The state of our hobby .. 67-72 Chevy and GMC

[CG]

So I didn't really watch the auction coverage, but I did watch the results that were posted here on the board. I appreciate all you guys that took the time to post.

Honestly it made me rethink whether I wanted to play with these trucks anymore. And that's all I do, just play. Its not too expensive, its fun to dig up parts, and its fun to trade back and forth. I pretty much don't care if I ever get anything perfected and on the road ... I just want to have fun playing with trucks.

I was big in to the tri-fives back in the day, and then they got ridiculous. I was a muscle car guy, and then the got ridiculous. Collectors and auction houses somehow ended up in the fray. Heck during the gas "crisis" you couldn't give stuff away that today brings hundreds of thousands. If you read Hemmings back in the day the ads for the auctions were pretty much all Duisenberg's and foreign sporty cars. An occasional 60/70 era muscle car if it was beyond rare. Today its rare to see the old classic, but you see a ton of muscle cars and stuff that used to be the place we could all play.

Now our simple and fun trucks are being targeted by the collectors and auctions houses to make money.

I was talking to a non board member buddy today about this and told him Im considering putting away enough stuff to build a shorty 71/72 (and liquidate the rest). Id spread open a tarp and roll it on. stack everything I have in the bed and the roll the tarp over it all. Couple rolls of duct tape later it can sit. Maybe my grandkids would want to pull it out someday. My buddy said, don't bother, they wont want it ... Sad, but probably true.

Am I the only one that was disappointed?

[Chevyland]

I go to the auctions and post up what I see.
To me it is not reality.
It’s like Facebook or a reality show.
It just so happens that 67-72 trucks are hot right now.
Just like anything else that is collected, prices go up with demand.

There still are good deals out there, just not as many as there used to be
Most of the trucks have been bought up.

The next collectibles will be 90’s rice burners
I won’t be playing along

I LIKE 67-72 CHEVY TRUCKS
And
That won’t change
Just because everyone else does too

Edit
If you want to sell all your parts,
Now is probably a good time to get top dollar

[CG]

Oh I still love the tri fives and the muscle cars, I just have to do it from afar.

[Steeveedee]

'taint a hobby for me, really. I just use the thing to pull our travel trailer and get supplies from the BORG. I'm really happy that I got it for free, given what I've spent and still have to spend to keep it going. But it's still a ton cheaper that buying a new truck!

[Myoldtruck]

Its funny your talking about tri5's. Im working in the same neighborhood I always have and I seen this sitting in the yard. 57 150. swivvel bucket seats front and rear, shag carpet. True 70's hot rod. No price on it, my wife would kill me if I broght another stray cat home again.

[CG]

When I was in my early 20s (early 80's) there was a house maybe a mile or so away. Right next to the house (just like that 150 you posted) sat a 57 Bel Air two door hard top. Someone shoehorned a 409 in it. One day my buddy finally coaxed me to go ask about it. There was no for sale sign. We knocked on the door. Would you want to sell that 57? I got it for 200 bucks, and it was a very decent car. Non driving because the swap was never finished. I bet they want at least five grand for that 150. Id love to have it myself, Ive never had a two door post 57. So please go ask them and if they will take 200 bucks for it, please shoot me a PM if they say yes

[Canuckvetter]

When I was 7 my cousin at 21 bought a brand new 67 Marlboro Maroon corvette coupe 327-300 hp. That was the 1st time I had ever seen a corvette yet alone ridden in one. I was hooked. My uncle always had more money than my dad so not one in my future from my parents. In high school I had a 68 lwb GMC 910, but still wanted a corvette. In the early 80’s I bought a house, got married, got pregnant and started a business. By 1985 I was able to afford my 1st corvette. For $14,300.00 I got a 1966 Milano Maroon 327-350hp mostly original roadster I loved that car the hobby and the people that fixed up the old cars. By the mid 90’s the same car was getting $40K+. Just getting too expensive for me to enjoy. Started worrying about driving it or scratching it. Sold it and bought a Chevelle project which I lost my shirt on. Mostly because I thought if I restored it with the prices that BJ was getting I would do well. Wrong! Reality check. All it takes is a couple of guys with deep pocket and a few drinks to run the price up to stupidville. I went back to the 67 trucks in 2014 solely for the love of the hobby. Waited and chose the right truck ( thanks Coley) and now enjoy learning and trading and selling parts. Too soon old too late smart.

I hope that the prices don’t get crazy because it’s too much fun playing. Once the bulk of my generation has come and gone the few that still enjoy this hobby will be able to buy up nice trucks and parts off the estates because by then the hobby will have run its coarse.

My advice for what it’s worth, enjoy what you have. Enjoy the friend you have made.

[Dieselwrencher]

I think it's good. It drives the price of my stuff up but then again it is darn hard to buy a good project these days. You really have to be on it. I think anything older than 72 is bringing 40% or more the last couple of years. It's crazy how much parts cars/and trucks are bringing now.

