It seems the vehicles I stumble upon either aren’t for sale or aren’t the type to make me any sort of real money. Blame that on not having more spare time to hunt down the real prizes, the ones that don’t have the appearance of huge value but command top money for the right people. Case in point, this survivor-grade 1974 Chevy C10 pickup here on eBay: does anyone really think the previous owner asked all that much for it? I doubt it, as this is just an old, fuel-hungry truck to most – that’s now bringing over $7K on eBay.
The seller admits he bought this from the original owner’s son, who inherited it from his dad. If you’re not an enthusiast, this tired Chevy doesn’t strike you as an asset. In fact, it might even be a huge anchor around your neck as you hurry to settle up your father’s estate. I recently took in a dead 1988 Isuzu Trooper from a reader here on Barn Finds, and I’m not sure what I’m going to do with it yet. It has an amazingly clean South Carolina body on it, but has a dead motor (replacement engine in the cargo bay.) In that instance, the seller decided it was worth more to him in driveway space than in cash, so I took a gamble on it. Did the previous owner of this Chevy make the same choice?
If he did, he chose more poorly than the previous owner of my Trooper, as he wasn’t missing out on much in the way of cash in his pocket. This C10 is clearly a well-preserved truck, in far better condition than most of them at this point. The dash is uncracked, the carpets are clean, and the fake wood trim still looks good. The “Custom Deluxe” trim may have been all the rage back in the day, but it looks pretty cheap anymore; still, the fact it remains in nice condition is a plus. The drivetrain consists of a 350 motor paired to a Turbo 350 transmission and 12-bolt rear end, a reliable combination for almost any driver, from Home Depot haulers to Main Street Cruisers.
The seller notes that the previous owner had it set up to run on propane, but he removed that equipment and put the original fuel system back in. The paperwork that accompanied the truck confirms it as a dealer demo vehicle, which may add some value in the minds of collectors. The C10 doesn’t have original paint, unfortunately, but it at least appears to be the original color. Perhaps one of these days I’ll snag a vehicle worth more than I paid – and I’ll actually sell it instead of adding it to the collection.
Ok, this truck is nicer than mine, but not much nicer, and that trailer brake control tells me “dad” pulled a pretty big trailer, big enough to have brakes, so it’s tired underneath. I’m glad mine doesn’t have a/c, pretty much hides the plugs. With the dismal 10-12 mpg I get, I can’t imagine what this gets pulling something with the a/c on.Seeing what these go for, after I tell you what I paid, and mine has a cap, you’d think I’m an idiot for not flipping it and making 5 grand, which is what these people do for a living. Gas mileage aside, I like the truck, was one of the nicest trucks you could buy in ’77 and clearly, could never replace it for what I have into it. Mine is a GMC and 4 speed, no a/c, and more miles, I paid $1,400. To the guy I bought it from, the original owner,( who paid $6808 in 1977) he thought it was just an old truck,,,and it is.
And I take a bit of offense to the remark, “the trim looks pretty cheap”, what, you happy with bland gray dashboards where the radio is the center of attention?
Yeah, these days, often the only way you get body-color in the interior from the factory is if your vehicle is gray or black already.
This one would probably be harder on gas than yours, Howard, although I’m a little surprised yours gets as bad as it does; most ’77 models were well into the mid teens sporting a 350/350. AC isn’t all that much of a fuel consumption problem either; my ’79 4×4 (400/350/AC) was even tuned into the mid teens. ’74 models were probably the worst ever for GM pickups. Some smart tuning and advance curve settings got them right out of the gutter though.
Back then the “Driver” was in charge, no touching of any of the controls, no radio, no heat or a/c …no nothing . Sit there and be quiet and theres nothing in front of you for you to touch…hehehe
This truck was made to pull. I have a 2004 2500 Suburban with a 454. Started off as a hauler for the original owner who used it to haul a Corvette to meets. I bought it with 70,000 miles and almost had a heart attack when I realized the mpg it got, about 8-10 and how much gas it takes to fill the tank, 35 gallons. It hurt when a gas pump shut off at $100 and it was not full. Still have it. Love it. Has hauled campers, equipment, horses and what ever for over 10 years. Pretty sure it can go from NJ to FL by itself it has gone so many times. Approaching 300,000 miles and is still one of the best rides I have had.
