Why a 67-72 Chevy/GMC truck?

[70cst]

With all the cool cars back in the day... why did you choose a truck.
For me I was looking for a 53-54 Chevy truck like my did had back in the day when I found the “Circuit Rider” ($2300) at Mikes Salvage Yard in Celina Tn. It needed a lot of work but it was loaded with factory options such as a 404BB, AC, Buckets, Guage Package etc.
That was back in 2000 and move forward … Its all fixed up.
When I was 18 years old I wanted a SS Big Block Chevy but I could not afford one, now I’m 70 and I still can’t afford a SS Chevy BB so… I have my 402 BB Chevy Truck. Oh yes… it was made the same year I graduated for High School.
Now… lets hear your story on why you have your truck.

[cericd]

Back when I was in high school in '87 a guy had a white '71 or '72 stepside with Cragar mags and white letter tires. At the time I had a metallic brown '74 Camaro (my first car) and I remember thinking, that's a cool looking truck. I should have kept that car but I was a dumb kid and it had mechanical issues I didn't know how to fix so it got sold.

In 2012, I was in the market for a "classic" vehicle and I rememberd that truck which lead to an internet search, which lead me to this forum and my eventual search for a 67-72 swb pickup. The first one I went to see was a dark green '68 swb stepside in nice original condition with the original straight 6. Long story short, I'm still kicking myself for not picking that one up. Then I came across the truck I currently have, a med gold '70 swb in nice original condition with one exterior repaint. The guy I bought it from was the son of the original owner and he also had a light blue '60-'66 swb stepside in which I had no interest at the time. Now, I kinda wish I had bought the blue truck instead of mine because I feel like the '67-'72 trucks were the beginning of what modern trucks look like now and the pre-'67 models had more unique styling which I find more interesting.

Anyway, here's my '70 C/10. Unfortunately I don't have pics of the green '68 or the blue '60-'66 trucks.

[Keith Seymore]

We started driving trucks in 1969, for towing race cars and light hauling.

Can't beat the utility, especially when you are moving cars or engine blocks around.

I've also discovered that, since trucks are durability tested with loads (often at GVW) that if you spend most of your time driving around with no load then you are greatly overdesigned for daily use.

K

[Keith Seymore]

Plus - when you work at the assembly plant - you want every single one that you see.

K

[howzzzit]

I came home from Vietnam in 1970. Needed a car so I purchased a Pontiac GTO. Over the course of the next couple of years the GTO would experience episodes of crash rash. My future wife lived about 20 miles away and I think I could be there in 3 minutes or so. Anyway we married and I sold the GTO to my buddy and he totaled it. I wasn't really looking for a truck, but spied a 72 Cheyenne C10 in a dealers lot with very low mileage. I bought the truck and immediately felt the difference in horsepower dropping to a whopping 175. Not exactly a muscle car. Anyway I looked cool driving that hugger orange truck. I still have that truck and still look cool driving it

[body bolt]

I have a '71 FJ55 Land Cruiser Iron Pig that I did a 350/700R4 swap. This was all around 1996-97. That went well but then I wanted P/S, disc brakes on the front and I was tired of working on the TLC. I also needed something with a bed that could haul stuff so I began a search for one of these trucks. I found mine outside of Los Angeles, flew out there to get it and drove it back to Albuquerque. So I use mine as a truck. It's not pretty but it does the job. It hauls yard waste to the dump and pulls our '68 Silver Streak Sabre.

[72c20customcamper]

I have both cars and trucks

[Already Gone]

I've always liked trucks even as child, check my Avatar, and I remember seeing the 67-72's when they were new and being used and thought the big gauge cluster was cool. In 1997 /98 I spotted my first truck, Ole Pinky, at a local Car Show, and kinda really liked the truck especialy the pink & white color. In 2000 after I had worked at Chrysler dealers for 25 years , they would have fired me if I bought a Chevy while working there, I left the business. In the Summer of 2001 at a local Car Show I spotted the same pink truck with the pictured For Sale sign on the dash. Made a deal and bought it. The more I drove it after buying it the more I liked it. I found this site in 2003 and not having an interest in golf, fishing, hunting or any Sports the trucks have been a big part of my life and have really enjoyed learning about them and driving them.

