Newbie question: Right truck to buy and how much

[SBCruiser]

Hi All,

(Note: I don't believe this should be in classifieds, please let me know if I need to delete and repost there)

I've been thinking about jumping into this world for some time. I'm hoping you all will provide some insight on the right truck for me and how much I should pay.

My birth year is 1975 and it is also ironically the last year of smog exempt trucks (at least in CA). Therefore I'm looking for a 1975 Chevy truck  and I'm leaning towards a C or K 20 or 30 with a 454 and 400 trans. It will be used periodically to tow (nothing super heavy at this point but might be nice later), make trips to the dump, hardware store etc, occasionally a couple hundred mile trips. Not a daily driver, but needs to have reasonable reliability. I want something that runs strong, sounds great, looks tough (primer black, 33-35" tires). Essentially, and honestly, something I can jump into every week or two and counterbalance the Prius/minivan reality that I live in day to day. I'm willing to drive a few hundred miles to get something and am trying to figure out what to buy and how much. I love the idea of working on a project truck but at this point I wouldn't have the time so I'm looking for something basically done that may need the occasional trip to the mechanic but that's it. Doesn't need to be a show truck, but does need to be in pretty good shape... and reliable.

I currently see a couple options on Criags list, one in particular:
1975 Cheyenne Camper Special 4x4 - 7500 (Fairfield, Ca)
He had it listed for 6000 but just bumped it to 7500. Does this seem like the right kind of truck for me? Does this price seem right for this kind of truck? here are some more details:

1975 Cheyenne 4x4, no smog needed, rebuilt 454, less than 200 miles on rebuilt. Turbo 400 Trans, port and polished heads, Manley Pro Flow Valves, comp springs, Aluminum radiator, dual electric fans, interior clean, no tears on seats, new carpet, no cracks on dash, dual 3 inch Flow masters. New body mounts. Gear driven 205 trans.case
2-1 ratio 411 gears in rear end
Dana 44 in front
corporate 16 bolt rear end
dual shocks on front steering
this is the heaviest duty 4x4 setup from factory

He said the only rust is superficial on the passenger side of the hood and no where else. Interior is in great shape. Frame is straight and painted black during the rebuild. Says the breaks need to be done and that the truck can run hot when in stop and go traffic. Does this indicate an improper engine rebuild or is this pretty standard for a truck like this? I have no idea if the seller is a competent engine mechanic.

Do you all think I should be able to find something for $4k? $6k? $8k+? What's the right price range?
Is this the prefect truck or do you recommend to keep looking? I'm about 2 hours north of LA btw.

Thanks everyone, I appreciate any advice.

Cheers!
SBCruiser

[Jason S]

Howdy and welcome to the site!

These are my thoughts on your questions...

"Right truck to buy and how much"  - that's pretty subjective.  How much work do you want to put into a truck?  You may be able to find an old farm truck for a few hundred dollars; spend a few hundred more and get exactly what you want.

Do you all think I should be able to find something for $4k? $6k? $8k+? What's the right price range?

You might watch prices on eBay.  Ultimately it depends upon what you're willing to spend on the truck and any needed repairs.

As for the CL posted truck, I personally think the price may be high. To me there are a few issues that stand out, but without seeing it firsthand these may be non-issues. Things like: 

To the best of my knowledge, a 1975 K20 could only be had with a Small Block Chevy V-8 (e.g., 350) or an I-6.  The automatic transmission was the TH-350 and most of those had an NP203 behind it.  That being said, the 454-TH400-NP205 was probably swapped in.  There's nothing inherently wrong with that, if the work was done correctly. 

less than 200 miles on rebuilt

- Do they have receipts on the engine rebuild? Any info on the TH-400 or NP-205? The transmission and t-case are pretty sturdy units, but they can both wear out from use/abuse.

corporate 16 bolt rear end

I believe they meant Corporate 14-bolt.

411 gears in rear end

I believe it should be a 4.09:1 in the Dana 44 and 4.10:1 in the 14-bolt. Non-issue. 

dual shocks on front steering

How are the rest of the steering parts and front wheel bearings?

this is the heaviest duty 4x4 setup from factory

For 1975, I don't believe this was a factory combination...

