SkinnyG's 1977 Chevy Silverado

" I really want something with BC registration, so I can go straight to molestation." It is currently sitting  in your grosh awaiting a manual trans swap....what exactly am i missing is your aversion to this PU besides the auto trans nonsense???? 

I'm not really in love with a square. It's not my "keeper" truck.

I'm not going to get rid of it any time soon, I still need it, and I've poured a lot of my heart into it. The '64-'66 makes my heart go pitter-pat, and the one I want to sail into retirement with.  Not the square.

Really the plan was "finish the V8 Firefly," then "build Super 7 #2," followed by "build truck #3." Except my heart really isn't into building 7#2 yet, I'd just be "getting it out of the way" so I can build another truck, and that's no way to take on a project. So why not start into Truck #3? And there was one for sale for the past year and a half, so I went to look at it.

And the automatic stays 

But when the build is over..... I get bored with it......

So, way back when I went looking for a full-size truck (me and my two pre-teen boys in a standard cab Hardbody), I really wanted an 88-98 Chevy. But the '77 fell into my lap. I had sat down and drawn up a chart of pros/cons, and the Squarebody stood out as the most financially viable at the time, so that's why I bought it.

Now here we are, and I'm looking for "next." Today, whilest totally paying attention to the sermon in church, I got to thinking:

A half-way decent restorable '6X C10 will fetch $4000 (or more). I'd be doing ok if I sold the '77 (the way it is) for the same. Which means in a straight-across trade, I would then own a truck that needed a LOT of what I've already done to the '77. That doesn't make financial sense.

While my heart may go pitty-pat for a '6X C10, the Square is not that bad - it's a sharp looking truck. And mine already has a ton of work already done to it. What if, instead of building up a whole 'nother truck, I just throw money at this one?  Like a box that actually has more metal than filler, new plastic interior bits, upholstery, and whatnot, and do the full air-ride on the truck I already own.

Interesting how I am both viciously stubborn and yet easily persuadable.

I'll need to dwell on this a bit more.

That's better.....iffen your needing more inspiration check out Cousin Eddie's 'sqaureish(stepside)' C10

Weren't there 3 different C10 generations in the 60's? Which one are you looking for?

Cousin Eddie is a veritable cornucopia of inspiration - I followed all his builds at the 67-72 forum. Dude is awesome.

My heart likes the '64-66. Step or fleet, I don't care.

If I keep the '77, I only have to fix the rust and the interior, as I would with any Chevy in the price range I can afford. Everything else in my truck is running and functioning, and most (if not all) the mechanical bits are in very good or near-new condition. Sure there are issues, but I -know- what those issues are; they are not unknown and yet-to-be-discovered.

I don't really have any good advice on what to do in your current situation. Sounds like you need a break from the '77.

I'd probably end up keeping the '77 and buying a '60-'66 as well. Not a great solution, I'm too emotionally attached to my vehicles!

What's your main issues with this current truck? The rusty box and the driveline issues?

What are you planning on doing with a '60-'66 truck driveline wise, the same thing? Or go LS? Or oddball?

I'm not sure why I'm not into it.

Could just be that it really needs a thorough spell of body work (which I detest) to make it really cherry, and a whole wack of body and interior-related parts (which gets expensive) to make it presentable. I think I don't see that as being money well spent, though it's probably better spent than selling it cheaper than what I've put into it, and then doing the same with another truck.

The plan was drive the '77 until the '6X is done, then sell it.

Driveline on the fictitious '6X was going to be a snotty-cam LQ4 or LQ9 or something. Then I got thinking about a relatively sedate engine but with boost. Then I got thinking of just stock so I can have economy and reliability and cheap/easy replacement. I do love valve overlap though. I do currently have a 350 Vortec and 4L60 awaiting something.

I drive past a 68 1 ton tow truck every other month or so that keeps tickling my fancy. 

I've been debating buying a 67-72 cab, doing the tinworm extermination, then dropping it onto my 97 K2500 chassis. 

Like you, I have the 97, I know what it does/doesn't need and it gives me something to do when I get bored, so I'm not in a hurry to sell it, but it's not something I see myself keeping forever. 

Would using the '77 as a development platform for the dream power train get two birds stoned at once? Eliminate the drive line issue, have fun and build something fun. 

Keep the current 350/TH350 under a bench until you have the '6x chassis ready, then swap powertrains and sell the '77 if you still feel it needs to move on? Not like the square body will depreciate.

I just spent a wack of time at LMC Truck.  Not that they are the cheapest, or the best, it's just a one-stop-shop.

