What really caught our eye with this 1987 Chevrolet V30 (yes, that’s correct…C/K became R/V in 1987) wasn’t the fresh paint, nice flatbed conversion, or even the $7,000 price tag (which is actually in the realm of reason lately for a restored square truck). No, what got us was the factory gauge package…we’ve seen plenty of these 1973-87 pickups, but as far as our memory serves, we can’t remember the last time we saw a factory gauge package truck with the tachometer, and certainly not as late as 1987. Add in the “everything you need, nothing you don’t” setup of the Chevy and an uninstalled, in the box Gear Vendors overdrive from the current owner, and we will be very honest: if we had the cash ready, we would be showing you a new BangShift vehicle instead of an eBay find.
The truck was mostly restored three years ago to a high quality finish, with the only real out-of-line items being “a nice set of Blazer buckets and center console” in the interior. The 454, granny-low SM465 four-speed, transfer case and axles have all seen refreshing, and the interior’s fit and finish looks excellent…provided you ignore the tachometer’s positioning. (Our experience with 1980s GM products tells us that the tach is only accurate once power is on, and that the needle will wind up damn near anywhere when the vehicle is switched off.)
It’s obvious that the owner likes the truck, and that the previous owner loved the vehicle enough to invest into the restoration, so why is it up for auction? Easy…the current owner has an even more expensive hobby he needs money for. Aircraft are expensive, and this guy seems to travel to Alaska a lot. His loss, your gain…or ours, depending on what the bank says when we ask for yet another loan!
eBay Link: 1987 Chevrolet V30 Flatbed
SM465, the gearbox of my first crawler; with a torque-monster BBC backing that thing up and the right diffs and ratios, this truck has some real working potential.
Great find. buy it for me and I will do your homework for a year.
Oh yeah, As long as we are dreaming….If I had the coin I would start up a motorcycle rental company here and use this beast as my company truck. I’d have a matching trailer built as well…..Someone loan me a hundred grand…..
So did you find that yourself, or notice my link http://bangshift.com/bangshiftxl/ebay-find-this-1979-dodge-se-300-truck-is-mostly-stock-with-one-awesome-exception/ yesterday?