Finding a survivor-grade example of a truck that was designed as a workhorse can sometimes be a challenge; finding one that’s not only in sound condition but comes with full records since new is near impossible. This latest Barn Finds Exclusive comes to us from reader Larry, who acquired this 1978 Chevy Silverado 4×4 from the best friend of the original owner. It is located in Spokane, Washington, with an asking price of $7,499.
The third-generation of the C/K pickups featured numerous design changes, and details like the wrap-around taillights and curved cab roof were novel at the time. This particular “square body” was well-optioned from the factory, according to Larry: Complete service records from day one including the sticker that came out of the window! 350 ( 11-15 mpg ), locking hubs, PS, PB, AC (works but not hooked up), cruise (engages then gets faster and faster).
So the cruise control will need to be sorted. The interior is in very nice condition, with great colors, non-saggy door pockets and a bench seat with no visible tears. Larry notes the truck comes with a few other useful features and that there’s some minor bodywork to sort out: Equalizer hitch, sprayed bed liner, canopy accessible from all four sides. A/M radio, sliding rear window, gorgeous interior. Minor rust.
Of course, the best feature of this C/K pickup (or Silverado, whichever you prefer) is the obsessive level of record-keeping that Larry and the second owner have preserved from the long-time first caretaker: Original owner sold it to his best friend and he kept a journal of every mile put on vehicle: Destination, miles, MPG and of course the miles where recorded by whoever worked on the truck. While it’s not perfect, the clean interior, decent options list and robust service history should make this Silverado an easy companion for work and play.
Location: Spokane, WA
Asking Price: $7,499
Mileage: 93,000
Title Status: Clear
SOLD
I owned a similar ’78 Chevy though a 3/4 ton with a 4 speed stick, no air. Same two-tone yellow/brown color but with a vinyl bench. Tough truck, very thirsty. Great for hauling my snowmobile to Northern Maine in winter and for handling the logging roads during hunting season. It was a good truck while I had it; dependable for the most part. Never cared for the color but I bought it used from a buddy so I knew what I was getting. This one seems to be in good shape, it should serve the next owner well but more as a work truck or hauling a boat or trailer. Too hard on fuel for an everyday driver.
I own a 1977 3/4 ton flatbed and I love the truck, it it a California truck with 29000 miles on it. I will always be seeking out another one.
Years ago, the fellow I worked for at the time had an all dark blue one, really nice truck.
I had a 80 version but a 1 ton with a dealer installed Meyers plow and dual batteries, that truck plowed snow as high as the hood without stopping, miss that Chevy and I’m a Ford truck guy.
have had a number of these both 2wd and 4wd and not anything remarkable about them except good solid trucks.
The mileage issue CAN be addressed fairly easily, While some like them, the Rochester quadrajet would be the first to go. A 600cfm Holley w/vac secondarys will produce more power and avg 2 mpg improvement. Headers, and other engine mods help as well, but trans and gearing are the most important. I can think of some 2wd models that pull 20-24mpg freeway and 15 mpg city.
Had a 79 3/4 ton loved it..till it rusted out and trany died at 275,000 miles..have a 90 burb 4×4 now 189,000 with rebuilt …everything! Will drive it till it hits 275k most likely
Someone just had two brand new 1980’s for sale!
This was top of the line for Chevy, like my GMC High Sierra. Mine is the same color combo as this. The 4 wheel drive puts this in a whole different category, and will appeal to a greater audience, hence the added, and probably justified price. It’s amazing how much more cluttered the engine bay is with A/C. Mine without, is so much simpler. ( changed a thermostat in 15 minutes, try THAT with your Honda Civic, if you can even find the thermostat)Nice truck, and for someone up north, where these don’t exist anymore, I suppose it’s worth it to them. These are still pretty popular out west here.
Dad had a 76 2wd he used on the farm and kept it after he finally retired. He loved that truck for all it was worth. Unfortunately the typical rust became an issue as so many of them developed around here. Had he been younger he might have had it fixed but as it was he had it parted out. I think right up till the day he died he missed having his pickup. Wasn’t his first but definitely his favorite.
I’ve got a ’79 GMC K-1500 with the Sierra Grande trim. I opted out of the fancier trim because I figured a color-keyed floormat was a lot easier to keep clean than carpet. But I still got A-C, cruise and pulse wipers. Interesting that the brown/neutral color scheme was so popular for about four years. Mine is the same as this except for the roof color.
1978 brought a significant change in GM 4x4s. There had been some problems with the automatic transmission case cracking over the rear mount. GM incorporated a couple of steel brace rods that ran from the transfer case up to the bellhousing. That upgrade pretty much eliminated transmission failures after that. In my opinion ’77-’79 were the best Square bodies GM ever made…
Man, aren’t we brothers from different mothers.(I think we’ve already determined that) I too think these were the nicest pickups for the time, although, I think Ford was a bit tougher.(kind of splitting hairs, really) The Sierra Grande ( whistles) was top of the line for GMC, one step above my High Sierra. I love it’s simplicity, and working on it doesn’t require some special tool(s) from Snap-On.
Actually, Rube, in the first classification the Sierra Grande was the top trim option, along with the Cheyenne Super, but in ’75 they changed things around, making the Sierra/Custom Deluxe the base, the Sierra Grande/Scotsdale the next one up, with the High Sierra/Cheyenne above that. The Sierra Classic/Silverado was the king of the hill. I had a customer with a Sierra Classic, who chewed snuff, and spit it wherever, usually at the instrument cluster. The carpet always had a couple of inches of mud on it. And if you got into it on a hot day with the windows closed you’d either want to light up a cigarette for fresh air, or wish you still had a surplus of gas from that chili cook-off. It reeked! He would bring it to the shop and get it tuned up, serviced and washed. We would open both doors and pressure wash the interior, swap out the gauges and clean it up for him. He never batted an eye over the bill; he’d just hand me the check book, have me fill it out then balance it before tearing the check out so he could sign it. Those were the days….
I have a ‘77 gmc high sierra 4×4 w/a manual and no AC in orig (faded) orange. Great truck.
Our biggest sellers were 4x4s. They were equally divided between automatics and manuals. About the only failures we had with manuals was clutches. We found out that it was much quicker to pull the motor to replace the clutch than to go through all the trouble of trying to slide the transmission/transfer case back and then still have to crawl around underneath. Fortunately we didn’t replace very many clutches; those trucks were well designed and built….
I have a 1978 Silverado 20 4×4. Excellent condition for sale.
@Harry Hampton – Please consider listing it with us: https://barnfinds.com/sell/
$?
I bought one just like this in August 1979 to use as work truck in the Colorado Rockies! Within 2 months , the flex plate for the torque converter broke between the bolts where it mounted on the crankshaft ! I took it to the Ft. Collins Chevy dealer where I bought it and they fixed it ! Only 4 months later , yeah, you guessed it , same thing happened and they fixed it but we’re whining that somehow it was my abuse or something ! As you might have anticipated, it did it again but the dealer was filing bankruptcy , so no recourse! Had to almost give it away to get rid of it!! Last Chevrolet product I’ll ever own !
When I was learning to drive in 1987, my family had 3 of these, a ’76, an ’83, an ’85, and a ’78 suburban. All were tough and strong. Perfect for a house full of boys to learn to drive in. The one’s from the ’70s rusted really badly, but ran better than the one’s from the ’80s. My dad still has the ’85 with a dump bed on it now. Awesome trucks!