1965 Stepside

[truckman72]

Hey guys-

I usually hang out in the 67-72 forum, but a buddy of mine is looking into a getting a classic Chevy and he found this 1965 Stepside. I was wondering what you guys thought of this one, as I don't know much these model years. Thoughts on it?

https://wichita.craigslist.org/cto/6086819097.html

[Wrenchbender Ret]

Myself I don't like them. Its hard to get the body gaps adjusted & to get the doors to fit & close good. They don't have the value like the 47-59 or the 67-72 have.

[DPowers]

Personally not a fan of shaved handles. Hard to tell from the pics if any rust bubbles coming through anyplace. Any idea how it was lowered? Coils cut? How much interior work needed? Dare say he couldn't build it for that.

[Palf70Step]

I like it. Price seems reasonable for what you are getting.

[Arekusu]

This looks like an older "custom", this could be good or bad.

From the doors already you know there is going to be body filler in this thing, check the quality of the job. Some people like to just fill holes or in this case door handle pockets with filler instead of doing the welding and then skim coat.

Look at the hood in depth. Last I knew (I'm in S Korea right now for work), the hood is the only part of the truck you can't buy reproduction in steel. Fiberglass is an option but I wanted steel for longevity.

Look for shoddy body filler repairs in the cab corners, rear part of the front fenders, holes in the floor boards near the wall where you put your left foot, failed seam sealer along the drip rail (this will show other rust later from water that leaks through the roof), as well as rust at the rockers, inner and outer. That should cover most of the stuff I had to fix.

I tell everyone, start with the most expensive truck you can afford. Though the price is cheap on this, your friend is likely going to have to invest some serious coin if it's not solid. And I'm always a bit leery of someone else's body filler custom. Good Luck!

Alex

[shp4man]

The price is OK for that truck if it's a runner like they say. Other than that, OMG, it's purple!

[nail pounder]

Originally Posted by shp4man

The price is OK for that truck if it's a runner like they say. Other than that, OMG, it's purple!

X2. If it's a runner it would sell in CA for that. I've seen worse for the same price, & he's probably got at least that much into it. Obviously check usual spots for rust & I'd probably take a look at how the TV cable is hooked up for the 700r4. Incorrectly and the trans will be toast very quickly, or so I've read. Rent a compression check gauge from O'Reilly's and check compression. New springs are cheap if it rides like $**t, OBO says he'll take less, so start at 3500 and see how much you have left for a paint job