What should I do with my 1970 C10

[EthanL9224]

So as the title asks what should I do with my 1970 C10..... I received this truck from my great grandfather when he passed. We went everywhere in this thing. It is a long bed with a 307. Im not sure of the trans. Based on all the other forums Ive been reading through I feel like I have a good idea what Im going to do. BUT.... I need some questions answered lol. Are the badges correct? Does everything seem to match the SPID? Do I repair the little bit of rust or replace panels? With those questions I will leave with this.... As far as I know it was bought by my great-great grandfather from the dealer in 70. I heard that it was resprayed one time, but I have no way of knowing. Please pick this apart and let me know everything. Thank you in advance.

[EthanL9224]

I will add all the pics I can

[EthanL9224]

Some

[EthanL9224]

Some more

[jocko]

that's a beautiful truck - given the history, I'd repair the minimal rust, not replace panels, and pay a paint shop to professionally color match the paint in its current state of fade. If it's worse than it looks, then either leave it as is and enjoy - or restore it completely and enjoy. The only thing out of place are the door custom emblems, those were added somewhere along the way. I'd leave em, they're cool (and if you remove them, that's 4 more holes to fill and paint). Trans, if original, is a TH350. Wheel covers are correct. Maybe resto the interior (steering wheel, dash pad) - perhaps upgrade to a cloth seat cover from a 70-ish or a 71-72 Custom Deluxe seat cover (not a Cheyenne Super houndstooth though, would look out of place on a 70).

[EthanL9224]

More

[Grumpy old man]

Leave it as stock as possible , Don't drop it don't LS it ,Replace the seat cover and clean it up and drive it ,

[EthanL9224]

More lol

[EthanL9224]

Almost there

[EthanL9224]

And lastly...... eat your hearts out.

[Warrens69GMC]

Leave it as it is, fix what you are capable of doing. A little at a time, if you choose to. I would drive it like that (cleaned up) for the next 10 years at least.

[EthanL9224]

Thanks for the replies so fast lol. I do drive it as is... Just planning for the future.

[Accelo]

Nice truck. Second year for the THM 350 automatics. I'll bet it is still installed.
The rust on the top of the cowl is the worst, i.e, most difficult to fix. If you keep it garaged it will not be a huge issue. The cab corners are always gone and not difficult to replace.
Somewhere on this forum there is a thread on where the drains are and how to clean them.

[68bowtie]

Super cool!

I would do as others have said, fix the minimum needed, keep it original, enjoy it.

Do NOT tear into a frame-off project that you will never finish.

Buying a new seat cover first may be good inspiration while you drive and enjoy…

[72SB]

The brake line, soft, are likely very rotten if original. Might want to go through the brakes. Not sure if 70 had front disc yet. I have the 72 which does but my brakes were the originals. Replaced everything with stock auto part store stuff including soft lines and wheel cylinders. Mine were manual but I did convert to power, CPP kit. Plug & play

You have the gauge package and radio. Get the seat reupholstered and just check all the mechanicals and drive it

[tutone]

Just like the others.
Seat cover
Cab corners
Clean it up and drive it.
The cowl rust and tailgate rust are two of the worst spots I see.
Rip the duct tape off that bottom edge of the tailgate and take some more shots of the rust. I fixed one in my build thread just enough to get it to match the rest of the truck. It should have been scrapped. Yours has the old 2x4 dents in the top. They can be worked out, but it will require some paint touch up. I love the truck.

[leftybass209]

Because of its condition and general originality, I'd keep it original, maybe some day 2 add-ons at best. As it sits an original restoration or preservation would cost much less than the addition of modifications on top.

My 72 longbed was lowered before i got it... like 5/7 on only cut springs. The amount of money in pertinent special lowered parts just to make this all correct gave me pause.

In other words.... think about what you want, and budget accordingly!

[67C10Step]

Wow, nice truck. I agree with the fix what needs fixing and drive it. If you are a full restore kind of person it would be worth it but I'd be tempted to not remove too much of my grandfather from it. Make it safe and reliable and just enjoy it. You can always make a bigger, better plan while you are enjoying the ride.

[GASoline71]

That is a great platform to build whatever you want. Me? I'd yard that 307 out of there for a rowdy 350, and fix all the mechanical stuff. Recover the seat and then buff out that original paint. Throw some 15" slot mags on it with some bigs and littles and cruise it all over the place!

But stock is cool too I guess.

Basically... it's your truck man. Do what YOU want with it. Who cares what other's opinions are.

Gary

[Already Gone]

Nothing for me to say as you have been given great advice from very experienced and knowledgeable people. In my opinion originality is best with needed correct upgrades, like in your case the seat would be first thing I did after verifying the mechanicals were solid, and enhancements. 2 big enhancements especially for todays driving would be power steering and power brakes.

[kwmech]

Clean up the interior and drive it, maybe put power steering and power brakes

[YellowK5]

Wash it and drive it..nice survivor truck..fix as needed...

[Louisvillekytruck]

Great looking truck

[EthanL9224]

Thank you all for the tips and advice. I know the door badges seem out of place. But other than that I guess the general conscience is that its good? Has anyone seen anything else "wrong"/out of place?

[garyd1961]

Clean it up and drive it. If the motor ever goes put a 350 in it ( I prefer the L31 for roller cam and vortec heads) and keep the 307 just because it came in the truck. I have my 307 on a motor stand and I'm in the process of collecting parts for a cheap build one day, 307 ,305 heads, cheap aluminum intake and quadrojet carb.