If that photos doesn’t give you wanderlust, I don’t know what will. This 1973 Chevrolet Cheyenne “Super 20” pickup features a camper shell that has been decorated with all manners of memories from drag strips visited by a previous owner, and is just oozing with period charm that can only come from being a member of the overland movement before it became something you just did so you could share over-edited pictures of your campsite on Instagram. But I digress. This Chevy is a survivor through-and-through, wearing original paint and retaining its thumbing 454 under the hood. It deserves every cent of its sale price. Find it here on eBay where bidding is at $5,600 with the reserve unmet.
The Chevy has just under 100,000 original miles with original Spanish Gold Paint, complimented by white across the midsections, which the camper shell matches surprisingly well. Based on the picture of a period advertisement that the seller included, it seems likely that this Chevy sports the optional “Deluxe Camper Special” package, which got you all sort of upgrades to heavier duty specs designed to handle lugging around all that extra weight. You didn’t have to actually go camping, of course, but it’s nice to know you could without fear of overtaxing the drivetrain. No word on whether this Chevy has worn its camper shell since it left the dealer lot, but it seems likely.
The interior looks to be in fine shape, with a bench seat showing very little wear and what is obviously original paint inside the doors and jambs. The aftermarket speakers are a bit of a let-down, but if this Chevy did indeed spend lots of time on the open road, there’s nothing wrong with having some decent audio quality along for the ride. The interior features woodgrain trim that looks to be in good shape, along with tilt / power steering, gun rack, camper mirrors, Hydromatic transmission, front stabilizer bar, and more. The carpets and dash both appear to be in very good condition, and I can’t spot any cracks in the latter. For a truck with 100K that hasn’t been restored, it’s in great shape.
The area that has been refreshed slightly is perhaps the most important, that being the camper shell attachment. It’s a 10 Foot Aristocrat Cheyenne Partner, and it features a microwave, toaster over, feather bed, and a fresh air ventilation feature near the roof line. There is a sink and toilet, but the seller hasn’t attempted to use either (that’s a brave man that goes for a “test drive” on a camper toilet of unknown performance.) The cabin really looks lovely, with clean carpets, respectable wood trim, and table and seating areas in good order. Really, it just makes me want to sign off from life for a while and hit every operating drag strip I can find. What an awesome truck.
While the camper is not my personal cup of tea, that first photo is just beautiful.
Another great truck with missing air conditioning.
…and no stove (cook top). Yeah, there is a microwave and a toaster oven. But, I can’t eat fast foods. I need to cook real food. It’s better for a person, anyway. Nice unit, if you’re looking for a camping setup. If I were to get this, I would have NO place to put it. The HOA here is deathly opposed to campers, trailers, etc. Love those condo nazis.
You’ve identified Exactly why I will never live anywhere that has a HOA.
Sell the condo-live in the camper!
It wouldn’t be hard to put it back in if you wanted
Brings back memories of camping when I was a kid. We had a tow-behind, but we had a square-body Chevy pulling it.
Farm Truck.
(Look it up)
Oh, and “thumbing” 454? Maybe “thumping” was intended……
Those pics are fantastic. Good luck to seller and buyer.
Not a Camper Special, but does have the right mirror option for a slide in camper. Not often do you see a 454 truck without the dual tank option. Very clean except for the heavy damage on the left quarter panel. Missing A/C components hurt the value also.
Looks like the driver rolled the rear wheel of the driver’s side off a culvert or storm sewer. I’ve done that will bumper-pull trailers. Guess they should have adjusted those mirrors better.
Those are my favorite mirrors for pickups. They flip over and turn in/out depending on the position you need them in. I put them on every square body that I intend to keep. The dual tanks are there or, at least both gas caps are. One cap on each side of the bed (who knows if both tanks are under the truck). The damage to the bed is easily repaired since there’s no actual structure behind it. I’ve fixed many of them. The missing a/c stuff is also easily found but might as well convert it while you’re there.
I’m just wondering why it has later Ford aluminum rims. I’m guessing that the owner was having trouble finding 16.5″ tires at a reasonable price when it came time to replace them and happened to have the 16″ Ford rims laying around. Last time I was looking at 16.5s they were VERY expensive. I’ve since switched all of my 3/4 and 1 ton square bodies to 16″ rims from mid 80s GM trucks.
Without dual tanks youre gonna be visiting gas stations often :)
Having lived through this period as a young man, who couldnt stand the Seventies color schemes then, I can’t stand them even more now. Checkered/plaid seating, BROWN or OCHRE paint, dinoc dash board……………gives me the willies!
Okay I’m better now. But nice to see the unit in such good shape. Personally at this point I’d like something a bit more streamlined but it is giving me an itch to roam
Pretty impressive old pickup! The 454 made a lot of torque for it’s duty here but with 100 k on the clock and year of the pickup there is a good chance the cam is going to need replacement GM seemed to have a lot more lobe wear during this time frame. Mileage with the camper in the bed I would guess to be in the 8 to 10 mpg range, it’s odd not to have the dual fuel tank setup? Pickup has a lot of interesting history by the look of it. Nice pickup by the looks!
Great vintage look but I would wonder how water tight the large opening window in overcab bunk area would be. It seems to me that 70mph in a driving rain would yield some soggy sheets. Otherwise, it’s great ventilation if you are sleeping up there, as long as it has a screen.
The big drawback to these is the 10 1/2 rear brakes. I upgraded mine to the 13″, and then had a truck I could tow with, and have the camper on !
Absolutely. the stock brakes would overheat on a lot of downhill slopes, if one did not start off the top slowly. Let ’em honk. I taking care of my truck. BTW, yes, upgrade to the 13″ brakes. Much better decision.
That full floater 14 bolt rear end should already have 13×2.5″ brakes on it. All of my 3/4 and 1 ton square bodies do.
How about a Fly&Drive&Sleep&Drive?