New member Lancaster Ca

[Bextreme04]

Hello everyone. I recently purchased the second squarebody truck I've ever owned, a 1975 C30 Crew Cab Dually. 8 years ago I was financial situations forced me to sell the '76 C30 Dually that had been in my family for over 30 years and I've regretted it ever since.

I decided in January that I would sell my 1970 El Camino that I had owned for 18 years and begin to look for another truck, with a preference of finding something pre smog. With the intent that the truck could haul the whole family to car shows (which the el camino could not) and fill the void that the sale of the 76 had made.

I looked at a number of trucks through facebook marketplace, missing out on two different 75 year model trucks early on in the search because of bad timing.

I kept looking and did not find any good pre smog candidates and figured I would need to settle on something mid 70's but a truck that would need to be smogged. I put a deposit down and flew out to Arizona to look at a 76 GMC but it did not turn out to be all it was advertised to be.

Rented a car and returned home. Defeated. Then a couple days later, came across a truck with a single photo, posted way down in the comment section of a post asking about trucks for sale. Contacted the guy, got all the specifics, and after mothers day weekend, drove to Bakersfield to check it out with a buddy, prepared with cash in hand and a trailer in tow. Turned out that it was an original 1975 model with just over 25,000 miles on the clock. The gentleman who owned the truck, bought the truck from the original owner, who had bought the truck new with the sole purpose of putting a camper on the back. Documentation in the glove box (which includes the original purchase receipt) showed that the truck had hardly been driven, registered every year up until 2010 and finally sold in 2021/22 after the owner passed and his wife was clearing out the estate.

Needless to say, I bought the truck and hauled it home. It has a little bit of rust in the bottom corners of the doors, and a tad in the fenders, all original paint that has been worn into what many consider patina. I personally prefer clean paint, but don't currently have any plans to paint this anytime soon.

The interior needs hardly anything, maybe a dash pad and headliner but those aren't pressing items. It could use some new window felts and wing window seals as well. The transmission needs to be pulled to address a very bad leak, that is rendering the truck non-driveable, likely because everything sat for so many years and dried out. But other than some general items, once the transmission is fixed, this truck should be back on the road. Belts and hoses, brakes, and a few other items were handled by the previous owner. I'm looking forward to creating new memories with the family and getting this classic back on the road again.

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Welcome! That's quite a find.

Funny coincidence.. I grew up in Lancaster and still have lots of family in the area.

 

[David King]

Welcome from NW FL.!

 

[Tennessee bound]

Hello everyone. I recently purchased the second squarebody truck I've ever owned, a 1975 C30 Crew Cab Dually. 8 years ago I was financial situations forced me to sell the '76 C30 Dually that had been in my family for over 30 years and I've regretted it ever since.

I decided in January that I would sell my 1970 El Camino that I had owned for 18 years and begin to look for another truck, with a preference of finding something pre smog. With the intent that the truck could haul the whole family to car shows (which the el camino could not) and fill the void that the sale of the 76 had made.

I looked at a number of trucks through facebook marketplace, missing out on two different 75 year model trucks early on in the search because of bad timing.

I kept looking and did not find any good pre smog candidates and figured I would need to settle on something mid 70's but a truck that would need to be smogged. I put a deposit down and flew out to Arizona to look at a 76 GMC but it did not turn out to be all it was advertised to be.

Rented a car and returned home. Defeated. Then a couple days later, came across a truck with a single photo, posted way down in the comment section of a post asking about trucks for sale. Contacted the guy, got all the specifics, and after mothers day weekend, drove to Bakersfield to check it out with a buddy, prepared with cash in hand and a trailer in tow. Turned out that it was an original 1975 model with just over 25,000 miles on the clock. The gentleman who owned the truck, bought the truck from the original owner, who had bought the truck new with the sole purpose of putting a camper on the back. Documentation in the glove box (which includes the original purchase receipt) showed that the truck had hardly been driven, registered every year up until 2010 and finally sold in 2021/22 after the owner passed and his wife was clearing out the estate.

