The seller of this used 1984 GMC Sierra 1500 pickup purchased it for converting into a hot rod, but has since found a truck he likes better for the future build. This one is a clean, short-box pickup with an inline six under the hood and three speed on the three. It’s about as poverty spec as you can get, but therein lies its appeal: a truck that will be dirt cheap to run should you leave it stock, or a perfect sacrificial lamb for an outrageous build where you won’t feel bad swapping out the internals for something with more speed. Check out the GMC here on eBay where it’s listed with no reserve in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
It’s hard to believe that a truck that was once a bit of a throwaway is now commanding over $5,000 with a day left in the auction. I’m sure many of us remember seeing a truck like this doing duty as part of a fleet or a contractor’s truck, and now it’s a potential collector’s item given it remains unmodified and in rust-free condition. The seller notes mileage as being a tick over 77,000 and that while it hasn’t been used regularly, he’s been able to drive it across town without issue. Still, he recommends the full assortment of maintenance you should proactively perform on any vehicle that hasn’t been shown much love recently.
The interior certainly isn’t in bad shape, and that, amazingly, looks like a crack-free dash pad. The bench seat doesn’t show any obvious split seams, either. The truck carries an Alabama title, and if that was its primary state of residence, the climate there is certainly kind to older vehicles like this. That explains why the body’s defects aren’t attributable to rust, but rather dings and dents that come with age. The seller notes that the driver side door and fender both have big dents, and that the underside of the bed on the passenger side has a dent in front of the rear wheel, likely due to poor jack placement.
The listing further notes the windshield is cracked and that there are plenty of other dings, dents, and scrapes, but there are some good points, too: the seller says he just installed a new battery, and that the bed is in remarkable condition for a truck of this vintage. Oftentimes, even trucks from decent climates can suffer from bed rot, so it’s good to hear it’s not a problem in this instance. The GMC is unremarakble aside from being completely stock and coming with the preferred short bed, but it would make an excellent candidate for a hot rod build. Would you keep it stock or modify it?
This looks exactly like the GMC short bed Randy from Auto Auction Rebuilds fixed up after he got it from Copart
Pretty clean short bed overall though the color is painfully boring. It could make for a economical daily driver with a bit of work but my guess is that the new owner may want a little more excitement under the hood. I’d fix the dings and dents, paint it red and go with a small block V8. Best part is this pickup appears to be rust free; that’s a big plus no matter which way you would choose to go.
Thanks, Jeff( 2nd paragraph), Great find, but I’ve got to say, this is about the most bare-bones Jimmy pickup I’ve seen it quite a spell. I think the only option this person got was PS. I’d bet it was a company truck for city deliveries of some sort. Dealer didn’t make much on this sale. I sure wish mine had a 6, a 250, I read, and the 3 speed wasn’t a highway machine, but at least someone ( the great folks of Kentucky) has their head screwed on right. About what I feel a truck like this SHOULD go for, not this 5 figure crap. Talk about a blank slate, here you go. Glad this person kept it stock, hot-rods will come and go, but try and find a truck like this.
My kind of truck! I wouldn’t do anything other than fix the dings and get it back on the road. I do admit that I’m not at all fussy about the ‘Calf Scour Yellow’ paint job but I wouldn’t bother to change it except maybe to white. Those inline sixes were good although this vintage is smogged up the gazoo. I did a few valve jobs to these because they would burn the exhaust valves right out from running way too lean. 1985 was the year they dropped the 250 and went to that 4.3 V-6. Some people were happy with them but I had one that I wasn’t particularly pleased with.
Bought this exact truck in early 80s, it was two years old. Learned how to drive a clutch on this truck. Unforntunally I just got out of the navy, and went back to work at feral plant for a whole 5 bucks an hour, couldn’t afford payments. So I had to voluntary repossess. It to the bank. Lost my ass.did love owning it though great truck cheap on gas.
Trucks like this are disappearing. Sadly, this truck will probably fall into the hands of some one who will “transform” it into yet another overdone LS swapped hot rod pick up. I would clean this one up and keep it the way it came from the factory.
Me too Paul R.
God bless America
PaulR, I agree with you. My dad had a 78 model with the same setup. It was a great truck, was decent on gas, did everything he ever needed the truck for.