Should this new guy buy this '85?

[David King]

Welcome from Northwest FL.

 

[Dixie Pride]

Bought my 85 K20 new.Sat for 12 yrs finally 2 yrs later got it running again.Stuff like rear drum brakes gas tanks slave cylinder gas and brake lines wheel bearing & seals.Took the bed off replaced the cross members,rocker panel and floor board patch 6K later ,looks great.Yours or the one you might buy looks better than mine did.44" super swampers,5" suspension 3" body lift & cut out fender flares.REVERENT BLACK rides again and i m 66 and relivin my youth.

 

[Grit dog]

Hmm, since he wants you to tow away his junk, and two mech's didn't make it right?, mech wise, (no offense) your not at the pro level, then "finding a good mech" is a Very Pricey $20k hit with lots of "swing and a miss".

So...by the time your done, and it will have problems due to weird swap stuff you can already "See" and probably a Lot you can't.
Keep in mind what Grit Dog mentioned.

For fun, look up the cost of having everything rebuilt, both axles, driveshafts, brakes, ALL the 4x stuff, the trans, the engine, the wiring, not even cosmetics, and having it done? Betcha' my 20k is low...
Well, it is a $500 boat anchor at the moment, nope, not even a grand due to the first headache, and you have much bigger things like you mentioned.

If you really need a farm truck, get one that runs, and spend time with the 5 year old, priceless.

I’m a fair bit less pessimistic than that. Always look at it as if “can I get back what I paid without putting much if any info it”.
Everything you said “could” be true but not at all likely all of those things are wrong.
Bottom line, it’s just too easy to see if it runs n drives or not, given its local and doesn’t have a line of folks waiting to look at it.
A little time up front will make the decision much clearer. And if it don’t work out, you’re only out a hundred bucks or less and an afternoon fiddling with someone’s truck.
That said, people try to get mad money for their junk, especially folks who don’t have a pile of money and those who watch too much Ass Monkey Garage shows and Mecum auctions….

 

[Rusty Nail]

That's Flippin dope dude.
Big flat assed wicked torque curve ...that 500 gonna spoil your butt rotten.

 

[84GMCSierra]

Welcome aboard. Yep, buy it and run it! I'd leave it 2bbl, too.

Sorry to break in here. I got a 2 bbl intake, carb and air cleaner from a 70's C8000 and was thinking of putting it on my 84 Sierra 350. Would it be worth it to do this or just sell the parts?

 

[DoubleDingo]

Sorry to break in here. I got a 2 bbl intake, carb and air cleaner from a 70's C8000 and was thinking of putting it on my 84 Sierra 350. Would it be worth it to do this or just sell the parts?

I haven't ran a 2bbl on a sbc, but I was getting ready to before Crusty Biscuit got munched, to see if it would run better than it did with the qjet on it. I have a 283 with a 2bbl intake, and a fresh 2Jet.

Pop has a '68 Pontiac LeMans with a 2bbl 350 and that car runs very well and gets 25-28 mpgs. Cars and trucks are, of course, different animals, but that swap on Crusty Biscuit was my next step until the 292 got finished.

You have the parts, may as well try it.

 

[squaredeal91]

That's a nice truck! And that 500 is looking so good in there like it was meant to be.

 

[Hogger]

Welcome aboard! Yes, get it. 85 is a good year. $3800 seems to be a good start.

 

[TotalyHucked]

Man I'd buy that in a heartbeat. Even if it sits for a while, that's a heck of a price for a good, solid truck.

 

[Drauka99]

Welcome from Northwest FL.

I'm no far north of you, Up just outside Paxton.

Welcome aboard. His price seems just a tad high to me at 4500...4k I think is right. I've been looking for a automatic C or K20 in good shape for a future project.......

 

[Grit dog]

^Looks like we lost ole boy with the neighbors truck….
I get it, not havin time (or knowledge) to take on a project.
I have the knowledge and like doing it and NEVER did it after high school and for 30 years until my son wanted an old truck and I hoped it would be a huge start to his knowledge base (and cool).
I “made” the time despite more demands in my real life than most (for those that know me). But I likely wouldn’t have made the same choice if I didn’t already have the knowledge that allowed me to not spend cubic dollars getting it to what I wanted it to be.
Hopefully the OP comes back with an update. Or at least a hot tip for someone on here looking for a truck like that.

 

[Travlr]

Hey all, new guy here, very new to square bodys. I've been eyeing my neighbors truck since I first saw it and he's thinking about parting with it. Second owner, first was a transmission mechanic, second (himself) was a general mechanic but he's got a bad back. Sounds like it's been sitting for awhile but he says will crank with some gas in the intake. He says the motor is a 500 from a caddy. Previous owner converted it to 2 barrel for unknown reasons. That's all I know other than the fact is looks clean. He said it needs knows it needs a fuel pump and rear brakes when last he checked. Only major rust I've found is drivers side rear cab corner. Tag on door says 16/85, so we assume 1985. What do y'all think? If I go in on this project, what should I expect? I'm not looking for a show truck, just a farm truck.

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

You must be registered for see images attach

@lowfidelity ... if you're still out there, check in and tell us what the conclusion is to this story.

 

[TotalyHucked]

^Looks like we lost ole boy with the neighbors truck….
I get it, not havin time (or knowledge) to take on a project.
I have the knowledge and like doing it and NEVER did it after high school and for 30 years until my son wanted an old truck and I hoped it would be a huge start to his knowledge base (and cool).
I “made” the time despite more demands in my real life than most (for those that know me). But I likely wouldn’t have made the same choice if I didn’t already have the knowledge that allowed me to not spend cubic dollars getting it to what I wanted it to be.
Hopefully the OP comes back with an update. Or at least a hot tip for someone on here looking for a truck like that.

I was gonna say, I'm in GA, I might be interested if he doesn't scoop it. If he'll let us know where it is lol

 

[lowfidelity]

Spoke to my neighbor and he sold it to someone else. It’s probably for the best since I don’t have much time for a project. I’m in the market is anyone else spots a 4WD square, preferably with a long bed that’s in good shape, runs and drives.