[leddzepp]

I don’t know why people get all worked up over Barrett Jackson. Unless you are selling your truck there you will NEVER see that kind of money. eBay, Craigslist, bring a trailer, swap meets, etc. are worlds apart.

After seeing pics of some of the trucks that have sold, and what they sold for, I think PT Barnum was right.

[jocko]

Originally Posted by Chevyland

There still are good deals out there, just not as many as there used to be

Well said Eric. All one has to do is look to the site's CL thread to see there are good deals.

One thing I've noticed is that while there are very few BJ trucks that I drool over (that white Sierra Grande excepted...) there are plenty of trucks on this site that I do. Some of the most primo examples of the 67-72 era live right here on this board. Of course not everyone has a show truck (I don't) but I'd rather drive a beater and talk to you guys about which weatherstripping happens to fit right than hang out with the cool guy that owns a $125K K10 SWB truck if he never turns a wrench. (he might, who knows) Anyway, there you go.

[special-K]

Let the world do it's thing. I like these trucks because these trucks are what I like.

I don't consider these trucks a hobby or a 'lifestyle'. They are a part of my lifestyle... intertwined with my life. Enjoying these trucks is enjoying life for me. They are a necessary thing in my life that I take pride in and get pleasure from.

[CG]

I'm not worked up over Barret Jackson, I'm just sad that our trucks have the attention of the people PT Barnum speaks about. Those trucks aren't worth anything close to what those people paid ... But oh yes they are, doesn't everyone say they are worth what someone will pay? Isn't that the standard now when someone posts a sincere WIW post looking for a little help. Well Joe its worth whatever someone will pay, I hope that helps you out.

Bah, deleted the rest of my ramblings. It either bothers you or it doesn't. Ive decided I don't care anymore.

[OldCreek]

A decade ago I started to get into the classic Corvette world...then I realized I much preferred this crowd!

Hopefully, this crowd doesn't start changing....

[leddzepp]

It is worth what someone is willing to pay for it, plain and simple. If you want top dollar, sell at BJ. Otherwise you will need to find two guys that both want your truck in a bad way, with big egos, big wallets, ply them with alcohol and weed and get them to come stand in your driveway simultaneously while you take their bids. I don’t see that happening.

[special-K]

The overall thing that I could say bugs me is it all started out being a working man's thing playing with old cars. The ones with comfortable jobs are the ones who couldn't get rid of their gas guzzlers fast enough and give Japanese econoboxes their rise in America. Then they went to the Euro status symbols. All the while the working man enjoyed the cool cars. As you saw the prices go up it grabbed the attention of the "buy-in" types. And "the guy down the street" just stuck a '65 Goat in his three car garage, must be ok. Same thing happened with Harleys. Now it's trucks, and the working man they were originally made for is being pushed back from them like a pair of $60 Levis. We talk about young guys can't afford this hobby. What? A young guy can't afford an old truck? That's just crazy.

[4carbcorvair]

Originally Posted by OldCreek

A decade ago I started to get into the classic Corvette world...then I realized I much preferred this crowd!

Hopefully, this crowd doesn't start changing....

Buddy of mine had a C3. Said the two best days were the day he bought it and the day he sold it. To this day, he sold the car a long time ago, he still tells me about how snobby most of the Corvette owners are.

[palallin]

My truck is not a hobby, it's a DD. I am here because I like these trucks but more so because I want to keep mine going and even improve it. I have no desire to make it cherry because then I would just ding it up again.

I resent the big money trucks/guys because they drive up the prices for everyone. That is why I can't just ignore BJ and other such venues. Not just truck prices but also parts prices. I am not playing: I need my truck.

It's still cheaper than buying a new one, but it's getting more expensive than, say, a '90s truck, both to buy and to repair. Frankly, that situation is just plain silly. Yes, the supply is tighter, but the demand is lower, too.

[Mike C]

Originally Posted by 4carbcorvair

Buddy of mine had a C3. Said the two best days were the day he bought it and the day he sold it. To this day, he sold the car a long time ago, he still tells me about how snobby most of the Corvette owners are.

I do a Camaro message board and Corvette message board both in addition to this one, and what I found was completely opposite what I expected on both. The Camaro board was populated with newbs without a clue while the Corvette board was full of really knowledgeable guys who not only used their cars but many modified the heck out of them. I didn’t see that coming.

Not cool to throw the whole group of Corvette owners under the bus IMO because your buddy said so...

But supply and demand along with inflation aren’t exactly new. My dad told about buying Model A’s for $15 or $20 because that’s what a beater brought in the mid 1950’s.

I wish I had bought all of the $400 Camaros and C10’s I looked at in the early 80’s, but the reality is I had to work over 100 hours to buy one of those. Now that looks kind of like a $3000 beater and I bought a big block 71 GMC for $1000 2 years ago so there are some deals still out there.

Just turn off the TV and go build something.

