1969 Chevrolet C20 Custom Camper Survivor

Having “lived” in Northern California and then Central Texas since new, this 1969 Chevrolet C20 Custom Camper pickup has had some real-world usage, along with the usual dings and dents, but it looks like a super solid example of a nicely-optioned truck. The seller has it posted here on eBay in Pflugerville, Texas and the current bid price is $2,550, but the reserve isn’t met. Thanks to Larry D. for sending in this tip!

This truck is similar to one that we had when I was growing up, although ours was from the enemy camp: Ford. Ours was an F-250 Ranger Camper Special but it was basically the same. Although, in an eye-popping orange color rather than tan or gold as seen here. This is a second-generation Chevrolet C-Series pickup, in this case, a 3/4-ton C20 with the Custom Camper option package. There were a couple of wheelbase options for the C-Series Fleetside pickups. This one has a 127-inch wheelbase and it came with an eight-foot box – Chevy made 74,894 of these trucks. There was also a 133-inch wheelbase model called the Long Horn that came with an eight-and-a-half-foot box, of which 8,797 were made in 1969.

This truck has an extra upper piece of trim that our ’69 Ford didn’t have, which makes this Chevy a bit fancier than even our decked-out Ranger trim package Ford F-250 Camper Special was. This one has a fancier, more-layered-looking tailgate with trim that’s peeling, but still, it’s there and almost every part of this truck is listed in several catalogs so the next owner shouldn’t have a hard time bringing it back to its former glory if they care about such things. If you’re hauling a vintage camper, this would be perfect. I really like this truck as it is now.

This looks like a solid example, despite some detail issues. The underside has the usual surface rust but looks solid otherwise, and inside the bed, or box, also looks great for a five+ decade-old pickup. You can see that a new steering wheel would be nice here, and there’s something going on with the radio in the dash – are the heater controls AWOL? In any case, those things can be fixed, and look at how nice the seat looks for being as old as the first moon landing! Beautiful.

The seller says that this is a 350-cu.in. V8 and it sure looks clean, doesn’t it? Twenty minutes with a dry-ice blaster and this thing would look like new, as would the underside. This engine and transmission were rebuilt at some point in the 1990s. The seller gets a Texas-sized gold star for having so many great photos, including a separate link with dozens of nice photos here. This looks like a great truck just for using as a truck, as the truck Gods meant them to be used. Would you restore this one or keep it maintained and drive it as it looks now? That’s what I would do.