Help with Buying 71 Cheyenne SWB

[Mapearso]

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[68bowtie]

use lots of common sense. see it in person before you do the deal.

[stsalvage]

take a roller Bord and look at the floor from underneath the truck Cancer Is the Killer of these truck If there is any cancer in the floor boards I did that to the 1971 Cheyenne 1/2 i bought for $650.00 in 2009 with the housing market took a dive

[thepenguin99]

Find out the best shop his area, preferably one that deals with a lot of classic cars. Call them and explain your situation. Ask them to look the truck over for you, a pre-purchase inspection. Make a deal with owner of the truck contingent on there being minimal surprises with the inspection and have him take it in (there are always surprises). This will probably cost you 1h labor and will give you a lot of peace of mind. PPIs are pretty common practice in the Porsche world and I think it would serve you well since you can't put eyes on the car.

[cdowns]

For a shortbed truck i'd sure as heck want to climb under it to make sure it is in fact a true shorty and not a hacked and wacked longbed with a ton of bondo to parade as a shorty

[Already Gone]

I did some decoding from the spid you posted. You said the truck was a 71 but it is a 72. The body code breaks down as follows.

CE10734

C 2 wheel drive
E V8
1 1/2 ton
07 115 in. Wheel Base (Short Box)
34 Fleetside

The serial number breaks down as follows:

CCE142A176365

C Chevrolet
C 2 Wheel Drive
E V8
1 Pickup
2 1972
A Atlanta Assembly Plant
176365 Sequential Serial Number starting with 100000, so this truck was the 76,365th vehicle built at Atlanta for the 72 model year.

If you don't already have one get a picture of the metal plate on the door jamb and make sure the serial number matches the one on the spid label.

With this info you can see its a real short box fleetside but before you lay out 12k you should either get on a plane and go check it out yourself and drive it home
( if that is feasible for you during the Winter months ) or ask on the message board if a knowledgeable member is willing to check it out for you. I have had help like that quite a few times and just recently bought a truck from South Dakota and had members help with the purchase.

[Mapearso]

Thanks guys for all the suggestions. I don't think I can fly out to inspect in person, just don't have the time. But I'll try and get a PPI done

[Already Gone]

Looking at your spid it shows the Z84 Cheyenne code which includes the lower woodgrain moulding that is on your truck. It also shows the upper belt moulding which is on your truck. The A/C ,P/S and small block are correct as well. I see a hole in the dawn where the Am/FM Radio is supposed to be but the bonus is the dash hasn't been cut. I don't know if that is right colour blue on the truck because the spid say dark blue and that truck looks more light blue to me. I'm sure more colour savvy board members can verify the colour.

[stsalvage]

Hay thepenguin99 That is plain wrong that like me going to a Wine store and asking about what is the best wine you have If you know nothing about the thing your looking for you should not even be looking to buy one.

Me i don't drink so i be lost My friends try to send me to Buy smokes for them they tell me to buy the red box long that like asking some one to go buy women's clothing for there wife.You have no Idea.

Some guys that get into buying these classic car's and trucks have no idea what is good or bad

Now this guy has done his home work He has showed a lot of info on the truck and i take my hat off to him.

If he dose not know what cancer is or what a hack job is Then he better stay away until he gets some lessons.

[specialtyretail]

Huh?????

[kxmotox247]

...that reads like somebody got some good wine.

[No8Easy2]

[MARKDTN]

Originally Posted by Already Gone

... I see a hole in the dash where the Am/FM Radio is supposed to be but the bonus is the dash hasn't been cut....

That dash looks cut to me?

[Hutch]

Mapearso
Good looking Truck with nice options
It would not take too many changes to make it your own

[Hart_Rod]

If you pay a professional service to inspect it, make sure you are clear with them what they should be inspecting and what they are guaranteeing you for the money you pay them. I had a friend get burned by buying a car that he didn't see in person. He paid a big name company to "inspect it". When it showed up, it was not as advertised (he got a $18K car for $27K...). He tried dealing with the seller, but the guy was a fraud. So he called the company that had inspected it, and they basically told him all they provided for the fee he paid ($200), was just verifying that it was a "car"....:-/ Long story short, I will never buy a car/truck without personally seeing it myself or having someone I trust vouch for it. Buyer beware.

OK, off of my soapbox. It looks like a nice truck and we are talking less money, but please be careful. Ask for pictures of the cab corners, inner and outer rockers, cab supports, inside kickpanels with the carpet or mat pulled up, bottom of the doors, top of cab where the visors attach, complete firewall, under the battery (inner fender/core support area), front fender cups, inside of the bed, bottom of the tailgate....let me see, did I miss anything??? , those are the areas that usually rust in these trucks. I'm not saying you shouldn't buy it if it has rust in these areas, but at least you will know what you are getting into. Good luck!

PS Have them remove the door scuff plates that hold the weather stripping in. The lip is bad about rusting also,

[Mapearso]

Thanks, super-helpful!

[Already Gone]

Originally Posted by MARKDTN

That dash looks cut to me?

On second look the dash is cut and that makes the decision to install a modern sound system in the truck so much easier..

[big mike71]

I think that's a members truck. I know I've seen it somewhere.

[zicc1835]

WOW... im not an an expert i have taken a few apart and put them back together.....but if its close enough for me to take a ride and send you some pics i would be happy too

[Mapearso]

waiting for pictures on the blue cheyenne. we shall see

i was tempted by this black 70 on eBay ,,, but too many question marks ,,, like the transplanted cab . asking price was around $9K

[cleanfreak]

I'm no expert , and I'm not saying don't buy it , looks like a nice piece. But the first picture you show , the cab to bed just doesn't look right. You might just need a better picture , but something to check. Lots of good info here - Good Luck

[Mapearso]

Originally Posted by cleanfreak

I'm no expert , and I'm not saying don't buy it , looks like a nice piece. But the first picture you show , the cab to bed just doesn't look right. You might just need a better picture , but something to check. Lots of good info here - Good Luck

thanks... on which truck? the blue one?

[DeadheadNM]

Do due diligence as many are sold without full disclosure of say a frame shortening, cab swap, etc. Here's a current example of truck trying to be passed as a "Very Rare Big Block super Cheyenne LOADED: short fleetside,..." I've attached a pic sent from the seller but not posted on the CL add. Do you see any red flags? The VIN is for a 6-cyl truck and the VIN plate is affixed by non-rosette rivets indicating it was removed at some point possibly in a cab swap. The seller has no documentation (SPID or build sheet) and didn't offer an explanation for the 6-cyl VIN or replaced VIN tag when he was asked. It's a nice truck but shouldn't be passed or priced as an original BB SWB Super - that's fraud.

[cleanfreak]

Originally Posted by Mapearso

thanks... on which truck? the blue one?

Yes , the blue one , but please , just take this as an opinion... still looks like a nice truck , just check it out somehow before you jump.

[Mapearso]

Originally Posted by cleanfreak

Yes , the blue one , but please , just take this as an opinion... still looks like a nice truck , just check it out somehow before you jump.

thanks. not sure i see it... but here's another angle