Know the history of your truck ?

[ho70]

The original owner of my truck bought it at his hometown dealer in Moorhead MN. He drove it for fishing and camping only (100K original miles). He was not using it so he sold it to a guy in Fargo. He was going to restore it, but got transferred out of state, so I saw it on craigslist, drove to the good ol USA and brought it home to Canada

[In The Ten Ring]

Originally Posted by boraxman

I know im the 3rd owner but that's about it/

Make your own history with it.

[Elliot949]

[QUOTE=dads longhorn;7561417]Yes I do. Dad bought it new in Massachusetts after retiring from the Air Force. A year later the family moved to Pocatello Idaho where it lived 37 years. It was used as designed and carried a slide in camper, pulled a boat and did odd jobs at the house. In 2008 he passed away and I inherited it. I drove it to New Mexico and am taking good care of it. I hope to keep it in the family forever.[/QUOTE

Great story. .. very similar to my own story, Slide in camper, boat and all... the big difference 8s mine was stolen, stripped and recovered...]

[Orange Crate]

I might have posted this story before. I bought my K20 in Oct of 95 in Billings Montana when I saw it sitting at a dealer lot (I was driving a 69 copper K10 at the time). I stopped to look at the SPID and couldn't let it sit there any longer (Custom Camper). When I went to finally pick it up a few days later I noticed a guy following behind me. I made a couple of turns but the guy was still there, so I decided to pull over (maybe not the best decision). I got out and walked back to ask what the problem was and the guy said I had just bought his Uncles old truck!. His Dad and his Uncle both bought new K20s in 72 and they drove them to Alaska to go hunting. The guy had been driving past the dealer lot every couple of days looking to see if the truck was still there, he happened to catch me driving it off the lot. So fast forward to today and I am still in a 5 year frame off rebuild with all body work done, painted, engine rebuild, new front D60 new 14BFF rear gears with locker, custom fuel injection.....I might have missed something.

[jeffahart]

I bought my truck from the original owner back in the mid 80s when I got out of the Army. The owner lived in Granada Hills and Drove it to Simi Valley to work. He worked at a place that made ceramic planters and pots. He had a camper. The truck was in the high 60K mileage.

I drove the truck while I worked as a mason and attended college In the 80s. I went to college on VEAP(veterans educational assistance program) as there was no GI bill in that era.

In 1990 right before I graduated I fried a spindle in the front and did not have the time to deal with it. I was starting a corporate job and needed a reliable vehicle quick. For those that don't remember, the economy here in Southern Calif. was very bad in 1990. We lost a lot of aerospace jobs and people were losing houses in droves. So, there was absolutely no work in construction at that time, and I was lucky to land a good corporate gig.

My best friend and mason I worked for bought the truck from me for $1,500. He cut the front fenders put mudders on it and gave it a good beating for a couple years. It sat for a bit.

He later sold to his friend he did a lot of work for that owned a chain of Mexican restaurants; and also had an avocado farm around San Diego County somewhere. The truck became a farmer for many years and was worked and used.

My friend the mason bought the truck back somewhere around 2005 I think. He was going to fix it up. He got busy or whatever and registered it non-op. It sat for 5 years at his equipment yard gathering leaves and dirt.

I was talking with him on the phone one day about 4 years ago and I mentioned he should be on the lookout for a late 40s ford pickup. I was in the market for one. He told me he had a 70 Chevy I could have. I asked why he was giving it away, and he should call a wrecker to haul off his garbage! He then told me it was my old 4x4 from the 80s. Then he told me the story of what became of it after I sold it to him.

He offered the truck for free If I wanted. I told he no, I would pay. He said OK, $1,500 that's what he paid me for it. I said I will look fair market and let him know. I called him back and said $4,500 was fair. He said NO!, quote "I don't want you calling me every five minutes *****ing about what's wrong with it. I told him I didn't to here his **** about how cheap he gave me the truck and what a great deal he gave me. In fact, I told him I was inclined to give him $5,500 so he would shut his face!

