Tell your "How I got my truck story"

[THE DRIVER]

OK I'll start, the retired chaplain down the street had this 72 longbed 3/4 ton cabover camper special in front of his house since I lived in the neighborhood (years and years) and never drove it, he would always comment on whatever project I was driving and working on at the time. I sold off a completed project and he asked if I'd be interested in the truck. I should tell you there was about 20 cats living in the camper, he said if I got rid of the cats he would sell it to me cheap. It had 3600 original miles on it, his wife had passed soon after buying it and he lost the desire to camp. Luckily he turned it over and kept the battery charged over the years. I simply shut the camper door and drove to the animal shelter and told them the story, they took the cats. But, I still had a camper full of cat $#@& and piss in the camper. I tried and tried to get rid of it, no one would buy it, take it as a donation or steal it. I called the local dump and asked if I could get rid of it and they said only if it wan't attached to the truck and I'd have to pay a removal fee and breakdown fee. My buddy and I came back the following week with some wood blocks and parked on the far side of the lot and put down wood blocks and proceeded to jack it off the ground. A worker came over and ordered us to stop or he would tell the boss, I asked to speak to the boss. He left and we proceeded to jack the camper up, get in the truck and I floored it, the camper dragged a few feet and we thought we were gonna get stuck so I gunned it jacking the steering wheel side to side and it finally broke loose and half collapsed. The foreman and the worker showed up, The boss says "well, I guess I can't charge you for removal since it's already off but it has to be broke down, it can't be in one piece or the land filler can't drive over it." I asked him to step back and I floored it in reverse and hit it with the step bumper about 5 times until it completely flattened. They charged me the regular dump fee! It smelled like cat piss hell for about a month, to the point that I thought cats were coming to pee in it. but 2500 for a 3600 mile 72 longbed with factory A/C in great shape? It was worth the adventure. I've had the truck about 15 years now. So, How did you get your truck?

[Bob B.]

April of 2004, I got a Los Angeles 'Truck Trader' and saw an ad for an all-original '67 GMC 2500 with a 351 V-6 and 4 speed transmission. I was looking for a '67-'72 Chevy or GMC, pretty much open to any model. Always had a 'thing' for GMC V-6's. Needless to say, I bought the truck!

[oldblue1968chevy]

old man 'fixed itup' across from my girlfriends house in HS had it in the yard for 2500$ i offered 1500 and drove it home and from there it got worse looking thru HS (took trim off, cut it up, t boned it, put a diff color bed on it spray painted the bed baby blue to match in dads garage with no protection at all put a new motor in it, pulled it back out cause the cam was too big yada yada yada put disc brakes n 5 lug rearend all sorts of crap lol

[JointTech]

tricked my wife into thinking we needed a truck for Home Depot runs.
Bought a 72 C20 and proceeded to take it apart enough I cant drive it
speaking of which I need to get out there and get back to it.

[chevy2tom]

I was in Michigan for the Woodward dream cruise( if you haven't been to it put it on your bucket list)3 years ago staying at my friends brothers place when I checked my ebay account to find the auction I had been watching for a 71 C20 big block long bed was up in 10 minutes. Cheered on by my friends & in the land of GM I made the purchase @ the last second for $1300. It was @ a impound yard in Arizonia, called a buddy in the auto industry & found a car hauler to bring it to Illinois for $600 & the rest is history.
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[special-K]

