When I first clicked on this link for an old Chevy truck spotted by Barn Finds reader Philip S., I didn’t have very high expectations – old trucks are a dime a dozen. But once I opened up the ad, I had an immediate change of heart: what a cool old hauler this 1965 Chevy C30 here on craigslist could be! The seller is asking $3,750 and it’s located near Portland, Oregon.
As the seller notes, there’s lot of pati–….I’m not even going to say it. It’s old and weathered and wears its age proudly! It doesn’t appear to be too rusty despite lots of cosmetic flaws, and the engine is said to run well, but the seller oddly calls it a 356. It’s paired to a manual transmission, which was a lot more common back then than it is now, and with only 68,000 miles (which, I’m assuming are genuine since the seller is making a big deal about it), it’s hardly been broken in.
I will say, the interior doesn’t look too bad despite the duct tape on the passenger side of the bench. Sure, there’s a massive tear on the other side as well, but what I’m noticing is how nice the color of the vinyl still is. This may provide some credibility to the low mileage claim. Too bad the original radio is missing, otherwise the dash would look fairly complete. The shifter looks like it will meet your hand nicely, certainly an important convenience when hauling big loads.
So I don’t think that bed is currently set up for reliably (and safely) hauling automobiles, but you can see the potential. A nice stainless steel bed, some fresh paint and new tires for this rig will make a world of difference when it comes to curb appeal. But hey, not everyone has a car to haul around – how would you use this old Chevy? Would you restore it or leave it as-is and keep using it as a farm truck? Thanks for the find, Philip!
I’ve never heard of a “356” either. I had a truck like this, only a C60 ( I think, bigger one) flatbed. Tell you one thing, without a 2 speed rear, it’s going to be slow ride, not that going faster than 50mph would be wise anyway in this. Not sure what to do with it. I suppose it’s nice enough to just get ‘er running, and use it around the farm, doesn’t say if it’s a dump bed, that would help sell it. Lot of work converting something like this into a modern car hauler. Probably easier just to buy a car hauler already done. And while it was true some years back, old trucks were a dime a dozen, that, I think, has sharply fallen off, and there aren’t a lot of trucks like this left. I’d leave it as is, driveable, of course.
Yo Howard A…your fan club is up early today!
BTW…,ad says its a “tilt bed”…..I’m guessing the wooden platform is sitting on top of the metal framed tilt bed. Problem solved :)
The only V8 Option in 1965 was a 327
Ahhh … seeing old soldiers like this brings a smile to my mug. Great memories of my youth back in farm country of Long Island. These old workhorses were quite abundant in the fields .. working the farm hauling produce in the summer, and plowing the snow in the winter. Always in awe of the sturdiness of these trucks .. they kept going for years despite the little care & maintenance they were given
Howard…….an extra set of gears doesn’t let you go faster……..it has to be a higher gear. There were many final hear drives available with these trucks. My dad’s C60’s had straight gears, some 4 speeds and some 5 speeds but all were ordered with high highway differential ratios. The 2 speed rear ends were a maintenance problem in a truck you expected to put high miles on so he never ordered them. A good 4.10 ratio with 900-20 medium truck tires will get you right down he road.
Hi Dave, darn you, that’s true, however, I drove a lot of trucks with 2 speed axles, and were very dependable, despite a rookie at the stick. Thanks.
Wait, there is some merit to my comment. With a 2 speed, that half a gear reduction meant you didn’t slow as much as say, with a non 2 speed, where you had to drop a whole gear (on hills) so you would in fact get home 5 minutes sooner. 2 speeds were just easier on motors, as I always preferred to spin a motor, rather than lug it. Except a Mack.
Yes……on the correct grade with the correct load you are right. But again these newer engines had more and broader torque bands than the 50’s engines making it less an issue. Detroit diesel used to have some hand out charts that put HP against load and grade, you could do a little algebra and figure out any of the 3 if you knew the other 2. The study was great. It took a lot of horsepower to really make a big difference in speeds on a grade.
Aw Yes, Totally brings back fond memory’s of working grandma and gramps farm land. We had lots of these type of farm trucks.
I was a city boy until I turned a rebel young lad of 15. Mom couldn’t deal with me so I was sent to live with the grandparents and work the farm. Amazing what a little structure can do.
Anyway trucks like this I had to drive all the time . I even had to drive one to school at times since I needed it to work or pickup something after school and then go straight to a field or shop.
Hi eric, OOOO, sent to the farm, that’ll learn ya’. Too bad there aren’t any farms left, that’s where the trouble started, when there was nowhere to send these kids to “work it out”.
A quick google search shows 365 horse 327’s? Seemed more oriented to cars at the time though.
Hi DL, your Google search showing a 365 horse 327 Chev motor is one from the early – mid 1960’s…a high performance one at that. I believe it was fuel-injected to have that h.power rating, and actually the fuel injected 327 in 1965(the last year for the fuel injected 327) was rated 375 horse. There were millions of 327 Chev motors that were carbureted and not fuel injected, but they never had one rated at 365 horse.
I’m pretty sure the owner of the truck stated that it has a “365” in it, means it was a TRUCK ONLY MOTOR…at 365 cubic inches.
It could have a 366 which is a strictly a truck engine.
The problem with finding a vintage car hauler is they don’t exist. Every time I find one it’s gone. I’d pull the whole drive train out and put in a modern drive train or just use the cab
https://youtu.be/A6qLP8AE8Ns
Wow! Ol’ MIck knew what he was doin’. So there you have it. It can be done. What do you think? 50 grand? 100 grand? Towing stuff ain’t cheap.
The add looks to have changed everyone and he says it’s got a 1965 327
NICE! But a little high on price but if it runs and drives and decent brakes as claimed its not out of line at all.
I live near the PDX Ore. area and this is not far from me. The issue is that there is no lack of cool old vehicles like this in our area so this does not stand out at all. I have umteen farms up and down the road I live on that many have fleets of trucks like this, or other brands. (Ford, Dodge etc) We dont salt our roads and despite a lot of rain and wet weather most old vehicles dont rust much here except for surface corrosion. We just dont get the deep cancer other areas get. Eastern Oregon and Washington and most of Idaho as well are blessed and even drier climates but more spread out and far between.
Many people from overseas buy a lot of vehicles from this area for good reason.
But this has a lot of potential. Looks a lot like my 65 GMC sitting in our back pasture. Old iron rules!
Time to look beyond the nor-Easter project cars (Miatas and Volvos and Saabs advertised on CL..) and realize that the old trucks aren’t a “dime’a dozen” any longer especially in original worn condition.. Vintage truck are fetching premium prices nowadays–and have been climbing for years either as projects or customs or restored examples (the aftermarket parts suppliers are proof of that.).. Getting cheap farm trucks that haven’t been worked within an inch of their lives is getting harder.. And prices are climbing..
This one highlighted here is a plenty viable option to be converted to a classic hauler–as is or with updated mechanicals.. Guaranteed to outlast the garbage being sold new nowadays..
Hi John, that’s true. Used to be, nobody wanted these. Now, if they are next to shed, they are there for a reason. Outfit in Montana ( I think, Hotrod Garage,) has a bunch of these, all kinds, but they know what they’re worth. Trick is to find them before these guys do. http://www.hotrodgarage.net/
Howard- great web site and business model!
Drag the hulks out of the fields and meadows and sell ’em as is!