It can sometimes be difficult to decide what path to follow with a classic purchase. This 1969 Chevrolet K10 is a perfect example. It carries the scars and marks pointing to a life of faithful service, making a restoration seem the most obvious course of action. However, it is a relatively solid Pickup the owner is currently using as a daily driver. That leaves potential buyers to choose whether to treat it to some TLC or retain it as a proud survivor. The seller has listed the K10 here on eBay in Winston, Montana. The bidding has raced to $11,900 off the back of some strong interest. I must thank Barn Finder Steve_O for spotting this fantastic survivor for us.
The seller is this Pickup’s third owner, having purchased the vehicle earlier this year. It has spent its life in Montana, and they believe it received a repaint in its original Code 500 Black when in the care of its original owner. It now carries the type of scars and marks indicating it is no trailer queen. The paint remains presentable for a survivor, although a repaint would enormously improve its appearance. That would offer the buyer a chance to address its rust issues, which they claim are the result of accumulated mud rather than salt exposure. It is visible in the rockers, the bed, and a few spots in the floors. None of the issues look severe, and an owner with decent welding skills could address them in a home workshop. The trim is in good order, although there is a small break in the lower grille. Interestingly, this classic carries C10 badges, although the VIN confirms it is a K10. The original owner ordered the K10 with tinted glass, and while most of it is original and free from defects, the seller recently replaced the windshield.
Chevrolet offered a range of engines in the 1969 K10, with the base being the 250ci six. The original owner splashed an additional $37.70 to upgrade to the 350ci V8, producing 255hp and 365 ft/lbs of torque. They spent a further $91.50 to upgrade from the three-speed manual to a four-speed unit. The power feeds through that to a dual-range transfer case, giving this K10 excellent off-road capabilities. It is also worth noting that with the available power and torque, this classic could put its existing tow hitch to good use. The vehicle is numbers-matching and is in excellent mechanical health. The seller currently uses the Pickup as a daily driver, a role it fulfills well. They supply this YouTube video that provides a walk-around and lets us hear the small-block running. It sounds crisp and clean, with no smoke or odd noises. If potential buyers seek a Pickup that is ready to go immediately, this could be a strong candidate.
This Chevy’s interior could best be described as serviceable, although some buyers may place a refresh on their “to-do” list. It retains its original Saddle vinyl trim, with the only addition being a JVC radio/cassette player and speakers cut into the door trims. The seller states that the seat upholstery sports some rips below the slipcover, while cracks on the wheel and dash pad are clearly visible. If the new owner wants to retain the vehicle as a survivor, they could leave everything as-is. Otherwise, all the trim pieces to return the interior to a factory-fresh state are available and pretty affordable.
Determining whether a classic is desirable can sometimes prove challenging, but there are no such questions with this 1969 Chevrolet K10. The auction opened at $200 and quickly raced to its current level following thirty-four bids. There’s plenty of time for the price to rise further, but that also means there’s an opportunity for you to stake your claim on this beauty. You may already have a clear plan of attack with this Pickup, but would you restore it or retain it as a driver? It will be fascinating to see how opinions split on this one.
These look great in black.I used to see one years ago
that a guy who worked for our local school district had.It’s always tuck in my mind.
Just before I moved cross-country,I saw one just like this in a carport.
I was thinking about trying to buy it,but noticed a fair amount of rust on it,so
I didn’t persue it.
And this one is a 4 speed!
I don’t ever remember a black pickup, and here’s why. You may want to sit down, but believe it or not, pickup trucks were intended to haul things, LOTS of things, FULL LOAD things, with most chores being done in the hot sun. Newsflash, black is the hottest color vehicle you can have, and only a moron would order a black pickup. Given my dislike of black vehicles, I suppose this looks okay. You’ll certainly fit right in with all the other black vehicles, and I guess that’s the name of the game today, better to look like all the others, than actually have some individuality. It’s an okay find for half the price. I never understood why someone would get P/S, ( that I don’t see) and not get P/B. It was probably a $30 option. Power brakes, ( aka, vacuum assist) makes stopping a 5000 lb beast like this much safer, even with the bag of dog food or one 2×4 in the back. Again, anyone with a brain, or has any experience driving these, know these are a chore to drive. I suspect these will fall into the same
fate as the “Bronco, FJ, A-H 3000” schtick, tis’ no 5 figure vehicle,,SURPRISE,,, why does it ride so rough, whoa, the brakes, it’s all over the road, boy, it’s hot today, where do we plug our phones in, oh, oh, need gas, already, we just got $50 bucks,,,,and so on,,
Meh, open the vents, open the smoker window, plug in your phone to the cigarette lighter, light a smoke and drive. I love driving these. I drive them almost daily. Much prefer them over my newer trucks. I live a long way from you city people though…
Drum brakes are self-energizing to a large degree–the rotational force of the drum tends to wedge the shoes against the drum. As a result there’s not a huge amount of pedal effort required even to stop a fairly heavy car. A friend had a 1968 Mercury full-size with power steering but no power brakes and it didn’t require huge amounts of pedal effort to stop it.
