I Bought a Thing: 1986 Chevy C20 Custom Deluxe

"Luc - The Acadian Oppo" (luc5)
05/17/2015 at 11:31 • Filed to: PROJECT BIG STEEL

I went with option number 2. The old park Ranger’s truck. 1986 Chevy C20 Custom deluxe. 3/4 ton, 2WD, 350 V8 & only 106,000 kms (66,000 miles). It just seemed way more solid and heavy duty mechanically. Truck #1 was definitely nicer but nicer doesn’t necessarily mean better.

I also managed to talk the guy down to $2200.00 bucks because the truck needed a new battery. Which is just a fraction over half the price of truck #1 .

The only part of the truck that needs work is the cab corners which is pretty minor when you think about it.

It’s like looking in a time capsule with the 2 old american vehicles in the driveway.

This old Truck cap I was very on the fence about. It weighs a metric shit tonne (approx 400lbs)

I slid the cap back a bit to see how it would look with out it and I like it MUCH MUCH better

These old truck caps aren’t even worth there weight in scrap metal so I listed it on the classifieds for FREE since I don’t want to keep it in my drive way or garage. Literally 2 minutes after I post it someone calls me that wants it. He could not come get it since his truck was out of town so I told him that I would deliver it if he covered the gas. We settled on $20 bucks and I was on my way.

So instead of having to pay to dispose of it and having to wait until the dump is open again on Tuesday I got rid of it 20 minutes after posting it and I actually got paid to do so. WIN WIN!

Here she is 2 minutes after going topless. I like it 1000 times better this way.

DISCUSSION (59)

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 02:29

Kinja'd!!!

Looks like the lot next to you hasn’t sold yet. Extra-large driveway in your future?

Big Bubba Ray > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 02:31

Awesome. What are your plans for the truck?

RallyWrench > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 02:38

Ya done good, that’s an honest looking rig.

Your boy, BJR > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 02:45

Project “I finally bought something from the right corporation”

All Motor Is Best Motor > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 03:03

Definitely looks way better sans the top.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Big Bubba Ray
05/17/2015 at 03:08

Don’t quite know yet. It doesn’t really need anything other than maybe a fresh coat of paint on the wheels and a spray in bed liner.

I think one of the first things is getting rid of the emissions stuff that is causing a slight exhaust leak.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo
05/17/2015 at 03:10

They don’t allow you to buy lots for that purpose. and 65K for a bigger drive way is a little steep. I can already fit 6 vehicles (even more if I tried hard enough) on my property without parking on the grass or on the street so I think I’m good.

415s30 W123TSXWaggoIIIIIIo ( •_•))°) > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 03:31

Nice, I had an 85 step side with dual tanks, it was a PG&E truck.

lonestranger > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 03:45

Nice. Before I checked your other post to see, I guessed it was an ‘86. (I guessed right). That was the last year for the carburetor in the C/K.

Dunnik > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 03:55

Score, looks very solid, and indeed, good call on removing the steel (!) cap. Looks so much better, and 400 pounds lighter!

How about “Project Big Steel”?

Whats the engine bay look like?

Old-Busted-Hotness > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 06:57

The cap may be ugly, but it’s a Godsend in the winter. Extra weight over the rear and lockable, dry storage makes a pickup much easier to live with.

shop-teacher > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 07:07

I love this truck! That was a seriously ugly cap as well. Practical, but ugly. The color is very close to the color of my ‘74 Buick Apollo.

Agrajag > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 08:30

I think you're pretty much required to call this project Big Steel at this point.

Stephen the Canuck > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 08:47

Nice truck. How about naming it Big Steel?

thebigbossyboss > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 09:53

How many cars you up to now? 3 or does your wife have one too? Aside from the cruise missle I forget what you drive.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > thebigbossyboss
05/17/2015 at 10:29

4 in total. I have 2013 fusion, 1979 Lincoln , 1986 chevy truck. and my wife has a 2013 Ford Escape.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Dunnik
05/17/2015 at 10:35

yeah the thing weighs like a sumbitch. we were 3 of us and it took everything in us to get it off. 400lbs might be conservative.

