Said to have had only two owners over the last 46 years, this 1980 Chevrolet C-10 Silverado Stepside has a great look, with graphics, a hint of fading, and some surface rust poking out here and there. I have more fading and surface rust than this truck does, and this thing will last much longer than I will. It’s posted here on craigslist in the Dublin, California area, and they’re asking $12,800. Here is the original listing, and thanks to Rocco B. for the tip!
Fleetside short-bed pickups from Chevy typically get all the love, but I like a Stepside. It’s an unusual combo on this sharp-edged third-generation cab to have a 1940s/50s-looking fat-fender Stepside bed, but I like it. The third-gen C/Ks were made for model years 1972 through 1991 in most markets, and this is clearly the rear-wheel-drive version. The front end looks low, doesn’t it? I’m guessing it’s stock; there’s no mention of any modifications. This truck is said to have no rust, and that has to mean rust-through, as in holes. There is some surface rust here and there.
I’m a graphics junkie for these special paint schemes from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. You can see that, as with most manufacturers who offered a Stepside/Flareside-type fender-side bed, the details haven’t changed that much over the decades. The perilously exposed taillights, the exposed tailgate “chains,” and all of those details carried over from maybe even before WWII. Ford was reportedly the last major manufacturer to offer a fenderside pickup bed, with their 2009 Flareside. Chevy did away with theirs in 2006.
For a top-trim Silverado, I’m surprised to see an all-vinyl seat here. A somewhat similar vinyl bench seat (although in green) is shown in the lower Scottsdale trim on page 7 of this 1980 Chevrolet pickup brochure. Is this a replacement seat cover? The pattern doesn’t match the brochure really at all, and wouldn’t this have been a plaid fabric seat? Bob_in_TN is our Ford guru; who’s our Chevy guru? Geo? This truck is almost as loaded as it got for this era, with power windows, power locks, AC, cruise, and more. The bed has a nice wood plank floor, along with a random assortment of stuff that would probably be sliding and banging around back there. Maybe they were just set in there and weren’t on driving duty.
The engine is Chevy’s 350-cu.in. OHV V8, which should have around 175 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque. Power passes through an automatic transmission and sends power to the rear wheels, and the seller says it runs great but needs new tires. Hagerty lists a #3 good-condition example at $16,500, so $12,800 seems like a reasonable price for this good-looking Silverado Stepside. What do you think? I’d love to own this one.
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