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What's the truck that started it all? a Sequel

Bent77

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Sequel of sorts
whats-the-car-that-started-it-all

I figured at some point I should take note of the cars my dad has owned over the years. For some reason I remember the Chevy trucks we've had, and figured I'd list them, adding all the cars in later.

1970 C10
1973 k20 - orange
1978 k5 - black
1977 k5 - maroon
1979 k20 Suburban - green
1974 C+C with utility box
1980 c10 crank breaker
1984 k20 Suburban - blue (dad started buying Fords after these last 2 turds)
1977 k10
 
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not sure if qualifies as a truck, and my wife claims it as hers, even thou I built it. 1973 El Camino. next truck was 72 Toyota Hi-lux. Then the 1st square 1977 K20 burb, it was very rough body wise, 350 sm465 np205, bought my current 77 k20 burb, spun crank bearing sbc 400, and put the motor from 1st burb in new one. still have springs, axles tcase and trans. Got 1967 f250 high boy about the time of the second k20.

Edit : can't believe I forgot my 1st 4x4, in 87 I traded an 82 mustang for 1969 Bronco, still have this truck.
 
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My first set of wheels was a 1965 C10 but shortly after the 1985 K10 was my first of many squarebodies and started it all for me.
 
My Dad had a 68 Chevy 3/4 ton, 250 straight 6, 4 speed, split rims. It was a beast and he loved it. He traded it in for a C20 6 pack in 1976.

My first square was a '77 Blazer that stayed pretty stock. then:

89 S-15
81 K5 Jimmy
82 K5 Blazer
74 K5 Blazer
83 C1500 diesel
87 C30 6 pack
90 K5 Blazer
83 GMC K1500

Currently, zero square bodies. Maybe one day again...
 
My dad worked as a parts salesman for a local Chevy dealership. I used to tag along on the Saturdays when he worked a half day.

As a kid I used to go on the lot and play in the 1991 to 1995 trucks/SUVs. So lots of daydreaming about Square body blazers, Suburbans and the OBS GMT400 trucks.

Naturally my dad always owned a Chevy truck since he got parts at wholesale cost.

Fast forward to 2002, my dad bought me a 1993 k1500 Blazer as my first truck. I still drive it daily and have been working on my goal of owning and collecting each generation of Blazer (not including s-bodies)

Currently own a 1974 and my now restored 1993 K1500. After the 74 is restored, I'll be looking for a first gen or a 81-91 model.

They are trucks that represent the adventurous culture of americans.
 
Dad had a 1974 c20 camper special... was stolen in the early-mid 80’s. The 74’ was replaced by an early 80’s long bed GMC.
Then 72’ el Camino. (Dad parents car)
My first square was an 83 C10
Then a 77 c10
Now a 78’ K5....

Learned to drive in that GMC long bed. Pic of the camper special

3040363E-B867-45BD-B392-A406353649BF.jpeg
 
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First truck/vehicle was a 64 C10

64 C10 (3).jpg

But I really wanted a 4x4 so I sold the C10 and got a 79 K10.

79 K10 (1).jpg

Wish I still had the 79 K10.

I do remember as a kid when we had the farm, we had a 70's long bed K10 beater. Then dad bought a brand new 81 C3500 crew cab because he needed the 454 for hauling and room for us kids. I remember hauling sheep to the sale barn pulling a double decked 5th wheel livestock trailer. My sister would sleep on the rear bench seat and I would sleep on the floor.
 
My 1982 c10 that my Dad bought in 1991 for $500 that drove home. I got it when I was 18 and you guys know what I did to it.
 
first rig in my early 20's, maybe 86, 87, was my 77 Power Wagon....

put my 340'd 318 in it.. W2's... 4 spd... put a 4" lift and 36"s on it..... that motor ripped....



full





than I didn't get another rig till the late 90's... rust bucket 78 K5..... ended up junking it from roof rot....

than the 87 K5, Mutt, Blackie and the Furd...
 
Grandpa had a 1972 C10 camper special that my dad got when grandpa passed. We had it up till I was in junior high, then in high school a friend drives into the parking lot with one and I was talking about how much it looked like my grandpas (but now lowered, sunroof, etc) pop the glove box and there was my stickers I put in as a kid. it got passed around the high school but I never had the money to buy it back.

My first was a 1975 powerwagon, 360/727/205, pass everything but the gas station. then sold it and bought a 1970 C10 camper special.
 
My grandpa had a roundeye dually when I was a kid. He would hitch up the boat and take us up to the lake in Utah in the summers. That is the truck that started my passion for squares.

Ive had:

1985 long bed 2wd
86 K5
93 Jeep Grand Cherokee (worst vehicle I ever owned)
91 camaro
67 F100
93 Dodge ram 4wd short box
06 charger
08 f250
and now my 16 tundra

plus a few projects sprinkled in there.... Like my current project, the 90 K5.
 
My dad bought an '81 1ton Chevy crew cab dually 454 4spd 2WD. That got terrible mileage. It also had a propane set up that it could switch over to. I think we used propane most of the time as it was a better value at that time. We used it a lot on the farm in KS.

