I caught the bug...

[James Hart]

Hey all, New guy from the Jersey Shore ( @rt37/rt70 circle for the locals)

The wife has always wanted a truck, we were chatting about them the other day and I got the itch.... I'm gonna do us up a daily driver as soon as I find the right one.

Definitely looking at a 73-87 Chevy/GMC, C10/20... but open to earlier stuff. 2WD, big block, fleetside shortbed would be #1 choice, longbed and/or small block would be cool too. Needs to be an automatic, the little lady ate a clutch when I tried to teach her stick back in the 90s

I'm looking to do lowered spindles but considering stock rear height (researching the negatives in handling). Not looking for mega HP or torque, just a nice solid grocery getter that will stop me from renting a Home Depot truck when I'm playing handyman. In my youth I build a couple SB with friends, I know I can do reasonable power/mileage/reliability without too much expense (relatively).

I've been reading this forum for a couple days and really look forward to getting to know some of you... and to actually have stuff to add myself. Thanks for all the pictures, I've been drooling over a LOT of your trucks

[vectorit]

Welcome to the forum from SoCal!

[James Hart]

Thanks Chris, I'm still churning through threads... LOTS of great info here.

I was sad to see a very local member recently sold 2 reasonably priced trucks in the classifieds that would have been perfect.

I had high hopes on a neighbor's truck, the elderly gentleman that bought the C20 Custom Deluxe in 1985 recently past. His grandson has put it for sale. Baby Blue with white wheels and cap, 305/auto, very chalky, kinda rusty (actually some significant cab rot too). He's dropping 'classic truck' and such... and pricing it off of his sentiment not actual worth. I may wait into closer to the holidays and offer him a reasonable price.

[Indian113]

Welcome to the site,Don't limit yourself to a certain year of truck as I use my 64 for lumberyard runs and dump runs. Plus I can polish it up a little and take in a show or too.

[James Hart]

Originally Posted by Indian113

Don't limit yourself to a certain year of truck

Yup... I'm hoping to go check this beauty out later in the week


It's a 69 C20 Longhorn that someone transplanted an 89 Formula Firebird drivetrain into about 40k miles ago. Price seems fair in the $4k range... I'd hoped the seller was on this site, but in all my clicking and reading I haven't seen the truck here. He's claiming the truck is in the Tom Brownell Truck restoration book.

[James Hart]

thanks... and yeah, I'm looking for a good truck made by GM to customize a bit... I'm primarily looking for the 73-87 body style, but have a couple pre 73 trucks in my sights at the moment.

No cash to make the jump yet, still just reading and planning it all.

[Billett]

Welcome! Nice to see a fellow enthusiast from SJ. I'm from the Elmer/Woodstown area, but I used to work in Ocean City. Keep us posted on the search. Good luck!

[James Hart]

Thanks Billett, we checked out the 69 longhorn and hope to buy it. I had only started to research the idea of getting a truck and need a few weeks to get the money together... the sell seemed okay with that.

Here is the wife giving me they 'yes, this is the one' smile...


It's got a 1989 L98 5.7 installed... turbo 400 + gear venders OD + 4:10 gears.

[Bomp]

Welcome to the forum.
So,,, any progress???
Looks like you have a great project in the making.

[James Hart]

I wish!!!! The owner changed his mind and is restoring it himself.

I ended up with a 93 K1500 Blazer (better suited to needs & lifestyle as a daily driver) just before xmas. L05 series 5.7l TBI, 4L60E trans, 3.42 gears 4wd... 175k miles, needs valve stem seals but runs strong.

I've swapped out a few mismatched/missing/broken interior parts, done some basic tune up work on it too. This weekend I swapped out the original rims for some 17" 2002-2006 Avalanche alloys I found cheap on craigslist.

Here is how it sits today:


I've got a list of things I'm doing to it with a bit of a priority to them set. Stuff like mild cam + intake, Vortex heads, long tube headers with dual cats & cherrybombs. Going with 33x12 tires so I might put some taller gears in it. Not planning any lift beyond what it has now, but might put a helper leaf in the rear.

Funny timing, I was just thinking about deleting those 69 Longhorn images from my server earlier today.

[1ATony]

Welcome to the site