Hmmm...which truck should I go with? My first or the one I drive now? When I got my first truck it was not really planned. My friend's dad had a buddy,Buzz,who managed sales at Sport Chevrolet in Silver Spring,MD. and my friend Mark had bought a '66 Impala from the OK Used Car lot at a really good price. We went down with another friend,Jimmy,and he bought a '69 Custom/20. It was 1973,I had just got out of HS the spring before,and I had my first full-time carpenter's helper job. I was driving the '56 VW I had fixed up starting before I had my license. I took Jimmy down there to pick up his truck and while waiting around I noticed a yellow truck that wasn't there before,so I went over and looked at it. It had just been traded in and was a '72 shortbed that looked brand new...not even a scratch in the bed. I really liked the yellow with white interior w/western scroll design,and the plaid seat seemed kinda retro to me. It also had a big block,just like all the cool SS396s I drooled over. I thought,"this is like a truck version of a Super Sport",which was the first time I realized such a thing was offered from the factory. I thought Jimmy's truck was cool,but this thing was a Cal Custom waiting to happen. I pictured Cragars and wide tires in place of the old man wheelcovers and whitewalls and decided I really wanted it. And,every carpenter needs a pickup,right? So,I went and talked to Buzz. He held it for me till I came back with $300 down and financed the $2,500 balance,my first loan.

[jjzepplin]

I begged my buddy all through high school to let me buy it. He said he would trade me for the 66 Chevelle ??? I said no way! Well 20 years later and one Chevelle less (girlfriend wrecked) I met up with him through another friend. I lived with him for about six months all the while fixing all of his old project as he was not able to get around much. Well all projects finished I was looking for another. I was a bit nosey one day and was looking at the incoming mail when I found a storage bill. I asked what the heck could this be for as he had lotsa room. He replied "Old Yeller" ... I said "Get the @#$% out! I said that the offer still stood after twenty years to buy it. He said I could pay the storage bill and it was mine. He just wanted the camper. The bill was about $175.00. I gave him some more just cause and I finally had it. Completely stock SWB 4x4 1970 307 4spd 3.73's.. ALL MINE!!

[dyrt]

Back in 1969 my grandfather bought the truck new after losing his job so he could do some junking. After a few years, he sold it to my uncle and bought a dodge. My uncle used it since the 70s as a daily driver for him and his first wife, a hauler, and for a while it was derelict yard art. After his second divorce he needed to unload it so it wouldn't get junked, so he gave it to me, my brothers, and my father. I took the keys. PA salted roads were not kind to this truck but it is plenty repairable as most of them are. Now if i could only get back to fixing the replacement cab..........

[mr.wilson]

1982 my dad picked me up in it from daycare. Left it to me in 2005 before he passed.

[yuccales]

After years of being ragged on by my best friend to get a "real truck" (I loved my El Camino's) I found my one owner C-20 in 1990. We debated the pros/cons of 1/2 ton vs 3/4 ton, short bed vs long bed, for years to follow! My wife says they should have made a movie about us titled " Grumpier Old Chevy Owners".

[GMCJOE]

I had been wanting one of these trucks ever since I could remember. I started looking after a while, found a good one on Craigslist back home that had a few goodies and no rust for $1500. Took the trip from my buddy's place, this place was so far out into the back woods of Missouri we drove on empty for 50 miles in a 97 Formula Firebird before we found a gas station on the way home. Unfortunately, the guy decided not to sell. I got back home to Kansas, and the first thing I seen was a 69 GMC posted on Craigslist. Offered the guy my dodge pickup for trade. Needless to say, the truck has been in my possession since August 08.

[dmw319]

Searched online for about 2 years for the right one and even looked locally and couldnt find "the one". Finally saw on ebay a completed listing for my truck that no one bid on possibly cause of the reserve price or the bad pictures/description. So I sent the guy an email and didnt hear back till a month later. Turns out he was an older guy who doesnt have access to the internet except through the library. Got his phone number, talked to him on the phone about the truck and got more pictures via email. Drove 11 hours and almost 700 miles and went and picked the truck up and drover her home with no hickups! Had her about 4 months or so now...

