1980 Chevy C10 -- "Patina" aka I just spray primer on it

I'm putting up a couple of lousy pics of my truck here, in the hopes that someone will save me from having to take good pics and put this thing on FB Marketplace next week.   I just bought a Dodge Cummins diesel to haul stuff and I don't need two full size trucks.

1980 C10, I drive this truck all over the place.  It's reliable, has cold Vintage Air A/C, and a bunch of new parts since I've owned it (about 5 years now).

The motor is probably a 350, it has a 700-R4, rusty headers with dual exhaust (Flowmaster mufflers, woo!) and an Edelbrock carb.  I have barely touched it mechanically, just oil changes and a spark plug change or two.  I have a complete LS drivetrain that I was planning to swap into it eventually but the 350 refuses to die.

Here are some of the things I've done to it:

Done ~3 years ago:

All new front suspension bushings, ball joints, tie rods, sway bar bushings and links.  New front brake rotors, calipers, pads, lines.  Complete stainless brake lines.  2" drop spindles.  Axle flip kit in rear, C-notch kit, frame notched and reinforcement welded in.

~2 years ago: Complete Vintage Air system installed. I picked a Sanden compressor with a serpentine belt, and swapped the truck over to later model serpentine accessories (from a mid 90s truck in the bone yard).  New power steering pump and lines, new water pump, used alternator.   New fuel tank and sender.

Bed swapped from a very bad shape stepside bed to a fleetside bed.

~1 year ago: new 18" wheels and tires

last month: new rear leaf springs and shackles

The truck has rust and multiple paint colors, a GMC tail gate, doors that need new window weatherstrip, the driver's vent window frame is broke at the bottom, the fuel gauge doesn't work, etc.. all of the quirks you would expect of a 43 year old work truck.  If you want a truck to restore to perfection, I wouldn't start with this one.  Leave it a honestly ugly "patina" driver.  I have made zero effort to do pretty work on this truck.  It rattles, you can bottom out the front suspension and rub the tires on big bumps, yada yada.

With all of the ugly, it's a pretty cool truck.  I have been driving it every day this week because the AC is not working in my Prius.. it has hauled thousands of pounds of steel and wood to my new shop recently, I tow with it, and it gets more attention than my Tesla.  Which is pretty funny, actually.

Located in Jacksonville FL, $5000.

Man this thing is beyond cool.  My checking account thanks you for being too far away to justify snapping this up.

It's been over thirty years since it met it's demise but I still miss my '78 C10.

APEowner said:

It's been over thirty years since it met it's demise but I still miss my '78 C10.

Pretty much every time I drive it I get stories from people about their old one, their dad's, etc.. it's a rolling memory lane for people since they sold them for so many years.

Nice old truck 

In 1990 I was looking at buying a 1953 Chevrolet truck - 37 year old truck for $750.

It's 2023 and I'm looking at buying a 1980 Chevrolet truck - 43 year old truck for $5,000.  

Somehow the 1980 truck feels newer today than when I was considering that really old 1953 truck in 1990.  

In reply to Datsun310Guy :

In 1991 I was in college in Washington State; I traded some roofing work for a 1951 Ford F1 pickup truck.  It had a flathead and green paint that looked like it was applied with a roller.  I graduated the next year and took a job in California -- left the truck behind and was going to come back for it.  Never happened.. I still want to do one of those trucks.  Weird to think that it was "only" 40 years old then!

Hi Kendall-

Would you please post pics of the worst of the rust?

Skobie

In reply to Skobie :

Sure.  It might take me a couple of days.  I took some pics in lousy lighting and sent them to you already, I believe?  I have been in Seattle for a few days and the house build has me running around.

Edit: here are the pics I took previously.  You can buy patch panels for basically the entire truck, but why?  It's a great driver as-is and you don't worry about dinging it.  

Driver's side of rear wheelwell:

Upper door jamb on cab, driver's side:

Driver's door lower:

Driver's front fender just behind bumper:

In reply to Kendall Frederick :

How the interior?  Any pics?  Does it drip oil when parked?   

In reply to Caprigrip :

The interior is, surprisingly, pretty decent.  It has bucket seats and a console, dash pad has one crack down the center but is otherwise OK, no radio.  Has the Vintage air kit which sits behind the glove box door, dash vents and defrost all work with the Vintage control head.  It's sitting in my condo parking garage and I'm running around elsewhere for the next day or so.  I will try to take a bunch of pictures of it Friday.  It doesn't drip oil; it shows a drop or two underneath usually but isn't leaking anywhere significantly.  It doesn't burn oil either.

I had 78 C20. 350, TH400, brown on blue. I loved that truck.

In reply to Kendall Frederick :

thanks, Kendall!

God help me, it's on FB Marketplace.  This will probably help me remember how many crazy people there are in the world..

Anybody on here wants it, I'll go $4k for GRMers.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/1336266993719615

That's a lot of truck for the money.

Looks like the perfect vehicle if you want to annoy your neighbors or the management at work.  

I love it!

In reply to Datsun310Guy :

I live in a high rise condo with a parking garage.  You should see the stink eye the truck gets from some of the residents!  

I don't think you'll have a problem selling it on FB at that price, unless the market for those is very different in FL than OH.  

eastsideTim said:

I don't think you'll have a problem selling it on FB at that price, unless the market for those is very different in FL than OH.  

Yeah, it's pending sale now.  I did get a party barge trade offer, which was intriguing.. LOL.

Edit: watched it drive away this morning.  Gonna miss it.  Somewhat..