I know that anyone who reads Barn Finds must have at least one great one they sold and now wish they hadn’t. I have a few, but one was a 1979 Chevy C10 with a step side. I took it from Connecticut to California and then sold it for an ungodly $2,000, even though it was in perfect shape. The truck here isn’t in that great shape, but unlike the 6-cylinder I had, this one has a 396 cubic-inch behemoth. With a clear New Jersey title, this begging-for-restoration CST is available here on craigslist for $12,000. It is located in Hampton Township, New Jersey. Thanks, Jack M, for the tip!
A short-bed Fleet side with a big-block and a 3-speed on the floor. That’s what I think of as a muscle truck. But before you say anything, yes, it is a step side right now. The seller says it has an incorrect 1966 step side bed. The seller claims that the 396 is an original XE code, rated at 310 or 325 horsepower, depending on who you believe, and normally associated with a Chevelle of that year. The transmission is a 3-speed, and it sounds like a “period-correct” Saginaw, not the heavy-duty Borg Warner. The floor-mounted 3-speed shifter replaced the column shifter at some point. The seller also says the engine turns over by hand, which makes me think you will be working on it if you decide to buy it. The rear end is the LL code 12-bolt with 3.07 gears.
The interior is red and includes the Buddy Bucket seats, gauges, and chrome-trimmed pedals from the CST package. The CST package also included chrome bumpers instead of the standard painted ones, along with additional insulation and underbody coating. This model also included carpeting, rather than rubber mats, as part of the creature comforts. It sounds like the frame is one of the few solid parts on this truck, as it requires rockers, floors, cab corners, and a complete bed. It also did not originally come with power steering, power brakes, or air conditioning, which sounds kind of weird if the original owner was going for the CST package in the first place.
This Tuxedo Black big-block C10 fleet side is one of the rarer pickups out there, as 1968 saw only 1400 C10s built with a 396, and only about 500 of those were short beds. This truck needs a lot of work, and from the starting price, I am not sure you would be able to make your money back. I am looking at a Branson Auction of a cherry 1968 fleet side 327 CST with a high bid of $43,000. But is this the rare truck you restore and keep? With all the GM truck restoration parts shops in the world, I would assume you could get whatever you need to bring this truck back to its glory days. But is it worth the price of admission?
What a mess. But it will probably sell.
I had a ’68 C10 in ’88, from the factory it was a 327, sm465 4sp, 3.73 posi, shortbed, stepside, 6 bolt 16″ rims, overload springs, manual steering and manual drum brakes. By the time I got it, it had an ’80 305 for power, rockers and cab corners were done and was pristine compared to this. Tough as nails and would do anything but stop. We were trying to get money together to build a house, tried to sell it, but at the time nobody wanted a 20 year old truck and sold to my BIL for $300. Today I could set back and auction it off to the highest bidder!
It’s an exceptionally rare fleetside stepside. For $12k I would expect the period correct bed to be part of the sale. The step side is as of putting as the price for me.