A little advice please?

[Shae1324]

Hey everyone, Im new to the boards because my wife just inherited this 1971 C10 from her daddy who passed away on Christmas day. We are trying to decide what to do with it because it needs a lot of work. As far as I can tell everything under the hood is original. Its a 250, 3 on the tree. The truck runs (in fact, I drove it home) but it has a pretty substantial oil leak going on. Now, im no stranger to turning a wrench, but i might be a little out of my league here. Do you think it will be worth fixing up? It would break my heart to sell it but I also cant have it be a yard ornament. How hard is it to find parts for something like this? Also, do you have any ballpark guesses as to how much it will cost to get her in a good condition? Mr. John loved this truck and if its feasible to fix it I would like to try. Thanks in advance for any insight you can give me into this truck.

[jocko]

Welcome to the board. Very sorry to hear about your family's loss.

Parts aren't a problem. Labor aint cheap anymore (well, never really was) though.
As far as whether or not it's worth fixing or how much it'd cost, would need to see some pics for overall condition. But, considering the sentimental value, I'd have to say the answer is likely a yes unless the body is shot. Also, would need to know what your goal is for it - daily driver? sunday driver? grocery run truck? Or movable yard art (since you want to keep it running)? If you aren't wedded to the 6, a 350 swap might be an option - plentiful and cheap and parts even easier to find.

EDIT: Thanks for adding the pics! I'd keep it. Fix the mech things and get it running and driving. Then body stuff if you'd like. If you're not gonna mess with the body, I'd still rework the interior (dash pad, refurb instrument cluster or add one w/gauges and tach) carpet or rubber mat, and seat cover, perhaps touch up the doors - makes a world of difference when you're driving it. Most of all, enjoy it and keep it in the family.

[YBNORML]

Welcome to the board!! sorry about your loss.


As far as parts go, virtually everything is available for these trucks. They are among the most popular trucks out there right now.

[70cst]

Hey Shae1324 ....

to the forums and from Ohio.

First thing- Keep the truck. I sold my dads 1954 1/2 ton and to this day I regret it. 2nd - parts are easy to find and fairly inexpensive, 3rd - the oil Leak might be a cheap fix.

From the pics it look to be a sold truck.

Did I say keep it in the family - it will always be a connection to your wife's father

[Shae1324]

Thank you for the quick response. Sorry about the pictures, Ive got them up now though. I'm not sure that it would be driven for much except maybe the occasional around the block. My wife can't drive a stick much less 3 on the tree, lol. It will start and drive right now, but the oil leak has me worried. I haven't had time to crawl around under there and figure out whats going on exactly.

[Canuckvetter]

My sincere condolences on the loss of your father-in-law.
Welcome to the forum!!
Congrats on the truck!
Parts are everywhere and multi year interchangeable.
The beauty of this hobby is that it's a truck. Not supposed to be a trailer queen. Sometimes the rattier they are the cooler the ride. So many direction you can go.
Hope you choose to keep it in the family and make and reflect on the memories.

Just my 2 cents.

[truckster]

The oil leak can be messy, but as long as you keep oil in the crankcase it won't hurt anything.

Keep the truck and work on it as you have time.

[B-Redd]

Very sorry to hear of your family's loss.

Parts are extremely plentiful and fairly cheap for these trucks. As others hinted at already, I think keeping it should boil down to how much sentimental value the truck has. If your wife has an attachment to the truck and it reminds her of her dad, then it is worth preserving and keeping in the family. If she gets more sentiment from some other possession, e.g., a watch or a picture, then maybe it's worth selling and putting money towards something else you guys want to do. I recently acquired a 76 Scotty trailer in rough shape. I nearly got rid of it until I found out it had been bought new in 77 by my grandparents and was used by my parents when they were dating. That kind of attachment (to me) is worth preserving.

I can also say as a pretty new member to this forum that there is a lot of help for any and all issues you run into. Plus I get a lot of waves and smiles when I take my truck out.

[Oscar the grouch]

Sorry to hear of your loss I say try to keep it in the family I'm fairly young but I'm on my 4th truck of this series a 70 k10 everyone has been a daily driver and I wont have it any other way these trucks are easy to work on and parts are easy to come by they drip oil rattle but hey look at the age.

[garyd1961]

Keep it, fix the oil leak first and then drive it. You say your father in law loved the truck and if you drive it a while you will also. It doesn't have to look like a new truck to be a good truck. One day you may want to restore it but for now just get it road worthy and enjoy it.

[JJR]

Sorry for the loss of your father-in-law. As others have stated, parts are plentiful for your truck. It looks to be in good condition from what I can see from the pictures. It has a few nice options for a base model c10 (power steering/power brakes). Someone added the HEI distributor which is nice to have. If the truck still has the option label on the back of the glovebox door, post a pic of it. Personally, I'd check the compression of the 250 to see what condition it is in and if it's good, I'd keep it. For your wife's benefit, a conversion to an automatic transmission would not be too expensive so she could drive it or it would be a nice vehicle for her to learn how to drive a manual transmission (it's never to late to learn). My son and one of my daughters learned how to drive a manual trans on my 3 on the tree 70 C10. Hopefully the oil leak will be gasket related and not the front or rear seal.

