Quote:
Originally Posted by jmon1123
Hey guys, I've used this forum lightly, but I want to start really sinking my teeth into it.
I've made a post or two regarding my orange and white '76 C10 Bonanza, but I'm having some problems sorting things out.
The way I see it, I'm a young kid in an older man's game, I'm very passionate about these old trucks, especially the chevys, but being I'm only in high school, with no assistance from anyone in terms of a budget, with a father who is no mechanic by any means, with only a driveway, and a few socket sets and wrenches at my disposal, I'm having a hard time fixing the truck how I want it. especially with my low budget of about $3,500.
I'll get off my tangent and get to the point.
There's an older guy in my neighborhood with a 1968 c20. It's a longbed stepside that was used by the washington forest service. factory inline 292, 4 speed manual, lower gearing, all that. Everything works just great, the body has very little rust and is straight as an arrow. He's offering a good price for it, and though I'd need to work up a bit more to meet his asking price, I was tempted to buy it, but I walked away because I was too attached to my '76.
That being said, My '76 has a fair amount of issues. Runs good, with the factory motor still in, body is straight with a few dings and a with its fair share of patina, a lot of issues are ones I cannot do on my own. I'd love to, but I have no space or equipment, and very little support to do it all. I also don't have the kind of money to send it to a professional.
Do I stick with mine, or should I sell her off to someone who can make it pretty, and instead buy a soft body that is in much better condition. I would post more info but I wont be in an attempted to not break the record of longest forum post of all time. If you have any more questions, I'll be looking to reply but for now, I will leave it at this.
If you read through all that, I applaud you first of all, second, thank you. Please post any opinions below. Have a great day  |
Exactly what are these 'issues' you mention?
You say you already possess a patina 76 square body w/a motor that runs good. Your description tells me you have what is needed for a good start.
Years ago, I bought this 68swb as a cheap-ish project/beater/chores truck. It had a motor like yours (it ran) & it had patina (it was original paint & never painted/repaired on). It did a fine job of getting my butt all around town. I had to update a few things for safety but w/your 76, those things are already there for you. Beyond that, it had dents @ every corner, dings on almost every panel (including a dented roof), rust, some holes (big & small), a rotted bed wood floor you could see through, & had lots of wind noise when driving around.
Your truck sounds like it's in as good as or even better condition body-wise vs what I started with. Yet.....
I drove mine everywhere for 5+years w/o issue.
The heater worked for the winter.
The manual crank windows worked for the summer.
The basic, no frills, aftermarket stereo help minimize the wind noise year 'round.
It had no power steering or power brakes.
The motor was just a 140K mile 1-belt, 1-barrel carbureted 250 cubic inch straight 6cyl w/a manual 3spd transmission & an electronic ignition upgrade (again, you already have electronic ignition on a 76). Besides driving around town, I drove it to Oklahoma, Houston (multiple times), Austin (multiple times), Amarillo, Arkansas, & 1 trip to the coast.
I'll ask again, what exactly were those issues?