Big Steel it is! I can’t beleive i didn’t think of that first.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > lonestranger
05/17/2015 at 10:38

I did not know that. seems strange that they would make the big switch to fuel injection on the last model year? was it a government mandated thing for 87?

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > shop-teacher
05/17/2015 at 10:39

yeah the top is definitely usefull but I’m form over function when it comes to truck tops I can’t stand them.

fhrblig > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 10:39

I love those old C/Ks, nice. It does look better without the topper, but I do kind of like these old school ones:

Kinja'd!!!

You know, the ones that make no attempt to match anyone’s paint scheme or styling.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 10:39

Yeah definitely looks a lot better without the cap

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Old-Busted-Hotness
05/17/2015 at 10:42

Nothing a few bales of hay wouldn’t fix, then you rachet strap them down over the rear axle and you’re good to go. It’s what my grandpa does with his 2wd frontier as for the dry storage he could always get a roll up cover for the bed that’ll look much cleaner

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 10:44

How does she like the escape? my wife and I are trying to convince her parents to trade their murano in for an escape since they are underwater on the loan and could get out from under it if they got an escape

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero
05/17/2015 at 10:48

The Escape is fantastic to drive. I actually prefer driving the Escape than my Fusion. Would I recomend one? You’re goddamn right I would the thing is great. She has the SE 1.6l ecoboost with awd.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 10:51

Yeah right now they have a fully loaded awd murano but my MIL says it’s just too much for them, the wife and I originally tried to talk them into an escape but my dad was stubborn and for some weird reason had his heart set on a murano.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > fhrblig
05/17/2015 at 10:54

That takes ugly to a whole new level. it’s like one of the things that is so bad that you end up liking it because it is so bad.

thebigbossyboss > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero
05/17/2015 at 11:19

I hope they got the convertible version.

thebigbossyboss > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 11:23

Damn that’s awesome.

I am just here with my sole beater :( Oh well. That’s life right?

Soon I will be taking the road cockroach to your ancestral home aka Acadia. I will be passing through Edmunston, Florenceville Bristol, and Hartland on the way to charlottetown.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero
05/17/2015 at 11:25

Yeah my wife’s car is a lease with low payments of $330.00 month. I think it was 28K CAD all in when we got it. I think a similarly equipped Murano would surpass the 40K mark in Canada.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > thebigbossyboss
05/17/2015 at 11:29

Nice. I’m from Just north of Moncton. A tiny little hick town called Cocagne NB.

You’ll get there eventually I wasn’t always driving nice new cars. I’ve had a Chevette as my only car at one point. Everything I have I worked for I was never given anything (except the Mazda 323 :-) ) When it comes to cars my parents never got me my first car or paid my insurance ect. It was all me.

norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 11:36

All trucks look better with out a cap thing. Although these old ones look cooler.

Nice buy, what motor? 350?

blacktruck18 > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 11:36

What weighs more, the Escape and Fusion or the Lincoln?

Awesome truck though, enjoy it.

thebigbossyboss > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 11:36

Hey I’m not hating, I am just jealous. I had some personal and financial setbacks last year that cost me a lot of money so it’s kind of made me a bit frustrated but I know that life isn’t always one big upward sloping trajectory. What doesn’t kill us....makes us drive old cars longer!

And I did get a free first car lol. I got a Ford Tempo which eventually I crashed into a truck because idiot. That was 08.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > thebigbossyboss
05/17/2015 at 11:37

Lol no, the wife would have never forgiven them

thebigbossyboss > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero
05/17/2015 at 11:39

Confessions: I enjoy the Murano convertible as a theory. I wouldn’t own one, but they are kind of fun in a way just to see and be like “why does this exist?”

TheRealBicycleBuck > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 11:40

Congratulations. My grandpa had the same truck, but in beige. The aluminum camper on his was equipped with a boot which went through the back window of the cab so we could get a/c in the back and crawl between the camper and the cab. He put a small bed in the back that was level with the boot so the kids could lie down on the bed and watch out the front glass. I am thankful that he never had an emergency stop - we would have slid right through the boot into the cab.

