New rig...road trip!

[KIILew]

Well, I am typing this on my laptop computer as I sit in my hotel room in Springfield, Missouri. I just flew in today (Sunday) from my home in the state of Washington to pick up my first automotive purchase through eBay. Here it is…



This is a 1978 Chevy C30 Silverado chassis cab with a rollback flatbed. The gentleman I bought it from is the second owner (he knows the original owner) and he believes the rig has 82 K miles on it. Apparently, the truck was freshened up in 1993 (when, presumably, the ’77 style ochre-painted body side moldings and reproduction grille were added). I was impressed with the interior and exterior pictures the fellow posted in the original eBay posting. Tomorrow will be the first day I see it in person.

At any rate, I must be truly insane with respect to these trucks (or, insane – period) because I not only bought this vehicle for – ahem – “enough” (ostensibly to haul around some other “projects” and equipment), but I also will be driving it all the way from Missouri to my farm in central Washington, starting tomorrow. It is going to be a very long, slow, and “uneconomical” trip…I can hardly wait, LOL!

So, if you see this rig cruising somewhere (or broken down) somewhere west of Missouri, chances are it will be me (if not, call the cops). I haven’t settled on a route yet, but I may have to do some creative trip planning to avoid bad weather and road conditions. Let me know if any of you have any insights with respect to routes.

Talk to y’all soon,

Ken Lewis

[Ron 586]

Looks like a winner to me. Good luck on your adventure. Keep us posted.

[71C-10DAD]

Originally Posted by KIILew

So, if you see this rig cruising somewhere (or broken down) somewhere west of Missouri, chances are it will be me (if not, call the cops). I haven’t settled on a route yet, but I may have to do some creative trip planning to avoid bad weather and road conditions. Let me know if any of you have any insights with respect to routes.

Talk to y’all soon,

Ken Lewis

You should stop by Osawatomie, kansas on your way and i will shake your hand for buying one fine looking truck. LOL

[magnethead]

looks good! 454 or 6.2D?

good find.

[N2TRUX]

That's a cool find Ken. Keep us posted on how your trip goes, and give us pics from the road...

[bigblock73]

Ken, you already knew what I thought of the truck....and it's about time you went and got it.

Let us know how your trip goes, and be safe.

[KIILew]

Thanks to all of you guys for the encouragement! In a few minutes, I am going to meet the guy who sold me the truck, so we will see!

Magnethead, the engine is a 454, so I am expecting a nice trip average of 6-8 mpg! I will probably have to sell the truck on my arrival home (if not sooner) to afford my gas card bill. I keep telling myself that my gas charges and hotel charges etc. are not part of the truck purchase; they are part of the adventure, LOL. That's how I try to justify everything!

71C10DAD, who knows, you may see me! Osawatomie is probably on my way or close to it...I will probably take a route leading me through Salt Lake City, and then Boise, Idaho.

See you online tonight when I stop somewhere for the evening.

Ken Lewis

[Joe67]

Nice find

[Curly86]

Real nice find and good luck on the trip home and the gas mileage and weather

[Captkaos]

Wow! Nice Find Ken!

[Big Block]

I hope you have a safe trip with no breakdowns. I've done it twice, once to California and the other to Colorado. I did have a flat tire and intake vacuum leak on my way back from Ca. Limped it home on 7 cylinders. Good luck!

[krue]

Very nice looking truck. Have a safe trip.

[SanitysBane]

Nice rig, good luck!

[Low84]

Sharp looking truck!

[Grande Rojo]

I live in Springfield!!!!!

Nice Looking truck have a good trip!

[boxrodz]

Good looking rig.
Too bad you couldn't arrange to put it to use and haul a vehicle back to pay for some of the trip. (Heck, stick a 'For Hire' and your cell number...)

BTW, avoid the Colorado Rocky Mountains on Tuesday (11-14) on your trip back... Snowy and Windy. But, the storm should be in and out in a day.

[KIILew]

Just thought I would check in...I am now in Overland Park, Kansas for the night (probably within a stone's throw of you 71C-10DAD). I am loving driving this truck with a few qualifications. The thing cruises beautifully down the road. The body seems very tight and solid. This rig has great potential.

Here's the qualifications:

First and foremost, I think tomorrow I will try to have the front two tires replaced. They have seen much better days. This is definitely a safety issue to deal with before I go much further. The back tires are relatively new.

Secondly, will have to replace the right front marker lamp beneath the headlamp. Hopefully, this is what is causing me to have no right hand turn signal function when the headlights are on. Otherwise my turn signals both work during the day (headlights off).

Thirdly, the engine seems to run rough at idle and just beyond. I am not convinced I am running on all cylinders. I also noticed that, on one hill, if I really put my foot into it to recapture diminishing speed, I was rewarded with a backfire. I stopped at a Chevy agency in Warrensburg, MO to ask if they had any ideas for a quick fix. The service manager came out, and, with foot on the brake, accelerated the engine with the tranny in drive. He commented on how the engine smoothed out once it was revved a little, and suggested that a bad power valve can cause the backfiring effect. I don't know if I will try to tackle that one tomorrow or not. At least nobody wants to race me...at stoplights the truck sounds like it has a really mean camshaft!

