It’s hard to beat household appliances from the 1980s. They rarely die and when they do, parts are cheap and readily available. Much the same can be expected of vehicles like this 1981 Chevrolet C30 Ramp Truck. Powered by one of 113 million small block V8s produced, the well-kept Chevy is no idle threat, having recently logged some 600 miles of honest car hauling, according to the seller. This Roca, Nebraska work truck seeks a new owner here on eBay where $7500 adds it to your stable.
A winch up front and extendable aluminum ramps astern make for easy loading, and the whole rig shows well for its age. Bright red paint adds visibility to ward off unjust collisions with phone fondling road zombies. A buffer and a reliable polish or cleaner wax might yield brilliant results.
Diamond-tufted upholstery and visors impart the upscale elegance of a ’70s lounge. You can almost imagine thick Marlboro smoke and six traveling hombres harmonizing on the Star Wars Theme or other period classics. A genuine floor shifted four-speed manual transmission stays in the chosen gear until you decide otherwise, just as the good Lord intended.
After a claimed 104,000 miles, this 350 cid (5.7L) V8 may not have reached its half-way point yet, without the need for occasional walnut blasting of the cylinder heads. The lack of air conditioning and other overly fancy features simplifies maintenance tasks for the new owner. Most everything you need to keep this old girl running comes in under $50.
A custom grille, shiny chrome, and roof lights show off your big rig swagger at truck stops and toll booths. Trucks with this face once dotted the roads like stars in the desert sky, and enjoy a faithful following today. What adventures do you picture for this ’80s car hauler?
This is a really cool hauler. They’re out there. I would think that between the weight of the truck plus whatever vehicle you’re hauling, plus 5 of your closest friends riding along with you, you have a considerable amount of weight to move around with a 350. But its done it for over 100000 miles. And if you get a good one, you can definitely double that mileage.
Nice Chevelle in the pictures.
Agreed, that yellow one looks slick.
Is it a package deal? :)
In the drag racing scene, before there were these rolling machine shops, ramp trucks, especially 4 doors, were the vehicle of choice for transport. Every drag racer used one, preferably the same make as the race car. Before modern roll off tilt bed trucks, these were the ones used for vehicles that couldn’t be towed. It’s a great find and still usable today.
If I wasn’t looking at a $15K bill for paint on my Nova I’d be all over this one! Drive from where ever you live, put you car on the back and head home. Seems like a very reasonable price for a ready to use truck!
New or repaired and painted driver’s door. For the price, nice rig.
Hey Todd, I’m sorry to out a pin in your $50 statement. But there are no $50 parts fir repair of the hydro booster brake system. (this is not a vacuum booster) Some of our other readers here feel free to correct me. But this truck is the earliest hydro-boost 1 ton truck that I have ever seen. Very common today, but not so common when this truck left the factory.
Put a Cummins diesel in it and you’d have something.
I had a ’78 1-ton Dually Crew Cab with hydro boost system.
It is worth it for the matching plastic bucket alone!?!!