Good times....

mrbwa1 > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 11:40

Great looking truck. I'm guessing that was $2200 CAD. I only paid $1500 US for an 88 F150 last year, but it needs paint (and it is technically a 1/2 ton, but is has been equipped as a 3/4 ton). Thankfully the shell on mine was fiberglass an is a high topper (still weight at least 200lbs)

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 11:42

Its about the Same here in the US

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > blacktruck18
05/17/2015 at 11:43

Lincoln by quite a bit. it weighs 5300lbs. The Lincoln might even weigh more than the truck.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > norskracer98-ExploringTheOutback
05/17/2015 at 11:45

Yup a 350 in there.

blacktruck18 > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 11:46

Nice.

EL_ULY > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 11:47

Duuuude awesome!

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > mrbwa1
05/17/2015 at 11:48

Yes $2200 cad and it has literally brand new Yokohama tires. There is still that blue tint on the white letters(the white letters are facing inside) and it still has all the little nipples on the threads. So it’s technically like a bought a $1500 truck with shitty worn tires and spent $700 bucks for new tires.

mazda616 > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 12:00

Looks awesome! I love honest ol’ trucks. The rust looks easily fixable.

lonestranger > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 12:23

I agree, it’s odd that they changed to TBI one year before changing the rest of the truck. It could’ve been done in order to meet newer, stricter emissions, but I’m only guessing about that.

JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder! > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 12:52

Good looking truck!

Must’ve missed something but why’d you get this? Are you not keeping the Lincoln

John Norris (AngryDrifter) > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 15:39

“This old Truck cap I was very on the fence about. It weighs a metric shit tonne (approx 400lbs)”

Come on, that’s nothin’ This is a heavy camper shell

Kinja'd!!!

shop-teacher > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 17:19

I was thinking about that too. They did keep that bodystyle for the Surburban and the K5 Blazer through ‘91 so I guess that made it worth their while.

shop-teacher > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/17/2015 at 18:06

I would’ve done the same. I have a folding vinyl tonnau cover on my Sierra. I’ve been really happy with it. Keeps things dry, but folds out of the way, or pulls off completely quickly and easily when I need to haul tall things.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > John Norris (AngryDrifter)
05/17/2015 at 23:44

Looks like the truck is ready to do a wheelie.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > JQJ213- Now With An Extra Cylinder!
05/17/2015 at 23:47

We don’t have any truck and sometimes it’s real handy to have one but I was in no way ready to drop big dollars to get a newer truck. This was pretty spontaneous I saw the ad at 10pm on Friday and I bought it at 11am on Saturday. I’ve ben browsing the classifieds for a year looking for the right one and never found anything remotely close to what I’m looking for then I spotted this one and it was just about perfect for what I need.

The Lincoln will have to go now that I bought this.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > mazda616
05/17/2015 at 23:48

LMC Truck parts makes brand new cab corners for this, just cut out the old and weld in the new. They are only a measly $15 bucks per side.

lonestranger > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/18/2015 at 00:13

Kinja'd!!!

I used to live in this ‘hood! Like, three klicks away.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > lonestranger
05/18/2015 at 00:15

Well you should go down to this factory and sucker punch someone in the throat. These truck caps are WAY too heavy. I almost killed myself taking it off. We were 3 of us and it took everything in us to get it off.

greasemonkey235097 > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/18/2015 at 21:41

Now sell most of your tools, leave a 14mm wrench and a 10mm wrench along with a hammer and punch and you are set for all necessary repairs, congrats

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/19/2015 at 22:12

Awesome. I’d say that truck looks in really quite good condition. Most of them tend to develop a fair bit of rust around the wheel wells.

BaconSandwich is tasty. > Luc - The Acadian Oppo
05/19/2015 at 22:18

Oh man. I hadn’t heard of LMC truck parts before. It looks like they do have parts for some much older GMC models (e.g.: late 1940s). You’ve taught me a dangerous thing...

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > BaconSandwich is tasty.
05/20/2015 at 01:13

Not a spec of rust anywhere on the wheel wells. The cab corners is the only part that requires attention. It really is in fantastic shape for an unrestored 100% original 29 year old truck.

Luc - The Acadian Oppo > BaconSandwich is tasty.
05/20/2015 at 01:18

LMC is the shiznit! They make just about every part for this truck. You can literally build a brand new truck out of the catalog.

I remember project Copperhead on Trucks was built entirely out of the LMC catalog save for the frame and the bare cab.