Forthly, and most minor, but still a pain...the cigarette lighter doesn't work. Can't charge my cell phone in the truck or operate my GPS, as a result! Getting reaquainted with maps LOL! May do some temporary wiring fix, maybe not!

Oh and did I mention that the left hand fuel filler neck dumps gas on the ground when filling? So, now I have only one working fuel tank feeding a 454/turbo 400/4.56 axle combo. I am almost afraid to fix the misfire, since it is probably the next best thing to GM's new displacement on demand for my fuel economy...HAH!

Still, all of these things can be fixed, and I am amazed at how nice and quietly, this thing drives down the highway even with the low gear. Despite its age, it is clear to me that the previous owners had alot of pride in ownership. The interior is very nice and original for a nearly 30 year old work truck. The interior color scheme is red over black, like Ken's (N2Trux) Cheyenne...of course, not gorgeously immaculate like his by any means, and substituting '78 era brushed aluminum-look trim for his '77's wood grain.

I will check in again, and try to post some pictures eventually!

Grande Rojo, I really wish I had the opportunity to spend more time in Springfield...I picked up all kinds of interesting things about various sight seeing opportunities there; cave tours, Christmas light celebrations, etc. I hope to return someday to see those things and Branson too. If I didn't have a commitment back in Washington next week, I would have enjoyed your neck of the woods longer.

boxrodz, thanks for the heads up! That is just the kind of info I need!

Thanks to all for your interest!

Ken Lewis

[ghetto_superman]

wow nice find and good luck on the trip!

[N2TRUX]

Wow! It sounds like your having a great road trip. All the issues you mention are minor ones that can be resloved. Of course the tires need attention right away, but the rest of it sounds like fun things to tinker with when you get home.

Now if you were "really" a true truck addict, you would find a smoking deal along the way and come home with a load on back...

[magnethead]

the leaking filler neck i've found is typically a rotted hose, some people don't use gas rated hose so it rots out real easily.

Unhook the battery and roll up a piece of sand paper and stick it in the cig lighter..fixed mine (corrosion and rust)

[84 400]

SWeet rig man !!!! i made the trip from Killen texas to my home in andover mass in about 3-4 days with my 84. i too bought off ebay and thought it was risky but i trusted the guy that sold me it and was not disapointed. i had dual tanks working so it made it a nice ride. road smooth but the seat!!! my back is still messed up form that thing. we slept in the cab most nights and just enjoyed rumbling around in it. only hit rain when i was up near NJ was a fun trip and my dad thought that we were crazy to do it with a old truck that we just bought. kept thinking it was gonna break down on us. but you can't beat a chevy for reliablility!!! My dad still trys to see if shipping would have been cheaper then my plane ticket ( he was already down there on comp business) and gas. but it was a fun trip and prob the last one my truck will ever see. i really wish i could go to michigan in the summer with it and just cruse the high way again but with the gas prices and the new 400 and the fact that my truck only site 3 it is very impractical. Maybe i should buy a 2wd crew cab dually gas won't be better but it would be nice to cruse the country towing a camper or somthing. ahhh will have to save that for when i retire in many many many years.

best of luck and nice truck!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[KIILew]

Home at last…



The old girl made it! The above picture was taken in the driveway of my farm in Washington. I arrived here on Saturday night.

I learned a lot about the rig traveling a distance approaching 2,000 miles. With the exception of having very little power to climb hills, the truck drove beautifully on the interstates. I did have some new tires put on in Kansas City (which is also where I snapped the interior pictures below). The truck is really in amazing condition, I think, with very little rust and a very tight body, chassis, and drive train aft of the engine. The engine, however, is another story. I traveled the entire distance with a steady misfire, and I suspect that the culprit is not carburetion as I originally hoped, but rather a complete lack of compression in one of the pistons. I came to this conclusion after experiencing my first prolonged period of cranking the engine from a cold start in the morning after a hotel stay in Grand Island, Nebraska. For the first time, I could clearly detect this as the starter “spiked” once for every crankshaft revolution.

Nevertheless, I’ve got the truck, it got me home, and I figure that it will be a nice and unique rig, with a GOOD engine after the requisite rebuild/replacement. I might consider even getting a GM 454 HO crate engine or something (now, where is that GM Performance Parts catalog?). Even so, I will probably save what I think is the original block for good measure.





Here is a photo of the new purchase along with my old ’79 Big 10. (Sorry; so far, restoration for the ‘79 is only a dream. She still does some light work on the farm!) Some day soon, though!



Really enjoyed reading all of your responses, stories and advice! Thanks guys!

Ken Lewis

[N2TRUX]

Ken that is too cool. I would love to have the time and fortitude to buy a truck site unseen and drive it half way across the country. I think once you get the old boy cleaned up your gonna be driving it a lot more...

[mySAVIOReigns]

That looks great!

[Hoods69BadBowTie]

Wow what an awesome story and sweet looking truck. Glad to hear u made it home ok wit no huge problems. Have fun with your new purchase.