Will this $14,500 1971 Chevy C20 Long Bed work for you? – Jalopnik

Classic pickup trucks such as today’s Nice Price or No Dice Chevy C20 are enjoying a wave of popularity among car collectors. Let’s see if this one is priced to complete anyone’s set.

When it was new, the 1992 Mercedes-Benz 300 SD we looked at last Friday was at the pinnacle of automotive engineering and stately style. Now it shows the scratches and scrapes it has accumulated over the intervening years and the 200,000 miles it has covered. Judging from the comments, many of you were put off by the age and complexity of the big Benz. A few others were concerned about the potential for regicide, as Princess Diana was killed in a car accident involving a Mercedes that looked like our car.

Ultimately, however, none of these threats could overcome the car’s charms, nor the appeal of getting them for an asking price of just $5,995. The result was a nice ‘Beautiful Prize’ victory of 67%.

How awesome is the name “Action Line”? It just exudes the potential for adventure and engaging action across the board. Action Line was the internal name General Motors gave to the second generation C/K pickup and cab/chassis trucks that debuted in 1967 under the Chevy and GMC brands. These models offered significantly more modern styling compared to their first-generation predecessors, which were designed in the late 1950s. Still, they retained much of the ladder frame chassis from the earlier trucks and different powertrain combinations.

This 1971 Chevrolet C20 long bed is a three-quarter ton chassis with a step-up bed. Unlike many modern interpretations of the design, this is literally a step, with textured platforms running between the cabin and sculpted rear fenders. Although this Chevy is presented as a 1971 model, it wears the front end of a pre-1970 edition instead of the eggcrate grille introduced for the ’71 model year. It appears that the entire front clip was replaced with a 1967 edition at some point in this truck’s life, as evidenced by the lack of side marker lights in the front fenders. On the plus side, it has a chrome bumper up front and an industrial diving platform with an integrated tow bar (but no obvious electrical connections) at the rear.

The seller claims to have owned the truck for the past 15 years and says in the ad that it has developed a “great patina” in that time. The truck looks good in the photos, even though the seller says it has some scratches and minor rust spots here and there. It is said to be very solid overall and comes in an excellent shade of 1970s mint metallic green.

Under the hood is a V8 with a displacement of 350 cubic inches. That’s made up to look nice, but it’s not bling city there. Behind it is a three-speed Turbo-Hydramatic 350 automatic transmission that drives only the rear axle. Power steering and brakes (front discs from this model year) provide extra courtesy. According to the seller, the drivetrain is “fast and powerful and can be driven anywhere.” Other goodies include new tires all around and a new exhaust that starts at a set of tubular headers that snake out from either side of the 350 engine.

Naturally, most of the time will be spent enjoying this truck, which is all new, but carefully curated to create a period-correct atmosphere. Updates include a new instrument panel, steering wheel, seat covers and carpet. Since this was an old-fashioned truck, that was pretty much all that could be changed. The rest of the interior, apart from the door panels and dashboard cover, is all bare metal, bringing the outside in. It all looks great and, apart from a modern AM/FM/CD stereo and door speakers, it creates a complete seventies look.

According to the ad, all meters and lights work. The wooden floor of the bed is still on the truck’s honey list and needs to be replaced, as it is largely rotten. The truck comes with a clean title and black and gold California period license plates, so that’s what it has.

As we noted at the beginning, classic trucks are having their moment right now. This truck, as simple as it is, is both classic and quite stylish. It’s far from perfect, and the 12,000 miles the ad claims are clearly not accurate, but there’s still a lot of fun to be had. Could it be enough to know that we’re also happy with the $14,500 asking price?

What is your opinion on this step and that not insignificant price tag? Does that feel good for a truck with both a past and potential? Or is that too much for a truck with a bed you can’t even sleep in?

You decide!

Los Angeles, California, Craigslistor go here when the ad disappears.

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