When it comes to states that you want to discover a vintage vehicle in, Montana and Arizona are two of the best ones for ensuring the vehicle in question has virtually no rust. That’s certainly the case with this 1978 Chevrolet K-20 4×4 wearing Scottsdale trim, as it is seemingly as rust-free as it was the day it left the showroom. The seller notes that the truck has earned the nickname “Whiskey Dents,” which I can only imagine has some entertaining stories attached to it. The Chevy benefits from a new replacement crate engine and is said to run and shift well, along with having a pretty generous equipment list from the factory. Find it here on eBay with bids to $4,200 and no reserve.
With a fresh 350 under the hood and dirt-simple construction, I would consider a truck like this a viable alternative to any of the $50K+ models that your local Chevy or Ford dealer wants to sell you. If you can live without luxury, you’ll get a workhorse that’s near impossible to kill. Throw in the fact that the body and frame are in completely rust-free condition, and you have a vehicle that will likely outlive you. The seller doesn’t explain why the original engine had to be removed, but when it comes to old trucks like these, buyers rarely lose too much sleep over non-matching numbers. The body certainly does have its share of dents, but you could chalk that up to “character.”
The interior is in fair shape, and I suppose this is where you might lose some buyers just looking for a truck they can hop in and use. It’s tired, for sure, and you’ll have to be OK with restoring it as you go or simply using it as-is. The bench seat isn’t bad, but the door panels are pretty rough. If the seller had just done a better job of detailing it, it’d likely look a fair bit better than it does here. The other issue is this is a non-A/C truck, so for buyers in warm weather climates, it may be a no-go especially considering the hassle of tracking down all of the necessary components for retrofitting. The seller notes the transmission shifts well, with no obvious slippage.
The Chevy is equipped with power steering and power disc brakes, along with a 4.10 rear axle, roof marker lights, painted rear step bumper, auxiliary fuel tank, and larger side mirrors. Overall, the Chevy is definitely driver-quality but the rust-free condition more than makes up for the cosmetic flaws. Throw in the fairly fresh crate engine and attractive colors and you have a workhorse that can be spit-shined for some additional eyeball appeal and simply used, or taken all the way back to showroom condition should you want one in perfect condition. Which direction would you take it?
Your comment about MT and AZ used to be true. Almost twenty years ago, MT started using Magnesium Chloride on the roads there. It is much more corrosive than salt to metal. So older vehicles driven thru the winter there are corroded. AZ started putting salt on their roads before even that and the results are similar though the winter is less severe in AZ so there isnt as much corrosion. The only good places for no-rust older vehicles now, are places that basically dont have snow. The attorneys have made the responsibility for driving safely on snow someone else’s rather than the driver and this is the result. Damned frustrating.
Item location:
Cave Creek, Arizona
These were good old trucks, and it’s rare to see one that’s not a victim of rust. I bought a 1977 Scottsdale 3/4-ton from a friend for $2,000 in 1989; it had about 150k miles, and the 350 and transmission were worn out. I bought it as a replacement boat-puller for my 1977 3/4-ton Suburban, which was a bare-bones stripper model (refrigerator white, vinyl seats, no carpet, no A/C) that I had bought for $1,500 a few years earlier from another friend who had used it as a surveyor’s truck until he had to lay off a couple of crews. The Suburban had a severe case of body cancer, but it also had a Target Master rebuilt engine with about 30k miles on it, as well as a rebuilt trans. I put the engine and trans from the Suburban in the pickup, and had a fairly nice truck with A/C to pull the boat. It remained connected to my boat trailer for another ten years before I sold it to another friend for $1,500. Those trucks were hard to kill, even if the sheet metal succumbed to rust. With the “towing package” (3.73 posi in the Dana 60 rear end, heavy-duty alternator, etc.), it pulled the boat like it wasn’t even there; I don’t think I realized how well it pulled the boat until I replaced it with a ’93 Bronco, which fit better in the driveway but made towing an adventure for the next 15 years.
Ended: Apr 30, 2021 , 11:50AM
Winning bid:US $8,300.00
[ 54 bids ]
Another dud- unfortunately this website posts things after their sold. This is the 2nd time I would have bid 30% above the current bid for the truck.
I’m done!
You will be missed.
You can still go to Ebay with your fake bids and complain that you were just about to increase but it shut you out and robbed you of your prize LOL
I have a 78 K20 4×4 new interior, power windows, roll cage, but needs TLC.
Fires up and runs great. Was the hunting truck when I was a kid, but its gotta go , too many vehicles.