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1971 Chevrolet C10 Stepside Survivor!

I’ve seen a number of articles lately about the drastic rise in classic truck values, as if it’s some brand new trend. The truth is, it’s a trend we’ve been tracking for the past few years and we aren’t surprised by it one bit. Classic trucks are simple, easy to work on, came with a huge variety of options and best of all they are functional. There aren’t too many classic vehicles out there that could be optioned with a big block, a manual transmission and have the ability to haul a full kitchen’s worth of appliances in the back. I’ll say it right now if you have been wanting a classic truck, now is the time to buy! This ’71 Chevy C10 might not have a big V8 or every option in the book, but it’s a clean survivor which is a rarity with old trucks and is only going to go up in value. You can find it here on eBay in Euclid, Ohio.

If this truck had a V8, rather than the inline 6, it would be the perfect collectible. Survivor status is big these days and that’s not something you find with trucks all that often. Most people used them as pieces of equipment, so they were driven hard and put away wet. Somehow this short bed C10 managed to survive the past 47 years without being abused, well at least if the seller’s claims of originality are true. It certainly looks original, but you will want to inspect it closely for signs or restoration work.

The seller doesn’t state which inline 6 this one is, it could be the base 250 cui or the larger 292. If any Chevy experts out there would like to weigh in on which engine this is, please feel free to do so. While they aren’t as powerful or as desirable as a V8, these sixes are great engines that are known for their longevity. And there are actually some performance upgrade options out there for those that need more power. If the rest of this truck is truly all original though, it would be best to keep the engine as is and just keep it tuned up and serviced.

While the $13,500 asking price is high, it won’t be too long and that price will seem like a bargain for a nice survivor short bed survivor. Hopefully, the seller is willing to hear offers so that this sweet little truck can go to a good home! So will you be investing in a classic truck or do you see this trend being short lived?

Comments

  1. Avatar Fred W.

    Driver’s door crease would be a deal killer for me, since paintless dent removal wouldn’t work. New paint would be required and there goes originality. Otherwise, very nice truck.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Tyler Member

      A dent in the door of this beautiful original beauty isn’t a deal breaker for me.

      Like 0
      • Avatar John T

        The automatic transmission is the deal breaker for me, gotta have the three-on-the-tree. Still a very nice truck. Hope the seller is flexible on the price due to the door and body issues.

        Like 0
  2. Avatar grant

    Drivers side fender seems misaligned with the hood. This may be within spec on an old truck but with the crease in the door it looks like the door was stuck and damaged upon opening. The door isn’t fitting properly either, look at the top of the window. I’d look closer for accident damage.

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  3. Avatar diehardchevy

    Just looking at it I thought ,hum, with those steely’s ,dog dishes, and a decent looking sized tire ,I kinda expected or hoped to see a big block…..sleeper!! My brother had one in 71 or72, of course it was the top of the line,chromed sidelines, camper special but perhaps these motors could be ordered in 1/2 tons as well. If it were my truck, probably what I’d do……plain simple, Chevy orange 396/402/454,maybe headers ,and drive the wheels off it !

    Like 0
  4. Avatar JW

    Nice old Chevy, fix the dent in door then use it for it’s intended purpose with caution to not destroy it.

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  5. Avatar Nrg8

    Right. Love those factory green wiper arm mounts. Without wipers and arms no less. One cab corner with a big pink scratch. The body lines that don’t line up and aren’t crisp. Ok it’s a shortbox, just not a 10k+ one, I’d be comfortable at 6 tops if the frame was good.

    Like 0
  6. Avatar newport pagnell Member

    292 ci would have the fuel pump behind the motor mount.

    Like 0
    • Avatar Craig M. Bryda

      Thinking the distributor was more towards the middle of the block on a 292 ?