[100%Chevy]

You should keep it!
Looking at the pics,I see someone has worked on the column,replaced the starter,etc.Means he cared for the truck.
And,to see one with power steering and brakes on a six is getting rare.
And,I'd keep the six.Decent low end torque and reasonable fuel milege.
Plus,you'll get to learn just how easy these trucks are to maintain.
Mike.

[flashed]

I would keep it in the family too ,oil leak is probably easy fix .

[LockDoc]

-
First thing I would do is spray degreaser on the whole engine compartment and pressure wash it really good. Then as you drive it keep checking to see where the oil leaks actually are. My first thoughts on the I6 would be the valve cover and side of the block lifter covers which are both easy to replace the gaskets on. You can try snugging the bolts up but don't get carried away and bend the covers or twist the bolts off. After you replace those, keep an eye on it every couple of days to see if you see any other leaks. I would also snug up the pan bolts at the same time. Just some ideas....

LockDoc

[custom10nut]

Step one:Keep it and fix the leaks (check the tightness of the oil pan and valve cover bolts). I would replace the oil pan and valve cover gaskets.
Step two: take your wife out to a large grass field, or even a gravel parking lot, and teach her how to drive a standard shift. Grass and gravel are very forgiving to learning how to work the clutch, and it won't stall if she lets it out too quick.
But definitely keep it.
If you have ANY questions, ask. There are so many experts on this page, you will get answers.

[LongBox]

Sorry to hear of the loss of your father in law. Others have offered good advice above. One thing that I think is important is that you do not spend any serious money on this truck until the estate is truly settled, and the truck is in your or your wife's name.

Floor, rocker, cab corner, and windshield pillar rust can be big issues with these trucks, and if this truck has real serious rust in these areas, you will end up spending quite a bit of time and money to make it right. Make sure the sentimental value is worth it before you get in too deep.

As for the oil leak, LockDoc has good words above. What would matter to me would be that the motor be in good condition mechanically--good compression, bearings, oil pressure, etc. The oil leak might be something you would delay working on if you are ultimately going to have to overhaul or replace the engine.

BTW, a 6 with a three-on-the-tree is a neat kind of truck to have. I'd keep that combination, and help your wife learn to drive it, which shouldn't be a big deal.

[Shae1324]

Thank you everyone for all of your help. Will it hurt anything to pressure wash underneath the hood and the chassis? The truck looks like its damn near bomb proof. Thank you all for your condolences and well wishes. My wife was a daddy's girl and this has broken her heart. Mr. John also left her a couple of Harleys but right now she doesnt even want me to try to start them.

[davepl]

If you're going to work on an older vehicle, this is a good one for a number of reasons:

a) They built millions of them
b) The aftermarket supplies almost every part
c) What they don't have someone here does

Plus they're big and open and everything is easy to get at and there's barely any electrical (wiring) to them. They're simple and work because they're trucks and were made to work - and made to be easy to fix - with the exception maybe of behind the dash on AC (Air Conditioning) trucks.

They're like a Level 1 kit for starting your automotive hobby! That's not to denigrate the work of people (like me) who've done full restorations, I just mean they're a great truck to get STARTED with.

This truck, if it's something that was in the family for a long time, would be a good one to keep. If you're unsure what to do with it (like dreams of a big LS motor) start with getting it all running mechanically solid as it was from the factory as a first step.

Tie a shopping bag around the distributor and carb and pressure wash to your heart's content.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by Shae1324

Thank you everyone for all of your help. Will it hurt anything to pressure wash underneath the hood and the chassis? The truck looks like its damn near bomb proof. Thank you all for your condolences and well wishes. My wife was a daddy's girl and this has broken her heart. Mr. John also left her a couple of Harleys but right now she doesnt even want me to try to start them.

It shouldn't hurt a thing. Just be a little careful around things that the high pressure might damage like the radiator core. You will have plenty of time to work on the bikes as long as you have a dry place to store them....

LockDoc

[Canuckvetter]

Originally Posted by Shae1324

Thank you everyone for all of your help. Will it hurt anything to pressure wash underneath the hood and the chassis? The truck looks like its damn near bomb proof. Thank you all for your condolences and well wishes. My wife was a daddy's girl and this has broken her heart. Mr. John also left her a couple of Harleys but right now she doesnt even want me to try to start them.

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/a...1&d=1483383697

I used a degreaser and a light power wash.

[Jason Banks]

Power steering, power brakes, HEI....looks like some good driveability upgrades were done. New starter too.

I'm thinking that carburetor is not a monojet. Are you also missing the air cleaner and riser that go with it?

[scooterpimp]

Give it a good bath , looks like valve cover & pushrod covers could use gaskets. . It will tell you what it needs. P.s. sorry for your loss.

[specialtyretail]

Looks like it has some good options to make it a great driver. Clean it up, fix the oil leaks and you and the wife drive & enjoy it.