Should I Ruin A Near Perfect Truck?

[dirtfarmer22-250]

First things first. This is a great place for infor, pictures and ideas. My 64 sb, rc, sbw would like to thank you all for the inspiration.

I've got a near perfect 88 lwb rc Chevy 2wd. 61,XXX miles truck. My dad bought it in 92 or 93 for my mother because she wanted a truck. Well, he brought it home and then she informed him she meant a S-10 truck. He parked it in the garage and would start it from time to time and maybe drive it 4 miles round trip to church on Sunday. It hasn't been drove since around 99 or 2000 but it has been started. My dad passed in 13 and I recently put a battery on it and pulled it out of the garage. Checked the oil, trans and break fluid, hit the key and it turned over 5 or 6 times and started. I rinsed the dust off of it and there isn't a dent or scratch in the paint, the interior is spotless minus the cloth headliner is starting to come down about the size of a dollar bill. The only imperfection I can find on the body is the chrome on the grill is bubbled up a little. I did notice the breaks were "stuck" when I tried to move out of the garage and were almost locked when I tried to back it back in. No biggie though.

All that to get to my question. I also have a 92 GMC rc swb 2wd with no telling how many miles, a tired 350tbi and all around a beat down truck with a fair body.

Since I like the swb better, would I be better off stripping off the good parts off the 88 Chevy and putting them on the swb frame or just selling the 88 for what ever it's worth? I know the swb is a more sought after truck

[hawgfanman]

I would say to have that lwb converted to a swb!

[Pampas56]

Originally Posted by dirtfarmer22-250

Since I like the swb better, would I be better off stripping off the good parts off the 88 Chevy and putting them on the swb frame or just selling the 88 for what ever it's worth? I know the swb is a more sought after truck

I am not sure that the swb is more desirable. I know you guys that hop them up like the short box, but those of us that use a truck AS a truck like the longbox better.

Having said that, I think you would be better off selling a basically pristine truck to someone who would use and enjoy it and using that money to build a motor/trans for your truck. Who knows, you might have money leftover to start making your truck look as good as your dad's truck.

I just hate to see a good truck sacrificed to fix another truck.

[dirtfarmer22-250]

Pampas56, that's the way I've been leaning. hawgfanman, That project would be a little bit bigger than I would feel comfortable doing. I don't know of a welding shop around here that I would trust to do that and do it right.

[Tom]

Cut it into a shortbed, too much history to get rid of it. 95% of buyers like shortbeds better, pretty evident by the number or shortbeds vs longbeds out on the roads.

[CH3VY1972]

Just my opinion of course. But after all the work involved in swapping parts from one to the other and also the guilt of stripping a "near perfect" truck . Why not just strip the 92 down a bit clean it up and rebuild the motor? That way you dodge swapping all the factory BS and make it your own creation. Plus don't we all want that drivable yet still a "project truck" haha :P

[Killer Bee]

how you worded your thread title should give you the answer

[Red Tractors]

Sell it and rebuild your truck, no sense in trashing a nice truck.

I'm part of that 5% that does not understand why short beds even exits. Long bed for life.

[74CustomK20]

You could drive the 88 while you redo your swb one, best of both worlds keeping your dad's for sentimental value and yours gets fixed up.

[Tom]

Originally Posted by Red Tractors

I'm part of that 5% that does not understand why short beds even exits. Long bed for life.

The same reason mini trucks, 1/2tons and 3/4 tons exist. Not everyone needs maximum capacity longbed 1ton duallys.

[Brad54]

It's a 30 year old truck.
If you love your SWB, then use the LWB as a parts donor and keep the SWB: besides the mechanicals, you'd have all that nice weather stripping, window lifts, interior parts, steering wheel, trim, etc. etc. etc.

This isn't much different than guys finding perfect '57 Chevy 4-doors and using them to restore a 2-door Bel Air back when those were 30 year old cars and nothing was available aftermarket for them.

-Brad