Disclosure: This site may receive compensation when you click on some links and make purchases.

Repaint Or Leave As Is? 1969 Chevrolet C10

This 1969 Chevrolet C10 shortbed pickup is 53 years old now. I can still remember events that happened in 1969, but I wonder if anyone will be looking at a used 2022 pickup on Jetpack Finds in 2075? Will a 2022 pickup last 53 years? The seller has this truck listed here on eBay in Ocala, Florida and the current bid price is $14,100, but the reserve isn’t met. Wow.

That price, eh? I’m still amazed that these trucks are selling for so much. Hagerty is at $9,000 for a #4 fair-condition example but the bidders sure like what they see here, and the seller has their reserve set above the current bid price so they must know a thing or two about value. Hagerty’s #3 good condition value is $21,200. When I first saw these wheel covers I thought that was a 4WD. If it were, it would be valued a few thousand more than this 2WD version is.

Chevrolet’s second-generation C-Series pickups (along with the K-Series 4x4s, and GMC’s similar models) were made for model years 1967 through 1972. This is the smaller wheelbase model with 115 inches between the rubber and a six-and-a-half-foot bed. There was a long bed version with a 127-inch wheelbase and an eight-foot cargo area. You can see what appears to be everyone’s favorite word – patina – or is that primer?

The seller says that the rocker panels have been replaced, as well as the cab corners, and it looks solid otherwise. The interior looks equally used and/or trendy patina’ish, but the seat cover is new and this truck has the standard (no pun intended) three-speed manual transmission with a column shift. New for 1969 was the two-spoke steering wheel and foot-operated parking brake. This truck has new seals on the windshield and rear window, always a nice touch.

The engine is something that the knowledgable Barn Finds readers can hopefully identify as the seller just says that it’s a V8. I’m assuming that it’s a 307-cu.in. V8, but a 350 would have also been newly available, as well as a few other V8s. The big question, as always: would you leave this truck as it looks now or repaint it?

Comments

  1. Avatar johnmloghry

    Somewhere around 1986 I was doing mechanic work at a Kelly tire store in Miami. Florida. The guy that owned it had several 69 Chevy 1/2 ton pickups he used for road service. At some point he decided there wasn’t enough profit in that so he started selling the trucks and I bought one from him. It was the long bed with 307 and three speed. After about two years the camshaft flattened out so I bought a 71 Olds Cutlas from some friends and put the 350 automatic in the truck. It was a good truck and did all I needed it for. I don’t remember what ever happened to it, I probably sold it. At that time these were $500.00 trucks.

    God Bless America

    Like 11
  2. Avatar Nick P

    Short bed two wheel drive. With the V8. Didn’t look through the pics, but looks pretty solid. Highly desirable truck. Even long beds are starting to bring some coin. Reserve is probably somewhere near 20k if I had to venture a guess.

    Like 6
  3. Avatar Dave

    As far as a repaint goes, I’d leave it as is, probably the interior and drivetrain too. But I would do other upgrades starting with changing out the battery cables so the positive is actually red and the negative is black. The way it is now could cause an avoidable accident by some clown.

    Like 3
  4. Avatar Lars Oster

    If I rember correctly those were the same style hubcaps that. Were on my 1974 GMC pickup I once had

    Like 3
  5. Avatar Joe Haska

    What planet are you on? The C-10″s are probably the hottest used P/U on the market. If you start looking you will figure it out right away. The most desirable, is single cab, short box and 2WD. Next would be the same with a long box. Why? they are cut down into short boxes. 4WD are for hunters, fishermen and work trucks. They are basically a different animal, the short box is the sport P/U market and it gets the most money

    Like 6
  6. Avatar Joe Haska

    Are you serious, you think a 4WD is worth more than this 2WD. This is the most desirable C-10, the 4WD being the least, a long bed is often converted to a short bed. This truck might hit 20 K.

    Like 1
    • Avatar Scotty Gilbertson Staff

      Joe,
      Hagerty is at $10,500 for a #4 fair condition K10, and $9,000 for a #4 fair condition C10. They’re at $25,800 for a #3 good condition K10 and $21,200 for a #3 good condition C10. I don’t know what else to say about that, that’s where I got the values from.

      Like 1
  7. Avatar James

    Conversion? This was never a 4WD and it’s worth more as a 2WD anyway. Ni

    Like 1
  8. Avatar Russ Ashley

    At $16K reserve not met. When my son was 16 (now 51) I bought him a 69 C10 like this. It was light green with a white top, the seat covers were darker green, and it had factory a/c. It also had two original chrome bumpers that this truck needs. It was sitting in a driveway of a house near me and I had noticed that it was not being driven, so I stopped and asked if it was for sale. It had a burned valve but would start up and drive. I paid $900 for it and drive it home. I did a valve job on it and he drove it for several years.

    Like 5
  9. Avatar RexFox Member

    Paint it, clean up the interior and drive it.

    Like 2
  10. Avatar JCH841

    I got my license in 1969 and learned to drive standard on my Dad’s 1969 GMC 1500 with the V6 and long bed. Remember being a smart aleck and leaning out the window to fill the behind the seat gas tank when it was raining.

    Like 2
  11. Avatar Rickirick

    My Dad had a 1970 long bed 350 with tree column shift. Same interior & exterior blue paint. You couldn’t hurt that truck. I once put it in a ditch on a snowy country road taking the farmer’s daughter home after a night out in Michigan. Her father brought a tractor to pull me out. No damage and, like Timex, kept on tickin’

    Like 0
  12. Avatar Keith

    Paint it. The “patina” stuff is old and also ugly

    Like 2
  13. Avatar John W Kriegshauser

    Neat old C10, I don’t mind the patina look. At least you can see what you are getting. Well, except for the rocker panels and cab corners they replaced and then forgot to leave the seam between the rocker and cab corner. Amateurs. I see it has no power steering and no power brakes…combined with the manual transmission shifted on the column, that should eliminate some millenial buyers! LOL

    Like 0
  14. Avatar Yooper Mike

    Bought one just like this in 1973 for $600.00. Was a great snow truck in Michigan’s UP. I’ve had three or four of these trucks. Even bought one off the 5 freeway from the owner. Truck had broken down. Would like to own another one but can’t seem to afford the asking prices anymore.

    Like 0
  15. Avatar John L.

    This is your typical Mississippi farm truck. In the 60’s, farmers in eastern Arkansas, western Tennessee, and Mississippi, drove short wheelbase trucks. You seldom saw a long wheelbase truck in these areas.

    Like 1
  16. Avatar Joe Haska

    Scotty, I get what you are saying and where you are coming from, I understand you need some sort of gauge. My gauge is from what I see on line, at car shows and at real experience, of trying to find and buy C10’s. This one just sold for $17,400. If we use your #4 prices, that’s $8,400 , over the C-10 guide and almost $ 7,000 over the K-10. And I don’t know if that proves either of us right or wrong. I think we just aren’t comparing like trucks. The buyer that wants 4WD , is not nearly the same as the 2WD buyer. If I was trying to protect my investment , I would go with the 2WD everttime.

    Like 0

Leave a Reply to Rickirick Cancel reply

RULES: No profanity, politics, or personal attacks.

Become a member to add images to your comments.

*

Get new comment updates via email. Or subscribe without commenting.