WIW 1971 Cheyenne big block half ton with A/C tach and FM.

[72skytop]

Hi.

I am thinking about selling this to fund another autombile interest I have. I have had this truck since about 1993. I am the third owner. When I bought it, it had 130,000 miles on it and it now has 184,000. I have added the "Super" emblems to it, but I am positive that it was born a Cheyenne based on what the original owner told me back in 1995. When I got it, it ran good, and had a cheap paint job that had gone south due to rust in the rockers, cab supports and cab corners. I drove it a lot pulling a car trailer until a kid ran a stop sign in 1996 at 157,000 miles and hit the left front. I'll admit, it has had frame damage, but because of the way the truck was built and equipped, I chose to rebuild it and have never regretted it. When it got tackled, that is when I decided to go through it and fix it the best I can. I didn't keep many receipts or write a lot of it down, so I am going by memory here.

After it got wrecked, I stripped it down to the point where all that was left on the frame was the cab with the windows removed. I had the frame straightened and new rockers, cab supports, and cab corners welded in. It has new Chinese front fenders on it. I bought a lot of stuff from LMC. It got a new right front wheel well, front and rear bumpers, grille, headlight doors, and a new radiator support. It has a desert cooler four row radiator which is what it was built with. It also got a new windshield, A/C condenser and dryer and hoses, carpet, door sill plates, and lower moldings between the wheels. The other moldings where cleaned up, detailed and the black repainted. The engine was removed and repainted and reinstalled the first time.

The engine was removed again at about 178,000 miles and totally rebuilt. It has been bored .040 over and the crank turned .020 under and balanced. The cam has been changed a little, but is basically stock. It is numbers matching driveline from fan to rear axle. It still has the correct carb and manifolds along with the hear riser set up that plumbs hot air up to the air cleaner. I will have to get some engine pictures. I can't believe I forgot them. It starts and runs smooth and uses little to no oil. The air conditioner has a new(not rebuilt) compressor that blows ice cold R12 air. I also replaced all the hoses under the dash that the air blows threw plus the center vent and the side vent balls.

The front suspension had new upper and lower bushings and ball joints replaced at about 175,000 miles. When it was all apart the A arms were sandblasted and repainted.

Transmission was rebuilt somewhere along the way, but I can't remember when. I think it was when the engine was taken out the first time at 157,000 miles. It shifts firm and does not leak.

The rear posi traction 3.08 axle was recently removed and cosmetically restored. I did replace the axle brake lines, wheel cylinders, and brake shoes, and changed the fluid and installed a new GM cover. Speaking of GM it has new GM belts, hoses(including GM PVC hose), and the correct clamps.

I repainted it myself with staight Deltron enamel. It has no clear on it. It has held up well minus a few nicks here and there because it gets driven a little. It was repainted in 1997 except the doors and the tailgate which I replaced again in 2005 with Goodmark doors and an NO$ tailgate along with all new tailgate trim including the woodgrain peice.

I have added FM and tachometer which both work very well. I think it is interesting to note that the original AM radio was in it and the dash or wiring has never been carved up for stereo. It was also born all blue with a white top, but I always wanted one that was blue, white on top and down the middle with black interior with a big block 402 with Air.

The bad:

1. Panel alignment is not it's greatest attribute. It does go straight down the road and of course drives, tracks, and brakes perfect. Some people have told me that I am too critical of the panel alignment and that it is really a sharp truck and to relax and enjoy it.

2. It has a few nicks that have been touched up on the front of the hood and down low.

3. The rear main seal on the engine leaks a little along with the power steering gear box. Each leave a spot about 3 inches in diameter if it sits for more than a month.

4. I will probably regret ever starting this thread.

The good:

Everything works. It is a blue big block Cheyenne that no kids have ever got a hold of and cut up. I added the "Super" emblems, but with the new seat that was installed just last week, it has all the equipment to make it a Cheyenne Super. Chevrolet did indeed make "Supers" in 1971, but not until late in the year. The only thing not stock on it are the rally wheels, white lettered tires, and the retro Hurst air shocks on the rear. The fronts are NOS spirals that were added in the last two years. It has ice cold air. I have also added a factory looking cruise control. It looks exactly like the one in the assembly manual. It has the engage switch on the turn signal stalk. I know some will bicker with me on the button was supposed to located on the bottom of the dash. I won't debate that, but I tied to make it like the assembly manual. I did not know about the switch on the bottom of the dash at the time. At any rate, it engages and holds the speed very well. It has full 2.5 inch aluminized exhaust expertly installed with Walker DynoMax mufflers. I chose these mufflers because I wanted a little tone and I like the traditional design of the crimped edges verses that "all welded up we replaced it" look.

I know I have forgotten a LOT of what has been replaced, but as I think of more I will type it out with the pictures.

I'll post more pictures in some of the following threads.

I'll look forward to your comments, questions, and opinion of what you think it is worth.

[72skytop]

More pics and description:

The bed was sandblasted and repainted along with the rest of the truck in 1997. It still has quite few small dents in it and two small rust bubbles at the back end on the right hand side. I just keep sanding them down and touching them up every couple of years. The bed is however clean, slick, and is thought enough of that we don't haul anything in it anymore.

These are also pics of the cab supports. Although the cab was not removed, I did replace the rubber bushings and hardware with new.

[72skytop]

These are pictures of the Rear wheel wells on the bed. They were sandblasted and painted blue along with the truck.

Note rear axle and rocker panel detail.

[72skytop]

This is a view of the left front fender and the build sheet.

This also shows the new seat it got last week.

[72skytop]

These are more pictures of the dash and a detail shot of the VIN tag and left front suspension.

BTW: That is an NOS steering wheel...not a repop.

Those are new repop floormats from LMC though...

[71blksuper4x4]

I would venture to say around $15,000-18,000 with the way things are right now, and what ebay is showing. Things are pretty stagnant right now as far as selling. I think it is a very nice truck with some very very nice parts on it. Good luck with the sell. Oh, and by the way, your cruise switch is wrong Sorry, I had to say it. Your truck was definitely a Cheyenne truck though to help ya out, so you are right on track. Trevor

[72skytop]

Hi. I took some engine pictures today.

Enjoy.

[72skytop]

Thank you for the opinion. I appreciate it.

[junkyardjohn]

VERY VERY NICE TRUCK. TREVOR IS 100% RIGHT. THESE TRUCKS NEVER SEEM TO RETURN MORE THAN PENNIES ON THE DOLLAR, FOR PARTS ALONE, NOT TO MENTION THE THOUSANDS OF HOURS OF LABOR THAT GOES INTO BUILDING ONE. EVERYONE SEEMS TO WANT TO PICK IT UP FOR A SONG, OR MAKE A HUGE SCORE. TO ME (MY OPINION) TRUCKS LIKE YOURS ARE A HECK OF ALOT BETTER THAN WHEN THEY WERE NEW, & FOR THE SAME DOLLARS... WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO REPLACE IT WITH?? JOHN

[72skytop]

It fetched $18,500. That is all it is worth. Probably was worth more. If you paid two men $1/hour to build it again, I am sure he did indeed bought it for penny's on the dollar. Oh well. I owned it twenty years and drove it 52,000 miles.

I bought a 1972 Oldsmobile Cutlass convertible. It is a rust free California car until I brought it to the midwest last week.

But anyway. I still have big block 97 Silverado, so you won't get rid of me that easily.