C10 Price Guide

Prices vary considerably for 73-87 Chevy C/K pickups, due to condition, age, and options.  Some of the oldest examples are almost twice as old as the newest ones.  Trucks at the bottom of the spectrum are little more than beat-up old work trucks.  So many of these trucks were built that lots of them naturally ended up as trashed work trucks.  A lot ot them ended up in wrecking yards and in crushers.  It seems like the majority of the really whipped trucks are low-optioned, longbed models, so that's no big deal to sport truck enthusiasts.

The trucks that are most in demand are from the last couple of years of the model run.  Loaded shortbed (Fleetsides seem more popular than Stepsides).  Silverados in popular colors like black, red, and white are among the most sought-after trucks.  People building custom trucks want as many luxury options as possible.  Since air conditioning is virtually standard equipment on new trucks, people expect A/C in their used trucks too.  The availability and popularity of automatic transmissions far exceeds that of manual transmissions, and the 350 V-8 is the engine of choice.  Big-blocks are nice, but tough to find in C10 shorties.

Besides their relative newness, the restyled 81-and-newer models are more popular than the earlier trucks.  It's pretty easy to swap noses to update an older truck, but straight, rust-free front clips command good money at wrecking yards.  If you're inclined to swap sheetmetal, you might save money buying a complete truck and either selling the lesser truck with the old nose or parting out the truck.

We mentioned popular colors.  Anything can be repainted, but if you're on a tight budget, look for a truck with an acceptable color.  The big problem about repainting these trucks is they had a great amount of body-colored metal surfaces in the cabs.  Repainting all the dash, door, and roof areas along with the never-easy doorjambs can add a lot to the cost of a paint job.  These interior areas are usually in far better condition that the outside paint, so a simple exterior repaint (without the jambs) can save a lot of money.

Another problem with paint colors is the color of the upholstery.  Remember that many of these trucks were produced in the 70's.  Chevy wasn't shy about using wild plaids in gaudy shades of green, orange, or blue.  The 80's trucks had much more sedate upholstery.  The cloth Silverado seats used solid colors, usually in black, gray, maroon, and tan.

High paint costs can be a hidden expense in the price of a truck.  The conflict can occur when you find a nice truck at a reasonable price, but in one of those ugly color combinations.  Another possible purchase candidate is a similar-year truck that isn't quite as nice (but reasonably close) but has a desirable color combination.  The better color truck needs a tune-up, the seat has some rips, and marginal tires, yet it's priced higher than the odd-colored truck.  It seems simple to buy the better-conditioned truck and paint it later.  That could very well be false economy.  Recovering a seat isn't very expensive, tune-ups are affordable, and tires are always on sale.  Repainting the odd-colored truck could cost much more than the repairs needed on the popular-colored truck.  Unless you're content with an odd-colored truck, check prices and do the math before you buy a bargain that could cost more in the long run.

Options greatly affect truck prices.  Given trucks with similar body and mechanical conditions, a loaded truck will always command more money.  The problem with the less expensive truck is it would be very hard to add the missing options for less than the price difference of the two trucks.  If you want a particular option, the cheapest way to get it is when it's already on the truck.

A budget corollary to the option equation is to buy a plain truck and keep it simple.  A first truck doesn't have to be fancy to be fun.  Keep the modifications simple and watch costs.  You can build a sharp truck that should be easy to resell.  Then you can take the proceeds and buy a better equipped truck.

Longbed C/K pickups are great trucks, but they don't make it as customs.  If you want a good, all-purpose truck at a reasonable price, look into longbed trucks.  The 4x4 models bring more money than the two-wheel-drive models.  The people who modify 4x4 Chevys seem to prefer the shortbed trucks just like the 2x4 crowd does.  Unlike some other brands, where the longbed 4x4 trucks are as popular (or more so) as the shorties, Chevy guys favor the shortbeds.  That's good if you want an affordable 4x4 longbed truck.

C20 3/4-ton pickups are often less expensive than C10 models.  That's good news if you need to haul heavy cargo or tow something.  Older interiors can be pretty well worn.  The door storage pouches tend to sag, but the elastic can be replaced to tighten them up.  Odd-colored door panels can be difficult to restore.  There are more and more reproduction parts being made, but when it comes to interior parts, the most popular colors are always made first.  Sometimes, it's easier to install custom upholstery.  The 1-ton C30 dualie pickups have dropped way down in price since the introduction of new-body-style dualies in 1992.  Even though the C10 and C20 pickups were restyled in 1988; big trucks, Suburbans, and Blazers didn't make the change until 1992.  So, for years, you could buy an 80's-style dualie at a 90's price.

New-style dualies are far superior to previous-generation trucks.  Used new-style dualies are dropping in price, so the price of earlier dualies has dropped even more.  If you're contemplating the purchase of a dualie (Crew Cabs are far more popular and readily available than regular cab dualies), the 454 big-block is by far the best engine choice.  It was possible to order a Crew Cab dualie with 350 small-block engine, but it just doesn't have the power needed to move so much metal.  Most dualie owners like to tow with their trucks, so the small-blocks just don't cut it.  The only advantage to a 350-equipped 1-ton is you should be able to get a screaming deal.