I REALLY dislike flippers.
No doubt…since when does any owner ‘owe’ someone else the ability to ‘make money’ on their beloved car/truck? The worst part about these Flimflam artists are the lies and BS stories they tell unsuspecting owners about how their car/truck is exactly what they’ve been looking for / wanting all their lives / going to enjoy with their son/daughter…blah, blah, lie, lie…the made up nonsense goes on and on. If they really don’t care about the car/truck (and they never do), then please leave it for the next guy that really does want it as much as you lied about to get it. Scum Flippers – just get a damn job!
The problem with most flippers, especially the crappy ones that we dislike, is that they put very little money into the car after they bought it and then sell it for 10 times more profit then the work they put into it. More often than not, they just turn around and sell the car after doing nothing more than washing it (if that). This Usually increasing the market value significantly. This practice drives up the value for everybody else that’s legitimately looking to rescue and appreciate one of these vehicles, or have a restoration project with her son. And you know after the market value changes a few years later that none of these slippers would ever pay that much for a vehicle again in this condition. Heck most them wouldn’t even pay what they sell the vehicle for. There are very few people out there that truly are trying to rescue a vehicle when they flip it. Majority of them is trying to make the maximum amount of profit they can. But when you do find somebody to truly appreciate the vehicle as looking to just cover what they spent on it plus a little bit extra for their time a respectable profit, it’s a rare thing and it’s usually a fun experience. You know if you had one of those experiences that you never look back and complain about them of the car.
Don’t get the hate on flippers. I get maybe some of us have been taken advantage of by bad people. I’ve been flipping cars for 40 years. Lost count of the number of cars I’ve saved from returning to the earth. I can’t restore em all. Hate seeing the guy with 10 cars rotting away just watching em rust. Finding one a new home is pretty satisfying. Making a fair profit is fun too. Just sayin.
Agree John. These people are just p’od because someone outbid them on something they wanted. This is a free market people. High bidder wins.
It’s the deception that gets people hot under the collar. They buy a vehicle they now is worth something for as cheap as possible(which could mean lying to the seller in any number of ways), then they turn around and sell if for as much as possible(and only fix whatever cosmetic with help their profits, again in likely a deceptive way, cobbling components back together)
Those kinds of flippers ruin the hobby.
Especially for those folks that flip a car the honest way. They fix what’s broken, clean the vehicle up a bit, and try to make a little profit off of the hours they spent fixing the vehicle.
John. I agree! Flipper is a term the “Angry Ones” on here use to waste space!
the justification I’ve come up with for flippers is that they spend the time to hunt down these relics that I’ve no time (nor luck) to find. For that I will pay a bit of a premium. I use head hunters when filling positions on my team at work, why not do the same for filling positions in my garage?
Cool old truck. They were tough. Reminds me of a few my family had over the years. First was dad’s black with red interior 73 or 74 Cheyenne Super C10 with a 454 he traded his dark green with white top 72 C10 lwb with a 307. (More power, but more gas consumed.). My brother had an orangeish/ red with tan interior 76 c10 lwb custom deluxe with an LS5 out of a 70 Monte Carlo. with 3.08 rear gears, it was like NASCAR! It got parked due to the floor rusting out of it.He later had a black and silver with grey cloth buckets 84 C10 Suburban with a 6.2 diesel and a 700r4. It had electrical problems and got sold shortly after purchase. I had a dark blue with dark blue int 82 C10 Custom Deluxe with a worn out 305 that got swapped for the 350 out of the 76 after the floor went to swiss cheese. THe 350 got a comp 268h cam headers, intake, etc. Dad had an silver with maroon interior 80 GMC Sierra C30 welding truck that eventually got the LS5 out of the 76, and the 76 got the 350 after a rebuild. The only swb was a black with black interior (!) 84 GMC Sierra with a straight six and a th350 that we bought wrecked from a used car dealer. We had test driven it but passed due to the asking price ($4,000) and the six cylinder. A few weeks later we saw it parked behind their office, wrecked in front. Owner said a potential buyer rear ended another car on a test drive.He hadn’t decided what to do with it so dad offered him $2,000. No frame damage and after a rad support, rad, hood and one fender and an upgrade to 86 grille and headlight trim, it was back on the road! Plans were to swap the 350 out of the 82 but I totalled it (gravel road and a few too many beers) before I got the chance!.Dad also had an 88 black and silver with grey cloth buckets c10 surburban with a 350/ 700r4 Last but not least was an 82 Carmine red/ silver with maroonvinyl bench interior C10 Surburban Silverado with a 6.2 diesel (red block)and a 700r4. It got converted to a C20 when my dad went to trade it on a 3/4 to and they offered him $1000 trade. we put over 300k on it, and it was still running when I parted it, due to cranking on its own (!) a few times with no key in the ignition. My uncle had a dark blue with dark blue interior 73 c10 lwb (Cheyenne, IIRC) with a 454 for years
I almost forgot that this summer my 81 y.o. (!) dad picked up an unmolested 85 GMC Jimmy 4×4 white with blue interior earlier this year for $2k. No lift, stock under the hood, someone added a grill guard (keep) and aluminum running boards (which are coming off) but a few rust issues and needs paint. Until recently, I never knew that the 305 was the only engine available in the Blazer that year. Also has a 700r4. Runs and drives nice, 86k miles, ac still blows cold.