[DT1]

In 1980 I was looking for a good work truck. I have always been partial to Fords so I began my quest looking at the ads in the local paper because there was no such thing as the internet. I soon realized that any kind of Ford that was useable wasn't in my budget so I settled for a 1970 C-20. The truck was in good shape but the color was almost a deal breaker. Ocher!! Yuck! I drove the truck until 1986 when finally had the income to buy a new Ford. I didn't realize until years later that the Chevy was the best truck I ever owned. In 2005 I decided to get rid of my latest new Ford and look for a "Classic" Chevy truck. I bought a 1971 C-10 Cheyenne. The best thing about it was the color...Ocher!! I restored it a couple of years ago and today, there isn't a new truck on the planet that I would trade it for.

[big_al_71]

Found mine on Ebay the guy selling it lives around six miles from me I called him to go see it. I drove over in my 65 el camino when I pulled up the guy just fell in love with my el camino we talked about it for about two hours long story short he gave me the c10 + $$$ for my el camino.
I ended up selling him back the motor and tranny from the c10 also. To this day he still has the el camino.

[GCncsuHD]

Well it was the spring of 1967, my great grandfather wondered into City Chevrolet needing a truck. He picked the most basic of work trucks, a brand new 1967 light green 6cyl 3 speed truck with no options (only one line on the spid) He used it on the farm for about 20 years until the lack of power steering and power brakes got too much for him, so it was parked in the barn with 71k mi where it sat until he died in 2002 and he left it to his son, my uncle who kept it until 2010 when he left it to me. I grew up dreaming of building one of these trucks one day, couldn't imagine anything better than having a history like this one.

As far as my 78, I think my fire department acquired it in the early 80s, it was a NCDOT truck before that, painted it red, and it was in service until 2008 when it was retired with 78k mi and replaced with a 2008 K3500 Duramax. Put a stupidly low bid on it, lost it. A guy down the road won it, held onto it for a few months and decided to sell it, got it for $1500, a real bargain I think for a running, driving, garage kept 78k mi truck.

[truckster]

I've owned classic trucks for years. I was driving a 64 Chevy when I met my wife. When I got back from Iraq in 2005 I wanted to fix my 70 3/4 ton, but we were dealing with 4 children under six, including twin boys, and my wife said no. She insisted I buy something newer, so I ended up with and Isuzu Rodeo, which I absolutely hated.

I had been eyeing Blazers and Jimmys for several years, and one day my wife came to me and said, "I think it's time for you to get your Blazer." I looked at her and asked if she really meant it. She said yes, and I went out and bought it that very same day.

[whoryou1979]

I had been looking for a while, but down here in South Texas the water is good for two things...rotting wood and rusting metal. I turned my sights to North Texas for a truck. On a trip back from Dallas, looking at a truck, I stumbled upon a guy that had four trucks sitting in a field. I stopped and talked with him, and he sold me one. Tried to sell me all of them. Wife wasnt trying to hear that. After a day full of driving, and listening to my wife, I made it home with my truck.
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[FrankieD]

I have always had a thing for these trucks due to the fact that I bought a 6mo old 69 Custom Deluxe from my Dad for $1800 he paid $2400 new. I was 22 then I kept it for around 5yrs and it was used hard, now fast forward 40 years I sold a boat and decided to get back into a classic I found my truck on Craig’s list for $2400 it came from Modesto Calif. it had been already painted and just needed to be finished but due to this site I have made a lot of changes in the last 2 years and not finished yet. There is a lot to be said about a truck from Cali not a lot of rust to worry about.

[midniteblues]

Well after signing over the fleetside too the kid I wanted another truck.I was looking for a 63-68 stumbled on this 67 and figured how could I go wrong allready haveing a garage full of parts for a 67.