[HotWheelsFan]

I wanted a truck to bring home parts for my classic car

Bob

[samkost]

Also 70 years young and this truck fell into my lap.
My 72’ was a high school graduation gift for my eldest son.
I purchased it for $1400.00 and he was head over heels excited.
Rebuilt the OE 350 engine, suspension and brakes to make it a reliable safe driver.
It wasn’t even a month that went by and he told me he selling the C10 because of fuel mileage.
What he didn’t confess to was that he wanted a coffee can exhausted import like his buddies.
My reaction to him was…like hell you are selling it.
That’s when I took possession. His loss, my gain.
Just glad it’s still in the family.
My Dad had a 1967 GMC bought new and this 72’ C10 kinda fills that sentimental truck era void.
My three sons will have to learn how to share.

[Warrens69GMC]

Sheet isn't going to move itself.....

[dave6672]

My grandfather had a 68 GMC shortbed that I rode in as a kid, and like Already Gone, I remember the big gauge cluster and large round knobs for the controls. After I got a real job, I wanted a truck for the its usefulness and I wanted a 4x4 because it looked cool (even though I really didn't need it). So I bought my K20 in 1991 and still have it, and others.

[custom10nut]

I learned to drive in my dad’s 69 GMC (6cyl/3OTT), and have always had an affinity for these Series of trucks.
In my honest opinion option, these are the finest vehicles to ever roll off the assembly line.

[dmjlambert]

My inspiration came from a vacation. My wife and daughter and I went to eat at a restaurant on the Texas coast, and in the parking lot was a hideous rusty mess of an early 70s Dodge that was pieced together from junkyard parts, every panel and door was a different color, and it used for a tailgate a 2x12 board onto which was nailed every Dodge and RAM emblem you could think of. The front bumper had vertical PVC pipes fastened to it to hold nice big surf fishing poles sticking straight up in the air, so it could be parked on the beach pointed toward the water and use the pipes to hold the fishing poles while waiting for a strike. I wanted that truck from the moment I saw it. It was so cool. I wouldn't want to change a thing on it. I would just drive it. My 69 Chevy truck I got a few years later is all one color but sufficiently rusty to satisfy me. And it is older than the Dodge by a couple years. In my opinion, a rusty old truck looks great, while most old cars need to be dent free with a shiny paint job to look good. The exception is probably the 50's station wagons, they look great with a lot of rust. I have people ask me when I am going to fix up my truck, and I tell them it is fixed up. Makes me smile.

[Rich72C10]

Interesting conversation starter.

First off, I'm technically a Ford guy. It isn't that I ever hated Chevy (like my neighbor hates Fords) but my granddad was a Ford guy and so was my Dad. My Dad got a 1930 Ford Model A Coupe for his 1st car and drove it work until he didn't work anymore and ended up giving it to my brother when he really couldn't keep up with it because of his age. So, I have been around old cars my whole life - even had a few as a kid (clunkers because that is what I could afford). My parents NEVER bought a new car. Not even a new-ish new car. More often then not, the cars he bought didn't run or run right - so he would fix them. Another thing to note, if someone had something out on the curb for trash - he'd pick it up and more often than not, fix it. As soon as I could buy a brand new car, that is what I did and keep doing - horrid cycle to be honest. I am pretty sure my Dad had the better idea (RIP and miss you)!

Fast forward to around Feb 2017 and I bought what I though was going to be my forever car, a 2018 Mustang GT Convertible that had just about all the options you could get in my favorite Orange color. But that only lasted until fall of 2019 when I decided I wanted a classic - something I could work on and have fun doing it. Also, never having a truck (which is odd for a Texan) I really wanted a old Truck. So I drove my Mustang GT to Carmax sold it and took a Uber home. Why take a Uber? Because anyone I would have asked to help me would have likely talked me out of my plan and or put me into a nut house. I told NO one for weeks!

Then I just started shopping around online, wondering what I really wanted. Up pops up the 72 C10 on Craigslist around April of 2020 and been in love with her ever since! One could say I have done a few things to her since I brought her home - hopefully people feel for the better!

