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Green Thing: 1976 Chevrolet K20 4-Wheel Drive

There have been a number of really nice looking survivor vehicles appearing lately. This one, listed here on eBay in Oswego, New York, claims to have only 22,000 “documented” miles. It would be interesting to know what documentation the seller has but it looks like a really nice truck no matter how many miles it has on it. It was a farm truck for about the first 30 years and then with the current owner for about the last 10 years. All rubber bits have been replaced, eliminating the usual squeaks and rattles, so it is said to drive like a new truck. It’s full time 4 wheel drive with an automatic transmission and a 400 CID V8.

This pickup certainly looks nice inside. It’s hard to imagine a farm truck staying so nice. It may not have covered very many miles, but those miles were not easy ones.

The bed still looks nice as well. There are no dents and just worn paint. A new coat of paint or even some clear coat should help protect the bed from further deterioration.

Here’s that 400 CID V8. Things look pretty original and unmolested under here as well.

 

This truck appears to be in really good condition. According to the owner, everything works and there are no repairs needed. With the 400 V8, an automatic transmission and full time four wheel drive it’s going to use a lot of gas. It’s not likely to be driven much, so perhaps that’s not so important. Many of us would add AC, but beyond that, what would you do to this pickup? Bidding is over $11,000 at this time with over a week left in the auction. It will be interesting to see how much someone is willing to pay for this truck.

Comments

  1. Avatar DRV

    Is that a transfer case shift or a shift to low gear?
    We had a fleet of this body style and abused them no end and couldn’t kill them.

    Like 0
    • Avatar exartist

      I know what you mean. I worked for an autoparts store back in the 80’s. Had a mix of vehicles delivering everything from hard parts to drums of oil, but the only one that kept on running, day in and day out, was a C20(?). Great truck!

      Like 0
    • Avatar FiremanDan

      Transfer Case shift lever
      High Lock
      High
      Neutral
      Low
      Low Lock
      For differing needs of 4×4

      Like 0
    • Avatar Mark S.

      That is a transfer case. David mentioned it being full time 4wd. It just doesn’t have lockouts on the fron axle. Which didn’t help the gas mileage any.

      Like 0
    • Avatar JamestownMike

      That’s a transfer case shifter on the floor.

      Like 0
  2. Avatar Dusty Stalz

    That is one clean truck. I wonder what kind of farm it was on as our 94 only hauls hay and is definitely not this straight lol.

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  3. Avatar PaulG

    If you read the ad it states it’s from North Dakota…NO way it’s from Oswego NY without being completely rusted away. If there’s a place that uses road salt like it’s free, it’s Oswego!
    Left there 42 years ago. Hated snow and RUST…

    Like 0
    • Avatar Mark S.

      I couldn’t find the Ebay listing to confirm the N. Dakota connection. I live 40min. from Oswego. I agree w/ you on the local salt usage. This truck is not a local or it was just well cared for summer miles. These vehicles just didn’t survive in such an environment.

      Like 0
      • Avatar Doug B

        Sure glad somebody else brought this subject up. I’m from NW Indiana. Bought a 76 K5 Blazer new. Even with good obercoating, 4 to 5 winters was max you could get before the lips of the fenders rusted through. And any time on the road would see the bottom leading edge of the rear fender lip sandblasted from dirt kicked up by the front tires

        Like 0
  4. Avatar Ronald G Bajorek jr

    Oswego? Hell that’s in teh backyard of my cottage, great truck

    Like 0
  5. Avatar geomechs Member

    Now talk about bringing back memories! For a time I thought that this shade of green was the only color these trucks came in. Then GM came out with others: Seasick Blue, Airsick Green, Calf Scour Yellow, Saliva Silver, just to name a few. It’s a good thing they didn’t have me naming the colors in the color charts. Anyways we sold a lot of nearly identical trucks to this one. Mostly ranchers, and they would be back in for some repairs a couple of weeks later. Every body panel, including the roof would be caved in. The trucks themselves were virtually indestructible. Those early NP 203 transfer cases had notoriously short-lived chains and if left long enough would pile up and come through the case. I dispute the gas-hog implications. Maybe ’73 and (especially) ’74 when, as one customer put it, they forgot to install the gas tanks; they just pour it all on the ground. We sold a lot of 400s and they weren’t much different than the 350s (lower to mid teens). I bought my K-1500 in ’79 and the 400 in it took me over 300K miles before I took it out of service. I like what I see but the service this one saw was a far cry from the world out in the Chinook Belt….

