how did you get hooked?

[Primed67]

I started off in a 67 Mustang that broke down all the time. Well I was driving down the road one day and of course it started acting up again and died, I rolled it off the road and there it was a 72 Chevrolet Fleetside LWB just staring at me. The owner had been rebuilding it and lost interest in it. He had another frame for it where everything had been replaced and he also had every nick nack you could imagine for it to get it looking like it came off the show room floor. He made me a deal I couldn't refuse on the truck so I bought it, but I couldn't afford the rest of the parts yet. About 6 months down the road I guess he sensed I was wanting to paint the truck and he called me. Told me he would sale me all his parts and even put it together and paint it for me. Again he made me a deal I couldn't refuse so I bought the stuff and he painted my truck. It turned out awesome. Man I miss that truck, I still want to kick myself for selling it. Well at least I've got my 67 now.

[ryanroo]

my grandpa bought my green 72 new and when i was 12 told me i could have it. since i couldn't drive and i lived with my mom i couldn't work on it much but the next summer i got the bug to get it goin and me and dad pulled it out of the weeds. a year later it had an 8 inch lift. i just got my SWB 72 and decided that grandpas needs to get redone. so the white one is getting the lift and the green one is getting the bodywork. now for the next one.....
ryan

[StingRay]

My Dad bought a GMC 920 Longhorn Custom Camper new in 69. It was light blue with a strong high compression 350 and a 4.10 rear end with a locker. When I turned 16 it became my daily driver. I bought a 71 Chevelle a couple years later and my uncle took the truck to use in his construction business. I never really appreciated it at 16 for the classic truck it would become but in my early 20's I longed for another truck. At 30 I found my 72 GMC with 62,000 miles on it. It has been a daily driver ever since(It sure looks it now too). I am really hoping to have a new body done by the end of the summer as I don't think the existing one will make it another year.

[busterwivell]

I was just lookin' for a truck to use to run to the dump! Found my 71 Longhorn C30 with a for sale sign in it in a little town about 30 miles from here. Thought it would do just fine, paid 1500.oo for it, and then I found this website. Once you hook up with you guys (and gals) you can't stop playing with your truck. See what you've done to me?

[71 Blazer CST man]

Lived on the east coast all my life and thought cars were the thing, till i moved out here to No. CAl after my Soph year in highschool. THen i realized trucks are by far the sickest. I ALWAYS wanted ... 4x4, Convertible, V8 (dual exhaust!!!). But what are you going to get these days that has all 3? That's when i started getting into the 1/2 convertible blazers. I always saw the 1st gens and LOVED the full convertible, but after searching far and wide - thought i would NEver find one, and if i did - not in my price range!!! Finally nearing the end of my junior year after just about a whole year of searching, and going car-less because i wanted THE RIGHT ONE....it showwed up. My 1971 Blazer k/5. LOcal too! right under my own nose!

A boy who goes to my school had his dad pick him up, in the blazer. Saw it with the 4sale and ran over. A week later, its mine! And at a steal too, Not a centimeter of rust anyplace...solid as can be,$4,500!!!!! - and a new windshield 'cuz the orig was cracked - he "knew a guy" and got a new one for me(+$200). The guy i bought it form had it for only 6months or so, and the son had NO intrest (HE thought the 63impala in dads garage was more his style - FOOL!) so the blazer became MINE! MINE MINE MINE MINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So here i am just about done with my Senior year...the trucks brought me better times then i'v ever had before since i'v owned it, and some real close calls(its faster then a crown vic, this i know!), and bad times too...i'll leave it at,....i'm sure many more good times are to come!

[TsgtE662]

Back in '74 as I was walkin home from school my dad pulls up in a '72 Chevy CST with a camper shell on it. Blue with a white roof. We had it a couple years or so. Took it camping / fishing towin his bass boat around.
HE traded it for newer trucks over the years of course, but I always liked it. Well, in the past few years now I got the itch to get one like dads ole truck. My brother in law told me about a Gold 70 GMC near him that he knew the guy and was told it was for sale and it had sat for about 3 years cause it wouldn't start. So I go look at it and that was it. Since I was excited about the truck and obviously wanted it as a play toy, the wife didn't object. So we towed it home and less than $30 later it was running. Replaced the brakes shoes and a couple brake lines and it is my evening / weekend driver. Drove by the guys house about a week ago on my way to the brother in laws house and he was sittin on his tailgate of his Dodge Ram as I passed.
Looked like he about spit in his cup as I came over the hill and waved to him.
My brother in law says the guy isn't too happy that I got it running so cheaply and can now drive it. All it needed was a coil wire fixed and a tune up and it runs great.
QJet rebuild also. The wife is even gettin to like riding around in it. The only thing she don't like about it is no A/C. I told her it has the old style AMBIENT Air system - just roll down the window. I have everything working on it now, but it still needs alot of the typical body work. But its mine.

