Another 70s truck followed me home...

[vacuumlad1650]

I've always said I was born a generation late. I love to play with old trucks and old machinery. That being said, I never got to experience new or gently used equipment that I enjoy running and wrenching on.
A neighboring farmer passed at 89 back in July. Your typical "never threw anything away" kind of guy. Aside from farming, he ran an excavation and construction business for nearly 50 years. His kids had a sale in September of his remaining equipment, and I brought home possibly something I never thought I would have the chance to own.
When's the last time you saw a 1976 GMC Sierra 350 with only 8300 original miles? Still has its original steering tires (belted radials, and dry rotten something awful).
The wood deck in the dump box was in bad shape, we just put a new floor in. I've changed the oil, lubed her, and put new rear lights on. The wiring was frightening.
This one's a real gem. Going to make a sharp working antique here on the farm...

It'll make a great friend for my 1979 International Scout pickup

The pictures are in reverse order, for some reason I always have this issue...

 

[madman]

Nice!

 

[gottahaveahoove]

Great, Andy!!!!

Best of luck with it.

 

[human]

Love those old square body Chevy/GMC pickups. But are we sure it doesn't actually have 108,000 miles on it?

 

[vacuumlad1650]

Edgar

As skeptical as I was, I'm sure it's original miles. I knew the original owner well, he mainly used it around his shop moving supplies around. There's not a speck of rust on the frame or the body.
The box and rear bumper actually came off a late 60s Ford truck. It was wrecked in an accident in early 76, so this truck replaced it.

 

[huskyvacs]

Very nice, definitely do not change it. Looks like a factory box conversion, not a homemade job. These squarebodies are only going up in value so this one being farm service is an uncommon one indeed.

Farm trucks bought and used soley on a farm and for market travel are not at all uncommon to have very low miles, especially if it was a backup truck. Because they do not drive very far. Going from the front to the back of a farm property and back again is maybe 2 miles at best on the ticker.

It won't be concrete evidence and might not work on a truck this old, but buy a carfax report for it and see what you can dig up on it.

 

[vacuumlad1650]

All of the information I've gotten on the truck so far came from "Harry" (original owner of the truck)'s right hand man. He transferred the bed and bumper back in 76 when the truck was just a chassis truck with no box.
No plans change this truck, I serviced it today. We are going to wax it, and have out farm logo put on the door. Other than that, nothing cosmetic will be done.
I don't really forsee it getting tons of miles anyways, pull a few trailers around every year and move a load or two of gravel every spring to fill in driveway potholes.
The guy we bid against at the auction wanted to cut it up into a hot-rod, so I was glad to be able to save it from an untimely death at the drag strip.

 

[oreck_xl]

For something with such ridiculously low miles, chopping it up would be a TRAGEDY. I'm glad it will be able to continue to soldier on for its original intended purpose. I wish you the best of luck with it!

- Hershel

 

[huskyvacs]

The people that do that kind of crap to cars never care about money or rarity or value. They always destroy stuff for some short lived 10 minute project then dispose of it. They would take the NASA moon rover and cut it up for scrap metal if they could.