[sick472]

I've never had a taste for auctions. I've seen poeple get worked up into a chute and pay twice as much as they should have for something the did not need just because of the excitment of the "show" and the thought that an auction is a place of great deals.

The hobby for me is a way to focus on something that can be picked up and put down and any moment without consequence. On top of that, my truck does not talk back, give me grief, get moody, tell me what to do, get uspet, demand deadlines, or distress if I show up late...I love my projects! A full weekend of progress on the tailgate, for example, gives me more relaxing pleasure than anybody gets out of sitting on the couch, doing nothing all weekend.

That's the state of my "hobby". When I am done with a vehicle, it's mine and i drive it when I want like it's my new car. When it's all over for me (in the end), I hope that some friend or relative can enjoy it, or sell it, or whatever...I won't be concerned what it brings. I just hope the gasoline last until I'm done...can you imagine what the value of our cars would do if gas became obsolete?

[1971Stepside]

I attended Barrett-Jackson in Vegas this year and was able to look at the trucks that were selling. On TV you never can tell just how nice or how how not nice they are. Of the 67-72's that I saw selling for the low 30's were nice clean trucks that were put together right. I was encouraged that the trucks were bringing this much as it is very easy to put 30 into a build. I've had my 71 since 1985, so I don't ever plan to sell her. But, 15 years ago it was a for sure that if you put 30 in the rebuild you were looking to get 20 grand for it. So, for those that want to build and flip it is a good market right now.

The downside that I have seen are the prices people are asking for parts. I see what some NOS stuff is selling for on this board and it blows me away. I think they are crazy! No one will pay that much money for a set of mirrors, but they grab them up. High humps going for 100 bucks!! Wow! A few years ago they were 25 dollars.

I still think you can build a driver pretty cheap depending on where you have to start. I paid 2,500 for my truck in 1985. Same truck today would be double to triple that, but so is everything else. I don't think you can build a nice clean hot rod of any kind on the cheap anymore...a lot of wheels are $600 a piece now.

[68panelman]

Never been a hobby for me, they have always been in my life. I agree it's being ruined buying wise for me, 25yrs ago I was driving them home for $400. I would never pay what people want for them now, which is why I'm so glad I have what I got now, 67 swb, 70k5 and would never sell.
The state of our hobby? Just go over to the Facebook side of the fence, I constantly bite my tongue and shake my head over there.

[72c20customcamper]

The people that buy at the auction are 90% incapable of turning a wrench . So they use their money. Nothing wrong with that. I personally know guys who buy a car truck whatever and drop it off at the restoration shop and not see it for two or three years. And I tell you they have more money in them than a lot of the cars go for at auction. But they have it built the way they want it.

I'm fortunate that I can and do all the work on my toys and my everyday vehicles. Shops get 95$ an hour for labor here and that's an independent shop.

There are plenty of deals out there. I check craigslist and other sites pretty much everyday . Just picked up a rusty not rotted or dented hood and tailgate for my truck not that l need them just to have just in case. Paid 125$ for both guy just wanted them out of his garage.

I can see the frustration of rising prices of both the truck and parts but that's the nature of it. I see guys restoring what wouldn't even have been a parts car 10 years ago.

[B. W.]

Give it time & the "money crowd" will jump ship to another platform. It's the ebb & flow of hot rods / classics. I figure we're about half way through the cycle.

[4carbcorvair]

Originally Posted by Mike C

I do a Camaro message board and Corvette message board both in addition to this one, and what I found was completely opposite what I expected on both. The Camaro board was populated with newbs without a clue while the Corvette board was full of really knowledgeable guys who not only used their cars but many modified the heck out of them. I didn’t see that coming.

Not cool to throw the whole group of Corvette owners under the bus IMO because your buddy said so...

No worries. Could be a regional thing. He didn't like how when they got together they would nit-pick because something wasn't exactly right. A certain part number was off, etc. The overall attitude wasn't the best, even his wife refused to go to any other meetings or get togethers.

I'm not into my truck for $$, I'm into it because I enjoy it. My wife likes it. Both of my boys like it. It's not pretty. It's not shiny. It does put a smile on our faces.
I'm also into Corvairs. Check out their collector value, or lack there of. LOL

[NewBayColony]

I'm also into Corvairs. Check out their collector value, or lack there of. LOL[/QUOTE]
Watchout on the Corvair thing. Jay Leno hs said he likes them.


I got into it because I just like working on something that is easier to understand. I put injectors in my B7 Duramax. I got it done but it's complex procedure was a little scary. If you screw anything up, it's thousands of dollars. One of the glow plugs broke off in the head, I got it out but not without a sleepless night thinking about it.I felt good after it ran great but I like a little less drama.
I know I paid too much for my truck but the body was as nice as I have ever seen and the mechanical side needed a lot. I am not a body guy. I wish I could cut and weld floors and rockers but I have never done it. I can rebuild an engine and stuff like that. These trucks are simple enough to do anything in your driveway with simple tools. I get to use my 1970 Sun dwell tach again! When you're done, you have something you can use.