Disclosure: This site may receive compensation when you click on some links and make purchases.

Cheap Short Bed: 1975 Chevrolet C10 Silverado

1975 was one of the few years that Chevy beat out Ford in truck sales, selling nearly 750,000 vehicles overall. The C10, the two-wheel-drive version of the Chevy full-size pickup, came in two box styles (Fleetside and Stepside), four trim levels, and two wheelbase lengths. This C10 is the short wheelbase model, has some bumps and rust, and may or may not run after sitting for three years. It’s available in Gadsden, Alabama and here on Facebook Marketplace for $2,500 OBO.

The big Chevy pickups were redesigned in 1973, creating a boxier look than their predecessors. These changes proved popular as the next redesign wouldn’t come until 1988.  The 1975 models were little changed physically, but they would carry catalytic converters for the first time to help with emissions. The top-line model would introduce the name Silverado, which Chevy still uses today. It can be recognized by a brushed aluminum panel on the tailgate.

The seller’s 1975 Chevy C10 Silverado is going to need some help to get going again but is priced accordingly. We’re told it has rust in the “normal spots” which likely means in places we can’t see in the photos as early models from this generation were prone to rust away. However, this one’s better than most we’ve seen, but there are some dents and dings to go with the rust. The seller doesn’t mention the huge dent in the roof which looks as though a tree may have fallen on it. There are no photos of the bed, so we don’t know the state of that area.

This half-ton truck is said to come with a 350 engine (155 hp net) and “transmission,” but we aren’t told which transmission. The photos are not good enough to really tell where the shifter is and how many pedals there are. The seller says he was told the truck runs, which means he hasn’t tried to start it himself. After sitting for several years, maybe a new battery would have enabled this to occur.

The interior may be okay. The seatback looks good but there’s a sheet covering the seat bottom, so we don’t know if that’s there to hide a problem. The seller tells us he was going to lower the truck and not bother painting it, but another project came along that better suits his fancy. Apparently, there is little wiggle room on price; he needs the truck out of his way more than he needs the money. Hagerty suggests that $3,400 is what one of these trucks is worth in fair condition.

Comments

  1. Avatar Joe Haska

    I am not sure what FAIR condition is, I would suspect ,nicer than this. I think this is a math equasion, that dosn’t work and that is does low price isn’t equal a bargin.

    Like 0
  2. Avatar Little_Cars

    It’s got an automatic transmission. I reached out to the seller since he’s just across the state line from me. He will consider trades (just not any of my little British convertibles).

    Like 2
  3. Avatar bone

    I always like the looks of these Chevies , but , at least on the East coast, rust in the usual places means everywhere on this body style . This one looks like the stuff that was coming into our yard in the mid 1980s . They ran like a top, so we always ended up selling th engines out of them ,but the sheet metal on these were like beer cans.

    Like 2
  4. Avatar Thomas S Gordon

    I had acquired a ’74 Longbed with 250-six and three on the tree back around the mid 80s.. .. paid $800 and it was fairly jinxed with rust but,, overall, ran well and drove solid… * I am certain I have told this story more recently than not but… I ended up giving the truck to my younger ‘Fishing-Nut-Brother’ .. who after a year drove the thing into the ground.. rather literally as he was ever taking off-road-trails to discover new fishing sites.. got my money’s worth just the same. On this deal: more photos would give a better evaluation to warrant 2500 McDonald cheeseburgers.. but,, it is moot at my end as my plate . . . is full for projects for awhile *.*

    Like 0
  5. Avatar KKW

    I’ve never understood the popularity. Made from recycled rust, with all the style of a brick wall, and as an added bonus, a hood that folded in half. And never get t-boned, as the gas tanks were brilliantly mounted behind the fenders. Worst trucks ever put out.

    Like 3
    • Avatar Donnie L Sears

      Actually there was no verifiable evidence of the truck blowing up when hit on the side.There was evidence the videos showing the trucks blowing up when hit on the side were staged and fake.I suppose most people don’t know that GMC went and bought the trucks that were staged to blow up.It is a proven fact that if you are going to fake something make sure there is no way for you to get caught.That is why the story about the trucks blowing up went away years ago.Only to resurface now in 2020.

      Like 2
      • Avatar KKW

        Actually there were numerous verified incidents, research it. And the issue resurfaced in 1997, I was working at a gm dealer at the time. I remember it well.

        Like 0
  6. Avatar Maverick

    What panels don’t need attention. I scraped.
    A lot of these in the day.

    Like 0
  7. Avatar Bart

    Really hard to get excited about all these malaise era vehicles that are trying to get the classic treatment, to me they were various degrees of garbage with early emissions equipment, miserable flat-tappet low compression motors, non-overdrive transmissions, and hideous styling. What’s the end game, the 87,000th lowered Chevy project ever to die in primer? Depressing!

    Like 0

Leave a Reply to Donnie L Sears Cancel reply

RULES: No profanity, politics, or personal attacks.

Become a member to add images to your comments.

*

Get new comment updates via email. Or subscribe without commenting.