      Like 0
    • Avatar Newport Pagnell

      250ci

      Like 0
      • Avatar Newport Pagnell

        292ci

        Like 0
  7. Avatar Fozbuzz Member

    Yes, and 292’s mostly would’ve come in C20’s-C60’s

    Like 0
  8. Avatar chad

    drove same truck (plus 4WD) around the farm for yrs (color, transmish, motor, bumpers…). Hada huge sno blower mounted once in that decade (due 2 enormous storm, usually ran’n 8 ft blade) carried hay outta the field, cross fenced the whole property (carried the boards, posts & gathered all the stone 4 each posthole). It wuz a goodun…

    Like 0
  9. Avatar Maestro1

    I don’t understand the dramatic increase in asking prices for what are essentially production vehicles that are questionably classic unless one is going by model year. I think that prices for cars have increased to the point where buying trucks
    was the only way to get into the hobby reasonably (at one time). Now we are slowly getting confronted with the same issue in trucks. I worry a lot about how to keep the Hobby alive. A lot of us are dying………..

    Like 0
    • Avatar Craig M. Bryda

      Newcomers are content to write checks as their entry fee. They either have the lack of skills necessary or the desire to learn. Hence the crazy prices. This truck is nice and if the money stays sane it’ll be a good buy for somebody.

      Like 0
  10. Avatar Fordguy1972 Member

    Nice original, no-frills short-bed truck. With regular maintenance, those sixes will indeed last a long time. I’d freshen it up here and there and drive it as-is. Personally, I’d hate to see it turned into a pavement shredder with a V-8 and other upgrades. Keep it simple.

    Like 0
  11. Avatar CanuckCarGuy

    Nice truck, but I’m guessing it’s a 15 footer…fit and body lines on that driver’s door are wonky.

    Like 0
  12. Avatar Beatnik Bedouin

    Looks like somebody backed into something with the driver’s door open. Either that, or the damage was a result of a left-side fender bender and someone tried to open the door to get out.

    Either way, I’d suggest that the potential buyer take a closer look at that side of the truck.

    Like 0
  13. Avatar Len Mac Dougall

    the door could of been opened to hard by the wind when getting out the door stopper could of got stretched.bunch of fussy buyers buy a ruff one and try to fix it to that shape for the asking price of that one. i love the truck as it sits

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Rustytech Member

    Well the green paint on the wiper mounts says it’s not original paint. I’d guess this had more damage than just the door. Why try to hide it if your not going to do it right. This is a $5000 truck.

    Like 0
  15. Avatar LAWRENCE

    yep….it’s been jazzed up some….so much for survivor ……

    Like 0
  16. Avatar Tyler

    The crease in the door came from opening it against the fender after the stop catch in the top hinge broke. I’ve had several with the exact crease & that was always the cause.

    The door panels are not original, they should be plain metal. With the wood grain strip, those came off of a Cheyenne or GMC Sierra Grande. Same with the houndstooth seat cover. No harm, no foul in trying to spruce up the old girl.

    It’s a radio delete truck, those cowl panels without the hole for the antennae are getting pretty hard to find these days.

    Other than the wheels being paint body color, (I would have to put them back argent) It looks nice & solid, I really like this truck. Except for the price that is. That’s realistically a 8-9k dollar truck. But the market is being driven upwards, 5 years ago, that was a $5,000 dollar truck.

    This is my 68, notice the crease. Just an old farm truck aunt bought new. It’s rough as can be, but it’s 95% original & has 66k miles. It’s a 307 with a 3 on the tree, even with the low miles, the engine is tired & the original clutch is about gone. For most of it’s life, it wore Co-Op Grip Spur tires on the back & was driven only a couple miles at a time, used for what a truck was designed for. I can’t tell you how many tons of manure was hauled to the garden in the spring, how much hay hauled in the summer, or how many loads of wood it has carried in the fall.

    Like 1
  17. Avatar Pete

    I saw a 67 about 8 years ago same set up. Could have bought it for $750 bucks. I messed up and told a coworker about it and the next day it was gone.

    Like 0
  18. Avatar CLEguy

    The shop is called Street Machinery and their inventory is one to envy. The owner finds some amazing stuff.

    Like 1

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