Needless to say, I bought the truck and hauled it home. It has a little bit of rust in the bottom corners of the doors, and a tad in the fenders, all original paint that has been worn into what many consider patina. I personally prefer clean paint, but don't currently have any plans to paint this anytime soon.

The interior needs hardly anything, maybe a dash pad and headliner but those aren't pressing items. It could use some new window felts and wing window seals as well. The transmission needs to be pulled to address a very bad leak, that is rendering the truck non-driveable, likely because everything sat for so many years and dried out. But other than some general items, once the transmission is fixed, this truck should be back on the road. Belts and hoses, brakes, and a few other items were handled by the previous owner. I'm looking forward to creating new memories with the family and getting this classic back on the road again.

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Welcome from Bakersfield(unfortunately still here) Nice looking truck. I have a 73 C20 That I've been advertising to sell with no serious bites so far. So I really enjoy working on it and bought a complete exhaust from LMC. Can't wait to get started on it.

 

[C30vet]

Welcome from Bakersfield(unfortunately still here) Nice looking truck. I have a 73 C20 That I've been advertising to sell with no serious bites so far. So I really enjoy working on it and bought a complete exhaust from LMC. Can't wait to get started on it.

Coincidentally, I have a friend that will be looking for an 8 lug round-eye squarebody as soon as his house renovations are complete.
Do you have a listing?

 

[C30vet]

Welcome! That's quite a find.

Funny coincidence.. I grew up in Lancaster and still have lots of family in the area.

Right on! Not a bad place to grow up. Centrally located to many amenities in the LA area.

 

[Bextreme04]

Right on! Not a bad place to grow up. Centrally located to many amenities in the LA area.

It definitely could have been worse. I joined the army to get out and they just sent me to more hot and dusty places... so once I got out I decided I wanted some cooler and wetter weather and took a job in Oregon.

 

[CmuCmu]

Welcome! She's gorgeous, and the rusty patina adds character (can't believe people pay for that look but to each their own); the color scheme inside is amazing and gave me an idea to apply on mine later on. What a find!

 

[C30vet]

It definitely could have been worse. I joined the army to get out and they just sent me to more hot and dusty places... so once I got out I decided I wanted some cooler and wetter weather and took a job in Oregon.

I know the feeling. I too joined the army to get out, went to hot and dusty Afghan. But I ended up coming back because my wifes family doesn't travel, we were in Colorado, and shes real close with them. So we decided to come back. Now I teach at the high school I graduated from, and drive only a couple minutes to work. So the dually will be my daily except for the days I need to pick up my kids from elementary school.

 

[Bextreme04]

I know the feeling. I too joined the army to get out, went to hot and dusty Afghan. But I ended up coming back because my wifes family doesn't travel, we were in Colorado, and shes real close with them. So we decided to come back. Now I teach at the high school I graduated from, and drive only a couple minutes to work. So the dually will be my daily except for the days I need to pick up my kids from elementary school.

You teaching at AVHS? My wife was a teacher and her first two years were at AV before she got transferred out to Littlerock. I was back in Lancaster for a few years getting my pre-recs done at AVC right after I got out before I transferred over to Embry-Riddle to get my ME degree. She transferred around to the districts in Prescott and then Salem-Keizer before finally burning out on the political catty BS, so she opened her own tutoring center here instead focused on Dyslexia specific instruction.

 

[C30vet]

You teaching at AVHS? My wife was a teacher and her first two years were at AV before she got transferred out to Littlerock. I was back in Lancaster for a few years getting my pre-recs done at AVC right after I got out before I transferred over to Embry-Riddle to get my ME degree. She transferred around to the districts in Prescott and then Salem-Keizer before finally burning out on the political catty BS, so she opened her own tutoring center here instead focused on Dyslexia specific instruction.

I'm actually at QHHS and I completely understand about the political garbage. I'm there too. Sometimes wondering if I should do something else. When did you get out and start attending AVC?

 

[Bextreme04]

I'm actually at QHHS and I completely understand about the political garbage. I'm there too. Sometimes wondering if I should do something else. When did you get out and start attending AVC?

Ha! My mom was in the very first graduating class to attend QHHS. My best friends mom still teaches art there I think.