Now disc brakes, those need power assist on all but the smallest/lightest vehicles. Two I can recall driving are my mom’s Pinto (2100-ish pounds) and my MGB (2500-ish pounds). Wouldn’t want to try to stop anything over 3000 lbs with manual disc brakes.
Drum brakes with power assist were very finicky and grabby. Not really needed until disc brakes came along in 71.
Cars with power steering and manual brakes were quite common in the 60’s and 70’s.
Most cars stopped just fine with manual brakes, but trying to parallel park a 3600 lb Impala or even a 3300 lb Chevelle with manual steering took some effort, even with their skinnier tires. I’ve found that many cars from that era, like 65-79 Corvettes, actually have better pedal feel and feedback with manual brakes. Just like a lot of the early power steering systems were over assisted, making the steering feel vague, many of the power brake systems were over booster, effecting pedal feel.
Sounds like someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Different strokes for different folks, but I do agree with much of what you say Howard.
I watched some of the Mecum auction yesterday. These trucks were going fore HUGE money. Get your money for nothing, get your chicks for free.
Nice driver .Like the long bed makes it even better. Could still use as a every day drive.
My first high school summer job was delivering construction supplies. I drove an Orange 70 Chevrolet C/20 (3/4 ton) Longhorne, with a 350 4bbl and an automatic. The Longhorne was an 8 foot box pick up, with six additional inches added to the from of the box. Chevrolet offered the Longhorne from 68-72, mainly for the camping market, but it also proved to be great for delivering strut, threaded rod, etc. It was a rubber mat work truck, but a good truck, I made deliveries all over the Philadelphia/South Jersey area in it.
Besides the Longhorne, we also had an International 20 foot stake body, that I occasionally drove. This was 1971 and I was 17, with no CDL or any special training. I knew how to drive a manual trans and was just given a quick primer on the air brakes, and how to engage the PTO for the lift gate, and sent out on the road. It was a different time, I can’t imagine you could do that today.
Ive got a 70 Longhorn with a 400/400 with 77k miles. I forget what Chevrolet calls the color, but it’s a sea foam/ turquoise color inside and out. Someone robbed the visors out of it and the arm rests were shot. Luckily I found some good used ones on 66-72chevytrucks.com. It had a big camper on it for most of its life. The previous owner bought it in California for the camper (!) and drove it here to Texas and removed it, so the wood bed floor is still good. Apparently he wasn’t accustomed to the fade characteristics of drum brakes, and center punched a pole in his way back. I replaced the hood bumper and grill with ones of a 71 I parted. Truck runs and drives great, needs a paint job (mostly because of the gold hood!). No rust! I added some aftermarket 3 point seat belts and a new floor mats. I take her to the lumberyard from time to time. Best $1,200 I ever spent!
I don’t think they used the “K” in the emblems in 1969.
Gas gauge is unhooked.
Boatman,
I believe you are correct. I had a ’69 half ton 4wd with C10 fender badges. I’m sure if I bothered to check the VIN it would have “technically” been a K10. This threw me off when I tried to look for a /69 Chevy C10 4WD and couldn’t find one. Mystery solved.
I drove a number light and medium duty trucks of this general era, and never gave a thought about the absence of power assist for steering and brakes (4 wheel drums) on pickups, and never missed power steering on the larger trucks (up to 24,000 lbs GVW) but was grateful for vacuum-boosted or air brakes on these heavier vehicles. Once you learn that a rolling wheel can be turned quite easily, and you plan ahead for how you will need to maneuver, manual steering is fine. Many of the trucks of that vintage didn’t even offer power steering! I am a smallish guy and I never had a problem. The advertised truck would be just fine as equipped, in my opinion; it looks like a gem to me!
Love these Chevrolet trucks.
Love this truck. And in black also. I owned several of these in the mid 70’s. Didn’t need power brakes or power steering. They were cheap to own and cheap to drive.