Says the breaks need to be done

  A brake job can add several hundred dollars if you have to start replacing rotors, drums, bearings and seals. If you're into the front brakes, you might also be looking at ball joints, u-joints and tie rods, etc.

the truck can run hot when in stop and go traffic

How hot?  Boiling over? Could be timing, carb adjustment, electric fan too small, radiator too small, low coolant or any number of things. Replacing or upgrading those things can run a few hundred more dollars.

Does this indicate an improper engine rebuild or is this pretty standard for a truck like this

Warmer in traffic could be considered standard on most any vehicle.  If it's pushing 220 degrees, that's another issue.

Again, this is simply my thinking on the example you listed.  With the some of the issues listed you could use them as a haggling point to get the price down. 

I hope this helped.  Keep us informed on what you decide!

[LTZ C20]

Welcome to the site! I think Jason said it best.

[roundhouse]

Howdy and welcome to the site!

These are my thoughts on your questions...

"Right truck to buy and how much"  - that's pretty subjective.  How much work do you want to put into a truck?  You may be able to find an old farm truck for a few hundred dollars; spend a few hundred more and get exactly what you want.

Do you all think I should be able to find something for $4k? $6k? $8k+? What's the right price range?

You might watch prices on eBay.  Ultimately it depends upon what you're willing to spend on the truck and any needed repairs.

As for the CL posted truck, I personally think the price may be high. To me there are a few issues that stand out, but without seeing it firsthand these may be non-issues. Things like: 

To the best of my knowledge, a 1975 K20 could only be had with a Small Block Chevy V-8 (e.g., 350) or an I-6.  The automatic transmission was the TH-350 and most of those had an NP203 behind it.  That being said, the 454-TH400-NP205 was probably swapped in.  There's nothing inherently wrong with that, if the work was done correctly.

less than 200 miles on rebuilt

- Do they have receipts on the engine rebuild? Any info on the TH-400 or NP-205? The transmission and t-case are pretty sturdy units, but they can both wear out from use/abuse.

corporate 16 bolt rear end

I believe they meant Corporate 14-bolt.

411 gears in rear end

I believe it should be a 4.09:1 in the Dana 44 and 4.10:1 in the 14-bolt. Non-issue. 

dual shocks on front steering

How are the rest of the steering parts and front wheel bearings?

this is the heaviest duty 4x4 setup from factory

For 1975, I don't believe this was a factory combination...

Says the breaks need to be done

  A brake job can add several hundred dollars if you have to start replacing rotors, drums, bearings and seals. If you're into the front brakes, you might also be looking at ball joints, u-joints and tie rods, etc.

the truck can run hot when in stop and go traffic

How hot?  Boiling over? Could be timing, carb adjustment, electric fan too small, radiator too small, low coolant or any number of things. Replacing or upgrading those things can run a few hundred more dollars.

Does this indicate an improper engine rebuild or is this pretty standard for a truck like this

Warmer in traffic could be considered standard on most any vehicle.  If it's pushing 220 degrees, that's another issue.

Again, this is simply my thinking on the example you listed.  With the some of the issues listed you could use them as a haggling point to get the price down. 

I hope this helped.  Keep us informed on what you decide!

If they don't have receipts for the rebuild , it didn't happen.

[Engineer]

$7,500?

That is what that truck stickered for when it was new!

It had better be in excellent condition.

I digress, square body GMs seem to command outrageous prices these days.......

[zieg85]

The right person may pay that.  I have overpaid for my last truck because I wanted it.  Nice ones are getting hard to find.  Personally a red flag should go up when the price went up $1500 but I have raised my prices in the past to attract different buyers.

[SBCruiser]

Jason, LTZ C20, roundhouse, Engineer, zieg85, thanks so much for the great info! I'm holding off for now and may call in an offer for about $4k pending confirmation it is as advertised. I'm not in a huge rush and want to make sure I get the right truck.

Side note, is it appropriate to paste links to CL postings here to get expert input, or is that frowned upon?

Any good posts come to mind on how to properly evaluate a truck of this era? Seems like lots of great info on specific issues. For a guy like me just learning the basics, I'm just trying to quickly determine if a truck is a good fit for me. Would you suggest meeting the owner at a local mechanic for a pre-buy inspection?