    Like 0
  6. Avatar Martin Sparkes

    I had that identical truck. Mine was a 76 and even with the full time converted to part time it only got single digit mileage. It held something like 40 gallons in two tanks and I could burn it all in a weekend.

    Can’t say I ever saw a factory square body with a wood bed.

    Like 0
    • Avatar CanuckCarGuy

      I wondered about the wood bed as well… never seen one in such a ‘new’ GM truck.

      Like 0
    • Avatar geomechs Member

      We sold lots of them with a wood bed floor. I think that the General quit offering them in ‘77.

      Like 1
    • Avatar Harry Fields

      RPO E81 would get you the wood bed in long wheelbase form.

      Like 0
  7. Avatar Claus Graf

    I remember a kit that would change the full time to part time in the transfer case. It would also need locking hubs on the front wheels.

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  8. Avatar Roger

    Some of you may remember the gas-lines in the 70’s. Maybe the price of gasoline and being full time 4X4 is why it only has 22K on the clock? Nice truck just the same.

    Like 0
  9. Avatar 68custom

    clean truck the small block 400 is a bonus. as is the 3/4 ton rating, worth 11k all day long! even in puke green. the wood bed is neat!

    Like 0
  10. Avatar PhiljustPhil

    I thought that everyone agrees that if the digits in the odometer don’t line up, the odometer was tinkered with? Pic on eBay doesn’t look right to me

    Like 0
  11. Avatar wildbill63

    Mom and Dad bought a brand new C10 in ’76. 6cyl/3 on the tree and no nothing for creature comforts! It had a steel bed though, funny this one doesn’t, especially being a 3/4 ton.

    Like 0
  12. Avatar JamestownMike

    WOW! It actually looks like a 22k mile truck! Amazing shape!……..especially for a 3/4 ton workhorse.

    Like 0
  13. Avatar Henry Drake

    Sure the photos weren’t taken in 1982? Looks like a 6 year old truck.

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Carl van Kesteren

    Sunday I get an email from a friend in San Antonio TX with a picture of that truck asking me to go look at it. I was blown away its a friends truck.. I know that truck personally…
    The owner purchased it when he was stationed in Minot.

    He lost storage on it and absolutely does not want to see it rot in the elements.

    Its is everything the ad states
    Picture from my phone the last time I seen it

    Like 0
    • Avatar Bish

      Nice!

      Like 0
  15. Avatar Rube Goldberg Member

    They just didn’t get any better than this. These were not quite the “cars with pickup boxes” of today. You could haul a load of rocks with it, and still was nice enough for a date on the town ( with rocks removed, of course) I think these era trucks, the others too, were culmination of 75 years of making trucks. Too bad they ( all) rusted away. I believe this truck is the real deal.

    Like 0
    • Avatar geomechs Member

      Hi Rube. Nice enough to date with, even with the rocks, hay bales, fuel slip tank, and an array of parts. Drew the line at leaving the stock racks in; that got a little tacky…..

      Like 0
  16. Avatar Bish

    Gotta 77 c20 2wd project. I replaced cab & box with a newer southern cab rust free, replaced 350 with a tweaked Vortec headed 400Sb, built T700R4, pw, pdl. But now I’m kinda stalled!
    Don’t like the green in or out colour-But this truck is in beautiful shape! Eventually I’d add overdrive, vintage air, unlocked hubs etc, maybe hidden power windows, and drive it during the non salted times! Overdrive almost doubled my 400’s gas mileage…Visit wonderful Oswego from Canada couple times a year for the races since ’86- 🏁never see a truck half this good there! Great Truck!

    Like 0

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