1986 C10- Is it reliable enough for a daily driver?

[bedwards]

Bought mine with 19000 miles on it almost 4 years ago. PO died shortly after buying it new and it largely sat in a barn for years. I thought it would be the ultimate solid dependable old truck. While I have enjoyed it and it has become very dependable, it has taken a lot of work to get it to that point.
Old oil changed. Old transmission fluid and filter changed. Old (more that 5 or 6 years of sitting) tires replaced even if they have good tread. Brakes checked and old fluid flushed. Did not change rear end fluid. New shocks.
Carb rebuilt. Gas tanks flushed. POs son had replaced heater core.
Drove it to work using non-ethanol gas for a while. Then more problems showed up.
Headliner got hot and fell. The truck stranded me twice with fuel system issues. Ended up replacing hoses and the tank selector valve. The tank selector valve tried to kill me as it was allowing return gas back to the wrong tank and once it filled it up, it went up the vent line into the carbon canister and ultimately into the breather through the canister/carb vent. I opened the gas tank and at least a gallon and a half ran out of the filler hose.
Months later, the ignition took a dump and stranded me again on the way to work. I had replaced the factory ignition module thinking that new would be more dependable. (wrong) Ended up putting the old Delco back on.
Then the carbon center in the distributor cap came loose from the spring and fell off down in it. Took a while to figure that one out. That also involved a new coil, rotor, cap and plugs. The old coil was working but failed a bench test. The PO had done the wires already.
Rebuilt the carb again to clear up nagging issues. Learned how to tune a quadrajet from different forums and internet articles. Now it runs almost as good as FI.

So.... to think your going to get dependable without any knowledge or work is wrong. If your looking for that, you better buy much much newer.

 

[Swearbody]

ANy older vehicle is gonna be as reliable as the owner is willing. I grew up without anyone to teach me mechanical knowledge but was given a 76 k stepside by my neighbor when I was 17. I didnt know jack but was able to get it going with his advice and tools. He had just lost interest because the truck was rotting away but to me it meant freedom. I literally drove it until one day the frame broke in half between the cab and bed. After that I was in over my head and scrapped it. But I got 2 years out of an otherwise forgotten truck with minimal knowledge or tools.
Thats a pretty reliable vehicle id say.
Ive had god only knows how many vehicles in the 24 years since then but I have almost always had a squarebody in the driveway. And every one of them has been an out-rite joy to own. Easy to keep em going and super cheap parts. and dont get me started on the aftermarket support and forum support.

 

[Octane]

Or this one for 6k or less.

https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/524746201635737/

I'll take it and the Gremlin for 6

 

[SirRobyn0]

Bought mine with 19000 miles on it almost 4 years ago. PO died shortly after buying it new and it largely sat in a barn for years. I thought it would be the ultimate solid dependable old truck. While I have enjoyed it and it has become very dependable, it has taken a lot of work to get it to that point.
Old oil changed. Old transmission fluid and filter changed. Old (more that 5 or 6 years of sitting) tires replaced even if they have good tread. Brakes checked and old fluid flushed. Did not change rear end fluid. New shocks.
Carb rebuilt. Gas tanks flushed. POs son had replaced heater core.
Drove it to work using non-ethanol gas for a while. Then more problems showed up.
Headliner got hot and fell. The truck stranded me twice with fuel system issues. Ended up replacing hoses and the tank selector valve. The tank selector valve tried to kill me as it was allowing return gas back to the wrong tank and once it filled it up, it went up the vent line into the carbon canister and ultimately into the breather through the canister/carb vent. I opened the gas tank and at least a gallon and a half ran out of the filler hose.
Months later, the ignition took a dump and stranded me again on the way to work. I had replaced the factory ignition module thinking that new would be more dependable. (wrong) Ended up putting the old Delco back on.
Then the carbon center in the distributor cap came loose from the spring and fell off down in it. Took a while to figure that one out. That also involved a new coil, rotor, cap and plugs. The old coil was working but failed a bench test. The PO had done the wires already.
Rebuilt the carb again to clear up nagging issues. Learned how to tune a quadrajet from different forums and internet articles. Now it runs almost as good as FI.

So.... to think your going to get dependable without any knowledge or work is wrong. If your looking for that, you better buy much much newer.

That goes to my point about those low mileage rigs. When buying a 40 year old rig to drive you'd have been better off finding a rig that was driven at least occasionally. On the other hand if you're looking for all original and to use it in shows a barn find is great. Now you have a great truck, now that you have been though all that. I work in a shop that does a lot of work on older rigs and we seem to see a lot of squares, 4 of them just last week. And I see it time and time again. Someone comes in with a barn find, or otherwise low mileage 40 year old rig, we recommend a bunch of work and they don't believe it because it's only got 50K original mileage and then they are back again and again with issues, where as the rig that has some wear and tear doesn't look as good. For a 30 - 40 year old square that might mean 200K to 300K or possibly more on the clock, but it's rolled over so you won't know for sure and to be honest I've found it really doesn't matter the exact number of miles, if it's been taken care of that's the one that is going to be reliable for less money and less trouble. I just spent a week, a few weeks ago helping out a farmer with a grain harvest driving a 1960 C-60 sure it looks terrible, it's been a farm truck for 60 years, but it gave me no troubles and ran great.

