Looking to buy C10/K10....Need advice

[RTLane000]

It’s a bit hard to see but from the picture it looks like the trans tunnel is the short 2wd tunnel. Look at the tunnel where it meets the floor under the seat. Here’s an article that shows the difference. http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=453806 Basically if it has the 2wd tunnel it’s been vin swapped and I would stay clear of it. The 5th digital in the vin you gave is a K which is for the K10, would be a C for C10. It is an 82 according to the vin. I would take a good look at the vin plate. Look for any scratches, repainting of the plate and that the rosette rivets are there. It’s a lot easier to swap a vin than a frame and it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Here is another photo that shows the floor a little better and the vin plate. Also some additional photos. The interior does need some work to make it look good.

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[yevgenievich]

The horribly fitting mat in the center of the floor might be because of the 4x4 floor. Looks a bit high. Dash is correct for 82. Vin looks ok. Unlikely to have any legal issues. Pretty much most of the interior trim and seatbelts need help or replaced. The floor mat likely as well if it is for low hump model. Just have to check for shady body work in cab corners, rockers, firewall and shaved doors and maybe take a closer look at the frame to verify some one did not convert to 2wd. That would confirm a cab swap.

Either a case of putting together what is available or original truck had title problems and a different cab was used.

 

[RTLane000]

The horribly fitting mat in the center of the floor might be because of the 4x4 floor. Looks a bit high. Dash is correct for 82. Vin looks ok. Unlikely to have any legal issues. Pretty much most of the interior trim and seatbelts need help or replaced. The floor mat likely as well if it is for low hump model. Just have to check for shady body work in cab corners, rockers, firewall and shaved doors and maybe take a closer look at the frame to verify some one did not convert to 2wd. That would confirm a cab swap.

Either a case of putting together what is available or original truck had title problems and a different cab was used.

I looked at the truck today. The paint job is 5 years old. I didn’t see any bubbles or anything in the cab corners or rocker panels or anywhere else. There was an undercoating under the truck as well as on the inner fenders. So i wasn’t able to examine it like I wanted to.

The interior definitely needs a redo. It was Burgundy/red before. They did ok on the paint over i guess, but you can see the red starting to show through. Basically I’ll eventually buy new dashboards, door panels, trim, seat belts, etc.

I drove it and I didn’t notice any performance issues. It started right up. The brakes did lock up for a second when i first started on the road and hit the brakes for the first time, but was perfect after. The truck sat for 6 months or so, so the brakes were probably stuck a little maybe. It has drums on the rear and discs on the front. When i got back from driving it, i let it idle for 30 minutes. I didn’t notice any issues with it running. Keep in mind i’m a novice with vehicles though.


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[bucket]

Personally, I wouldn't care what the VIN says, as long as it's original to the cab.

It looks like the truck was cared for. Some of the work is less than stellar, but the intent was good. It certainly doesn't look like it was a thrown together hack job.

 

[roundhouse]

Looks like it’s been lowered also

 

[RTLane000]

I’m going to go look at it one more time
today. I’m going to bring a magnet with me to check for bondo. I’m also going to crawl underneath for a better inspection for rust, leaks, etc. Any specific areas i should look at thoroughly?


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[roundhouse]

Rear cab corners inside and out
Bottoms of the doors
Behind the back wheels
Floors where the dash and kick panel meet

Around the bottom of the windshield



Take a really bright flashlight
If there’s a sporting goods store find a tactical flashlight

I carry a Nitecore P-10 in my pocket all the time
And it’s bright enough to blind you even in the daylight

And make sure the magnet is a weak one that will just barely hold a paper to your fridge door

That way if there’s any bondo it wont stick

Stand at each corner and Squat down and put your eyes level with the side of the truck and look down the side

Look closely for any tiny ripples or waves in the paint

Double check the VIN on the engine and trans and cab and radiator support and title

See what is still original and what’s been swapped

I surprised they removed the door handles and left the huge mirrors
And the sliding back window

Usually the shaved look includes a flat back glass and small mirrors

 

[CSFJ]

Bedsides above the rear wheel openings too.

 

[yevgenievich]

Rock Auto magnets work well for me when checking for heavy bondo. But make sure face of magnet is clean or use thin piece of paper in order not to scratch the paint. But really shady work is usually obvious. Last couple of trucks I looked at did not even need a magnet to identify where fiberglass was used and wierd patches were done

 

[HotRodPC]

Not a fan of the no bumper, roll pan thing.
I personally wouldn't touch anything with a mismatched VIN.

Cuz in some states it can become a problem.

 

[Brian J]

Yeah, be careful about the VIN. I just bought a 88 K5 for parts and the VIN has one character that doesn’t match the title. (Did get an accurate bill of sale though.). Now I have to get the state police to do a VIN verification before I can request a title. Make sure everything is legit. Plenty of other trucks will come along.

 

[beaugranbois]

If you look at the rosette rivet on the left side of that vin its loose and looks tampered with. Looks like there’s pry marks and the one side of the vin is hanging down. Vin plate are well secured so that doesn’t just happen. If it was me I would do more investigation or stay clear of it.

 

[idahovette]

I bought my Corvette in Snohomish WA drove it back to Weiser, went down to the courthouse to get plates. The gal follows me out to the car to check the VIN. Checks the VIN, looks at the paperwork and says "it doesn't match". OH ****!!! She smiles and says somebody can't figure out an "s" from a "5". The guy filling out the papers put a 5 in the middle of the VIN where the S was supposed to be . She changed my paperwork and issued me new paperwork for a new title. Totally lucked out on meeting the right gal to help me out!

 

[RTLane000]

I bought my Corvette in Snohomish WA drove it back to Weiser, went down to the courthouse to get plates. The gal follows me out to the car to check the VIN. Checks the VIN, looks at the paperwork and says "it doesn't match". OH ****!!! She smiles and says somebody can't figure out an "s" from a "5". The guy filling out the papers put a 5 in the middle of the VIN where the S was supposed to be . She changed my paperwork and issued me new paperwork for a new title. Totally lucked out on meeting the right gal to help me out!

Oh wow that could of been bad. Here is WV they don’t verify VINs. When we lived in PA they did though.


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[RTLane000]

Thank you everyone for the advice though. I ended up buying the truck last Friday. Drove it 2.5 hours and it drive great. I actually got 15.2 mpg which I was surprised about and 1.5 hours of my trip was back country roads.


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