1970 C10 Value?

I have a 1970 C10 Longbed Fleetside pickup truck that used to belong to my grandfather. I need to sell it because I need some cash and I am trying to determine how much it is worth. I have done some searches online and found prices from $8,000 to $50,000.

This truck needs a lot of work so I know I am on the very low end but I do want to get as much as I can for it without being unrealistic in my expectations. I used to drive it once or twice a month but about 2 years ago I just parked it and I have not driven it since. It ran fine the last time I did drive it. It has a straight 6 engine with three speed shifter in the steering column. There is also significant rust in the body which would have to be repaired to get it into great shape.

Everything on the truck is actually original equipment, including the drum brakes all around. (not sure if that is good or not). Considering the fact that I have not run it in almost 2 years, I am sure that the gas in the tank is bad and who knows how much work would be needed on the engine to get it in top running condition.

Based on all of this, can someone give me a ballpark on what you think I should use as a staring point when setting an asking price?

Thanks

Frank

Based on the info you provided my guess would be $800-1000 tops. If the truck is full of rust you can knock $400 off of that.

These type of trucks are plentiful and aren't worth much, most have lived a hard life with a lot of damage. Without seeing pics it's hard to guess what the value is on anything.

If you could provide good pics and list more options (factory A/C cab for instance) the value may increase but not by much.

Welcome, and good luck

You can always see outrageous prices on used cars, especially on free ads. If the owner had to pay to advertise he would be more realistic. By that I mean look at your truck as a potential buyer. How much would you pay for it if it wasn't your grandpappy's truck? Like Dodgepanel's assessment, I don't think you could get a grand, but if you knocked the $400 off for the rust you're at scrap price. "The right guy" never comes along, everybody's looking for him.

You're lucky to have your grandfather's truck, not many others do. You should keep it and find some money elsewhere.

I agree with the above.

$800

Agreed with above, the rust, 6 cyl, long bed, etc all hurt it immensely in terms of value.

You're lucky to have your grandfather's truck, not many others do. You should keep it and find some money elsewhere.

So true...

Me personally, I would definitely keep it if it was my grandfathers, then over time fix it up as you can then maybe someday it will be worth that $8,000 plus range. Of course you will probably spend $10-$15K over time to get it to that point but at least you could enjoy it and honor your grandpa in the process. If you do decide to sell since you need the money everyone one will understand, and I'm sure your grandfather would be ok with it.

There is also significant rust in the body which would have to be repaired to get it into great shape.

The above words are the ones that will really bring the price down.

It's almost impossible without pictures, but if you were to change the Oil and Filters, drain and add Fresh Gas, put in a New Battery and get it all back into running shape, it possibly could bring about $2500, in my opinion, but that would be with no Rust-thru. Deduct for the Rust problems and any other problems from there and you will probably end up at about $800 as mentioned a couple of times above.

Bill

Back in the late 1990's I sold my best friend's 1967 C-20 Camper Special with 47K on the clock. It had a 327 and 3 speed and the original tires had just been replaced. I got $4500 and he was happy, I would love to try to sell it today with Internet exposure.

Sorry but I say grab the first $500 offer. There is no demand whatsoever for the truck you describe !

Wayne

The numbers you are seeing on the internet are for restored examples, and they are asking prices, not actual selling prices. Asking prices are typically substantially higher than what examples actually sell for. From your brief description it is hard to tell about your grandfather's truck. Restoration costs are usually very high and it is impossible to tell what the total would be until you get it fully torn down including taking all of the body parts off, disassembling the engine and all of the various systems, and replacing worn parts or repairing ones that can be repaired. Just a decent paint job will run you several thousand. Re-chroming can cost that much as well. Then all of the other parts and labor will add up very quickly. You mention it has rust, but there is no way to tell how much until the pick up is fully taken apart. Cutting out small rusted areas and welding in new plates, or replacing entire parts will also be very costly. All in all, as was mentioned above it could very easily cost you two dollars in restoration of every one dollar you might get in selling it. You can save some cash if you personally have a fully equipped repair shop and can do most or all of the restoration yourself, but there are not many people who have that. A Chevy C10 in rough condition needing a lot of work, as the others have mentioned, will have very little value, perhaps just a bit over the value of any parts that are in excellent condition and can be sold as individual parts. $500 to $800 sounds pretty reasonable and I am not sure I would expect a stampede of buyers at even that price.

Since it was your grandfathers my suggestion is to go ahead and invest a pile of cash into bringing it back to the point of being a safe vehicle that looks okay - not to show standards - and use it as a daily driver for yourself. It will likely cost you a fair amount more that what you could get out of selling it after that process, but it would be something with priceless value to you of having been from your grandfather.

Look at selling prices not the asking price of similar trucks . A 6 cyl./ 3 speed rusty truck would not be most peoples first choice.

Look at selling prices not the asking price of similar trucks . A 6 cyl./ 3 speed rusty truck would not be most peoples first choice.

Right.

A Chev Truck with a 396 or 454 , automatic trans and the CSToption package would be a different story

If you are in an urban area, also try advertising the truck in a farm paper. Out here any truck that runs will bring $1500 at auction all day long. I've seen trucks like yours painted with new V-8's in them sell on lots for less than $7k, and I'm sure the previous owners spent more than that on them.