Why this truck?

We've already received a few emails from some people asking "what is restification" and "why this truck - you couldn't find an older truck or at least a step-side"?

We'll tackle these questions in two parts. First, what is "restification"? This phrase is a cross between the two terms of "restore" and "modification" and surfaced about 10-12 years ago when enthusiats grew tired of vehicles that were restored to the 100% factory look. Don't get us wrong - there's absolutely nothing wrong with going this route. However, I've talked to many owners of beautifully restored cars over the years and they all seem to long for a cool vehicle that they could just get in and drive. It would be a car or truck that didn't have tens of thousands of dollars invested in it. The vehicle would never have to be trailered and they wouldn't care if they got caught in a sudden summer downpour. In other words, no fuss, no worries, no big bucks.

With that thought in mind, that leads us to "why this truck". We didn't want to (nor could we) spend an arm & a leg on our next "toy", so we set our purchase price at $3000 max. We did look at several "older" trucks as well as a few step-sides. As far as the 1967-72 era of Chevy trucks, their popularity have driven prices through the roof. We found two in our price range, but both needed tremendous amounts of body work. We also checked out a couple of Chevy step-sides and even some short boxes from 1973-80 era, but we ran up against a wall of problems with each prospect. Trucks that were supposed to be "almost rust free" in fact had poorly done body work, or worse, had frame rot. Others needed more work than we wanted to take on - like the truck that had transmission cooler lines that ran very close to the engine & headers! Some sellers just weren't even breathing oxygen in regards to an asking price. We wanted to enjoy our latest project over the summer, not spend the next 5 or 6 months fixing it, only to have to put it away for the winter. Remember, this is not a "magazine" project or a Hollywood TV show where everything is done in a week or within a month. We also looked at some 67-79 Fords, but things didn't get any better. Pre-1981 Dodge pickups became out of the question, because we learned (at least in our neck of the woods) that parts for these trucks are rather hard to come by.

After a month long search, and who knows how many miles or gallons of gas, we came across the '79 Chevy while on the way to look at another truck. The owner just happened to be home, so we gave it a quick once over. The more we saw, the more we liked, especially when it came to price. One refreshing aspect was the seller actually knew what needed work & what was good. No stories or excuses. We came back the next day, gave it a more thorough inspection and test drive. We came to the conclusion we'd be nuts to pass this one up. Considering the condition of the truck, what had been replaced and rebuilt (the seller had documentation to back up his claims) and the asking price, we figured we could live with the 8' box and 3 on the tree. Another positive aspect to this purchase is that tons of parts are readily available and affordable through the after-market, at our local parts store or, dare we say, at the local junkyards.

Starting this weekend, repairs will begin in earnest. We'll add more entries (and hopefully pics) highlighting the progress. Talk to you next time.