My neighbor has an '86 Chevy C/10 pickup with the "stepside" style bed. It has a carbed 454 in place of whatever motor came originally (350?). He's a really old guy and just wants it gone so he said $900 takes it.

It runs, drives, 4x4 works, and is a manual transmission with a good clutch. It's a Colorado car so almost no rust. Catch is that it won't pass emissions because it has no cats or EGR in place.
He said the motor has high miles. He got the truck from his brother so I'd be the third owner. Looks like cats and EGR are a couple hundred online.

It seems like a pretty cool rig and runs fine. I just don't know anything about this old Chevy stuff. I have been looking around online to try and figure out what a good price point is but haven't had much luck.
Just thought I'd ask the DSM community whether this is a good deal or if I'm getting into a hunk of junk here.

Thats dirt cheap for that condition.

It has to pass emissions? Thats to bad, in some states if its of a certian age, emissions doest apply. 2017 was the last year the talon had to worry about emissions in Washington.

Anyways, its very hard to put a price on something like that. I have seen some engine transplants done well, and some that are hacked. Or the workmanship was done bad, ect. Or he could have done a good job, its always nice to have a pickup, 4x4 is the only way i would go, unless its a drag style truck.

Take it out for a spin, seems cheap enough, might be worth it.

If I could get it i would buy it. I do Chevy's too!!!
Its a steal if the motor is healthy!!! It's worth 900

Are you sure its a c10 and not a c20? The c20 was 4x4 and had the larger hubs. The 454 is a great motor, however it gets 0.9 mpg . I have an 86 c10. The c20 is harder to find suspension parts for, but you can do a conversion. I'd get it for that price.

Not a bad price I bought my 77 short box reg cab 2wd with a running 5.3 not installed for 1500. I hopped on it since rust free ones around here go for stupid money

Yeah, emissions is a pain in the Denver area! The only way he got away with it for so long is that he registered it using his brother's address in another county that doesn't require emissions.

He said it definitely needs some TLC, but he's just two houses down so it's easy to ask a question. It might be a C20.....or is it K20? I didn't even know there was a difference. I'm a complete noob with V8s and carbs. I can fix the carbs on my lawn mower and weed whacker, but that's about it! There's so many resources online now, I imagine I can figure it all out.
This 454 motor looks HUGE though! I'm used to the 4g63 and a transmission that I can carry around.

I've been wanting to get into V8s and carbs for years now. I'm a long way away from racing or going fast in this thing....just want an older truck to haul scrap metal and tool around occasionally.

It doesn't seem like too bad of a deal from what you guys are saying. I'll see if I can get some more info and a test drive!

Couple photos of the truck.

Anyone know of a forum similar to DSMtuners in quality but for older Chevy motors and carbed motors? There seems be TONs of info out there.

I used to own several square body trucks of the GMC/Chevy variety, that is a good price for that truck, I imagine it is a 3/4 ton also or maybe even 1 ton since it has the 454(unless it was swapped)..

Here is a good forum for you >>> http://www.gmsquarebody.com/ and http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php

“K” models are 4wd. “C” models are 2wd. You’ll see a floor lever on the transmission tunnel if it’s 4wd. The photos look like the front hubs are opened on the wheels for manual hub access, on a 4wd.

I would guess that it is a “20” (a 3/4 ton) or converted, being that those “big block” 454s are heavy! This thing won’t turn corners, but I’ll shred tires.

One of the most common failures on the Chevy/GM V8s of that era is timing chain failure. It is not a zero clearance engine, so no harm when they snap.

There are plenty of places to get engine parts and reproduction parts to repair and upgrade it.

As long as you expect unbelievably poor fas mileage numbers, and are willing to do some wrench time, you’ll like owning it.

Typically, any 4x4 pickup that is not a ball of rust, and moves under it's own power, is worth at least $1k. That's pretty much true anywhere in the US. Mostly, they go for more than that. Varies some depending on location. Here in CA, that would be a screaming deal.
Chevy's are easy to work on. I've seen people pay that much and more just for a good 454 engine. Sounds like a very good deal.

Before buying cats for it, make sure your state does not require specific part numbers/application for it. CA now requires a certified cat for the DSM, and they check for the laser inscribed number while doing a smog check. Doesn't matter if it passes the test, it fails with the wrong number. I suspect that it is actually intended for the 1.8 engine, as it really chokes a turbo car. Throttle response and fuel mileage suffer. No substitution allowed. (And these idiots wonder why people take their cats off of cars.)

Actually one of the most prone failures on those V-8's of that era are the lifters wearing through (mushrooming) on the bottoms where they touch the cam lobes and the cam lobes themselves at that point wearing down to nothing causing a dropped cylinder/dropped performance, rough idle etc. The newer oil doesnt have the zinc that the old engines were designed around and the hardening on those areas isnt up to par to go without the zinc.

I agree that the timing components don't usually "fail" but they do wear. The lifter problem is more likely to happen on a new motor, as one of mine did. I run ZZDP additive on new Chevy rebuilds up to the 1000 mile mark to allow the lifter and can to "wear in". High valve spring pressures were also some of my problem and now I use "break-in" rockers of a lower ratio to break them in, at least on my high horsepower engines, to prevent that.
A motor with miles on it is usually good if you don't hear lifter tick, and is already broke in. I haven't seen a motor that was broke in, wear down a cam. Only new or fresh built ones. Start that truck and just use your ears, they are a good judge for the health along with looking for smoke from the exhaust. Chevy's are known for valve guide wear and will smoke on initial start up then it goes away. If you see this, don't worry, its normal. It should go away if its a typical Chevy. I have built them all my life, or since I was 13 (a couple years ago)
That 454 should be able to pull a train!!!

Your right on the valve guide and resulting seal wear issue, they wear more than other brands and end up carboning up the combustion chambers with all the burnt oil. In a dealership you would have seen the cam and lifter wear problem on used daily drivers, it was a huge problem, they even made special tools to extract the mushroomed lifters from the galleys.

Wow, I bet that was a fun deal. Most of mine, if it is a lifter/cam failure, just eat the bottom out of the lifter. But you see, mine are far from stock, so I expect some of these problems. Plenty of "Z" shaped pushrods too

Sounds like a good rig, but if its anything like California, it wont matter even if it has cats installed and runs clean on the sniffer unfortunately. The engine is a gross polluter in the states eyes and not stock to the vehicle. It will be considered modified and un-passable. Your best bet is to go around and find a smog tech that will work with you. Maybe some $$$ on the side.

The 454 is a torque BEAST. I don't like them in stock trim though.

Feel the power of the 4 FIFTY 4 !!! Lmao

Put an edldrok mani and hookef headers flow master pipes ull piss some neighbors off