We agreed on $2,500. And that's how I'm 2nd and 6th owner. My friend and I both owned it twice! I think I'll give him a ring, and go have a beer... is it noon yet?

Here's the truck after I bought in mid 80s.

[Coley]

Mine was bought new in California by a German guy, middle aged at the time. He didn't use the truck for work, mostly personal and/or recreational purposes and the light duty life was pretty evident on the truck and in its condition. It had a small cap on the back for most of its life and the tailgate had been stored in the garage. The (steel) bed of the truck had very little use and the old guy had always had a piece of carpet or something in there to protect it....thankfully.....so very little 'load rash' at all in the bed....just the odd minor scratch here and there.
Flash forward to the mid 2000's, the German fellow was quite elderly now had been moved into a nursing home with his family inheriting the truck at some point. However, they were in their '50's and busy with their families so it was not seeing much usage and there was decreasing interest in what this truck was about.
Regardless...a local classic car buff who knew about this truck had been watching it for years knowing the old guy didn't use it much and didn't work it hard. So he approached the family to sell it to him and they did.
He then resold it to me shortly thereafter.....no worries, good deal all around.
Without a doubt the truck was well looked after and was in very good original condition. I have had to do very little to it in order to have it as a great daily driver (6 months of the year).
The only thing substantial I've had to do is to replace a valve spring that broke...which was easier than I thought. Everything else has been more maintenance based or minor upgrades as time passes.
Its a '72 Highlander built out of Fremont, nicely optioned with a/c-tilt, etc...
More than anything tho'....is that it is a really good truck. Its not unreliable or problematic...it starts, drives and brakes very well...pretty much everything works in it...I'm very happy with it.

All good
Coley

[westong]

I bought mine from a local classified add here in the little town I live in Oregon. I later found out thru my uncle that a friend of his was the owner. Coincidence or not...I was loading it on my trailer to take down to my cousins to start working on it and a guy drives by and then backs up and asks if he can come onto my property to look at the truck. He informs me he is the local owner of the truck, he said he was working in the oil fields in Texas and a salesman for a product they used would drive out and deliver parts in the truck an SD he always would ask him if he would sale it each time he say it. The guy sold it to him in 75 with 20,000 miles on it. The truck is a 72 gmc k10 Sierra and fairly loaded. It has tilt,tach,bucket seats,wood floor,ac,3.73 gears and tow hooks and factory black in and out. It had the GM 8track player and cb in it that I sold for more than I payed for the truck. The dude was cool and pointed out all the dents and scratches from elk,deer and duck hunting. It was great talking to him and he is bringing me some pictures. The really cool thing about it is his brother had a 1970 Chevy k10 since the 70s and when he found out I liked these old trucks he offered to sale me his truck. Well both of the brothers trucks are now back together on my property. My son bought the 70 and is in the process of getting it running good....I guess the moon and stars were on our side in this adventure...

[Ekliptix]

I wish. I bought mine from a classic car dealer who told me the daughter of the owner sold it to them after her dad (the owner) passed away. I requested to talk with the daughter after I bought the truck to ask if she had any paper work/history on the truck. The dealer told me they'd contact her on my behalf but told me she didn't answer the phone when they tried. That was the end of their help, so I have no history.

[WorkinLonghorn]

I bought my latest '69 GMC from the estate of the original owner who committed suicide and left this truck with the original camper on it. A nephew parked it on the lawn with a for sale sign. I got it for $600 needing just a fuel pump, in near mint condition in 1996 (80s restoration I believe).
I sold the camper for $300 to a neighbor who needed an office in his garage, so the truck was basically $300. It was only used for fishing trips to a nearby lake and only had 90K miles with the original engine working fine (since replaced).

Unfortunately I had to commit it to a life of hard labor after I wrecked my '69 1500 soon after the purchase and it is not "mint" any more! -BA

[Malo83]

I'm the original owner of my Silverado, bought it new at Merle Stone Chevrolet in Tulare,Ca. on June 1983, was in the NAVY at the time, still had to have my Mom co-sign for me

[70gmcjimmy]

These are great stories of how these trucks can be family members! Keep them coming!