 

[Octane]

That goes to my point about those low mileage rigs. When buying a 40 year old rig to drive you'd have been better off finding a rig that was driven at least occasionally. On the other hand if you're looking for all original and to use it in shows a barn find is great. Now you have a great truck, now that you have been though all that. I work in a shop that does a lot of work on older rigs and we seem to see a lot of squares, 4 of them just last week. And I see it time and time again. Someone comes in with a barn find, or otherwise low mileage 40 year old rig, we recommend a bunch of work and they don't believe it because it's only got 50K original mileage and then they are back again and again with issues, where as the rig that has some wear and tear doesn't look as good. For a 30 - 40 year old square that might mean 200K to 300K or possibly more on the clock, but it's rolled over so you won't know for sure and to be honest I've found it really doesn't matter the exact number of miles, if it's been taken care of that's the one that is going to be reliable for less money and less trouble. I just spent a week, a few weeks ago helping out a farmer with a grain harvest driving a 1960 C-60 sure it looks terrible, it's been a farm truck for 60 years, but it gave me no troubles and ran great.

So true my brother bought a Corvette 1989 model 14,000 original miles the thing has lifter issues fuel pump pressure fuel injector issues etc he has had it for about 6 months and he still don't have it on the road yet.It has been one thing after another.Even the valve springs need replaced.Radiator corroded and leake coolant into the transmission

 

[TPISly-C10]

1986 C10- Is it reliable enough for a daily driver? yesss

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[SirRobyn0]

1986 C10- Is it reliable enough for a daily driver? yesss

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Hey, now that c10 in your picture has had some modifications!

 

[MikeB]

Being an an*l gearhead, I personally wouldn't trust anyone else's mods on an old truck to be done right. I've just seen too many mods with good parts done badly. Also, I can tell you very few people ever get 100% of their "investments" back on old cars and trucks. Many times $12K invested means you're lucky to get $8K.

As for reliability, the only time either my 69 C10 or my 82 C10 have let me down was when batteries died. And that's over 30 years driving between the two of them! But I was positively anal about doing things right and replacing parts on their last legs.

Don't expect new car comfort, quietness, braking, handling, or safety from any of them. I love both of my trucks, but if you're looking to put any more than 5K-10K miles a year on a DD, I'd say look for something newer.

 

[Matt69olds]

When new these trucks were expected to start and drive in any weather, any environment, without hassles. Assuming you can find one that hasn’t had too many hands under the hood,and no half ass ricky Bobby racer mods, properly maintained they can be just as reliable as when new.

Having said that, an old square body won’t handle, ride, brake, or be as quiet or fuel efficient as a newer truck. But the money you save from a car payment will pay for lots of gas!

 

[SirRobyn0]

When new these trucks were expected to start and drive in any weather, any environment, without hassles. Assuming you can find one that hasn’t had too many hands under the hood,and no half ass ricky Bobby racer mods, properly maintained they can be just as reliable as when new.

Having said that, an old square body won’t handle, ride, brake, or be as quiet or fuel efficient as a newer truck. But the money you save from a car payment will pay for lots of gas!

That's exactly right. And exactly how my truck runs and drives. Sure it has some rattles that weren't there when it was new, but as far as operation, even in the coldest whether it starts with one pump, and you can drive off right away, like new. This is actually a real point of irritation for me when someone says something like "what do expect it's carbureted you have to let it warm up for 5 (or more) minutes before you can drive it". That's ********. "start and drive in any weather, any environment, without hassles". That's how it should be. Ok off my soap box,

I will also say that if you want to look at this from a financial prospective, it will be cheaper than a new, or even a newer used truck. Yes, you will spend more in gas, but less payments, less in insurance even if you feel the need for full coverage, and less on repair even if you take it to a shop, but lets face it a lot of folks don't want to work on newer rigs, but will at least do some of their own work on an old square, plus the parts a cheaper than new vehicle parts. Sorry I know that was off topic, but I think it's an important pro to driving an older truck.

 

[Matt69olds]

^this!!

I hear the same thing from kids today who think everything has to to be electronic and fuel injected. I remind them the car has been around for over 100 years, do they really think people would buy a new car/truck and be perfectly content if every morning before work,school,church, whatever and fiddle with the choke, replace points, or whatever else supposedly primitive technology required.

Properly maintained, carbs and standard ignition will work just fine and provide reasonable economy and emissions. Most of the early emissions crap was forced on us because the only time people would perform routine maintenance is when the car stopped running. Unfortunately, given the choice of buying a set of ignition points for a car that runs, or a pack of smokes, which purchase was more likely? The only thing that effects ignition timing on a engine with electronic ignition is timing chain stretch.