I feel closer to my Dad and also further apart at the same time because I can't share with him about the truck. Oh, 90% of the Craftsman tools I use to work on my truck, were my Dad's tools (and some even my Grandfathers). Which was how my brother got the Model A at the beginning of this story, I agreed he could have the car but all of Dad's tools go to me. I think I got the better deal to be honest (though he does just has Snap-On stop by his shop when ever he needs something) ;-)

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[mr.mud1]

well just about like everyone else,this has been a life-long affliction for me.i don't ever remember not being nuts about anything on wheels,from 2 up to 18.i spent most of about 40 years trucking,a run of 20 years with Harley's(and old cars) a long stretch at drag racing,from a E/SA Dodge Dart,a SS/IA Camaro then a 240 inch rear engine big block Chevy A/ED S&W Dragster.probably still paying for it but i don't care.a used 2013 Mustang GT after i sold the last Harley,then a new one in 2016 that we still have,one constant has been these trucks.i've probably had 20 67-72 trucks over the years,but went without one for a number of years til i bought the one i have now,about 3 years ago.i did have and wish i had a picture but don't,a 72 C-30 ramp truck that a local drag racer built into a car hauler,old school,stretched the frame,built the ramp body with a bunk,350 with a truck 4 speed,no power steering.it was as long as a rainy Sunday.run like a champ,i was hauling cars and trucks home from the south,one summer,we made 13 trips back and forth.wish i still had it or at least a picture?my dad was in the bakery business and we got transferred around alot.he was involved for a while with a bunch of guys he worked with at a big commercial bakery in Toronto,Ontario in an old stock car.nothing fancy and they raced at local tracks and i remember him racing at the old CNE in Toronto when there was a track around a football field i think it was?anyway i blame him.he was always tinkering with something so i guess that did it for me.i remember living in Windsor,Ontario and we'd go over to Detroit where they raced go-karts,some of those things flew with 2 engines?then living in Montreal,we'd go to the drags at Napierville,Dragway.i still have a schedule from 1971,Napierville Dragway.so cool.i have a personalized plate on my 67 Impala wagon that says "THX DAD".people ask me all the time if he gave me the car?he didn't but he was with me in Blueridge,GA in 1999 when we pulled from a field where it had been for 10 years,worked on it for 2 days,bought a 66 Chevy truck and took all the sheetmetal off,loaded it on a little trailer and drove the car home.i learned alot from him and not just about cars and trucks.i learned that a man's word means something,how to work and that good enough is never good enough.THX DAD.have always loved the 67-72 trucks and am fortunate now to have the best one i've ever found.everyone loves the trucks and has memories about mundane stuff,going camping or fishing with your dad,hauling trash,hunting,whatever.a pleasure to drive and own,never get tired of talking about them or cars,the thumbs up as you drive.all the great folks you meet.it's all good

[67 twins]

Because its difficult to load firewood into a car.

[Richard]

I grew up in an area with snow where a 4wd made life easier. 4wd's were trucks. Dad's first truck was a 67 Chev when we were in So Cal. Moving north in 72 he purchased the 72 k10 4wd. What I grew up with. My first vehicle at 16 was a 72 Chev K20 that I had to fix and get running. Had an 85 K10 for a while, then the 94. Missed the K trucks and purchased my current 72 k10 swb in 98. I am always working on projects and need a truck all the time. Have the 72, 94 and my 2000 with a service bed and rack now.

[weasel29gm]

My dad always had a truck,never had a Ford but did own a Dodge. So Chevy was instilled in me. In '69 a uncle bought a new lwb for the farm he taught me how to drive in the hay field, fell in love with our years models. A '72 lwb ochre and white was my first drove on our honeymoon in '83, bought the swb in '86, in fact around this time don't remember the date. After 37 years the one thing I have had longer is the wife so both are keepers!!

[Palf70Step]

Was not much into trucks most of my life. They were just utility, and I wanted speed. Many years later and after finally having a truck for a vehicle (little Ranger) I realized I liked them. So I started looking for a "toy" vehicle again to tinker with. I was looking at early F1s, F100s, and the 47-54 style Chevys. Member of our church presented his dad's 70 C10 short stepside. I could afford it, fit into it comfortably (which turns out I didn't in the 47-54). Anyways, it started my love of the years. Joined here for ideas and help, and met my friend EdB, where I eventually got my current 70 long bed from when he passed.