My Mom bought a '70 K5 Jimmy in 1971 and she drove it until 2001 with me doing most of her maintenance on it. I got my first learners permit drivers license in it in late 1971. In 1972 it became our only possession when a flash flood destroyed our house and took 238 people's lives. She gave it to me in '01 and I drove it now and then until 2005 when I tore it apart to rebuild. Still working on it with a possibility of it running this summer.

Our '72 C2500 we bought in 1979 so before that I have no knowledge of it's history. It has been used as a workhorse, a business vehicle, scaffolding , pleasure trips, chores and just a basic daily driver through the years.

It does bother me some that we don't know any history of our '55 GMC but we are making some with it ourselves!

DAC

[Already Gone]

I have the history for mine and actually tracked down the original owners son in Washington State about 6 weeks ago. My truck was sold new from Bonecutter-Hill Chevrolet on July 5th/1972 to Lee & Opal Buck from Smith Centre, Kansas. Mr. Buck had a cap and the hideous rear bumper installed that was still on the truck when I bought it in 2014. A you can see by the spid I find the truck was ordered with a different (weird ) combo of options. Mr. Bucks son Bob acquired the truck in 1987 and it went to Washington State. When talking with Bob Buck on the phone he told the truck was always garaged from new and while he owned it he had a lot of people offer to buy it but he said he wouldn't sell it to them because most everyone that wanted to buy it told him they were gonna lower it etc. and he didn't want that to happen to the truck. I asked Bob if his Dad had special ordered the truck new and he said no and Dad hated the seat (Avocado Highlander Plaid) and when the truck was new went and bought a seat cover so the seat was covered up for many years. Bob Buck sold it to Joey Vought in 2011 and it was transported by truck form Washington to Windom Minnesota. I did talk with Joey as well but he didn't say much. Kyle Fergen acquired the truck from Joey in early 2014 and I picked it up in Brookings South Dakota on November 1/2014 and drove it home 875 miles that day.

Bob sent me the picture ( its from a snapshot ) of the truck just after it was purchased in July 1972 which shows the cap and rear bumper. Bob also said he really appreciated me getting hold of him because he and his siblings were emailing and calling each other because after he mentioned the truck it brought back a lot of family memories. I told him this truck will be in my Estate ( but I said that about the pink one too ) and well looked after while i own it. As you can see by the pics I made some cosmetic changes which to me seriously enhance the appearance of the truck.

[Already Gone]

bump

[Ken B]

I'm the second owner of my truck. The original owner bought it because he owned a small family roofing business. He ordered a Longhorn with 4 speed because he'd be able to fit more in it and haul more. He wanted it in Hugger orange because his friend had a Camaro in the same color. He told me the truck got parked in his garage EVERY night because he didn't want his tools in the back to be stolen. He told me he parked the truck in the garage in Early November every yr. and it never came out until spring. He told me around the year 2002 he got home one day all caught up in jobs and spur of the moment decided to retire. The truck sat in his garage for 14 yrs. till I came along. I have all original paper work including Protecto plate. He also told me he never allowed anyone to drive his truck, not even his son! 88,000 original miles, never painted or wrecked. I live in CT. If this were truck was driven in winter it would probably not be here. Zero rust on it.. The owner was very concerned about my plans for his truck. One of his first questions was am I going to use it for work and am I going to drive it in the winter. I told him a little fire wood hauling and boat hauling to the lake on the weekend but never drive in the winter. He was very pleased with my answer.

[hounddogs!]

Somehow, this would up being a long-winded history lesson. Proceed at your own risk.

I know where my truck has been for >90% of its life. St. Louis build, then by 1971 it had made its way to south central Kansas. My grandfather bought it off the Holstein lot in Newton. It went to work on his farm, and I think was also the RV and boat puller for a few years. By 1977, he had a new 3/4T GMC that carried a slide in camper and did the vacation duties. My '68 was relegated to farm duty and trips to the elevator during wheat harvest.

