WTB - Classic Truck - Need Tips

[jdirtrider]

I've been looking at different older trucks to fix up. Mostly as a tribute to my father. He drove a 1980 Chevrolet 1/2 Ton Truck. From then on he drove/admired Ford trucks. I figured this would be the best spot I could find to post & ask for tips!

I live in Northern WI, but I'm trying to figure out if I should travel to get it to stay away from rust? Truck would not be driven in the Winter up here. Just getting into mechanical stuff so I'm excited to have something I can work on. No matter the truck I would do a custom paint job I have in mind that I would have to pay for. Aunt could reupholster the truck with me.

Key features I would like: Short box, solid body, leg room (maybe ext cab or crew cab would be a necessity? Im tall), possible to add lift kit (all his trucks were lifted).

Budget: I'd like to keep the total cost under 10K. Seems reasonable right? I have a guy that will do the paint job somewhat reasonable, he paints all of my excavators, loaders, dump trucks, etc.

I'm probably missing something but that is all I can think of right now. Wish I had pictures of his old trucks.

 

[Joel_MD]

I would definitely buy one that was not driven on salty winter roads. Trucks made in the '70s and early '80s didn't have as much corrosion protection as the newer ones. Growing up in Minnesota, my dad had a late '70s Chevy K20 that he used for plowing snow. It rusted so bad it had to be scrapped before it was ten years old.

 

[eljefino]

I always thought the 1980-95 Ford trucks were some of the sharpest around. You can probably find someone that's lifted an older one but put in modern goodies like fuel injection.

I've brought back a couple 80's cars from Raleigh, NC. Their lack of rust is pleasuable every time I have to work on them.

 

[AZjeff]

Many 80s trucks on the road here as daily drivers. Lots of miles, sunburnt paint but no rust. Working on rust-free underbody is a wonderful thing!

 

[jdirtrider]

I think rust free is essential, I have family in Texas so I would target something around there so I can make a little vacation out of it. A little sun-damaged paint isn't bad since I will be having it painted anyways.

I think anything from 75-95 would give me a great range and some room to play with the budget as well. Wouldn't be a daily driver by any means but I like where you're going AZjeff, I don't want to have such an awesome truck and not show it off!

 

[jdirtrider]

Also, whats the best way to find/buy a truck like this? Searching nationwide so craigslist might be tough?

 

[AZjeff]

The distressed look is a "thing" around here right now. Unmolested original 60s, 70s, 80s body with new interior, engine, running gear, etc. Usually lowered some with +size wheels.

Craigslist is the way to go. You can specify the town, year range, model, etc.

 

[440Magnum]

When you said "Old" my mind jumped to the 60s, not the 80s ;-)

Of the 80s trucks, I'd have to say watch out for corrosion in the GM products- very prone to it in the beds above the wheel-wells. And of course they have the "side-saddle" gas tanks outside the frame rail- for any truck I'd drive daily I'd consider re-locating a side-saddle tank, and DEFINITELY re-locate any truck older than that (I think they were all gone by the 80s) with an in-cab tank behind the seat. Chevy's shortcomings are pretty heavily offset by easy parts availability, though.

Dodges from the 80s were a little less corrosion-prone than they were in the 70s but still not up to modern standards. Solid, if underpowered drivelines (only smallblocks- 318/360- after '78). But the front suspension wasn't as beefy as either Ford or Chevy until the '94 redesign. There's a reason Dodge wasn't a major player in the truck market from the early 70s to the early 90s. Being a Dodge guy, I'd actually go for one of the square-body solid-axle older (60s) trucks and have a field day modifying it to my tastes.

In the 80s, I'd probably pick a Ford for overall longevity. Like Dodge they were a little underpowered compared to previous and later years, but they don't seem to have the rot problems of either Dodge or GM. Twin "I" Beam is a love-hate thing... indestructible, but drives like a drunk mule on its best days. Sentimentality, but I have fond memories of working summers on a farm driving an early-70s "5/8ths" Ford (the first of the F-150s instead of F-100's) with a 300 six and 3-on-the-tree. ;-)

 

[MNgopher]

Odds are in Northern Wisconsin the picking will be similar to what is seen around here. Trucks of that vintage will generally fall into one of two camps:

The rolling rustbucket. I'll ditto the stories of several posters above. Our family had a late 70's Chevy 1/2 ton. It wasn't ever driven in the winter (was a three season cabin truck for up north). The amount of body rust on the thing was nothing short of amazing!

Partial to full restorations: These are survivor trucks from the area or have been brought in from elsewhere. Generally been fixed up and or restored. Price will match that condition. Prepare to pay!

Good general advice is to look at trucks in other parts of the country - the desert southwest being a prime area. Having lived in a part of the county that didn't use road salt, it is amazing to look at trucks that up here would have been rusted away by now that look nearly new to my eyes... Heck, my 12 year old truck looks way worse than them!

Craiglist is your friend. No advice on branding - condition is king here, unless your heart is set on something in particular... That being said, I'm partial to the GM trucks of that era... for sentimental reasons, if nothing else...