[yuccales]

I blame this guy.

https://youtu.be/04cwo850t3o

[special-K]

It's a long story. But first of all I wasn't looking for a car. I had cool cars and trucks. Cars are cool and a truck I need. As a 12 year old I fell in love with the look of the '67 when it came out. I was not specifically a Chevy man, I loved all the cool vehicles up through '67 as a kid, and trucks through '72. Although I started with a '72 C/10 in '73, then a '71 C/20 for my first trucks, I went to a '47 Studebaker, '48 Dodge, '61 Champ, and a '69 Power Wagon after that. I decided I needed something with better parts availability as I got more serious about my carpentry career. I needed something I could run down the hiway to where the money was that was reliable, could cruise hiway speeds, and have the best parts availability. '72 was as modern as a truck had gotten in '82 and I needed a 4wd, so I bought a '71 K/20. It satisfied my desire to run classic vehicles and was as modern as needed. I also had at the time a '55 1st design, not so hiway ready. That's when it started and it hasn't stopped yet. 41 years of K/20-K2500 ownership with other 67-72 models sprinkled in. I can't imagine life with out at least two

[1970cstblazer]

My 70 Blazer was gifted to me in 1987, and I drove it for 8 years. My father ordered it and purchased new in March 1970. Then it became really rusty, and I parked it from 1998-until current.

I just like the styling, and the thing was rock solid dependable. It is so easy to find parts and to work on. I bought my 1972 402 Cheyenne Super in 2006 because of my experience with the Blazer. I am currently addressing the cancer with a full body off resto. Eventually, it will be better than at any point during my ownership.

[70c10-08]

Okay, so the real reason why I own a 1970 Chevrolet C/10 and, not a Chevrolet from the 40s or, a squarebody or, a GMT 400. Actually started when I was in Middle School we had this thing we had to do for Middle School where we had to try to sell as many magazines as we could and we got something if we sold the most. In the catalog of different magazines to choose from one of them was a magazine called Classic Trucks if anyone remembers that publication. My parents agreed to let me choose a couple of magazines to be sent to my address monthly for me to read one was Car and Driver and, the other was Classic Trucks.

As the months and years went by issue after issue of that magazine was delivered to the my parents P. O. Box and in almost every other issue was some kind of 67-72 Chevrolet C/10 quite a few of them during this period were owned by a guy who was called the C10 King in California. Plus, they had tons of ads in the magazines as well where you could get lowering kits or, kits to convert your non AC truck to have air or, how to convert your 6 bolt C10 to a 5 bolt C10.

This was around 2004 through 2008 and at this time nobody was really interested in the square body trucks as they were seen as old tired pickups that you almost couldn't give away at least in Nebraska. Most of the classic truck groups have not recognized that series of trucks yet. I always thought it would be cool to build a truck of my own worthy enough to not only be featured within the pages of said magazine but, be on the cover as well. I knew I wanted something different than what everybody was doing with the EFI or HEI ignition or, a slick black 67 C10 shorty with power steering, tilt wheel, AC, polished stained hard oak wood bed and red, interior with Buddy buckets.

Since I grew up in base model trucks equipped without air, sometimes not even a radio, or power steering I was pretty sure I wanted to restore a truck back to the way most trucks were found back then except, where it came to the drivetrain. I wanted an old truck to restore and have fun with but, I wanted one that needed a little bit of everything and, one that was already recognized by most of the car groups at the time like Goodguys and the like.

Why not go with a 67-72 Chevy truck? You could get them without power steering or, tilt wheel, you could get them without air, most of the interior was still made out of steel. The gas tank was inside the cab right behind you, some (67 only C10-30) had a small rear window. And kind of the last of the real trucks before they came more car-like. Plus, the 67-72 Chevrolet and GMC pickups are relatively cheaper to restore then let's say a true real deal COPO Camaro or, a 1971 Plymouth Hemi Cuda that was a Hemi Cuda from day one. And you can work with a truck, put bricks or, dirt or, whatever you want in the bed you can't really do that with a car.

[don t. - 72gmc]

I've always been a GM guy. 1st new truck was a '89 S15. Drove the tires off it. Moved to the country, needed to step up to something bigger. Dad had a 69 Chevy, 350-4 speed. We found a 72 GMC farm truck for cheap. Drove it until it was no longer safe. Found my 70 GMC, was gonna be a farm truck. My Pontiac daily driver died, bought a 07 GMC Sierra as a DD and farm truck. Wife & I decide we'd save the 70. Just got the 70 back on the road. Giddy as a skool girl.