Streetwalker- Tride OK C10

Robert Emslie

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This past weekend my favorite curb-side used car lot brought forth a cornucopia of interesting iron. Not only did we come across the time capsule Mercedes 240D, but half a block down sat its polar opposite- a Chevy C10 pickup truck.

This 1971 Chevy C10 Cheyenne in a semi-fresh coat of diuretic mustard – which is showing some poor masking of trim – rocks the 350 V8 under its dark yellow hood. The trailer mirrors and tonneau snaps are about the only external embellishments, and the rubber floor-matted interior is equally austere. Despite the plain-jane appearance, there is something of note there on the dash- next to the For Sale sign soliciting $5,000 for the truck – which is a gayly colored sign advertising “Tride OK”.

Now, maybe the seller’s 2nd grader was helping out with trying to sell the truck, or perhaps he’s just a result of our failed public education system they’re always talking about, making the truck not the only thing that’s “like a rock.”  Whatever the reason, if I had a Tride, I’d probably offer it to him for this truck.
Other than that, I think his five grand asking price may not be as good a deal as the earlier 240D, but it’s not crazy either. Ideally, for that kind of cheddar, I’d like to see a better paint job, and one that perhaps deals with the rust rather than just painting over it. But maybe you’ve always wanted a mean mr mustard C10, and this is priced right in your sweet spot. Who knows?
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Robert Emslie

Robert Emslie

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  1. superbadd75 Avatar
    superbadd75

    This truck would seriously strike a chord with me if it was a short bed. As it sits, I'm not quite so interested. There's something just not cool about a LWB pickup, IMO.

    Reply
    1. Feds Avatar
      Feds

      Like the ability to actually use it to do work?
      Don't get me wrong, I used to feel the same way, until I realized how useless short beds are for general home-ownership duties.

      Reply
      1. P161911 Avatar
        P161911

        I'll second that. If you can't close the tailgate on a couch or 4X8 piece of plywood, you need a bigger truck. Maybe it is a family thing, dad and grandpa always had long bed trucks. Of course I now really see the benefit of an extended cab too. That's how I ended up with a rather unwieldy 88 F-150 long bed extended cab. Good thing I don't have to try to park it in a garage.
        This particular truck would be tempting IF the engine and transmission have had recent rebuilds, the A/C is there and works, and the front brakes have been converted to disc.

        Reply
      2. Alff Avatar
        Alff

        Agreed. In 2002, I traded my F-150 long bed extended cab for a Dodge crew cab shorty. Since I now only use it for truck things, I really regret trading off utiity for parking garage convenience.

        Reply
      3. superbadd75 Avatar
        superbadd75

        I have used a Chevy Prizm to haul a sheet of plywood and a few 8' 2X4s back to the house, a SWB pickup would be all I'd ever need. One major advantage a SWB has over a long bed is that it would fit in my tiny garage. I had 2 Ranger pickups, regular cab, short bed, and never ran into anything that was over my head. Plywood, mattresses, furniture, and so much more. I hauled materials for a 8'X10' deck in the back of one of those little Rangers. A long bed is great if you work out of it every day, but it's a waste if you don't. And short beds are way better looking.

        Reply
    2. Texan_Idiot25 Avatar
      Texan_Idiot25

      Say whaa-
      <img src="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e321/texan_idiot25/CST10/5453_123042293578_669203578_2470958.jpg&quot; border="0" alt="Photobucket">

      Reply
      1. YEAH_THAT_POLAR Avatar
        YEAH_THAT_POLAR

        I could buy this one, Brother. Would that make me Canadian_Idiot63.5?

        Reply
    3. CptSevere Avatar
      CptSevere

      Shortbeds are cooler, and more maneuverable, definitely. But, you can put a lot more stuff in a longbed. My F100 is a shortbed, with a toolbox, which takes up space. I can usually haul whatever I need to, like hay bales, reasonably sized rocks, etc. If I have something real big, I can borrow my old truck back from my bosses (I needed to get out of debt so I sold it to them), or just use my two axle trailer.

      Reply
      1. Texan_Idiot25 Avatar
        Texan_Idiot25

        I will highly agree with the statement about the wheel base. The difference in turning between the long and short bed (drove a 70, mechanically identical) is quite, astounding. On mine you are definitely dragging that rear axle behind you, best I can describe it. The short bed feels more like it's pivoting towards the center. I don't know about short beds, but when my long bed gets sideways it is pretty smooth and easy to wrangle back in place. From experience with other shorter cars, they tend to step out pretty fast.
        Coolness is subjective. Some love the long, sweeping lines, while others like the short sporty look. I'm the former, LOVE the body lines on these trucks when stretched out.

