solid looking truck, with the suspension work already done, thats a deal.


Sites:
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/forumdisplay.php?f=4 < Im on this board (well, the 67-72s part), great bunch of guys. Insane amounts of content.

http://73-87.com/ < The site that had featured Xmodification's blazer when I posted it on 67-72 Chevy Trucks. Loads of content directly for your gen of trucks.

[REDisFASTER]

The body's not in bad condition. The bed has some rust, but that's expected from a truck. The only rust thing I'm concerned is the chassis. Its got some parts that need to be cut off and re-welded with a new piece of metal, but other than that, its still rock solid.

As for the smoke from the exhaust, its 10 degrees Celsius here, equivalent to 50 degrees Fahrenheit. Its also rather humid, as well. I'm walking around with a very light sweater.

As for wiring, its recently got a new distributor and plugs, and it looks like its been installed correctly and securely.

As for oil leaks, the grime from under the hood looks just like someone made a mess and never bothered to clean it up. But then again, engines and trannies are cheap if you know where to look, right?

As for rust on the body, nothing some small sheet metal can fix... Its got a very clean body. The door window openings are in great condition. The only major flaws of this truck are the dash board... Rotted away to sh!t, and the shocks... The leaf springs are fine, as well as their mounts, but the shocks look like they're dead weight. Looks like a few of the shocks might even be bent...

Overall steering alignment is spot-on, though.

[Stampedekid]

Haha RED, wish I was there. Looks nice. That camera phone doesn't take POS pictures! Pretty good pics compared to my phone. Are the wheels black? Or is that just the light? The Light....IT Burns!!!!!! Lmao.

[REDisFASTER]

Haha RED, wish I was there. Looks nice. That camera phone doesn't take POS pictures! Pretty good pics compared to my phone. Are the wheels black? Or is that just the light? The Light....IT Burns!!!!!! Lmao.

Haha, it takes better pics when there's more light. Its getting dark.

As for the wheels, they're black, while the center cap 'rim' is silvery-chrome

EDIT: As for mileage, I wasn't able to see. The dealer wouldn't let my punk-*** kid sit in the 'monster truck'...

[Spoon_Tuner]

I think thats a little expensive for something being that old. When you say project truck, what does have done to it or is it going to be your project?

I had a truck when I first started to drive, pretty similar to that one right there ( 1985 Chevy Silverado ). I liked it alot, it wasnt a hassle to work on it and I had plenty of room in the engine bay, I could practicly sit on top of the motor, those trucks are well built and can withstand alot of abuse.

If its at a dealership, get your dad to go with you up there and see if you two can get the salesperson to go down on the price.

If thats going to be your first ride, I'd buy it!

[REDisFASTER]

Well, body and chassis wise, its fine, it'll last a decade if this current condition is maintained. Longer if I the chassis rust is removed. Shouldn't be too hard, since its a truck, take the bed off, work on the chassis. Put it back on, strip the cab, take the cab and front end off, work on the chassis. Put it back, bam!

The only thing I'm concerned about is the exhaust, engine and shocks. It smells like its running VERY rich... I can smell quite a bit of gasoline, so it may be the cause of the white smoke... The engine looks greasy, but the price of a rebuilt engine shouldn't be too bad to find on Craigslist or something. As for the shocks, Canadian Tire, Van & Truck World, Summit, or Parts source should be able to fix that no problem.

My dad is good with haggling, but the guy we're haggling is Italian... I don't mean to sound stereotypical, so forgive me if I offend you, but they're just too hard to haggle with. When they found a step they like, they just don't back down on it... My dad says if he'll give it for $2,500, we'll probably take it, but that's too big of a cut from that $4,500 as is asking price...

[noturday]

its not really that old spoon tuner, and thats a decent price for a truck like that with a lift kit already installed. you really shouldnt have to worry about the engine unless you do hear knocks or backfires or whatnot, the parts around the engine fail long before the engine does. IMO it looks like a great truck and a great deal. if you're looking to buy a nice truck i think you found it

[redrkt]

OK 30 year old truck with lift kit already installed, motor runs good, not a lot of rust from what shows in the pix.
I'd give both my left n*** for it at that price. Your lucky if you can find one in WORSE shape for less than $6k now adays without a lift and probably not running.
Wish I still had my dads' '76 or even our old '69 C/10( it had a 350 4 bolt main with 4 barrel holley, 4 speed, hedman headers, and CherryBomb©® glasspacks)

[Sweed]

As for wiring, its recently got a new distributor and plugs, and it looks like its been installed correctly and securely.

Not that wiring. But the wiring that's the stereo and stuff. My CRX has crap wiring, and I have to pull the carpeting and everything to get to it. Looks good, you planning on buying it?

[REDisFASTER]

Not that wiring. But the wiring that's the stereo and stuff. My CRX has crap wiring, and I have to pull the carpeting and everything to get to it. Looks good, you planning on buying it?

Ah.. Didn't get a chance to see interior wiring... Like I said above, the salesman wouldn't let some punk-*** kid in the driver seat of this 5.7L monster...

I'd like to buy it, but I myself don't have any money. My dad says that if it can be haggled to $2,500, then we may get it, but what are the chances that $4,500 can be dropped by that much?

Do you guys have any tips on haggling this guy down?

To be honest, I'm personally fine with non-working interior stuff, as long as the gas gauge, oil temp. and speedometer are working.