 

[Hokiefyd]

When I worked at Advance Auto in college one of our parts vans was an older Econoline with a 300 and C6. I swear, that engine ran better the longer you kept it floored. If I were after a project like this, I'd be looking for a decent F-150 with this drivetrain. Maybe go as recent as a ninth generation model:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_F-Series_ninth_generation

It looks like in the eighth generation years, the 300-6 made more torque than the 302-8.

 

[Donald]

You want to get a southern truck. Spend your time & money on fun things, not fixing rust. But consider getting it treated after you buy it.

 

[NHGUY]

The 72-80 Dodges are in high demand now,and are drawing big dollars.Its no coincidence that this generation also begat the 78/79 L'l Red Truck Utiline model,and the Warlock "Adult Toys".

 

[skyactiv]

I'm not into trucks. It's worth buying one rust free in the southwestern United States than buying a rust bucket or bondo special locally.
If I were to buy an old 80's truck, I'd get a Dodge.

 

[AZjeff]

OP's dad drove an 80 Chevy P/U then went to Fords. That pretty well defines his project.

 

[Tzu]

I agree on finding one not driven in the salty roads. I have a '78 Chevy C10 that was my HS graduation present given to me in '85, now with 337,000 miles on it and off the road 7 years ago, sitting next to my garage right now as a future project truck. It was a great truck in it's time, but the salt here left the truck with very little good metal left. If you could find a southern truck with little rust on it in that vintage, that would be awesome. Since then, I have only owned/driven Chevys minus my old Camry.

Any plow truck will be used hard, not rinsed a lot to get salt off and just seem to age quicker than a daily driver truck of the same year.

I think the '99 and up Silverados have to be worse for corrosion than any of the other Chevy trucks before. I see so many like my current truck's model year with rusted out rockers, wheel wells, tailgates, rear bumpers, gas lines, brake lines, and gas doors that I know what mine might look like if I didn't oil spray it every year. They seem to even rust on the bed sides where nothing is welded in the middle of a panel? I was naïve when I researched my truck in '07 and read they were fully galvanized which I took they were almost like stainless steel bodies. Boy was I wrong.....

Youtube "hack n' pack shop" and notice how many Chevys he fixes.

Good luck and have fun on that project. Hopefully that will be me in a few years???
Originally Posted By: Joel_MD
I would definitely buy one that was not driven on salty winter roads. Trucks made in the '70s and early '80s didn't have as much corrosion protection as the newer ones. Growing up in Minnesota, my dad had a late '70s Chevy K20 that he used for plowing snow. It rusted so bad it had to be scrapped before it was ten years old.

 

[hattaresguy]

They all rusted away up here. I'd shop for one from a nice dry salt free state.

 

[clinebarger]

Having owned several '73-'87 Chevy Trucks & Suburbans....

Buy a rust free one! Texas (Stay clear of Gulf areas), Oklahoma, New Mexico, Arizona.

Bring a Phillips screwdriver & remove the sill plates on both sides, And check for floorpan rust under the carpet. The Windshields leak on these trucks, That goes for ALL GM/Ford/Dodge trucks that have bead lock gaskets around the Windshield. If the floorpans have rust....The Pinch Weld around the windshield is rusted too!

The cheapest trucks to restore are '67-'72 Chevy pick-ups! You can change the color of/Restore the interior for $500 on base models & $1000 on CST/Cheyenne models.

 

[jdirtrider]

Thanks everyone! Great tips! I am pretty excited to find my project!

 

[DuckRyder]

I would probably stay away from 80-87'ish (whenever the body changed) Fords as there isn't as much interest in them so parts are harder to find unless they interchange. Ford Bumpsides (67-72) are going to blow your budget for a short bed (You can thank Fast and Loud) Dentsides (73-79) are a little more affordable but I don't believe the Factory built short bed 4x4's though you could do a "pre runner" type thing.

 

[howie2092]

As cool as 70's/80's truck SEEM to be... They are complete garbage unless you plan to overhaul them top to bottom with new/improved parts. I know because I spent a few years refurbishing a dozen or more of them in the late-1980's for college cash. No shortage of idiot buyers who bought into the idea that they were 'tough, gentlemen's trucks'.

My dad passed long before I got into the truck flipping biz. My interest in '73-82 trucks unfortunately started with his brand new 1977 Chevy pickup: 2wd longbed 305ci auto. Worst vehicle he ever owned by far out of say 20 vehicles - no joke.

The '77's the cats clogged at 40K miles stranding us on the side of the road. Starter went bad, carb clogged, paint peeled off the hood and roof, many other problems before it was 3 years old. He sold it for scrap at under 100k. Heartbreaking because he drove the truck like a grandma. Sorry [censored] sad truck made by the worst generation of GM designers and sloppy, drunk builders. Romanticize the garbage all you want.

Dad later bought a new 1986 2wd Toyota long-bed extra cab, and he was the happiest he has ever been with any vehicle - for the two years he owned it before he passed.