How Much Is My Truck Worth?

jseabolt · April 28, 2011

Dad's got a 1976 Chevy long bed, 454, "camper special" w/ around 90K original miles. He bought it new and had to specially order it and wait for 6 months for it to arrive at the dealership.

The truck runs great but needs allot of body work and he is debating on wheather to restore it or sell it and buy a newer Chevy truck.

The truck is not rusted all to pieces and if he could keep it out of the weather any rust could be repaired with POR-15 and repaired. I don't think any body panels would really need to be replaced. It's got rust at the lower fenders and lower quarterpanels. Bed is in bad shape because he put a plastic bed liner in it 10 years ago. I personally think some rust treatment, body filler and bed coating would fix that.

It does need a new hood because the hinges rusted and when it was closed the hood bowed.

On a scale of 1-10, 1 being a parts truck and 10 being restored I'd say this truck is a 4. Mechanically it runs great but needs some TLC.

I'll try to take some photos of it once I get it cleaned up. I got it running the other day after it sat for about 2 years behind my garage.

He wants me to repaint it but I told him he would have to build a shed to keep it from rotting in the weather.

When it comes to American makes I'm more of a Ford man (sorry) but I really like this truck and would like to restore it to it's former glory. It's taken us from Tennessee to Quebec, Idaho, Florida, Myrtle Beach about 20 times, Pigeon Forge about 50 times back in our camping days. So it's got allot of sentimental value.

We are just trying to figure out if it's worth restoring or passing it on to someone who would apreciate it.

I wouldn't think this would be a rare truck but having a long bed and a 454 big block would make it worth more than a 6 cylinder short bed.

old-chevy-dude · April 28, 2011

Nada.com allows you to rate older than 1980 vehicles, when you get to their site, pick Chevrolet as the vehicle make, then click the Classics in the year pop-up. then Click older than 1980 and you can find a listing..

if it is a C-10 LWB (Long Wheel Base/Bed) with a 454 it shows a value of $4250 on the low and $14,050 on the high (rated by condition of course).

http://www.nadaguides.com/Classic-Cars/197...side-LWB/Values

Squirrely · April 28, 2011

Body work is brutal on the finances unless you have a buddy in the industry and a 70's 454 has to be rough for fuel mileage.

If its sentimental value is high enough, then keep it and fix. My guess is even though NADA says $4500, you'll see around half of that on a sale. Which could take a LONG time. In my area, big block trucks sit on craigslist and autotrader for months and months.

Currently I'm watching a 76 chevy stepside with a 396. The price has dropped almost 3 grand since the kid listed it. Now it's to the point that I may go get it....

jseabolt · April 29, 2011

Body work is brutal on the finances unless you have a buddy in the industry and a 70's 454 has to be rough for fuel mileage.

If its sentimental value is high enough, then keep it and fix. My guess is even though NADA says $4500, you'll see around half of that on a sale. Which could take a LONG time. In my area, big block trucks sit on craigslist and autotrader for months and months.

Currently I'm watching a 76 chevy stepside with a 396. The price has dropped almost 3 grand since the kid listed it. Now it's to the point that I may go get it....

It's not so much if I want to pay someone to fix it. I can do the work, I just don't have the time these days. I'd really like to fix this truck up if I could get dad to build a shed to keep it out of the weather.

Here's what the truck looked like about four or five years ago before it started going down hill. The intended photo is of a Fiat 131 parts car to show what happens to cars in East Tennessee after they sit outside for 10 years. Weather is brutal on cars here in the southeast.

Truck just happens to be in the background.

http://i222.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/t...pg?t=1304037719

Squirrely · April 29, 2011

Damn, that Fiat is rotted.

If that chev still looks anything like it does in the pic, I'd fix it.

I had a 86 RCSB stepside lifted with a 383. I sold it because it needed body work and paint. Found it again 3 years later but it was totaled. Killed me to see it trashed. I should have kept the damn thing

jseabolt · May 1, 2011

Damn, that Fiat is rotted.

If that chev still looks anything like it does in the pic, I'd fix it.

I had a 86 RCSB stepside lifted with a 383. I sold it because it needed body work and paint. Found it again 3 years later but it was totaled. Killed me to see it trashed. I should have kept the damn thing

Yeah that thing is an eyesore and it's still sitting there five years later! Hopefully one of these days I'm going to strip what parts are salvagable and take the hull to the crusher. I have a weird fascination with old Fiats, Yugos and Fords. Despite that I love this old Chevy truck. I guess because it's been in the family so long.

I got the truck running the other day and parked it next to my garage so I could show dad I got it running. He wanted to hear it run.

I was afraid the brake calipers would be frozen but it seems OK. It hadn't been started in a couple of years but once I coaxed it with some starter fluid and some fresh gas it finally started.

I'm going to hit it with a pressure washer and see if I can knock the rust and green funk that's growing on it off.

The more I think about it, the more I want to fix my dad's truck up. He has offered to give it to me (as well as allot of other cars) if he can use it when he needs it. I may take him up on his offer so I can do what I want to.

I got to looking at the rust and think it can be treated and stopped. Most of it is in the bed. 10 years ago he put a plastic bed liner in it which made it rust worse. I think I can speed things up by covering up the bodywork with Duplicolor bed coating. Plus it should prevent it from rusting.

Allot of auto body guys like to grind the rust off and slap on a coat of bondo (since it's not their vehicle) so it always comes back. I've had good success with POR-15 and Eastwood's Rust encapsulator. But on the other hand I keep all my cars in my garage when I'm not driving them so no wonder they don't rust.

Before I repaint it, I want to be sure I have some place to keep it out of the weather so my work is not done in vain.

I used POR-15 to treat the bottom of the doors and hatch on my Yugo and 5 years later the rust hasn't come back. But the problem with that stuff is paint is hard to stick to it. I've been told to spray primer over top of it before it dries and this will help make the paint stick. I tried that but the primer fisheyed! Does this stuff contain an oil?

That was 5 years ago and the stuff is still stuck to my concrete driveway.

The Eastwood's stuff is good and paint is easier to stick to it. It can be thinned down with laquer thinner and sprayed or use a foam brush so it will soak into rusted areas. You should see the Fiat 131 I brought back from Maryland. It had some serious rust issues but I was able to fix it with Eastwood's rust encapsulator and body filler.

It's now Massey Fergusen gray but used to be Krylon blue when I got it.

http://s222.photobucket.com/albums/dd148/t...rava/?start=all

My main concern is the hood on this truck. I put a wanted ad on the local classifieds in search of one. The hood is bowed in the center from because the grease in the hindges dried out. Also a tree fell on it and dented it.

Most people would just buy a new hood but I'm wondering if there is anyway to straighten it out? Like take it off and try bending it somehow? But since it's weakened it may just bend back.

I found one on Ebay for $450 but would like to keep this at a budget. Anyone know where I could find a cheaper fiberglass hood?

Here's a list of things I know the truck needs:

Extensive cleaning, inside, outside, engine compartment

Dash cap (the rest of the interior was redone in 1987 and is still good in good shape)

New fuel lines at the tanks (One side leaks fuel onto the muffler when switched to that tank, must be the return line)

Driveshaft carrier bearing is busted. Makes a weird racket when turning into a driveway

New radio, speakers and antenna

A/C needs recharging, maybe a new dryer and Sanden compressor conversion while I'm at it

New heater blower fan (maybe something in the wiring)

Ventilation controls (got a used one but needs to be installed), May need new cables as well

Doughnut flange gaskets

Fluids changed.