zeitgeist57 Posted October 17, 2004 Report Share Posted October 17, 2004 After giving up hope on my '86 Chevy C-10 fullsize pickup aaaaaaand with winter fast approaching aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand my current daily driver is a Vette, I am happy to say I have a new[to me] pickup. smile.gif It was quite an ordeal getting it to my house, but if you'd like read below. If you dont want to read, I have three new life lessons for everyone: 1) It's hard work being poor 2) Get domestic vehicles if you want ANY auto store you stop at to conveniently have every part you need 3) If you have $7000, there are a million running pickups you can get. If you only have $1000, don't get too fucking picky! After a couple of months combing CR, eBay, AutoTrader and the like, I finally found and bought another 73-87 Chevy fullsize pickup to replace my non-functioning 1986 C-10 (1/2ton, 2WD, V6, 8ft bed). I now have a 1985 C-10 "Heavy Half", which is a 1/2ton fullsize with heavy-duty (diesel) springs, brakes, and 4-speed manual transmission (with granny LOW gear). It's better than my old truck because: 1)NO frame rust > frame rust 2)bodywork and primered > bodyDENTS and rust 3)V8 > V6 4)Working AM radio > non-functioning AM radio 5)4-speed (factory floor shifter) > 3-speed with Pep Boys floor shifter Now, the guy was in Pittsburgh with this thing after posting it on eBay but didn't get any bidders. I offered $1k, and planned to pick it up 4 hours away yesterday. I needed to come back by Saturday afternoon for my family was in town because my brother ran in the Marathon today. Unfortunately... I woke up at 5:30am instead of 4am and my buddy that was driving did the same. After hitting the road 2 hours late, it started to rain in PA and proceeded to do this all day long. We got lost and ended up meeting the guy at 11am. Truck looked great, ran great, but drove awful funny, like the brakes were siezed or the bearings were shot. The tires were also worn down to the steel belts. I choked the guy down to $900 but also bought used tires for $40 and put them on. I started driving back to Columbus from Latrobe, PA with my buddy tailing me in his Blazer. After about 10 minutes, the thing started shaking violently and I had to pull over. Turns out that the passenger's side brake caliper was siezed. I was about to cry for my dumbass buying a $1k truck 4 hours away in Pennsylvania and being waaaay too late to host my family at my house. UHaul wouldn't rent my buddy a tow dolly for his Blazer because you can't tow trucks in them, and the nearest service station wanted 2hours paid just to examine the thing. I was in the shit bad. I screeeched the truck to a nearby Car Quest and talked to the guy. He said my best bet would be to replace the siezed caliper myself, as everything was starting to close (it was now 2pm in the afternoon in East Bumblefuck). Mind you it was raining, but I looked at my friend and said OK. Hour and a half we were soaked, but the truck had a new loaded caliper on a warped rotor and was stopping well enough to drive it. In the end, I made it home to Columbus 5 hours late, soaked, but in a truck that (aside from the siezed caliper) ran VERY well on the highway. I am looking forward to replacing alot of the worn-out pieces and making this a good running daily driver for the next couple of years. If anyone ever needs help on 73-87 Chevy trucks (fullsize), ask me because I'm going to be hip-deep in parts! smile.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex1647545498 Posted October 17, 2004 Report Share Posted October 17, 2004 Glad you made it home with it. Sounds like you got a decent truck. I'm currently doing the same thing you were doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
copperhead Posted October 17, 2004 Report Share Posted October 17, 2004 what are you doing with old cleetus? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted October 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2004 Volunteers of America. I itemize my taxes, therefore I can benefit from a $1100 donation. Plus, there are a few good parts from Old Cleetus that I can swap over before getting rid of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buck531 Posted October 17, 2004 Report Share Posted October 17, 2004 1 word.. Dumbass smile.gif . Talk to my bro for some parts.. he might have some crap lying around. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeitgeist57 Posted October 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2004 I know. Lemme poach my old truck first smile.gif Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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