We don't advise buying a diesel-powered dualie.  The following prices are based on C10 shortbed pickups.  Subtract 10-20 percent for longbed models.  K-series trucks are generally very close in price to C-series trucks.  Toward the mid-80's, loaded, super-nice K-series trucks usually cost more than comparable two-wheel-drive trucks.

Fleetside trucks tend to have a slight advantage over Stepside models, but condition is far more important than bed style.  Diesel-powered pickups should cost about 30 percent less than comparable gasoline-powered trucks.  Deduct 10-20 percent for six-cylinder-powered trucks.
 

MODEL C10 base models C10 deluxe models K10 all trim levels C30 Crew Cab dualies C10 base models C10 deluxe models K10 all trim levels C30 Crew Cab dualies C10 base models C10 deluxe models K10 all trim levels C30 Crew Cab dualies C10 base models C10 deluxe models K10 all trim levels C30 Crew Cab dualies

YEARS 1973-1976 1973-1976 1973-1976 1973-1976 1977-1980 1977-1980 1977-1980 1977-1980 1981-1984 1981-1984 1981-1984 1981-1984 1985-1987 1985-1987 1985-1987 1985-1987

PRICE RANGE $1,500-$12,000 $1,800-$13,500 $1,200-$14,500 $2,250-$15,000 $1,000-$13,000 $2,000-$14,500 $2,000-$15,000 $3,500-$16,500 $2,500-$15,000 $3,250-$16,000 $2,500-$16,000 $5,000-$18,500 $3,000-$16,000 $4,500-$18,500 $5,000-$19,500 $7,000-$11,000

Collectible C10 Pickups

There were a few limited-edition and special-trim-package trucks built during the 73-87 period, but there isn't a huge demand for collectible C10 pickups.  It might be too early, or perhaps collectors aren't smitten with this series of trucks.

There are a variety of Indy 500 Pace trucks.  Whenever a Chevy or a General Motors car was selected as the official Indy 500 Pace Car, some support trucks were usually part of the deal.  Special paint or decals distinguish these trucks from regular pickups.  Documentation is a critical part of establishing a value on any Pace trucks.

GMC was more involved in producing special models than Chevrolet.  GMC trucks were associated with non-Chevy Pace Cars like the 76 Buick Century and 77 Oldsmobile Delta 88.  The 76 GMC Indy 500 Sierra Classic 2500 trucks had wild graphics that covered the doors and bed sides.  The big, colorful Eagle really make these trucks stand out.  Restoring these huge vinyl graphics could be a challenge.  The 77 truck was more conservative, although it did have some pretty bold stripes.

Ironically, the 80 Indy Hauler had giant Firebird-style graphics on the hood this year instead of the previous year.  GMC also supplied a 1-ton Indy 500 wrecker in 1981.  This would be a very unusual collector truck if it could be found.  Indy Haulers were made back in 1983 and 1984, although the 84 truck was the smaller S-15.

A couple unusual GMC offerings were the Gentleman Jim and Beau James models.  These trucks were pretty well optioned with special paint and graphics.  Gentleman Jim trucks are the most likely to be found.  They were painted black and gold with Gentleman Jim decals at the rear of the bed.  The Beau James trucks were a little softer, with blue paint schemes.  The graphics were representative of a southern gentleman.

GMC had a big-block 454-powered 1/2-ton Stepside in 1978 and 1979 called the Street Coupe that was more than a decade ahead of the Chevy 454 SS pickup.  It seemed odd for a pickup to be called a coupe, but that's what they called them.  Performance was very good for the time.
 

Lowering, Wheels, And Tires

Great engines and ease of lowering are two major attractions of GM pickups.  A nice stance is the hallmark of a sport truck.  A marginal truck with a proper lowering job will experience a big jump in status.  Add a set of inexpensive Rally wheels, and you're well on your way to sport truck social acceptance.  Move up to some polished American Torq Thrust II's or budget billet wheels, and you've got the basics of a custom truck.  Low-profile, high-performance tires are always nice if you can afford them, but the stance and wheels are the most important.

Budget-minded builders can lower 73-87 GM pickups via a variety of techniques.  The lower you want to go, the more it will cost.  Even a modest 2-inch front drop and a 4-inch rear drop will make a dramatic improvement over the stock stance.  Obtaining a gutter-scrapin' show-truck ride height involves extra work and money.  Remember that there's a world of difference between a weekend show truck and one you drive to work.  Extreme lowering usually means practicality and ride-comfort compromises.  If you think it's better to look good than to ride good, drop away.

At the low end of the cost spectrum is to cut the stock front coil springs and install lowering shackles in back.  Cut springs aren't nearly as good as custom-wound springs.  Ride quality will suffer with cut springs.  Specially made lowering springs are quite affordable, and they still maintain a decent ride.  If you do decide to cut your springs, don't do it with a torch.  Use a cut-off saw.  Always exercise extreme caution when removing or installing coil springs.  They can store a lot of dangerous energy.