The guy I got it from looked too be a patched outlaw he bought it from the original owner and had it for a very long time I asked why he was selling it.

he looked at me and said "how old do you think I am"

"oh I dont know maybe 55-60" he said 38! "wow whats wrong with you" I said
he said he had degenertive bone desiese(sorry I flunked spelling) And I'm really really starting too feel it.
He was selling everthing he owned(includeing his 3 sweet scoots he couldnt ride anymore) too move too florida too live the rest of his days in comfort(claimed he could'nt handle the cold anymore).
we hit it off and knew alot of the same people he knew I very intrested and that I wanted to restore it.he loved the idea!
he sold it too me for a fraction of the price he was asking for it
and it was the only truck I had looked at (out of 10 maybe) that I could drive home
I really wanted one of his bikes too but $ and me also losing my ability to ride kept them up for sale,besides me selling my bike is how I got $ too buy this lil' swb

I told him my plans and that nothing would happen for a while he understood. we do have a mutual friend who keeps in contact with him so when the magic starts he'll be kept in touch and updated. I only hope he's still with us when its done.

[bigdog57]

I have always been a chevy guy. my brother had bought a 71 3/4 about 10 yrs ago and sold it about a year and a half ago. When i totaled my bike out a year ago i went on a quest for a truck that I could pay cash for and drive at the same time. I looked at several that didn't quite fit the bill. I found my GMC a couple of miles from home and have enjoyed fixing it up.

[custom1970]

My grandfather bought my '70 back when it was only a year or two old. They lived in Georgia and us in Florida, but I remember spending my summers up there riding around with granddaddy and then when i was old enough to drive taking it to the store to get stuff. Only years later did i wonder why he always sent me after such simple things, several times a day.
Anyway, he passed it on to my dad who used it as a trash truck for years here in Florida, where the salt/wet weather was very unkind to it. It was finally given to me in the late 90's. Probably wouldn't have been worth fixing it didn't have such sentimental value. Hopefully will be passed down to one of my boys one day as they both really like it.

[LEEVON]

1994: wrapped up maybe 2 years of old-style searching the KC Star classifieds then driving on wild goose chases for mis-described vehicles in darelict condition. Drove to the wrong side of town, paid too much and brought her home! I have some great memories of those Saturdays with my Dad, driving forever and getting up to our eyeballs in somebody's barn projects or going around the corner and banging gears on somebody else's big block chevelle or some of the laughable rust buckets that were "show ready". God bless the olden days!

[yuccales]

Originally Posted by big_al_71

Found mine on Ebay the guy selling it lives around six miles from me I called him to go see it. I drove over in my 65 el camino when I pulled up the guy just fell in love with my el camino we talked about it for about two hours long story short he gave me the c10 + $$$ for my el camino.
I ended up selling him back the motor and tranny from the c10 also. To this day he still has the el camino.

Very nice Big_Al. I've had a '66 a '69 and a '75 GMC Sprint thrown in for good measure!

[Stocker]

Late spring / early summer 1977 and we had bought our home just months earlier. Knew we'd need a truck for firewood and home projects and had been looking for awhile. Saw it sitting on a Chevy dealer's lot -- it had just been traded in and was not yet detailed, so I could see exactly what condition it was in. Took a test drive & struck a deal. Traded in one of these ... same color too.

[67ChevyRedneck]

My uncle (my dad's youngest brother) drove it up from SC to NY (originally a Texas truck that ended up in SC somewhere along the way) for the week of the 4th of July in 1996, I was 15. It had an I6 and 3spd converted to the floor. He let me drive it on the back roads and I fell in love. I rode around with him all week in it as much as I could. It was ugly, all original white paint, but the front clip was green, with about 6 colors underneath.

The day before he was supposed to leave the driver side brake hose popped. Up in NY, these trucks were already rusty, crusty, and not really daily drivers anymore, so parts stores didn't keep a whole lot of parts for them in stock. The earlist he could get one was a few days later. He was out of vacation time and had to be back to work. One of my dad's other brothers took time off to drive him back to SC and stayed for a bit down there.

So the truck sat in NY for months. My dad fixed the brake line and my grandpa drove it around for a while with a $2,500 for sale sign in the window. I bugged the crap out of my uncle to sell it to me, but $2,500 was too high. Finally, that November, he sold it to me for $1,400. Still have her 16 years later...