Advice on purchasing a C50/60

[6772owner]

Hello guys and gals, I am looking into buying a C50/60 for a tow rig and need advice on what to look for. Are there advantages to one year over another? (ex. 71'-72' C10 had front disk brakes, 67-70' does not) What are good things to look out for? Are they mostly the 4 speed with 2 speed rear end? Should I be looking for a specific drivertrain or brake option? Sorry for all the questions, I have always liked these apecific trucks, but have little knowledge of them....

Any advice, tips, knowledge I can get would be greatly appreciated... I have started to search the forum as well, so i will try to read all existing threads too.

Thanks to everyone for this amazing forum.

[txriverrat]

Here's what I've learned in the three months I've had my c50 so far:

-everything is A LOT bigger, so you'll need big tools, heavy duty floor jack/stands. I can't even fit my truck under the carport at my shop.
-because everything is bigger, it's more expensive
-there are two kinds of wheel hubs, Dayton (cast spokes) and Budds. Budds are much preferred for ease of changing wheels/tires, Daytons can handle a heavier payload.
-a lot of these old trucks had two or three piece rims, which can be extremely dangerous when changing tires if you don't know what you're doing. Most were 20 inch diameter. If you find a truck with 22.5 inch wheels, good to go, someone has already done the expensive part for you.
-drivelines varied, I got a 366 big block with a clark 5spd w/no OD and a 2 spd eaton rear. Lots of other options were available. My truck tops out at about 55 to 60mph. Not a speed machine by any means.
-interior cab stuff is the same as c10-c30 of the same year. Front sheetmetal is obviously different. Seems everyone (myself included) has rusty front fenders, no repops available to my knowledge.
-If you buy one, you won't regret it. Just think of it as the big brother to all of our c10s-c30s

[6772owner]

txriverrat, I appreciate all the info, I hadnt really thought about everything bigger LOL I will make sure to keep the wheels in mind when Im shopping. Hopefully I can find something somewhat rust free in my neck of the woods. Thanks for all the insight.

[dan76]

Originally Posted by txriverrat

Here's what I've learned in the three months I've had my c50 so far:

What year is your truck?

[txriverrat]

Originally Posted by dan76

What year is your truck?

Mine is a 1972 c50

[Shyguy]

Check with your insurance company to make sure they will insure it. Mine would not so I had to go with Progressive which cost quite a bit.

Danny

[6772owner]

Shyguy, if you dont mind me asking, which company wouldnt insure it? Did they give you a reason why? I handt even considered that, thanks for the heads up!

Also, can someone describe to me what the visual cues would be to ID the different wheel types? How do I know if they are Budds, and what the heck does that mean?

[Monte Carlo Man]

We had a '72 and a '73 when I first started working for a lumber company when I got out of school.

The '72 dump 50 series, 24 foot bed, it had a 366 and a 4 speed transmission with a 2 speed rear end.

That was the good one. It had all kinds of power and was tolerable for speed.
It dumped nice and drove down the road pretty good for having manual steering.

The '73 - same chassis, had a automatic transmission and no 2 speed rear end. 366 engine and air conditioning. It also had power steering. It dumped nice and it drove nice and it went down the road pretty good, but I liked the '72 better because I thought that the manual transmission and the 2 speed rear end was a much better set up.

I would try to stay away from the 366 if you can help it. The bore is too small and the stroke is too long and the block is lighter then the 427. We had a truck with the 427 and it really ran. The boss's son put a Carter AFB on it and it would really pull hard and it had lot's of torque.

We had a '78 tilt bed and it had some brake problems, I don't know how much they changed from year to year, but it had hydro brakes and I never liked it much.

We later bought a '85 tilt bed and it was a really nice truck, lot's of power options, but it did not have a lot of engine power. I would definitely say that the older trucks were a lot more rugged then the new ones.

I would say that if you wanted to use a truck for a tow rig as in towing a trailer, you don't need to get a truck that big. All you really need is a T plate with dual wheels.

[badriv455]

First off, everyone made good points, so I'll just try to elaborate. Mine is insured by Progressive also, but it is on a commercial vehicle policy. That is the only way I could get it insured even though it is only my personal vehicle. However it only costs about $35 a month for liability only.

As far as the wheels. Look at my avatar pic. Those are "budd" wheels, they also are the very dangerous "widow makers". You don't want those. Unless you want to spend buckoo bucks putting new rims and tires on it. Not all budd wheels are dangerous though. The widowmakers will have "Firestone RH5" stamped on them. Daytons are whats on most schoolbuses. They are the cast iron center star shaped wheels, those are ok. My advice would be to look for a C60 with the large 10 lug bolt circle as semis. You can find cheap used semi wheels and tires. The C50s like mine have a smaller bolt circle, 5 front 10 rear, or I've seen some with 6 lug.

