1971 question

[mylow53]

My dad wants me to buy this 1971 chevy pu with a 305 and a 3 speed auto poise rear, new dash, in primer. the owner says it has 71 k original miles (says speedo still works) and was brought up from california a couple of years ago. I haven't seen a picture yet so it's hard to say it's worth the 3600 he wants for it. the question is are there any issues i need to look for. common rust areas, the 305 is a ..... motor... any advise will be helpful. not planning on restoring it like the 53 i have,i just want to drive it!
if it all checks out thinking on offering $2500
i figure it's exempt from calif smog right?!
Thanks Guys!
GT

[69GWC]

Cab corners, rockers, floor boards, cab mounts, under the cal and check the roof. Mostly just rockers and cab corners.
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[Resto-Rand]

Yep. Smog exempt. I just found rust at the top of the windshield (inside) on mine.

[mdeprimo271]

The 305 isn't a bad motor. It all depends on how much $$$ you want to throw at it. If you put a set of Edelbrock heads, a decent cam and an Edelbrock carb and intake. You can get about 400hp from a 305. An old timer once told me, "the bottom end isn't where the horsepower is, it's in the top end. You just need to know how to wake the motor up." The downside is you'll spend about $1500-$2000 in the process.

[leddzepp]

Is it a LWB or a SWB truck?

[cerjio]

Originally Posted by leddzepp

Is it a LWB or a SWB truck?

Is it a 305 or a 307 ? there is a diffrence an the 307 would have been the common motor for those years , along with looking at body areas mentione above , look at the wiring , under the hood , the dash an Rear around the lights most splicing will be done there.

[AirSpeed]

Also check the cab mounts, they rust as well. The first thing I do when I buy one of these trucks is take a hose to the inside can corners, clear the drains in the doors, the drains in the cab mounts and shove a hose down the vents under the cowl. You will be amazed how much crap builds up in those areas. Gets some pics from the guy!
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[GASoline71]

305's weren't even thunk of yet when these trucks were sold. So it's not the original 71K engine that it's claimed to have. The 305 would actually bring the value of the rig down if you ask me.

Gary

[mylow53]

interesting comments guys as soon as i have picts ill post them. he said it was an 8 foot bed. probably a dumb question but i heard a 327 can have bad gas milage but a 350 can get better milage. what about this 305 / 307? my 53 (with a 350) is getting around 15 if i'm good. every one tells me to expect 9 mpg...
thanks for the help!
GT

[72k10stepside]

the roof rust is a very common problem they never treated the metal on the inside of the roof but it took 40 years for this to start to happening. Also check your cab supports and floor.

[Mustard72]

Ought to be able to do a little than 9 mpg, especially if its a C10 with relatively highway friendly gears. I get 11-13 or so with my C20 with the 4.57 rear end on the highway (60 mph, rarely gets on any highways with higher speed limits around here).

[GASoline71]

The 305 and 307 are different animals. The 305 has a smaller bore and crappy cylinder heads. The 307 can be built to be a decent engine for a truck.


MPG's in these old trucks is never gonna be that great with the old school engines. They were never designed to get good gas mileage in the first place.

Gary

[davepl]

Isn't there a 305 V6 in that era? Everyone seems to be assuming its a small block chevy 305, but throwing it out there just in case...

[WIDESIDE72]

Originally Posted by davepl

Isn't there a 305 V6 in that era? Everyone seems to be assuming its a small block chevy 305, but throwing it out there just in case...

No 305v6 in 72, and it would have been in a GMC only. I seriously doubt anyone would have gone to the trouble to swap one in. If it is in fact a 305 and the mileage you mentioned, I have to wonder why (?) I would look for signs that the odometer has rolled over. Pretty easy to tell 70k as opposed to 170k wiggle all of the door and window handles. Work all of the ventilation controls. Look at pedal pads. Drive trick and listen for rattles. A 70k mile truck should still be pretty tight.

The 307 has gotten a bad wrap. IMO and experience it is a good all around engine, better than a 305. Good power and mileage potential with sims hop up parts like any SBC, just don't go crazy with the cam lift/ duration.
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[WIDESIDE72]

Be sire to check the gutter over doors and windshield. If the truck sat out a lot, the seam sealer cracks, letting water into the seam and into the cab. Since the cab is bare steel between the two layers, it rusts from onside out, just like outer rockers do.
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[WIDESIDE72]

Originally Posted by AirSpeed

Also check the cab mounts, they rust as well. The first thing I do when I buy one of these trucks is take a hose to the inside can corners, clear the drains in the doors, the drains in the cab mounts and shove a hose down the vents under the cowl. You will be amazed how much crap builds up in those areas. Gets some pics from the guy!
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X2
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