Thank all, have a great Friday and weekend,
SBCruiser

[Don5]

Here are a couple of things that I have always done when I look at one these trucks. These things don't apply to two wheel drive trucks.

Having said that, the first thing I do is open the drivers door. I reach down, grab the bottom of the door and lift it while looking at the door and front end. This tells me a few things. I can see if the hinges are worn if just the door moves. On a lifted truck this tells me that it has been lifted for awhile and the owner has put his weight on the back of the door getting in it. This will have to be fixed.

If the door does not sag but the cab flexes along with the front fenders, then the cab bushings might need replaced. This tells me that the truck has been used quite a bit off road. You are looking for body flex when you do this as well. Look at the bed and the cab when you do this test. If the cab moves easily, this is a clue.

The second thing I do involves looking at the bed. As I walk around the bed, I will grab the top of the bed and pull it. Again, you are looking for body flex. Excessive or easy body flex is an indicator of hard  or daily off road use.  If the bed or cab squeaks when you do this, then you know it has been used pretty hard.

Here are some more things that I do when I look at a truck. I would look closely at the frame behind the power steering pump for any cracks. I would look for any fluid leaks. I would ask the owner to drive  the truck  a little ways while it is locked in 4WD. I would stand outside and listen for any clunking noises. Pay close attention to the driveshafts and front axles. Any noise coming from there is going to cost you money. If you can look under it, by all means do so. This will tell you if it has been mudded. If you can't look under the body, just drop down and look at the bottom of the radiator shroud. Look inside the cab, in behind the seat at the floor. If you see dirt or dried mud, you know what that means. It has been in deep enough mud or water that it has came in the cab. This could lead to potential electrical wiring issues down the road. That's all I could think of off the top of my head.

     

[David36605]

I'd say it depends on were you live for base line price in mobile alabama I paid 600 for a run in driving 87 r20
1500 for 74 c10 completely original never rebuilt and the original radio still worked
Like others have said what kind of hot , lastly what do you want to do with the truck just daily driver, hot rod, show truck ? All things to consider
7500 to me is high and I wouldn't want a rebuilt truck cause u don't know how good of a job they did that's just me though

[Irish_Alley]

once you hit 3 post you will see there's a classifier section. there's a sub section in that just for craigs list. as long as youre not selling/buying or asking "how much" is this truck worth you will be good. if you want to sell or ask about the price of something then you have to be a site suporter $25/year

[SBCruiser]

Thanks so much for all the great info. I really appreciate your time. I'll keep checking back.

Cheers!

[SBCruiser]

What do you guys think about this choice:
http://bakersfield.craigslist.org/cto/4768209264.html
or
http://slo.craigslist.org/cto/4763995038.html

The black 4x4 looks to have good paint and no rust, 454, 4x4, etc. a bit more fun. I spoke with the owner, but he only speaks Spanish so I could get almost no info. All i got was the truck "jumps" in a weird way (due to knobbies?) and he didn't think it was a great idea to pick it up and drive it a couple hours back to my house. I would have a mechanic check it out before I drove out there, still seems sketchy but already some key things checked off. Would likely have to spend money working out some issues.

The second one, orange w/ camper, seems much more driveable but would likely need paint, body, possibly a more fun motor some day, and it would never be 4x4 obviously.

What direction would you guys go? Buy one with money already invested and then fix issues, or start with a driveable blank slate?

Cheers!

[roundhouse]

How much cash you budgeted ?
You a decent mechanic or you gonna be paying someone $99 an hr to work on it ?

You want 4WD or not ?

[Irish_Alley]

the 4x4 i would stay away from. it looks running but no fan. it also says its almost complete racing truck. but the engine is still wet from last time it was ran. make me wonder why they want to give up on a running truck.  the 2wd at first seamed like a good deal but without the camper i would pass.

[Stewart G Griffin]

i like the c-20 better than the 4X4 and i'm amazed you found a 2wd 3/4 ton!


The C-20 looks basically stock while the 4X4 looks like it has some of the electrical wiring jimmied with among other things.   i like to start off with a stock, unmodified truck.  But that's just me.


Does it have to be a 75?