Just window shopping, I clickity-cliked my way to a complete box (in a box? dawg!), doors, fenders, rockers, cab corners, all new everywhere rubber, chrome trim (mine was long gone), grill, dash pad, gauge cluster, door panels & hardware, seat upholstery, and whatever I thought I might need.  Worked out to $4500. That'll probably be $6K CDN or more delivered.

Interestingly, as I went through picking out body parts, I started feeling the warm fuzzies (ain't I fickle?), as yes indeed - I hated the rust on my truck. Being able to start fresh, then really get in there and rust-proof it as much as possible felt like a good plan.

My wife and I have chatted quite a bit about whichever way I go on this. While this list of parts was a bit eye-opening to Mrs.Skinny, $4500 spent on this truck, vs. -buying- a truck for $4500 and then plunking down another $4500 for all this stuff, PLUS build a drivetrain for it. I'd never get that much in selling the '77 as it is now. Makes more sense to keep it, and make the '77 my keeper.

At any rate, I'm not making a commitment until the fall. That gives me time to stew over it, and possibly source another daily should I pull the trigger on the Square.

I'm feeling a LOT more encouraged with the square.

I will point out that building cars is never something that makes sense financially, as I'm sure you're aware. Whichever way you go, I'm excited to read about the progress here on GRM.

Just told Mrs.Skinny: "Financially, ditching the '77 and building up a '66 would be about the same as throwing away $8000 to $10000. How about I just build up and keep the '77, and we go on a Caribbean or Mediterranean Cruise when it's done?"

She seemed agreeable.

I wonder if you would like the '77 even more if the vibration you've been hunting were to not be there anymore.  To this point, might I suggest enlisting the assistance of a driveline shop, assuming there's one in the area you think could handle this?  I know it's paying someone else to do work you can do, and that kind of thing annoys me when I'm in that situation, but there's also that joy in just not having to funk with it anymore.  

Just a thought.  Your projects are all really cool and I'm glad you share them here.

I took it to a driveline shop. There's nothing wrong with the driveline.

It got a bit worse each time I pulled the trans out, which leads me more to think it's exhaust, because the exhaust system got flexed a lot as I angled the driveline out.  I'll post up as soon as I put the flex joints in. And a video of me eating my shorts.

Obviously the answer is to drive is around for a while with no exhaust.

Well yeah, A previous conclusion was "Clearly my mufflers are too quiet."

SkinnyG said: And a video of me eating my shorts.

And video of a big long "I hate my truck" hazer down main street.

Is "hazer" a Canadian word for a burn-out?  Like "hey you hazer, you need to sober up".

'hazer' 'hoser' take off eh? would trying to source a fairly clean bed here in Texas and having it shipped be cost prohibitive?   

I don't know.  I'd likely still have to deal with -some- rust and dent issues, and add to the cost the sand-blasting to get down to metal, and fix whatever ick is underneath.  Vs:  Fresh and clean and new.

"Hoser" - (or hose-head) is both a slang term and a derogatory term, originating from Canada and used primarily by those imitating Canadians. It is not often used by Canadians, but it is sometimes used as typical Canadian slang by others.

"Hazer" - haze generators (commonly referred to as hazers), are effects machines similar to fog machines, designed to produce an unobtrusive, homogeneous clouds suspended in the air intended primarily to make light beams visible or create a subtle diffusion. (SkinnyG's note: "smoke show")

pres589 said:

Is "hazer" a Canadian word for a burn-out?  Like "hey you hazer, you need to sober up".

LOL I see what you did there.

SkinnyG said:

I don't know.  I'd likely still have to deal with -some- rust and dent issues, and add to the cost the sand-blasting to get down to metal, and fix whatever ick is underneath.  Vs:  Fresh and clean and new.

"Hoser" - (or hose-head) is both a slang term and a derogatory term, originating from Canada and used primarily by those imitating Canadians. It is not often used by Canadians, but it is sometimes used as typical Canadian slang by others.

"Hazer" - haze generators (commonly referred to as hazers), are effects machines similar to fog machines, designed to produce an unobtrusive, homogeneous clouds suspended in the air intended primarily to make light beams visible or create a subtle diffusion. (SkinnyG's note: "smoke show")

my apologies for the vernacular infraction.....didn't know the $$$ for the bed steel .....just wonderin......there a few around near me eh...

All new bed from LMC (I know there are other suppliers):

Sides $660

Front $70

Floor $500

Tail $220

Works out to $1450.

I did a quick Google on 73-87 beds, and in a quick hurry found then going for $600 to $900 allegedly "rust free." I don't think these were rust free from the factory, and I'd still need to deal with stuff. Shipping would be a given either way, though probably easier to ship bed components rather than a whole bed.

For $500 more, I don't need to "fix" (much of) anything   Have I mentioned how much I love body work? And by love, I mean hate. More than life itself.