Click on the feature image below to navigate through all of the pictures in this car’s gallery:

Sometimes you can come across a nice old truck for sale on your way back from a concours.  That’s exactly what happened over the weekend when we passed this 350 cubic inch powered, 74k original mile, 1972 Chevrolet C10 Custom Fleetside 1/2 ton pickup for sale on the side of Route 31 South just outside of Glen Gardner, New Jersey where the sign in the windshield indicates the seller is currently asking $16,500 or best offer.  Referring to the Hagerty Insurance Online Valuation Tool as a guide, the private seller currently has his truck priced $1,700 more than the #3 “Good” estimate.

The 1972 C10 presented here represents the last model year of Chevy’s second generation C/K truck models, nicknamed “The Action Line”, produced since 1967.  In addition to a more modern, squared-off look, C/K pickups saw the addition of many comfort and convenience items as a recognition that an increasing number of consumer purchased trucks for non-commercial activities.  The most notable of these was the coil spring trailing arm rear suspension on the C10 models which provided a much smoother ride versus traditional leaf springs.  By 1972, two wheel drive C10s featured front disc brakes and a five bolt, five-by-five inch lug bolt shared with most other GM passenger cars at the time.

We love the Medium Olive Green over White this C10 sports.  As far as we can tell, this C10 appears to have its original paint as we could not find any signs of overspray, particularly inside the doors where the two different colors meet.

The power train is a 350 cubic inch V8 connected to a “Three On The Tree” column-shifted manual transmission. While this truck came with the base “Custom” trim, based on the nicely preserved Protect-O-Plate located on the inside of the Glove box door, this truck features power steering and power brakes yet came equipped with the increasingly rare E81 wood floor option.  Also worth noting is this truck came factory equipped with the V43 rear step bumper, however it appears it was replaced long ago with a prettier “sport” chrome bumper.  When these trucks were new, most bumpers were dealer installed options, so if you decide to restore this to original, plan on locating the correct one even if its not as pretty. Add the heavy duty suspension and the larger “West Coast” style mirrors and it clear this truck was originally equipped to be a workhorse.

While we provide extensive undercarriage pictures in the gallery at the top showing how solid this example is, we do note there is a fair amount rust bubbling through on the passenger side cab and there is a hole in the front inner wheel well. Otherwise, this truck appears to be a rock solid survivor.

The white vinyl interior with a black vinyl floor covering is in very presentable condition with the only real flaw noted is a tear along the driver’s seat side.  The original AM radio remains in place with a period correct FM converter mounted under the dash.

The only other thing we don’t like about the truck we’d change out as soon as we’d buy it is the coating used on the wood floor.  Let us know if you disagree however we feel this bed deserves better.  Its also hard to tell from the pictures but the bed’s wheel wheels appear to be hand painted with touch up lacquer.

Minor rust aside, we absolutely love this C10 as it has an interesting mix of options in arguably the best color combination from the early 1970s.  We hope the next caretaker elects to restore rather than modify this example.  To contact the seller directly, refer to the picture in the gallery to call them directly.

Good luck with the purchase!

We’d love to hear your thoughts about this vehicle.  Comment below and let us know!