2 trucks, which to build up and keep?

[cLaWz]

Not having as much as experience as some of you on the board, hopefully I can get some input on which one of these to keep and work on.

A little back history on the 2.

Truck A (C20 in my sig) - 1983 3/4 ton C20 with a near stock 454 (told it had an upgraded cam in it) and a TH400 Automatic Transmission. Original 350 caught fire and upon installing the 454 the PO gutted a lot of the wiring harness in the engine compartment. Body and paint were in great shape until my wife dodged an oncoming car using the exit at our old apartment and met a gate. Rippled a large portion of the bodywork on the passenger side.

Interior - Better on this truck
Body - Paint is better but due to the body damage it's in worse shape.
Electrical - Pieced together engine bay and cab harnesses.
Gas - Don't even get me started with the 454....
Engine - Had to rebuild the top end not long after my wife bought it due to a head gasket letting loose. Runs great after buttoning her back up.
Tranmission - Rough shift from Park to Drive or Reverse, could be the modulator going but haven't worked on it due to a brake issue keeping it parked.












Truck B - 1986 C10, 1 owner with the original 305 and SM465 (I believe) in it. I have nicknamed it the "Dumptruck" because of the stiff clutch pedal and the throw of the shift lever lol. Picked this up because I wanted a manual transmission truck. Upon inspecting it and the test drive, etc everything was in order with no issues. Motor had been drained of fluids after being parked so they were filled upon my arrival to check it out. Put down a deposit while the guy got a copy of the title the following Monday and left the truck at his place. During this time Texas was forecast to get a cold front (yes, you can see where this is going ) and a freeze and the guy assured me that he would drain the water out and such. Seeing as how it was dark and my 5 year old was cranky I agreed and headed home. PO got a copy of the title and I went down to pick it up to find that the radiator had not been drained. The past 2 nights had been in the low to mid 20's in town and even lower out in the country where he was. Immediately found a freeze plug popped but didn't see anything else wrong. Replaced the plug and filled her up just to find another leak.. this time it was my fear.. a crack in the block. At this point I backed out of the deal and asked the guy for my deposit back but he said he had already spent it and since he was out of work he wouldn't have it for a long while... to cut the story short I ended up leaving with the truck for the cost of my deposit and with extra spare parts and a tanneu cover, etc. Not happy that I was pretty much forced into it.

Interior - Very very rough shape. Needs to have seat pulled and everything cleaned. Dash pad appears to be pretty much shot.
Body - Body is in much better shape with only a few minor dings. Paint is terrible due to the original blue wearing thin. PO had a buddy shoot it with a leftover green from another job.. no bodywork or prepwork done.
Electrical - Iffy here as well. Harnesses appear original and complete with some concerning splices for the electronic choke and stereo system. Shouldn't be a hard fix with some time. There is an issue somewhere that it causing the battery to dump if I do not pull a terminal. Believe it is the way the radio is wired but haven't worked on it... not moving right now so not a big deal.
Gas - Unknown, dumped block sealer in it and limped it the 30 miles to my house and it's been sitting ever since.
Motor - Well... cracked block so it's down the tube. Block seal is holding but I do not trust it for much use. PO "promised" to get me a replacement but after being screwed once I doubt it highly.
Tranmission - Tons and tons of clutch and it shifts nice besides the long throw on the shifter which I'm told is normal on the SM465.









This is where I am left at the moment, wondering which one I should focus on and which one I should use for a parts truck. I think the C20 "Big Red" could be less work in the short term since the body work could wait. Dumptruck is rougher around the edges but seems to be the more "complete" truck and is a C10 compared to a C20. Seems parts are easier to get and less expensive plus the 5 lug setup gives me more options for the eventual new wheels. The other consideration is emissions testing. The C20 is exempt here in Texas by the 25 year rule. The C10 will be be next year.

What do you guys think?