A nice clean original truck typically brings back memories for those of us who grew up around a certain make or model. My Dad bought a 1972 Chevrolet SWB Stepside truck from a utility company for $600 for my brothers and I to drive in high school. It was orange, worn out but I remember it fondly. This example is far from worn out with only 59,000 miles on the odometer. It is a 3/4 ton Chevrolet 2WD C20 that is listed here on eBay with 4 days remaining in the auction. The current bid is $5,652 and it is located in Las Vegas, Nevada.
The interior looks clean and the bench seat has been reupholstered and the carpet was replaced. I am not sure everything is matching like it was from the factory because the dash is black, the seat is red and the door panels are brown. The seller states that the dash pad was actually removed so I guess that is what it looks like underneath. Are dash pads available in the aftermarket? The lights, gauges and electrical features (which are few) are all said to be working.
Under the hood is a 454 cubic inch V8 engine backed by a 4 speed manual transmission. The seller states that the engine runs great and the truck is roadworthy. There is no smoking, knocking or noises from the engine. The transmission shifts well and the tires are not new but not worn out. The 454 cubic inch V8 engine replaced the 402 cubic inch V8 engine in 1973. It was rated at 230 horsepower and 360 lb ft of torque.
The body of the truck is straight and it bears the optional trim molding that was offered in 1974 and became standard in 1975. The paint is showing its age and is described as having some patina. However, the body, undercarriage and bed are said to be rust free. This truck looks original and should gain some more bids before the auction is over.
Nice looker, but what are all those blue masking tapes in the engine bay with the notes written on them?
Filter numbers, replacement dates etc., I bet. My dad did the same kind of thing on his vehicles.
Aren’t trucks of this era with that molding two-tone?
This truck has a dash pad on it. The wrong one, I’d say.
It looks like the style used on ’73-74 base models without a/c and ’73-80 medium duties, that didn’t have a trim applique across the passenger side, and there’s one just slapped on top of it.
a lot of pickups from this era were two tone, but not all were. I can think of several in my area growing up that were 1 color only
Nice looking truck, if the high bidder today gets it he will have a nice ride.
Very clean example. Bid to $9,200 with two days left. Should surpass 10K by auction’s end, despite having no A/C and in desperate need of a dash pad.
6 to 8 MPG…idling… but will pull stumps.
A lot of trucks like this out west. 1974 was probably the year the trucks got the worst mileage ever. Lots of careful tuning could put them into the double digits though. And they went like Jack, the Bear. I remember we sold a loaded pickup and a 6500 3-ton (366) to a farmer. He said that the 3-ton got better fuel economy. “That pickup,” he said, “doesn’t have a gas tank; we just pour it on the ground.” Interesting enough, that pickup is still on the farm. One of the grandkids has it and is restoring it to original, maybe keeping the goodies I put in it in the intervening years…
If this was a half ton pickup and short wheel base it would be gone already.