Quick, choose your favorite child. Do you have one picked out yet? It’s tough, and hopefully it’s impossible, as impossible as it is for some of us to choose our favorite pickup brand. I love them all, and I would really love to have this 1965 Chevrolet C10 Fleetside with a V8 and a manual floor shift. The seller has it posted here on craigslist in Thornton, Colorado, and they’re asking $6,500. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Mike F. for the tip!
Unfortunately, the seller only says this truck has a V8 and a manual transmission, but they don’t provide any more info than that. The 283 was the only V8 offered in 1965 for Chevy’s C10-series 1/2-ton pickups, although 3/4-ton and 1-ton truck buyers could get the new 327 V8. In 1966, even the 1/2-ton trucks could get the 327, so I’m guessing this is a 283. The manual transmission is another head-scratcher. A couple of 3-speed manuals were available, and a 4-speed, so this one is either a 3-speed or 4-speed. Why no mention? Why no close-up photo of the shift knob? At least they provided two engine photos, so that’s great.
Clearly having been repainted, we don’t know if there’s any bodywork or not, but the right front fender liner under the hood shows a rust hole, so I’d brace for having your magnet fall to the ground as you move around this truck. I could be 100% wrong, though; maybe there’s zero rust, zero bodywork, and it was just repainted? I hope so. Here’s what it looks like inside the bed. It could use some freshening up back there, but it looks pretty solid overall, no?
Random underdash wires always give me the heebie-jeebies; you never know how many generations of owners have messed with wiring up things here and there. It looks pretty nice inside otherwise, though. The steering column-mounted tach is a nice feature with the V8 under the ol’ bonnet. This is definitely the base level cab, the Standard Cab, as it looks pretty hard and sparse without even a driver’s side armrest. Page 3 of this 1965 Chevrolet pickup brochure shows the cabs and other interior features. Here’s a view of the interior from the passenger side so you can see the great shift lever. Bob_in_TN: any thoughts on that one for your upcoming book on cool shift levers?! I just made that up, but he could write a book about that, and many other things.
Here’s the mystery V8, and as much as I’m usually a staunch keep-it-original-spec guy, I don’t mind seeing that Edelbrock carb. If this is a Chevy 283-cu.in. OHV V8, it wouldn’t have been orange as most folks think; they were gray in 1965, and this one would have had 175 gross horsepower and 275 gross lb-ft of torque. Whether it’s a floor-shifted 3-speed or 4-speed manual transmission, power is sent to the rear wheels only on this C-10, and they say it starts and runs (rarely a glowing review), the carb has been rebuilt (it looks new?!) and it has new tires. Is that a new power brake booster? And here’s a close-up of the little rust hole, next to the new-looking-but-disconnected (?!) battery. I would absolutely love to own this truck. Any thoughts on identifying this engine?
One of my favorite generations of Chevy trucks. I’m thinking this is a 4 speed Scotty. With a granny low. This looks like it’d be great for Home Depot runs and kids or grandkids for ice cream runs. It looks pretty good, I’d paint the bumpers and grill silver. Thanks Scotty.
The engine has a long water pump, which means the heads are 1969 or later, the short block likely is too.
Steve R
$6500 seems like a good price, besides the Edelbrock carb w/electric choke its been changed to HEI and a single wire alternator, also a manual temp gauge. The transmission should be an SM420 (reverse to the driver and back). If your looking for bondo run a magnet along the back lower edge of the front fenders, never saw a 60/66 that wasn’t rusted through there.