Big Ten Farm Truck: 1979 Chevrolet Bonanza C10 Pickup

This 1979 Chevrolet C10 pickup features a few different options packages, including the “Big 10” kit and the Bonanza trim line. It’s got 72,000 miles on the clock and looks pretty clean in the photos, even if it isn’t perfect. The C10 is a looker no matter the year, it seems, which certainly explains why their values have held up so well. The seller doesn’t say much other than to mention that the Chevy is sold in as-is condition, but given how clean the body and interior appear to be, buying with no guarantees is hopefully a safe bet on this example. The Chevy is listed here on eBay with bids to $1,650 and no reserve.

The Big 10 is a curious thing, marketed in a very specific manner that allowed Chevrolet to sell a proper half-ton pickup truck without catalytic converters. It was a smart move, as the government realized that most consumers were buying trucks in the half-ton range (as opposed to the three-quarter-ton trucks), which meant that costly emissions equipment and retrofits would make these models more expensive to sell. So, you’d end up with protests from consumers as well as the manufacturers, and thus, the requirement for catalytic converters was bumped up to the bigger models. It’s a novelty at this point, I suppose, but one you don’t see too often.

And truthfully, there may be more of these running around than we think, but the fact that the stickers on the edge of the bed can easily be coated over when a respray is commissioned makes it impossible to tell. The Big 10 did get a few nice hardware upgrades, including 3/4 ton rear springs, five lug axle, two-piece driveshaft, bigger rear brake drums and shoes, heavy-duty front brakes, dual-diaphragm booster, and a few other hardware improvements. But really, the Big 10 is all about the lack of cats and minimal additional emissions equipment, and you have to be a C10 fanatic to likely appreciate these hidden improvements. The seller’s truck looks mint inside, with a nicely preserved bench, door panels, and instrument binnacle. I thought the Bonanza option would get you fake wood trim, but I could have that confused with another options package.

The seller doesn’t mention whether the truck is still numbers-matching or not, but it seems so straight and true otherwise that it’d be a major bummer to find out the original mill had been replaced. The aftermarket air cleaner deters from the otherwise untouched appearance of the Chevy, but that’s an easy fix. This C10 is listed with no reserve, so bidding is quite cheap and could stay that way if no one else raises their virtual paddles. The Big 10 trim won’t matter to most observers, but it will be a win for the C10 collector who hasn’t managed to land one of these for their collection of domestic pickup trucks.