Steve, deals are still out there. N ot everybody is on the B-J train.
If these rains would stop I would go get the 1976 Blazer I found. it has 1980, one year style, headlight bezels on it which will be changed.
It is an unmolested truck that does have some rust, but it is fixable. All the parts I need are on Ebay.
He wants $2100 UDS for it but is open to offers.
It is a 350 auto with the A/C system intact.
I don’t think I can pass it up.
Here is a picture of the front end.
The picture didn’t show up. Well I will try again.
Nope, didn’t work again.
Is there a problem with posting picture now?
The mirrors aren’t original or correct to a truck this early. They were a popular addition, though. You could get them in painted white or stainless steel. I remember going to Chevy and buying them before they were readily available in the wrecking yards. IIRC, they were reasonably priced, as we were not known to buy much from the dealer, due to typically high cost. I probably swapped six or eight sets over the years. Big improvement. There was a little “S” bracket on the each side inside the door that you needed to keep them from cracking the outer door skin. The door panel had to be taken off to get to it, making the swap an afternoon deal. Otherwise, it would have been about a half hour job. Now LMC and most truck part suppliers carry repros.
The disdain some have for so-called “flippers” is amusing. I’ve never “flipped” a car, but how can you fault someone for engaging in what is fundamentally capitalism? Buy low, sell high. This is economics at its most basic level.
Do you hate businesses that buy at wholesale and sell at retail? If I have an opportunity to buy a car for a fraction of its value, and then sell it for what the market bring, should I pass on the opportunity simply because some will hate me for it? Fat chance of that.
Do you hate those who flip houses too, or is the hate limited to those who profit from the hobby you love?
I sure wouldn’t kick this one out of my garage. These were good trucks, some of the best the General ever made. Hard on gas out of the box but that was easily overcome. Run forever otherwise. You could pull all the trailers you wanted with them and they’d come back for more. Just make sure the auxiliary ground from the battery to the header doesn’t break or you will have transmission troubles galore….
I don’t hate flippers, I do dislike dis-honest people, also people who lie to the sellers, when all they want to do is make money. I have told sellers right up front, I plan on selling the car, usually after fixing most of its problems.
I also, think this truck could be a good one ,maybe not to flip, buy C-10 short box is in high demand.
same yr (era/model) K5 Blazer’n ya got me (even tho a ‘ford guy’).
Now, 4 me, that would B a (“…Perhaps one of these days I’ll snag a vehicle worth more than I paid – and I’ll actually sell it instead of adding it to the collection…”) keeper!
Flippers are like car dealers. Buyer beware. There are good ones and bad. Just like most everything else in this world.
I am in this as a collector and so I know next to nothing about flippers so I’m staying out of that conversation.
It’s a nice truck; if you have use for it,jump on it.
@Jeff Lavery: “and I’ll actually sell it instead of adding it to the collection”, I too am afflicted with this condition. I’ve yet to find a cure.
😃 60 6′ F100, 63 6′ GMC BGWN 4/4, 63 GM C20 TOW , 68 F250 429 CAM SPEC.
72 GM 3/4 SHORT VAN, 73 RANCHO Q CODE, GT CLOÑE 429 4sp 😎