To keep wheat from leaking out, Grandpa had screwed a carpet strip to the bottom of the tailgate, covering the seam where the gate meets the bed floor. There were also shop rags plugging the drain holes at the front of the bed. He mentioned hauling 95 (!!) bushels of wheat one year and I asked why he wasn't using the big grain truck ('66 or so 2.5T Ford with a 427) for that. Ever the pragmatist, he said "The pickup just runs so much better, I'd rather use it."

A couple more wheat harvest memories:
As a little kid, it was a big deal to get to go the elevator with a load of wheat. Since the pickup didn't have a dump bed, you drove onto a cradle and lifted the whole front end of the truck to empty it. I still remember being fascinated at seeing the front bumper higher than my head. I asked to stay in the cab while they dumped, but didn't ever get to.
For now, the truck still carries a scar from another harvest. My cousin and his friends were at the age where they started their driving practice in the field. One of the friends dumped the clutch and ran under the back of a grain truck. There's a 2' long scrape on the hood that I've been looking at for years.

I have very early memories of going out to the roundtop barn and sitting in this truck. The key was always in the ignition with a big crocheted key fob that my grandmother had made. By the early 90's grandma was gone and grandpa wasn't doing well, so he moved off the farm. My dad eventually took the truck out of the estate and it went to me almost immediately. I've had it since January of '94.

My boys have both driven it, becoming generation #4 in the family to do so. My youngest son is working with me on it and looking forward to his license in a couple of years.

[JPsChevy]

I bought my 68 a little over a year ago from a guy who was clearly just flipping it after getting it back to Iowa. (I didn't care I liked it)
Last month I had a member tell me he'd seen it on stovebolt awhile back.
I did some digging and found the write up from the previous owner, the article tells the history of my pickup.
It was very cool to be able to find it all out, still trying to reach the PO.

http://www.stovebolt.com/gallery/ree...ty%201968.html

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by Keith Seymore

Mine's a squarebody, but you can read about it here:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=342926

K

Originally Posted by 70gmcjimmy

These are great stories of how these trucks can be family members! Keep them coming!

I linked the long version; I can share the short version here:

I ordered my truck in the fall of 1986 so that I would have something to drive. I followed the build down the assembly line and drove it to the shipping building myself.

It was my daily driver for about four years until I was promoted and received a full time company car. I sold it to my Father-in-law at that point (autumn of 1991).

He drove it daily for 18 years until his passing. The family asked if I wanted it back at that point, so I flew out, drove it home from Montana and restored it cosmetically over the summer of 2009.

I drove it daily again until last November, when I retired the truck and sold it to my brother in law (my F-i-L's son, in case that is not obvious). It even sat in my barn until this spring so it is not far away.

I have actually made more money selling this truck (and re-selling this truck) to my in laws than I paid for it new.



K

[Ken B]

Originally Posted by JPsChevy

I bought my 68 a little over a year ago from a guy who was clearly just flipping it after getting it back to Iowa. (I didn't care I liked it)
Last month I had a member tell me he'd seen it on stovebolt awhile back.
I did some digging and found the write up from the previous owner, the article tells the history of my pickup.
It was very cool to be able to find it all out, still trying to reach the PO.
Attachment 1524932
http://www.stovebolt.com/gallery/ree...ty%201968.html

I read the write up on your truck, awesome story, awesome truck!

[TwistedCycles]

I got my '69 LB from the original owner who parked it under an oak tree in 1993 when he bought a new truck. I purchased it 20 years later.

Butch.

[Gator70]

My Grandad bought the truck new off the lot. Still has the dealer sticker on the fender. He used it as a truck, had slip tanks added into the back and cut holes through the box sides to put in the filler necks. Put a snow plow on the front, pounded down the inner fender liner to accommodate the hyd pump. Mounted a winch and plate in the box to pull his quad into the box. Many misc "fixes" that i have unfixed. I think if i added up the length of hay wire that i pulled out, it would stretch a mile, lol. 68000 miles on the truck, he could no longer drive and I worked a deal with him 10 years ago to buy it. I have put less than 3000 miles on it since the purchase. the front drum brakes are awful to stop a truck this heavy. The truck is the same age as me, which is an added attachment. Already my daughter is creating memories in the truck with me. I sent away the Vintage Vehicle Services in Oshawa and obtained the spec sheet for it. I hope to have it in acceptable condition for my daughters graduation( Gives me 12 years to tinker)

[scooterpimp]

My 71 spent the lat 20 years sitting between a trailer & a pine tree in southern Delaware , i can still hear the banjos playing in my head! Lol.