Any other questions, you can message me.

[ed2552]

We have a 65, which is similar. If it needs new front tires, figure $1k for 22.5 wheels and new tires. Granted, you won't need new tires ever again, but it's a lot of cost up front. Our 65 has a 4 speed with 2 spd rr, and it goes about 65, and has a 292 I6. Thing has plenty of get up and go. It has a dump body, and is a grain truck. We had 6 tons of steel in the back and I didn't notice. I believe all C50's and C60's had drums, no matter the year.

Our 65 has the large 5 lug front, and it is half of a semi pattern. The rear wheels are going to be hard to find, as I believe they're 8 lug. Those tires are in great shape, though, so they should last a long time. If you don't know how to shift the trans, let the owner take you for a drive in it, and watch him. It's harder to learn than you think.

When I was little we had a 60's grain truck with a 427, and that thing hauled the mail. Any motor should be enough for you, though.

[badriv455]

The standard C50 budd wheel bolt circle is 10 x 8.75. The semis have 10x11 or 11.25 I think. To get new wheels from Accuride for the smaller bolt circle its anywhere from $240-$365 per wheel depending on where you order them. Then multiply that by 6 wheels, plus tires, and you end up with way more than what the truck is even worth.

[Old Yeller 1970]

This one may not be close enough to you but it was for sale near Lubbock, TX a while back. I'm pretty sure the owner pulled it off the side of the road and onto the back of his property, meaning it's still for sale but he gave up on selling it. Might make you a good deal. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=320583

[6772owner]

Thank you all the info and advice everyone.
Old Yeller, thank you I will look into it, it may be too far out.... you never know though.

[Old Yeller 1970]

If you decide to go for it let me know. Maybe we can have a meet up.

[Shyguy]

I have what I call old people's insurance, AARP. They said they only insure personal use passenger vehicles.

My brother has a farm with State Farm insurance and they just insured it as an additional vehicle for very little cost, just over $100 a year.

My truck is a 77 GMC 6500 tilt cab dump truck with a 427, 5 speed, 2 speed rear axle and air brakes.

I use it mostly around the farm but occasionally need to put it on public roads to get gravel.

Progressive insures it for right at $400 a year as a commercial personal use vehicle.

Danny

[6772owner]

Old Yeller, thank you very much, I will do that. I will deciding very soon what I am doing. Thank you guys for all the help and input, I guess I need to check into the insurance before I go any further just to make sure of that. I originally wanted one to pull a trailer (toy hauler), but am wondering if this is not the best fit for me.... any thoughts?

[txriverrat]

It could be a good fit for you, but in my opinion the biggest factor is how much you want to trailer with it. If you're doing short trip/in town hauling, cool, but they're not really capable of current highway speeds, if you get my drift...for example, my c50 tops around 55, 60 on a downhill with a tailwind. Gotta account for gas too, mileage isn't great. An auxiliary transmission could help with this factor. Also think motor swaps if you're so inclined.

I would check around on insurance, it shouldn't be that big of a deal.

[6772owner]

Txriverrat,
I would probably want to be able to travel with it, so I need to consider that for sure. I would love to just swap in a Duramax/Allison (6spd) combo, but not sure how feasible that would be for me. I am just not sure that I want to tow with my 72' C10, but could also get away with a C20/C30 I would bet. I dont want to tow anything huge, probably 25' or so, and under 10K I think.

[Shyguy]

If I were looking for something to tow with I would go with C-30 duallie, just my preference.

I have a '92 GMC K-3500 that I tow heavier stuff with. I have towed a 25 ft 5th wheel across country quite a few times without a problem.

It has a 454, the only draw back is the mileage is not that great, 8-10 mpg towing on the open road just under 60 mph.

I had a friend that was towning a trailer without a duallie and had a blow out on the back of this truck on the interstate. The truck and trailer went around and around for a while before stopping.

I have had a blow out on the back of my duallie towing a trailer without any problem.

My son on the other hand tows his flatbed with trucks on it with a '67 swb C-10 with a 454. It has plenty of power, but he has almost lost it a couple of times.

I had a '72 3/4 ton GMC and use to two a 26 ft cabin cruiser with it without any problems. The truck had a 350 engine with a 4 speed transmission.

I guess it comes down to what you feel comfortable with.

Danny

[slomotion]

I don't know about your state, or the states you would be traveling in, but in Maine a driver has to have a CDL for anything rated at 26000 GVW, hobby truck or not. Seems kinda picky to me, but that's the way it is.