[lewi]

Sold a 73 a few years before buying the 71 and wished I hadn't but I rarely ever drove it. So I decided to by a truck and chose THE BEST LOOKING TRUCK I could find!!! it took some smooth talking but the old gal that had the truck never had a chance, paid $1000. In the last 2-3 years it's up to around 18k and I'm happy about it. The wife couldn't stand it, now she wants to drive it.

[724wdcopper]

in highschool (I'm noticing a trend here) a buddy had a '72 camper special 4wd with 4" lift, exhaust cutouts, 350, a pretty tough truck! he rolled it in the mountains, bought a 2wd body to replace the rolled version and spent 8 months waiting for it to get out of body shop jail. my dad owns a body shop in the same town, but he thought since the insurance company told him to go to the other shop, he had to! not so, and he wishes he had taken it to my dad. the other shop did an ok job, but the paint sucked, and 8 months to swap a body?

anyway, i was sporting a 74 GMC jimmy my dad bought new. LOVED that rig! it was a monster! well, i thought so. stock sagged springs, 31" tires, factory exhaust, but it had a 350 (built in the late 70's by a local race car engine builder) with a quadrajet. massive bog, but when she started to eat all that gas, man! what a sweet sound! but, after 20 some years of never any maintenace (rode hard and put away wet - as my dad would say!) it lost third gear. continued to drive it. good to 80mph in 2nd. we looked around for a mid 80's 4wd chev with AC, but they were all hashed. then a beautiful orange 72 4wd came to a car lot my dad does business with. he sent me down there to check it out. no ac. i thought it would be a deal breaker, but the next day, there it was! at my dads shop. i fugured it was getting worked on. nope! it was there for me!

have never regreted it since! plan on keeping it forever, and want another! this is a sick disease!

[silvertonguedevil]

I had said for years that I wanted a '71 or '72 Cheyenne Super 1/2 ton short wide box. When it came time for my wife and I to buy a "back and forth vehicle for work" I went looking in the paper. I went and looked at several torn-up Hondas and Toyotas and just when I was about to give up for the day...low and behold...there's a '71 C-10 1/2 ton longbox in the paper. I went and looked at it. Runs good, looks decent, price is good, and on top of that, it's a bullet-proof Chevrolet!! Since I bought that, I got hooked and I am now putting together a '72 Cheyenne Super 1/2 ton short wide box and driving my '71 everyday.

[tomsC10R]

My Grandma and Grandpa had a 67. Probably first truck I ever road in. I still remember slamming my thumb in the door jamb. When I was about 14, we bought a 69 Camaro. Then a couple other Camaros and a Chevelle. Well, I was trying to think of a new project, and I thought of Grandpa's truck. One problem... My uncle still uses it as a daily driver (yes in WI - year round ) Needless to say, it's in rough shape. So I went looking for a 67-72 and found one in Iowa. I do plan on getting my Grandpa's one day, when it'll stop running I don't know

[Big J]

My uncle has a long bed with a 402BB. He took me cruisin alot when I was younger, that got me kinda hooked. It was when he pulled in my driveway in his K5 blazer about a year and a half ago that I got totally hooked and had to have one. SWEEEEEEEEEEEEET! I'll get mine done eventually. Right now its down to the frame. Got everything to do it, just gotta find the time.

[dtlilly]

I've always bought classic cars to restore, if I kept all of them I'd need a dealers lot to store them all. I always have been a truck man. Then one day I decided why not a classic truck (get the utility of a truck, with the benifits of a classic). I liked 4X4 off roading/mudding. Then one day I was paging through a truck trader magazine and found a 71 GMC short bed 4X4. Without knowing the first thing about these trucks, I bought it, and have been hooked there after.

