My 86 C10 - to build or not to build? Your thoughts?
 

Sorry for the long story, but I figure context will help for those willing to chime in with an opinion. Thanks in advance!!!

I've had an 86 c10 for about 10 years now. I picked it up with about 65k miles on it to use as a utility truck...picking up mulch and lumber, moving my lawn tractor, etc. It's been a great truck and it now has about 87k miles.

I'm in grad school now, so money is somewhat tight, though that will be changing once I graduate in May of 2011. My original plan was to have this truck get me through 2011 and then sell it when I move to a new town figuring I'd just buy some new utility truck. Well, then I did a repair, got attached to the thing, started visiting boards like this, and got the itch to do more.

Let me explain...

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I've never been into cars or trucks...they are just something you use for me. I've never even changed my own oil. But, that sort of changed recently...

About 3 months the truck started really acting up. She would run rough at times and, once in a while, stall at speed. Most of the times she'd start back up but on a few occasions I had to get towed (good thing I have AAA).

My mechanic suggested it needed a new carb but wasn't able to find one locally. I ended up finding one online. During my research I read about how simple it was to replace a carb and decided to give it a crack myself. It took a while to get all the hoses off, labeled, and then reattached, but when it was all back together, I started her up and it sounded great. Idle was smooth again, engine was quieter, power was back, and I was hooked on tinkering with her some more. Most important, however, was that I couldn't imagine selling her in a year. But, she's got some rust which would have to be dealt with sooner or later.

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As a grad student, I don't have the time or the space to do a complete frame-up restoration. I also don't have the desire to have a show truck or anything like that. I just want something that runs reliably, looks decent in front of my house, and that will last me a long while.

After doing some initial research I figured I would find a local body shop to deal with the body rust and put a new coat of paint on her. Then, over the next month or so I figured I would redo the interior (seat, dash, audio system, and floor/carpets).

I figured in a few years, once I was back to a normal income and more spare time/space I could revisit any other issues (maybe rebuild the engine and/or look into cleaning up the frame and the rest of the underside of the truck).

So my question is this...am I crazy to spend a few grand on the paint job and rust remediation now figuring I'll get to the rest later? I'm mostly worried about spending the money on the body only to have it go to waste because I didn't do something else now.

Thoughts?

Thanks,
TimQ

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Re: My 86 C10 - to build or not to build? Your thoughts?
 

There is no right way of order to do a resto in this situation. Take it one bite at a time. you could stop the rust from spreading, then when time and money comes around, learn how to fix the rust for good or take it to someone. you don't need to do a frame off to have a killer truck. If the frame and mounts still in great shape then your good for a while. If your goal is to show then go then get the outside and inside all done up. If you want to go then show then spend time on getting the running gear done up right.

Re: My 86 C10 - to build or not to build? Your thoughts?
 

first off as someone who has done several restorations on these trucks you need to assess the frame. If the frame has surface rust and no rot the truck is prolly in good shape.
From the limited pictures here it appears your truck has the normal wear and tear for this genre. It looks worth fixing from here.

For th e bed id recommend a spray in bedliner like duraliner. that will take care of back there. It will need to be prepped correctly and all but they can install that.
Can you take some pics of underneath the truck and dead on from all around showing the truck sides and nose?

Re: My 86 C10 - to build or not to build? Your thoughts?
 

Theres really no proper order to do it. Usually guys paint last because they dont wanna scratch fresh paint working on the rest of the truck. If your just after a nice daily driver and the frame isnt rotted. I say go for it with doing the paint and body then move to the interior. You can always rebuild the suspension as you go. You can always take the body off later and clean and paint the frame if you want. The only difference being you will have to be more careful when pulling the body so you dont tear up the paint.

Re: My 86 C10 - to build or not to build? Your thoughts?
 

The rust on yours seems to be pretty much cosmetic, BUT, like Bob says, get a good look at the underside. If thats pretty good (no rotted out cab supports ect) Go for a restoration on top and do the frame ect later, but don't let the bottom go to long. I did mine frame off, but thats just me. Good luck with it, she seems solid enough to be able to go thru without spending more than 2 or 3 grand. Total on mine over the 2 years it took to do it was close to 14 grand, but mine was rough, real rough when I started. Cab mounts were gone, floors gone, rockers gone, cab corners gone, no brake lines. Now I have a virtually new vehicle that looks great, runs great and will last. I think it's a good investment all things considered. jim

Re: My 86 C10 - to build or not to build? Your thoughts?
 

What you need to decide is do you really love "that" truck. If you do, then only you can determine how much it is worth if repaired.

If it were me, I would shy away from making costly rust repairs and search for a rust free truck. That may mean traveling to another region to bring one home, but the money would be well spent.

Re: My 86 C10 - to build or not to build? Your thoughts?
 

N2TRUX makes a good point here. Whether any of us want to admit it or not, it doesn't take much in the way of rust repair to equal or exceed the price of a better starting point.

That said, the patina-look is still pretty popular. You could just catch up the service work, drop the truck on some wheels, and roll out. Worry about fixing the rust or bodywork issues later (or not at all, your choice).

Re: My 86 C10 - to build or not to build? Your thoughts?
 

Thanks everyone for the great comments. Lots to think about. I'm heading out to tinker with a few things and will get some pics of the front/sides and underneath as requested.

Re: My 86 C10 - to build or not to build? Your thoughts?
 

I could not tell by looking at the pictures but is the truck a short or long bed?