Growing up in Northeast Wyoming, trucks like this Chevy K30 Crew Cab were common sights. The additional set of doors made them the perfect multipurpose rig for ranchers that had to battle dirt roads and the ever-changing Wyoming climate. Over the years though, these older trucks have slowly vanished. They were either driven till they died, crushed or sold out of state. This ’83 Scottsdale managed to survive the brutal winters and abuse that comes from country life. It even managed to stay in the heart of Wyoming! It’s been listed here on eBay in Cody with a current bid of $7,600.
For those of you that have never been to Wyoming, trust me when I say that we love our trucks! And for the most part, bigger is always better, especially when it comes to 4x4s. Today, the roads around the larger towns are dominated by cars and SUVs, but venture out into the country and trucks still reign supreme. Between the crew cab and the 4×4 system, I imagine this truck saw plenty of use both out on the farm and around town.
Moving all this truck around is a serious task, especially with a horse trailer in tow, so power is provided by a big 454 V8. The 4-speed and Dana 60 axles might suggest that it was more of a workhorse and less of an errand runner, but you never know. The odometer shows 59k miles, but chances are its actually 159k miles, if not more. That’s alright though, square body trucks are in right now and all the parts to make this truck like new again are readily available. And as a nice bonus, the engine was recently rebuilt and should be good to go for a number of years.
It makes me a little sad to see another classic truck shipped out of Wyoming but given how solid the majority of the trucks are there and the limited local market it only makes sense that they would end up being shipped to places where trucks like this are rare and impossible to find in rust free condition. Hopefully, this one goes to a good home and that some of its history can be preserved!
I dig this truck
Nice- big block and a stick to boot! Beats 100k for a new one!!
Good luck to the new owner!!!
This right here is what America needs. A work truck that lasts for years and a standard transmission. I used to see these driven by the Forest Service in the Cherokee National Forest. Same 3+3 badge near the rear door. It’s too bad you can’t buy a new one for $14,000. I’m not surprised to see this being sold out of state. In my travels through Wyoming and South Dakota it seemed like 80 percent of the vehicles were trucks. Looks great.
My father worked for a Gas & Electric utility company in upstate New York. He ordered a 1972 F350 Crew Cab with 8′ Box, Maroon with a white top. It was the coolest truck growing up driving.
2 years ago, in honor of my father I searched and found a 1994 F350 Crew Cab with the 8′ box and scored BIG! It was a 22 year old ex-Navy emergency truck with….15,600 miles. It sat in a hanger at Willow Grove NAS, still has the government property number plates and the air pressure stenciled on the door. The only difference between the one I learned to drive on and the Navy truck….Old Navy has A/C.
Great ranch truck if you don’t drive it too far…..as that 454 in those trucks got
10 mpg on the highway….50 or 70 mph..10 mpg.
BUT will pull anything. Heavy Duty good trucks.
I have a 2003 dodge ram 4 door 2wd, 4.7L v8, only gets 11mpg,so does my uncles 05….
We have a 2016 Ford F-150 quad cab 4×4 with the v6 ecoboost that get’s 17 city 22 highway until you pull a car trailer than you only get 14 highway.
Is that an aluminum intake manifold on there? Maybe it has a few more ponies under the hood, and with that much weight it will help. Interesting truck.
This is no yuppie toy, it’s a serious work truck and you better have a prepaid gas card with a high $$$ on it to drive this one.
Not my preferred bodystyle but a nice old well-equipped ride. Should be some expert coming along any minute to tell us how many more power doodads they got in their newer truck, how much more it can tow & how these are a waste of money.
Hell I still want a ’74 F-250 Hiboy. Three pedals and I know how to work on it. It won’t go fast, but it would pull the top off Pike’s Peak if it needed to.
Rob if you are interested I’m getting ready to sell a 1971 F250 factory HiBoy. 360, 4 speed manual, 4×4. Dana 60 with 4.11 gears from the factory. It’s an Arizona truck and located in New Jersey.
@carsofchaos as much as I would love to right now there is this problem I have. Too much month left at the end of the money.
Really now, as we become more blinded by science in the name of efficiency and emissions these old tech trucks might be worth their weight in gold. Of course you could just as easily have to shell out some gold to afford the fuel in the future.
If it’s a 1-ton truck it should have Dana 70 axles or the GM Corporation equivilant. These were a good combination to have but they were awfully rough. Wear your seatbelt or you would be bouncing your head off the ceiling. The 454 engine was very good except if you ever got them hot you’d be replacing valve seals; they crystalized at the first hint of heat….
I have not seen one of these this nice in Wisconsin since 1983. Seller states it has the modern turn over gooseneck hitch. Looking at the axle pic in the ad it looks like a real pain to use. And to me it does not look to strong. Am I missing something? Thanks, Mike.
That goose neck hitch is easy to use. Pull the lever/handle in the wheel well and the ball pops out by grabbing the cross pin seen in the ball. flip it over and drop it back in, push the lever back in and you are ready to hitch the trailer.
I had one of these in 2WD configuration. Mine was originally a 350. I snagged a 500 Caddy motor with a 400 Hydro. And dropped it in. One of the easiest swaps I have ever done. Move the left frame mount to the right side and the right side to the left side and drill one hole. Drop in the engine using Caddy mounts. All done. Everything else just bolts up. That sucker had some torque to pull my 5th wheel! The “now” ex-wife wanted something newer. So we sold the GMC and bought a F350 460 Ford. That 460 was a dog compared to the GMC. The Ford had 4.10 gears and the GMC had 3.73s. And the GMC 500 Caddy was twice the torque monster.
Thanks for the help Wayne, take care, Mike.
Gone $12,101…
I owned two of these trucks during the 80’s. Used them in my overhead door company. I could carry 6 10X10 roll-up doors up top. Not too good on gas mileage. But damn good trucks. Sold them off when they reached 100K, old school, 100K and done.
Ended: Feb 20, 2018 , 9:30PM
Winning bid:US $12,101.00
[ 35 bids ]
wish that I had the money & space to fit another 21ft truck.
I currently have a 99 (same as the 88-98 gmt400 trucks) GMC c3500 w/t crew cab long bed w/ a vortec 5.7L w/ 494k mi. & factory a/c delete.
ex-landscape co. truck.
When I installed the 500 Cadillac engine. The fuel economy got slightly better. I guess less throttle required to move the same mass.
Still miss the engine. Although my 8.1 with the Allison is pretty nice.