$3,999 seems like an excellent deal for what is presented as a largely original California truck. This 1977 Chevrolet Silverado sports an attractive orange over tan exterior with a matching bed cap and minor rust in the bottom of each fender. Photos also show a very nicely preserved tan cloth interior. Find the Chevy here on eBay in a Buy-It-Now listing that ends on Monday.
Mileage is stated as 54,000 with a long line of question marks after, which would indicate the seller isn’t completely sure that number is accurate. Still, the cosmetics seem to be at a level you’d associate with a lower mileage survivor. The truck still sports attractive chrome bumpers and what looks like old-school California blue plates, so it’s possible it’s been off the road for a spell.
The interior isn’t perfect, but is still holding together nicely. The period cloth fabric is a great look, although it may be fraying where the bench curves down. I think I spy a crack in the dash right behind the steering wheel, but I’m not positive. The carpets look decent and the Chevy comes with what look like factory floor mats. The storage pockets on the door panels are sagging.
This is what you love about California vehicles: a dry underside with barely even any surface rust to report. While rust is a concern on almost any vintage vehicle, California cars and trucks eliminate some of the primary trouble spots with clean undersides and brakes and fuel lines that haven’t rusted out. This seems like a fair buy well under $5K.
Definitely not a creamsicle, as there was a bright orange color for that. This color was probably more popular. Whatever the case, we sold a lot with this combination. 350 V8 with likely a TH350 transmission. It doesn’t appear to be the higher GVW so it would still have the 350 transmission. I think it was 8200 GVW that got the 400. Good truck just the same. With a little bit of tuning you can get these into the teens and get some decent performance as well. ’77 to ’79 were the best Square bodies GM produced. Well, they were all good but I started seeing some chintzy stuff in 1980, mostly due to more stringent emission laws. If I was in the market for a 3/4 ton I’d take a second look at this one…
I have a 454 powered 76, that is in excellent mechanical condition, but the body is rotting away. I wish I was a little closer to this truck, it would be a bargain compared to what it is going to cost in time and material to repair the cab on my truck.
I would just swap in the 454 and the tranny and enjoy the truck for another 20 years.
Bob
That seat has a period parts-store slipcover on it.
I think it may be a Saddleman brand. Had a few back in the day!
Well, the ad actually states BIN at 3k, not 4k as mentioned in the write-up. That makes this truck an even better deal. Best gen GM trucks ever, that’s probably why they had to stop making them…?
Truck is actually a ’76, not a ’77. Door panels do not go to the front and back edges of the door on the ’73-’76 trucks. The ’77 and later doors are different inside to accommodate the full door panels.
David, you are right, the VIN listed in the Ebay ad says it is a 1976 model. You would think a dealer would look at the title to determine the correct year for the ad.