Same thing with EFI. Properly tuned, a carb will provide the same power/economy as EFI. What it can’t do is calibrate itself for altitude, drastic changes in weather, etc. People just wouldn’t maintain stuff the way it should be, so the OEM had to make maintenance and adjustments for them.


It amazes me the people I see driving around in a car that has at least one dead cylinder, popping and chugging, usually with at least one window that is covered with a trash bag, bitching about their “POS” car. Unless your willing to take care of what you have, chances are you will always drive junk.

 

[Mossyman]

lets face it a lot of folks don't want to work on newer rigs, but will at least do some of their own work on an old square

I had to replace the battery in my ‘18 Chevy the other day. It was a pain in the ass because I had to loosen the coolant reservoir just to be able to pull the battery out. Not to mention all the electronic crap attached to the top of it. It’s way more simple to work on my C10 and, for the most part, I can do it myself.

 

[MikeB]

This is actually a real point of irritation for me when someone says something like "what do expect it's carbureted you have to let it warm up for 5 (or more) minutes before you can drive it". That's ********. "start and drive in any weather, any environment, without hassles". That's how it should be. Ok off my soap box,

Yeah, and it's always the carb that's at fault. If it's a Holley, someone will say, "Replace that piece of junk with an Edelbrock," and vice versa. North Texas isn't exactly like the upper Midwest in the winter, but I've never had issues starting my old cars or trucks in sub-freezing weather, and waiting no more than 30 seconds before driving. And that's with several engines and carb combos. It's mainly a matter of choke settings, including fast idle.

I did have a "hesitation" issue on a 350 engine with a 600 Holley on a day in the high 20s. It was so cold, the coolant wouldn't get above 160F or so even after 15-20 minutes of driving! But I tuned it out with slightly larger squirters and 1-step richer power valve.

I actually enjoy playing with carbs. My all-time favorite is a old-skool 650 Holley #80783C. Classic gold finish and worked great at all throttle positions and loads, with zero changes from stock except for float level and idle mixture adjustments. Sold a car with that carb installed. Wish I would have replaced it first.

 

[Backfoot100]

I hear it all the time on the ski boat forum I'm in. Everyone buys an older boat with a carb and the first thing they want to do is want put EFI on it.
Their reasoning is:
Carbs are simple
Carbs are antiquated
Carbs suck more gas
Carbs are not as responsive

Or the more common one is simply....
Carbs suck.

My response is:
If Carbs are so simple and easy to work on, and they suck so bad, why the **** don't you take the time to tune them?

Ive had guys drive my 383 stroker boat who own brand new 450 HP direct injection ski boats that they paid between $20k-$25k just for the engine option. Keep in mind this is a brand new $100k+ boat.
The first thing they ask me is what EFI system I'm running......
I lift the engine cover and they're completely shocked to see a carb. No one could ever imagine that a carb would provide the throttle response, HP or driveability that I get in my boat. I routinely embarrass BB boats from hotshot to topend MPH and will pull more skiers out of the water than they can without a problem.

You guys can keep your magical EFI. I want nothing to do with it.

 

[SirRobyn0]

Yeah, and it's always the carb that's at fault. If it's a Holley, someone will say, "Replace that piece of junk with an Edelbrock," and vice versa. North Texas isn't exactly like the upper Midwest in the winter, but I've never had issues starting my old cars or trucks in sub-freezing weather, and waiting no more than 30 seconds before driving. And that's with several engines and carb combos. It's mainly a matter of choke settings, including fast idle.

I did have a "hesitation" issue on a 350 engine with a 600 Holley on a day in the high 20s. It was so cold, the coolant wouldn't get above 160F or so even after 15-20 minutes of driving! But I tuned it out with slightly larger squirters and 1-step richer power valve.

I actually enjoy playing with carbs. My all-time favorite is a old-skool 650 Holley #80783C. Classic gold finish and worked great at all throttle positions and loads, with zero changes from stock except for float level and idle mixture adjustments. Sold a car with that carb installed. Wish I would have replaced it first.

That is a very good summary. For a short time about 10 years ago I did mail in carb rebuilds, and that was a royal pain. People would send carbs in that had a been sitting forever and were not worth resurrecting, or they'd send in carbs that really didn't have a problem then when they'd get it back and bolted on they call up and rip me a new ******* because their car, truck or boat still ran like crap. Sorry but rebuilding the carb won't fix timing, tune up or compression issues.

I have to say I've never been a really big Holley fan, but I think that is starting to change. I mean I've rebuilt lots of them for sure. Edelbrocks are so easy to work on you got to love that, and they are great for people with less carb experience I think. I like the Q-jet well enough, I encourage people to keep those carbs on there GM rigs. But I'm really warming up to Holley lately and I'm really liking the ones that are directly compatible with the 700R4, I have to admit that's pretty damn cool.

But yea, regardless of the carb. if setup right it should run seamlessly without trouble.