In the earliest days of lowering sport trucks, the trick method was to modify the lower control arms.  Dropped spindles were a great lowering advancement.  Nowadays, you can use various combinations of lowering springs, modified control arms, and dropped spindles.  With drops greater than 2-inches, special lowering shock absorbers should be used to help maintain a pleasant ride.

Since these trucks use rear leaf springs, they're very easy to lower.  Your choices range from custom leaf springs, to lowering shackles and hangers, which reposition the spring ends, to axle flip kits, which put the axle on top of the leaf springs.  When flip kits are used, the distance between the top of the axle and the bottom of the framerails is greatly decreased.  For you to maintain adequate suspension travel without hitting the frame, the rails need to be notched.  Notch kits are also known as C-notch kits.  Rear drops of 4-inches or less don't require a notch kit because there's enough room with the stock frame kickup.  For extreme drops without giving up daily driving, many builders are turning to airbags.  A small compressor is used to fill the airbags when additional ground clearance is needed.  When the bags are deflated, the vehicle drops accordingly.  Often times, builders will use dropped spindles, lowering springs, and other traditional means to get a truck to a pretty low starting point.  Then they use airbags for parking and posing.

This series of trucks has spacious wheelwells.  Large tires fit without much trouble.  Most modern low-proflile tires are plus 1, plus 2, plus 3, and so forth, so total diameter is often the same as stock or even smaller.  A bigger concern is the width of the tire and wheel combination.  Front clearances are tighter and much more important than rear clearance.  These trucks are pretty easy to narrow the rear axle and add wheeltubs it you want superwide rolling stock.  A tire store that specializes in custom wheels and tires is your best source of information about wheel widths and backspacing.
 

DROP COMPONENTS 2-inch front lowering coil springs or dropped spindles. 4-inch rear hangers and shackles, or de-arched springs, shocks. 3-inch front dropped spindles and short springs, lowered shock absorbers. 5-inch rear hangers, shackles, and de-arched leaf springs, or flip kit, lowered shock absorbers, C-notch. 4-inch front dropped spindles and short coil springs, lowered shock absorbers. 6-inch rear shackles, de-arched leaf springs, flip kit, C-notch, and lowered shocks.

Performance Improvements

If you can't easily improve the performance of a GM pickup, then you should be riding a bus.  The most common engine for the 73-87 C/K-series is the small-block Chevy V-8.  No other engine around has been so extensively modified.  If aftermarket companies make products for any engine, it's the small-block Chevy.  Close behind the small-block is the big-block Chevy.

Continuing with out theme of the 73-87 Chevy as a great beginner's truck, the availability, reasonable prices, and ease of installation make performance parts for these trucks a solid investment.  By carefully choosing your parts, you can get a lot of bolt-on bang for the buck.  Besides new aftermarket parts, there are lots of factory parts that can be swapped from truck to truck or from Chevy passenger car to pickups.

The pickup engines weren't always the highest performance models, but upgrading by swapping is relatively easy.  Any computer-managed parts are rare and nowhere as complicated as the computerized components on modern trucks.  Big-block engines easily fit where small-blocks and six-cylinder engines once resided because the frames are the same.

Base engines for 73-and-newer pickups was a miserly 100hp 250ci straight-six.  An optional 292ci six produced 120hp.  Both engines sipped gas through a one-barrel carburetor.  There are aftermarket intake manifold, camshafts, and exhaust headers for these engines, but a person can quickly spend too much money and still not have the performance of a basically stock 350 V-8.  You might want to split the exhaust for that classic raspy-six sound, but our best recommendation is to save up for a V-8.

This series of trucks debuted in 1973, which was when emissions regulations, insurance rates, and rising corporate fuel averages collided.  The result was far less powerful engines with lots of marginally effective smog equipment.  Underneath the nonsense were the same basic engines, so regaining lost power isn't too tricky.  Trucks had less-restrictive emissions rules, so they're easier to modify without running afoul of annual emissions inspections.

As mentioned before, the best two engines to get are the 350 small-block and the 454 big-block, with the edge going to the 350 unless you need to tow a big trailer.  The 307ci V-8 occasionally shows up in some early 70's pickups.  This engine has never enjoyed much popularity outside of taxicabs.  It's not a good investment as a performance engine.  Much more common is the 305ci small-block that started showing up in C10 pickups in 1976.  The 305 is very common in C10 shortbed trucks.

Just because a truck is a loaded Silverado, doesn't mean there isn't a 305 under the hood.  The 305 can be improved, but you're starting in a displacement hole compared to the 350.  Better breathing and better exhaust are two excellent ways to boost the performance of a 305, 350, or 454 V-8.  A low-restriction air filter is one of the quickest, easiest, and least expensive changes you can make.  A high-performance dual-exhaust system should improve both performance and fuel economy.  If you want to go further with performance upgrades, consider and aftermarket intake manifold and corresponding carburetor, a performance camshaft, and a better ignition system.

Performance choices for Chevy V-8 engines are virtually endless.  It's just a matter of how fast do you want to go and how fast can you afford to go?