[Quagmire]

my dad had a '69 when i was about five years old that i always liked.

when i was ~ ten one of my cousins got a '68 that was pretty trick, but had to sell it due to maint. costs and joining the military.

when i was ~14 another cousin bought a pretty sweet '67 with tilt front end, high-rise, etc. he use to take me out cruising the local drag all the time. he by far had the most *****in truck around and about that time is when i decided that model of truck is what i wanted.

shortly after my cousin that had the '68 moved back home and started looking for another. he picked up a '67 swb and started working on it. the truck was in many pieces and he sold it due to lack of time/money. this time i was the buyer. i spent two years and every one of my paychecks putting it together. after i got the truck done, my cousin was jealous and wanted me to sell it back to him yeah right!

he now has a 72 blazer project he is working on

[GMC69]

Well I already had my 4x4 Ranger ( piece of crap) and was not looking at buying another vehicle. But Renée's brother was looking at getting a beater to drive around and he seen this one and I knew he would be the last person to take care of a vehicle. So Renée and I decided to go take a look at it and it was in the autotrader. Went for a 5 minute ride and within a week I had it at home. Then spent what I had to, to get it on the road and approx 2,500$ later I had the truck with all repairs done to it and it was on the road driving. But since it did not have PS I did not drive it much. I did use it for hauling stuff once and a while since my Ranger was so small and it was higher.

Then moved out of town for a couple years so it sat. Now that I want to drive it again I would have to get it re-certified. It needs all 4 cab supports, rockers and cab corners along with the front floor sections and the lower kick panels. So I really don't know how much more needs to get fixed so till I can get another cab or truck it will sit for longer. It already has the box off it since it pissed me off that I could not get the drivers side apart to cut the coil to level out the ride ( 4" drop coils in the rear). I was planning in working on it anyhow but I was not letting the truck win this battle, LOL. That way it looks like I am doing something with it.



See what I mean, LOL. Not bad LWB box with 2 people and one engine hoist, LOL and limited room as you can see.

[1971 Cheyenne]

I really wanted a 47-55 1st, but wasn't realistic with the outdated drivetrain etc. At the same time, I was looking in the auto trader and saw a 72 ochre/white lwb k10, with about 2 inch lift and 35's or so. I LOVED IT. It was 2500 bucks. I didn't get it though, cause I wanted a 2wd. That was the truck that go tme hooked on 67-72's though. I knew I had to have one, I would still like to get a 47-55, maybe next

[bumpster]

I always liked built and drove 62-64 Impalas, but they have become too expensive and hard to locate. {anybody have a 63 sport coupe rolling chassis for sale ?} Anyhow, being an Oklahoma boy and required to drive a truck, why not drive the best? My daily 72 has 298,760 on the clock and heads have never been off. Of course, the rest of the truck has been replaced a piece at a time, but it's always gotten me home.

[Sweet72]

I have always been a truck nut for as long as I can remember. My "first car" was a 57 IHC pickup with straight six, 4 spd, vacuum wiper motor and optional heater, that truck was awesome! It ended up being converted to a Hay Sweep by some rancher in Wyoming. I remember going elk hunting in 1973 in my neighbors brand new '72 K20 long fleetside and was so impressed with the modern look of the 67-72 trucks. They're still in style and IMO are timeless.

[1972C10]

When i was younger around 8 or 9 ish My uncle bought a 72 LWB stepside Custom 10 from the original owner

Wasnt the best truck in the world but he drove it everywhere like people drive there comuter cars so that kinda hooked me into them

Around the time i was 13 i was cutting grass and saving money and traded and bought a 1972 LWB Fleetside Custom 10 with a supposed "Blow Head Gasket"
Well the guy i got it from had taken the heads to get rebuilt and never picked them up so i needed heads for awhile and eventually scored a set of 993s that someone had left at a machine shop just about got ready to put them on untill i was under the truck one night and noticed a 9 inch long crack on the block so i pulled it had the numbers ran come to find out it was a 305 supposed to have been a 350

so the truck sat for several years and when i turned 16 a good friend lent me 1000 to get a new engine well i found a clean running driving 72 LWB fleetside Custom 10 with power steering

Drove it from aug-dec and motor blew had a cracked head and busted a piston between the valve reliefs I put an engine in it in late dec of 98 and have put three engines in it since Each one a litlte better than the prior.