I got out in 2010 and started doing classes there Feb. 2010. Then I took a break after my first semester to go do a contractor rotation in Afghanistan and then came back and finished off my pre-reqs in 2011-12 before transferring over to Embry-Riddle in Arizona to finish off my Mechanical Engineering degree.

 

[C30vet]

Ha! My mom was in the very first graduating class to attend QHHS. My best friends mom still teaches art there I think.

I got out in 2010 and started doing classes there Feb. 2010. Then I took a break after my first semester to go do a contractor rotation in Afghanistan and then came back and finished off my pre-reqs in 2011-12 before transferring over to Embry-Riddle in Arizona to finish off my Mechanical Engineering degree.

Right on! I joined in 2010, got out in 2013. Went to AVC through the Airframe and Powerplant Program. Got hired on at Northrop and was a structures mechanic on F-35 for a year and a half before being offered a position to start teaching. Original plan was to take over Auto for my high school auto teacher at QH when he retired. They ended up closing the program unfortunately. I've been working to try to get it back.

 

[Bextreme04]

Right on! I joined in 2010, got out in 2013. Went to AVC through the Airframe and Powerplant Program. Got hired on at Northrop and was a structures mechanic on F-35 for a year and a half before being offered a position to start teaching. Original plan was to take over Auto for my high school auto teacher at QH when he retired. They ended up closing the program unfortunately. I've been working to try to get it back.

Definitely one of the only classes I liked when I was in school. I did auto shop freshman year and then was a TA for it the rest of the three years I was at AVHS. Its terrible they closed the program at QHHS, did they close it all district wide? A&P's are in high demand right now... at least up here in the PNW. I always see comments from our dealer network that they are backed up with several months of work and short on technicians. I went to Embry-Riddle after AVC to get my Mechanical Engineering degree and Helicopter Pilots license and then took a job in Oregon with Garmin doing avionics certification work.

 

[C30vet]

Definitely one of the only classes I liked when I was in school. I did auto shop freshman year and then was a TA for it the rest of the three years I was at AVHS. Its terrible they closed the program at QHHS, did they close it all district wide? A&P's are in high demand right now... at least up here in the PNW. I always see comments from our dealer network that they are backed up with several months of work and short on technicians. I went to Embry-Riddle after AVC to get my Mechanical Engineering degree and Helicopter Pilots license and then took a job in Oregon with Garmin doing avionics certification work.

So you likely had Dave Calvert as your teacher, yes? Dave left AVHS for Highland, and they closed AV's auto program, then when QHHS teacher (my auto shop teacher) retired, Calvert left Highland to move to QHHS, and they closed Highlands auto program, then when Calvert retired, two years after coming to QHHS, they closed the program there. The only remaining auto shop is now at Desert Winds, until I resurrect QHHS auto program.

 

[Bextreme04]

So you likely had Dave Calvert as your teacher, yes? Dave left AVHS for Highland, and they closed AV's auto program, then when QHHS teacher (my auto shop teacher) retired, Calvert left Highland to move to QHHS, and they closed Highlands auto program, then when Calvert retired, two years after coming to QHHS, they closed the program there. The only remaining auto shop is now at Desert Winds, until I resurrect QHHS auto program.

Sure did, he was a good dude. Loved his shop class and he was very passionate about it.

Both myself and my brother-in-law went through his auto shop class either as students or assistants for the whole 4 years we were at AVHS and we both wen into professional mechanics in one way or another. My BIL went on to the Pomona UTI and then went to work for CAT in Lancaster, then out to the Borax mines as a heavy equipment mechanic. He's now a maintenance Superintendent for CALTrans. I went straight into the military as an Abrams Main Battle Tank Mechanic and then a FSR for Oshkosh Defense on the the mine resistant vehicles when I got out. Then back to school for Mechanical Engineering and now doing avionics and autopilot work for Garmin.

My BIL was just visiting the other day and we were talking about HS memories and what a foundational part of our school life the Shop Class was. We both have very fond memories of it and I'm sad to hear they shut them all down. I hope you can get them going again, it DOES make a huge difference. If you see Mr. Calvert again, let him know we still remember his class fondly and he made a difference in our lives.