1971 Chevrolet C10 Pickup Original Paint

1971 Chevrolet C-10 Description

I see trucks with more rust than this called survivors and listed for close to $10k, but my reserve is WAY under that! This truck sat in a dry field under a walnut tree in northern California for many years. Factory 516 orange paint with black interior. This truck did not have many options from the factory. It’s a bare bones base model. But it’s all original, not modified, not rusted out, not beat up, and not cut down. It’s a blank slate for a new owner to do as they choose. The odometer shows 54,900 miles, which could be 154k, but based on the limited wear on the driver’s door parts and floor mat, and solid steering/suspension parts, etc I believe it could be a low mile truck. Factory front disk brakes and rear drums are in good mechanical condition. 235/75r15 white stripe tires have excellent tread (9/32” out of 11/32”). Original 250 straight six engine and turbo hydramatic automatic transmission. The tailgate is super straight, and still has the 71 only “disk brakes” sticker. The seat belts are in very nice shape, retractors work perfectly. The visors are in excellent shape. The steering wheel has a few cracks, but the color is great. The back side of the gauge cluster, and all other parts inside the dash, are clean and dry practically like new. The bed floor is not wavy like most steel bed floors are. The door and hood hinges and latches are smooth and tight. Doors don’t sag. Comes with the original protect-o-plate, service parts identification (SPID) sticker in the glove box, and original build sheet from under the seat. All the glass is original except one vent window that was replaced at some point. Clean title registered non-op.

Things I’ve done to the truck… Installed a new battery (holds a charge nicely), greased the ball joints, lubricated the brake parts, installed a new brake master cylinder, new wheel cylinders, blasted and powder coated the factory steel wheels, replaced the intake/exhaust manifold gaskets, new fluids, new belts, new filters, new gas cap, new radiator cap, new heater core, new spark plugs, new ignition coil and condenser, new dash pad, drained the fuel tank, installed a new fuel sender, disassembled, inspected and cleaned the carburetor. The original floor mat has a few tears but it cleaned up nicely. I removed the original step bumper and installed a rear sport bumper painted to look like original patina.

There are a few minor issues I’d like to point out. I don’t want to blow anything out of proportion, but I want to be transparent. So judge for yourself! 1. There is rust below in the passenger fender lower cup area below the battery (see pics). 2. There is a small rust hole (size of a quarter) in the top of the driver rocker. Both these spots would be easy to repair and touch up with matching paint so they are not noticeable. 3. There is a shallow indented scrape on the lower passenger bedside (between the rear wheel and the cab) and a small bit on the passenger door also. I believe these can be massaged out, but I don’t have the skills to fix it and didn’t want to make it worse. Overall this truck has very little rust, even for a California truck. I have seen a lot, and this one is nice!

The steering column is nice and tight. ALL lights work (headlights, high beams, dash lights, cab dome light, side markers, tail lights, brake lights, turn signals, hazards, parking lights, reverse lights). Oil gauge doesn’t work, but the other gauges seem to work fine. Runs good, shifts nicely and stops great. There is a serious stumble which I believe is the carburetor, so it’s NOT ready for a road trip! I think the carb just needs adjustment or rebuild. Nice quiet exhaust.