        Reply
        1. acarr260 Avatar
          acarr260

          Yours is way cooler. I wouldn't drop $5k on this yellowish thing with its homemade (or Earl Scheib) paint job.

          Reply
  2. Tim Odell Avatar
    Tim Odell

    Decent, clean truck. Unfortunately, a decent clean truck like that is worth more like $3500-4k.
    Maybe It's worth close to $5k if it's got a rebuilt and/or warmed-up engine, AC, newer transmission, etc…to the point where it won't need anything major for a few years…maybe.

    Reply
    1. acarr260 Avatar
      acarr260

      Exactly! In Indiana, this would go for $3k if it was a 4×4. The crappy paint job is probably hiding a lot of bad mojo.

      Reply
  3. BrianTheHoon Avatar
    BrianTheHoon

    This!
    As I've said before, this is my all-time favorite truck. Is it 5 large good? Maybe not but I love these things so much I might be tempted anyway.
    Anyway, I WILL own one someday.

    Reply
  4. muthalovin Avatar
    muthalovin

    5K, but tride ok? A bit much for this much mustard.

    Reply
  5. joshuman Avatar
    joshuman

    My brother had a white 1969 that he paid $500 for. He used it for five years or so and then sold it for $500. I took a few pictures of it a week before it moved on.
    <img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3061/3506074423_9572b0ac72.jpg&quot; style="width: 400px; border: 0" alt="imgTag" />
    <img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3549/3506882740_7dc2fc9e8b.jpg&quot; style="width: 400px; border: 0" alt="imgTag" />
    (The dog's name is Hilde. She poops in my house whenever she comes to visit.)

    Reply
    1. BrianTheHoon Avatar
      BrianTheHoon

      That tail pipe alone was worth the price of admission!

      Reply
  6. engineerd Avatar
    engineerd

    Maybe the paper is folded and really says "Trident OK". I'm not sure if he means he will trade for a Maserati or if maybe the truck is set up to launch the Trident. If it's the latter, then this is a great deal.
    <img src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/99/Trident_II_missile_image.jpg/497px-Trident_II_missile_image.jpg"&gt;

    Reply
  7. Texan_Idiot25 Avatar
    Texan_Idiot25

    Y'all will be happy to know that as spartan as this one looks inside, that is actually one of the higher optioned trucks. That is your 1970s luxury.
    Trucks have come (fallen) a long way.

    Reply
  8. Tomsk Avatar
    Tomsk

    Any idea what the gizmo with the stalk under the steering column is? Accessory turn signals? Overdrive switch?

    Reply
    1. CptSevere Avatar
      CptSevere

      Old timey trailer brake controller. The stalk is to control the electric trailer brakes manually.

      Reply
  9. Smells_Homeless Avatar
    Smells_Homeless

    Not in a million years. Unless you took it home immediately and stored it in a giant jar of rice, that truck will be nothing but hubcaps and glass in a year. Run, don't walk, from that rust.

    Reply
    1. Texan_Idiot25 Avatar
      Texan_Idiot25

      Uhm, what rust?
      My truck is a lot rustier and lives in the rainy coast. These things don't go very fast. Not to mention, strength is in the frame, not the body.

      Reply
  10. CptSevere Avatar
    CptSevere

    For some reason, the hamsters are not feeling well or something and there are no avatar thingies or reply button, which is a drag because I wanted put in my two cents about shortbeds, which my F100 is and I like it’s manueverability. For big stuff I use my two axle trailer.
    @ Tomsk: I can’t get the pictures to enlarge, either (my interwebs suck tonight), but I think it’s an electric trailer brake control. Any truck like this worth it’s salt will have one. I have one for my truck, just haven’t installed it yet.
    Five grand is kind of high for this, even though it’s a nice truck. There’s a knucklehead here with the same basic thing, with all the trim pulled off, cheezy wheels, and a cheap respray, that he want’s 7 grand for. He’s dreaming. It does have a newly rebuilt 327, but I wouldn’t get near it. Instead of breaking in the engine carefully, the dipshit has been hooning the hell out of it. Not a good idea with a freshly rebuilt engine.

    Reply
  11. CptSevere Avatar
    CptSevere

    The asking price for this nice old truck is a bit high, but within reason. There's a knucklehead here who has one that is very similar, same year, with a body in decent shape but with a crummy respray and all the trim removed. It has cheesy Baja rims and the usual crappy chrome spoke steering wheel and cheap upholstery. The guy wants 7 grand for it. It does have a freshly rebuilt strong running 327, but the dipshit, instead of breaking it in carefully after installing it, has been hooning the hell out of it. He wants 7 grand for this poor truck. He's dreaming.

    Reply
  12. scratch and dent appliances Avatar
    scratch and dent appliances

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    Reply