[tk1251k]

I bought my 1972 GMC Sierra Grande in 1981 from the original owner in the town I live in. I was shopping for a Ford f150 and a friend told me about this truck. It had 72,000 miles on it when I bought it and now has 386,000 miles and the engine is totally the same as when I bought it. I had the heads worked at 275,000 but that is it . I plan on keeping it as it is with the original paint but fading somewhat.

[davem815]

The green ’70 GMC C2500 we purchased last year, I know nothing about it. We purchased it because it was a running/driving truck that my son (MrfourEyes), wife, and I could work on while we drove it and keep my son’s interest. I drove it 2 hours home. The kid I bought it from claimed 34K original miles, but I know from the smooth surfaces on the steering wheel and pedals it’s either 134k or 234k. The title says “Actual” on mileage, but it means odometer actual reading, not the total miles.

My red ’71 Chevy C20, I know almost every bit of the history. Dad bought it in 1974 from his bother-in-law’s brother. My uncle bought a sister truck. It came from a door and window installation company, NU Ray Products, in Elkhart, IN, and was sold by Gate Chevrolet in Elkhart (still in business in a different location). I have the Protecto-Plate and owner manual. I recently found and retrieved a majority of one of the original side boards with the company name, address and phone no. on it. It was built into the back wall of a shed at my mom’s. My dad daily drove it until around 1986. I swapped an engine into it for him, but it never got the final tune up (because I returned to college in the fall) and was never driven regularly again, other than moved around the barn yard. My dad passed away in 1987. About a year and a half ago, I had my mom remove my dad from the title and add me, maintaining the original 11/22/1974 title date. It is really rusty and has 240k miles. I would really like to get it drivable sometime.

Like Hounddogs!, I remember dad hauling corn to the elevator in it. He used burlap bags at the tailgate and I remember getting to “ride” the truck up the dump hoist! Dad put a cap on it and built a bed across the wheel wells, we took it on a family vacation to the Smokey Mountains. Mom and Dad would sleep on the bed, and 2 of us kids would sleep on the truck floor with our legs under the bed. The third lucky one got to sleep in the cab. All five of us would ride in the cab! I learned to drive a manual in it. Once you master a 3OTT, you could drive anything.

[iriereggaeman]

We purchased our 72 Suburban a few months ago. I'd like to know some history about where she has lived. I found a receipt under the seat from Ft Lauderdale. Before I purchased it in Daytona Beach, I believe it it was in Pennsylvania. Is there a way to find the history from the VIN? The DMV site expects 17 characters for cars newer than 1981. http://www.dmv.org/vehicle-history/older-vehicles.php

Any suggestions?

[garyd1961]

WOW, I just figured out where my truck originally came from.
I first saw it sitting behind a building about a mile up the road about 20+ years ago. It sat there for about 10 years then the guy died with a heart attack. The next year it went through a couple local guys until I got it.
All I knew about the original owner was he kept a walk in camper on the back and used the truck for an RV. I was told he never took the camper off. Until I saw this thread I never gave it much thought but now I remember seeing a truck like this with a camper on the back sitting under a special built shed with the center section raised so the camper would fit under it, that was about 35 to 40 years ago.
It was only about 4 miles from here and one of my friends lived right across the road from it. The guy never took the camper off the truck, it stayed on year round. That truck with the camper disappeared about the time this one showed up behind the building.
I'm not 100% sure it's the same truck but I would bet money on it. I'll go see my friend who lives across the road from where it use to sit and ask him. He would know because he use to always say as we rode by he wanted that truck.