First of all, it’s hard to go wrong with a short-bed Chevrolet C10 pickup. The description pretty much writes itself, with most buyers and seller looking at the dimensions of the bed before anything else. So when you take a short bed pickup, throw in four-wheel drive, and then mention the fact that the engine was replaced two years ago – well, you have a vehicle that is checking all of the right boxes. This 1973 Chevrolet K10 pickup is listed here on eBay with a fresh paint job and no reserve, and bidding is currently pegged at $10,200.
While many of us would prefer to find our next project vehicle as a survivor or at least a vehicle that hasn’t been modified, it’s getting harder and harder to find classics in that sort of condition. So, you may have to accept a truck with a respray, or one that’s flat-out in horrible condition and needs to be substantially rebuilt. Survivors of any make or model are quickly snatched up by dealers and proven flippers, so unless you’ve got your ear to the street in a big way, buying someone else’s finished project or a truck the dealers won’t touch may be where you have to start. Fortunately, this C10 is at a point where it doesn’t need much unless you want to tear it all down and restore it back to OEM specs.
The seller reports that while it is not a show truck, many areas that are typically targeted for repair or restoration have already been addressed. Obviously, there’s the fresh paint job and replacement engine. But the interior has also been restored, with the seller noting a “…new interior” in the description. The details aren’t provided but I’m guessing the bench seat got new material and perhaps the carpets were replaced. The dashboard appears to be in decent shape and the seller notes that the tires are also new.
Curiously, the engine was replaced despite the chassis having just over 54,000 miles. Given this C10 isn’t a high-performance build but rather a mish-mash of new parts and cosmetic improvements, it seems like a likely candidate for a patina build. The paint job may be new but it isn’t perfect and who knows if the interior is half as nice as it looks in the photos. Overall, this C10 is hardly a survivor and it’s definitely the result of someone else’s handiwork, but it also means it can be enjoyed sooner than kicking off a new restoration project all your own.
Why take this paint and turn it into a patina build? It’s a truck. Meant to be used as such. If you want something that looks nice, can be used as a truck, has 4 wheel drive, is easy to work on, parts are affordable and readily available, and doesn’t look like everything else on the road for a fraction of the price of buying a newer used truck, and lower car insurance…well…here it is. It will never be numbers matching, but it can be a cool daily driver or polished up for the car shows. Regardless, you will get lots of looks and people complimenting it when you stop for gas (get compliments on my project 1987 2 tone blue Silverado 4×4 shortbed, and it hasn’t been repainted yet). Yes, that may be the one downfall, lower gas mileage, but if you’re not paying $40-$50k for a used truck, and not paying premium prices for insurance, I think the savings more than covers what it will cost to fill the tank for a while.
Exactly. My 86 ling box silverado is the same. Every year I rebuild 1 major piece, this year is engine. Trans, transfer case and diffs already done. The interior and paint will be next year, all at once. I bought it out in desert in Ca and its dry, cant find one of those in Nova Scotia…
I’ll have close to 25k in it when I’m done, but I’ll have a new truck, and what can you buy for $25k now?
I agree. Just this past Monday, a friend of mine paid $22k (after his trade in) for a 2016 Ram 1/2 ton crew cab. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice truck, just not something I would’ve bought. I love my square bodies and like the GMT 400s too. I can work on them myself and rebuild one from the ground up for about the same amount he paid for his Dodge. At the end of the day though, it’s not my truck and, as long as he likes (and can swing the payments on) it, that’s all that really matters.
This is not a C-10 as that would be a two wheel drive. This is a K-10. Also, that’s a replacement engine? Shoulda wiped it off before putting it in lol.
Thanks Jeff for another great BF write up. I’m always entertained by the use of the word, survivor, in our consideration of vehicles. This truck has definitely survived and is ready for continued service. I like the term, driver, as it is more inclusive of vehicles that are still on the road after 30, 40, 50, 60 years due to somebody caring for them in any number of ways. Rebuilt, restored, parts replaced, even a sound system swap or the addition of LED brake lights can all be driven proudly, and people will say, “Man, it’s hard to believe that thing survived.” Sure each level of non OEM/NOS change makes them different and of more or lesser value to some of us, but the term survivor triggers my pedantic sensibilities, lol. I love them all.
Oh, moreover, the expertise of many of BF’s readers is fantastic, i.e., K-10 vs C-10.
Must have used the oil filter that was on the old engine…might have used the old engines oil also….just MHO..
It will soon be a 7 cylinder if they don’t remove that plug wire from the exhaust manifold.
The first thing I would want to do is slide underneath and ID the transfer case. Most ‘73 models were full-time and lots got converted to part-time. Problem was, you had to keep the transfer case locked in (the hubs free) or you would burn up the top end because the chain would no longer be turning to bring oil up there…
If I remember correctly, in 73, only the K5 Blazers came with the new NP203 transfer case & full time 4wd, the trucks still had the NP205 with lock outs till the 74 model year. And even then, not every truck got the 203, 6 cylinder trucks & those with a 3 on the tree came with the 205.
It was a running change during the season if I recall correctly. I had 2 customers with ‘73 Chevy K-series and they were both 203s. Now they were both automatics; I did have several other customers running manual transmissions and 205s. GM quit using 205s in ‘74, resorting only to the 203s for everything. It seems that it was ‘77 before the 205 came back…
Well.. all I can tell you is that this will probably not pass Smog Check California style… EGR Valve disconnected as probably all Smog related parts…LOL