[suicide_star]

actually red, $4500 isn't too bad of a deal for it...it's a task nowadays finding an old chevy like that that's not ate up with rust from the bottom up. the body looks like it's in exceptional condition for the age, around here people sell one of these bone stock with a decent body for about $6K because they're popular in the racing scene here and amongst the lowrider crowd. but gah, its already jacked up and has a strong carbed 350...looks like a pretty good deal to me

[noturday]

Ah.. Didn't get a chance to see interior wiring... Like I said above, the salesman wouldn't let some punk-*** kid in the driver seat of this 5.7L monster...

I'd like to buy it, but I myself don't have any money. My dad says that if it can be haggled to $2,500, then we may get it, but what are the chances that $4,500 can be dropped by that much?

Do you guys have any tips on haggling this guy down?

To be honest, I'm personally fine with non-working interior stuff, as long as the gas gauge, oil temp. and speedometer are working.

try "haggling" your dad up. he may not get it for 2500, but thats a starting offer. if he doesnt tke the starting offer he'll probably say well...3500 is really the lowest i can go or something like that, and then your dad would say if you'll take 3250 youve got a deal, at which point the salesman will probably say ok because he just wants to sell the truck so he makes more money.

the numbers above are just for representative purposes and do not reflect what will truely happen, but i've seen a few haggles and thats about how they all go and that's about the best representation i could give you

[texan_idiot25]

OK 30 year old truck with lift kit already installed, motor runs good, not a lot of rust from what shows in the pix.
I'd give both my left n*** for it at that price. Your lucky if you can find one in WORSE shape for less than $6k now adays without a lift and probably not running.
Wish I still had my dads' '76 or even our old '69 C/10( it had a 350 4 bolt main with 4 barrel holley, 4 speed, hedman headers, and CherryBomb©® glasspacks)
You summed it up well.

These trucks are beginning to start seeing a rise in popularity, due to the 67-72s being so **** hot right now, and their prices have raised over time.

I would only haggle on the point that you are a young student, etc etc. Because as it is, it's a helluva deal. Running decent, with a good body and a killer lift (wheels, tires too), 4500 well spent.

And I wouldn't worry much over an engine rebuild. Just give the Q-Jet Carb a good tune up by someone who knows what their doing, and it aught to sing. And, the Chevy Small block is possibly the cheapest motor to work on.

Mind you, these are the trucks folks pull out of the weeds after sitting for 10+ years, and with new oil, plugs, distributor, and a good check over, usually fire right back up. Reliability at it's best.

OH, and these were no real monsters, due to the emissions era, you have maybe 240 hp, and roughly around 330-340 ft lb of torque. I'd have to look it up to see, but they were chocked.

[REDisFASTER]

Ah, okay. Thanks for the input. I just registered at 67-72 Chevy Trucks. Will wait until my account is fully activated. I'll post this same topic there and get some owners' views on it.

Thanks for the help everyone!

These trucks are beginning to start seeing a rise in popularity, due to the 67-72s being so **** hot right now, and their prices have raised over time.

I'm worried about this one as well. I was looking into a 1990 RX-7 Turbo II about a year ago, then Tokyo Drift came up and exploded FR cars' popularity. It was selling for $3000, but now, the only ones you can get for that price have rust holes the size of your fist, naturally aspirated, auto, primer-blue color, 4-stud wheel hubs, etc.

This truck has been on the lot for about 2 or 3 months now, so I don't know how long it's going to last. Its also situated at an area with quite a lot of traffic. Fortunately, the dealership doesn't have a website, so they can't advertise this online...

[texan_idiot25]

Right on, post the link here when you get it up.

I covered as much as I knew about these gen trucks. But certainly a killer deal. 4500 for a solid stock K10, is a good deal. One that's had work like this, its even better.

It's a K if it's 4x4, C if it's 2wd ;)

And don't let the dealer initially psych you out man. You show the money, and they'll put you in the seat. lol

[123Vette]

its a nice truck but 4500 is way to high id say around 3000 would be a better deal but still try and get it its a nice truck

[snowboi1289]

its a nice truck but 4500 is way to high id say around 3000 would be a better deal but still try and get it its a nice truck

i think its the perfect price,hight,and everything,but it all depends on what motor,if it is in driveable conditions,and how many miles are on it....

love the '67-'72 trucks !!!! perfect price..

[texan_idiot25]

its a nice truck but 4500 is way to high id say around 3000 would be a better deal but still try and get it its a nice truck
But you know very, very, very little about the truck. When I say 4500 is a pretty good deal, take my word. You don't understand the costs already put into it, and the costs for a solid truck alone. Good luck trying to knock off over 1/4 of the price.

Mind you, I coulda re-sold my truck for 2 grand easy while it was minus a motor and transmission. These Chevy trucks... they have a thing known as value.

My friend bought an '85 C10 off his uncle for 2 grand. Though since he couldnt afford gas, and such at the time, went a head and sold it. And it went for around 3500. And that was only a stock long-bed C10.

www.73-87chevytrucks.com < check them out too..

[REDisFASTER]

Okay, I basically copy+pasted and edited some of my post from this thread and copied it on to 67-72: http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?p=2525052#post2525052

[123Vette]

lol i didnt really read the whole thread skimmed a lil' bit didnt see what upgrades it had