I bought this '77 K5 in 1996 (still have it). This is my first camping trip with our three kids after returning back to Colorado in 2009. My son (right) is driving it now. I have had so much fun in this K5, part of the reason I didn't want to get rid of it. It gets better emission tests results than my '79 with a cat.


tbvwuV9h.jpg
 
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dads 1970 GMC k2500 sbc/sm465/205/4.56/power-lok rear . she was a tank of a truck . had a 8ft6" meyers blade for snow moving and man did she plow snow and moved a lot .

i still have the front bumper and the hood . the hood gets used every time i go in/out of my shop .

scan0009-jpg.322031


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For me it was started by an Era

As a kid in the 70's, walking around town you were surrounded by people daily driving all the kick ass rides

Squares, camaros, montes, elcos,
Chargers, darts, list goes on and on.
Fell in love with the k5.

Fast forward to 97, finally got everthing going. Job, house, etc.

Needed a hunting rig. Had to be a k5! Nice 78. Hooked!
Had it ever since, will pass it to my son.
 
Mine was a 71 C10, with a wooden camper shell on it. Strictly utilitarian. 307/3 on the tree
Pic for resemblance.

upload_2020-10-8_12-3-23.jpeg

Then on to others

78K20 350/400
80K10 350/350
85C20...only one I ever bought new. 305/700, later a Vortec 350

upload_2020-10-8_12-27-5.jpeg



77K5...the Iron Maiden 454/400

upload_2020-10-8_12-22-42.jpeg

79C20 parts truck

76CCDRW 454/400 under going a 12V Cummins swap.

upload_2020-10-8_12-35-57.jpeg

64 C10 from KS 6cyl/4spd?

upload_2020-10-8_12-37-46.jpeg

95 K10 Burb...350/4L60
upload_2020-10-8_12-55-55.jpeg

99 K2500...6.0/4L80
upload_2020-10-8_12-49-0.jpeg

06 K2500...Duramax/Allison
upload_2020-10-8_12-47-50.jpeg

upload_2020-10-8_12-19-1.jpeg
 
The one that started it for me was a 75 or 76 IH Scout II. Some of my earliest memories (talking toddler 3-4) were of bouncing around the front seat in it.

My dad rebuilt both pumpkins, with new 3.73s and then killed the trans. So it got parked. He sold it to his best friend who had a veritable junkyard in the back yard and there it sat for 10-11 years. I get my permit at 14 and my dad bought it back. Along with his buddies that had a good motor and trans.
We go to work in grandpa's yard and swap axles, some other random parts, build lift shackles all around, and throw it on the road for me.
We 4x'd the hell out of it while waiting for my 16th b-day to roll around.
Dad drove it to work a few times and the engine died :doah:. Locked up.
Lo and behold his youngest brother says he has one with a good engine but it's manual... Also low geared like a freaking tractor...
So once again we tear 2 apart to make one. I turn 16 and it became my first real vehicle that I was driving daily on my own...... And I was hooked on building shit boxes ever since :1zhelp:

:haha::waytogo:
 
The one that started it for me was a 75 or 76 IH Scout II. Some of my earliest memories (talking toddler 3-4) were of bouncing around the front seat in it.

My dad rebuilt both pumpkins, with new 3.73s and then killed the trans. So it got parked. He sold it to his best friend who had a veritable junkyard in the back yard and there it sat for 10-11 years. I get my permit at 14 and my dad bought it back. Along with his buddies that had a good motor and trans.
We go to work in grandpa's yard and swap axles, some other random parts, build lift shackles all around, and throw it on the road for me.
We 4x'd the hell out of it while waiting for my 16th b-day to roll around.
Dad drove it to work a few times and the engine died :doah:. Locked up.
Lo and behold his youngest brother says he has one with a good engine but it's manual... Also low geared like a freaking tractor...
So once again we tear 2 apart to make one. I turn 16 and it became my first real vehicle that I was driving daily on my own...... And I was hooked on building shit boxes ever since :1zhelp:

:haha::waytogo:
Side note to that is my oldest had seen pics and heard the stories. And he loved the look of a scout II.
So when he turned 13 we set out to find one to build for him. By then most were rotted too bad or way too much $$.
So we ended up seeing a nice 72 blazer and he thought it looked close enough. Plus convertible :woot:.
We bought it and I started lurking here.... Then finally got sick of not being able to see all the pics so while trying to get pointers for building his, so I membered up :D.
 
1976 C10 "Custom Deluxe" long bed. 350/SM465. It was my Grandpa's old pickup. I remember it the best of the squares I grew up in. My brother and I going with Grandpa and Dad to get a load of hay. The four of us across the seat.

Next would be a 1979 GMC K15 Sierra Grande one of Dad's friends had. I wound up with the remnants of that truck and it's engine and axles were in my K5 when I sold it a few years ago.

Dad had a couple C10s but I was really small and he bought a new 1988 C1500 4.3L/5 speed and had it when I really start to remember things like that well. But there are pictures of me standing in the steering wheel of his green 1981 C10 when I was a baby somewhere.

Then Dad paid the neighbor $100 for two old squares for me to play with on the farm. A 1976 C10 Scottsdale and a 1975 K15 Sierra. Both long beds. Both pretty rotten. The K15 had to have a 2x4 driven between the oil pan and starter to start where the block had broke out around the starter boss. I walked several miles around the field looking for my bright red piece of 2x4 to get my truck started at 13 y/o.
 
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