Made it A SWB and have owned 4 67-72s since then For a total of 5 Kinda started it all

[Budweis]

my dad had a 70 chevy truck as well and i always liked the look of it . i was just a small kid and used to play cars in the driveway around it and was always amazed at the size of it. i remember it was tough cus i banged my head on the bumper a few times too many prob. then like 6 years ago when i got into corvettes a problem appeared that i needed something to drive in the winter and haul stuff so i went out truck hunting and looked for months with nothing i really liked and when i saw my 70 k20 it was love at first sight. i knew it was mine no matter what they wanted. lol drove it for like 5 years and its been to hell and back with me and yet it always starts even on the coldest day. earlier this year i decided i wanted more so started rebuilding it and cant wait to get it done. when i set out to decide what to purchase i knew i wanted 4 wheel drive and knew i wanted a gm product and knew i wanted something pre emissions and with a big bed so there wasnt much of a choice i guess. id rather ride a horse than drive a ford truck. and dodge trucks are just plain ugly.

[FRENCHBLUE72]

My dad bought the 72 back in 1980 moved us from so cal to oregon in it.... I was really wanting the 75 nova we had but when I moved out of the house my dad gave the 72 to me for graduating from h.s.(1994) that was my first car and I still have the truck... The truck needed to much work to be a daily driver so I boughta 87 swb p.u. and only had it a week before my wife showed me the blazer I have now so I guess I am hooked cause now I also have a 69....

[Stocker]

In early '77 I needed a truck to haul firewood, and a Chevy dealer had just taken a '72 K20 on trade. It hadn't been detailed yet, and seemed to be in good shape, and I liked the body style better than the newer trucks. I still own it.

[PanelDeland]

I was into cars since I was probably 6-7 years old.When I was about 10 a nieghbors dad had an old coupe he was always working on.One day he had finally gotten it running.He called his son and I and said get in let's go to the store.A 34 Ford with a flattie and 4 sp.old school with plywood floorboards in primer.I was really hooked on cars/trucks after that.Then in High school a friend used his grandads 69 SWB step, and I always liked the way it looked.I had always wanted a sedan delivery or a panel because I like to have room for stuff.Fast forward to 1980 and I was in need of transportation.I went looking on car lots and found a 67 Chevy Pnael and fell in love.$900.00 later I owned it.I drove it until 1996 going thru 2 3 speeds and 3 different 350's(lots of miles).I had torn it down to replace the engine again and happened to pass the 68 on the side of the road.I stopped to look at it and my wife wrote down the # and called the guy a couple of days later.
Weds evening I got home from work and she asked what I had planned for the weekend and I said "nothing". She said don't plan anything we need to go pick that truck up, it's yours.

I still have the 67 and I had a 69 parts truck for a year or so.I have owned three of these trucks and had possesion of a forth.Someday I hope to have a 67-72 Chevy pick-up.(all mine have been Panels)

[72 CustomCamper]

I was brought home from the hospital as a baby in dad's 69 longbed...

Chuck

[glock35ipsc]

Dad bought this 70 4x4 from the original owner in 73, and he's driven it ever since. He finally parked her (she is called Goldie) a couple of years ago, and recently he gave her to me. I have started to work on her a little, but will do a body-off resto when the 68 is back together.

I grew up in this truck, I drove to school in her, went to my senior prom in her (she looked much better then), shot my first deer over her hood....so I naturally loved these trucks since I was a kid Just finally bought my own, other than Goldie.

[Cat Fuzz]

I'm a big time do-it-yourselfer, so when we bought a house I knew I would need a truck for hauling stuff. I looked at everything from newer trucks to old junkers that would be good for dump runs only. I decided it had to be a Chevy that way I could swap the motor from my Monte Carlo if I had to. Also, had to be a long bed for hauling sheetrock and 2X4's with the gate closed. Was driving around one day in my Monte and there it was, my 69 C20 sitting on a used car lot. There was no question about it, I had to have this truck. So, I called the wife and asked her if I could have it and she said she didn't care, it was up to me as long as it was under $3000. I got it for $2500 which was probably a bit more than what I should have paid, but you can't put a price on love. Ok, don't .

Sure enough I DID have to swap the Monte Carlo motor into it after a 3000 mile trip to California killed the 350 4bolt that it came with. Now, the Monte is gone to car heaven. I stripped it and gave it away to a tow truck driver. It's probably recycled into a Hyundai now. Now my 69 is my daily driver and I wouldn't trade it for any newer truck. I'll just keep repairing and rebuilding stuff as it breaks.