Customized Barn Find: 1977 Chevrolet K10 Stepside

Have you ever been sorely tempted by a project, even convinced to look the other way on expensive repairs, if the general appearance just rubbed you the right way? We don’t need a PhD in here to know that I suffer from this affliction mightily, but others of you likely have greater willpower. Still, it’s hard to resist the charms of this modified 1977 Chevrolet K10 4×4 pickup that sports the custom flavors that were all the rage in the 1970s and 80s, complete with the desirable short box, stepside bed rear. The bad news? It has a fair amount of rust underneath, despite looking relatively solid up top. Find the Chevy here on eBay with a $5,500 Buy-It-Now.

The paint job, the brush guard, the roll bar with the KC driving lights on top – this truck just screams 1970s style. Plus, it looks like it’s sporting a lift kit as well. The seller notes it was last driven in 1993, and that the V8 engine still turns freely. No word on whether it will fire up, as the seller hasn’t tried, but he does indicate this is a total restoration project. In addition to a not-small amount of rust underneath, there’s also rot in the cab, cab corners, lower doors, fenders, cab mounts, and other areas. This is the case of a truck that looks pretty solid from the outside, but it hiding lots of secrets as you get up close and personal. Photos with the bed cover lifted show what looks like a custom wood panel floor underneath.

Again, this is a truck that can deceive you: the interior looks quite nice for a truck that isn’t a time capsule and hasn’t exactly been stored correctly. The upholstery on a bench seat is pretty nice, with no obvious tears or stains, and the door panels look decent as well. It’s hard to tell whether the fake wood trim on the instrument surround is faded or cracked, but it doesn’t look terrible from here. Surprisingly, despite all the tweaks, the steering wheel remains bone stock. While the floors look solid with OEM carpeting on top, the listing confirms that this truck does have rust in the floors. The seller calls the interior “custom” – can you spot any other aftermarket touches?

Woof. There’s some rust here to clean up, along with what looks like excessive overspray (pretty sure rubber mounts aren’t body color). The rust issues are documented in a few additional photos in the listing, and given this truck hails from Pennsylvania, it’s not surprising to see a fair amount of rust to correct. It’s funny: my junkyard find 190E 2.3-16 Cosworth also came from Pennsylvania and it’s easily the rustiest car I’ve ever owned. Coincidence? Anyway, do you think this K10 4×4 with its awesome in-period styling and cosmetic enhancements deserve a chance at revival? Should it be restored despite the rust issues?