The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk '65 C10 sitting in a shed for 24 years.

First post and I need some advice. I am hoping to pick up a 65? (I'm not positive on the year) C10 that has 45k original miles in the next few weeks. It has been sitting in a truck shed for 24 years since my wife's great-grandparents passed away. What do y'all suggest as the first things to do? I'm thinking hoses, belts, spark plugs, battery, replace engine fluids, check wiring, empty gas tank and check for rust, overhaul brakes, new tires. What am I missing? My intentions for this truck is a driver, get it running and drive it for a while then think about cosmetic stuff as it is a little rusty. I'm in MS and for most of the time the truck was covered pretty well but after some good wind the last few years the truck shed became unstable and roof was about half gone so the shed has been torn down. Now I'm in the process of talking my wife's grandfather into giving me the truck instead of another family member. Thanks for the input.

These are some pictures of the truck in the shed before the shed was torn down.

In shed

Planning on leaving this in the back window.

Gun rack

The interior is in good shape as far as i can tell.

Interior

Side view

Hope you make the deal. Sounds like you have a fair handle on what to do. There are several threads on reviving one from long term storage. Do a site search and follow the ideas presented. Good luck.

Hi. I may be close to you. I am just across the line in North Al.
You never know, maybe make sure its got oil in it, put a battery and a line from the carb. to a jug of gas. She might just fire up.
Man, that thing looks great! My Grandpa bought a new stepside in 65. Wish I had kept it.

You might want to check that mileage again. I'm not sure but isn't the digit in white mean tenths of a mile. In that case only 4527.2 miles. If it is wow, that's a real barn find. Larry

LarryW, I guess it could be 104,527 miles too since they didn't put that extra numerals on the odometers back then. My wife's grandad will know more and I will ask him next time I am down there. I am cautiously optimistic that it will be given to me soon otherwise I might have to buy it from a cousin down the road.

The interior looks to be in terrific shape.

I always remove spark plugs one at a time and pour some fluid into the cylinders and repeat that for about a week or two. Pouring in an ounce or so at a dose. Then I turned them over on a bar or with ratchet with peice of long pipe over it for leverage. I usually install new plugs or at least clean the ones there. I usually pull the carb and clean/go through it and install new gaskets under it. And, I always pull the fuel line and when trying to crank run from a clean jug of fresh fuel through the fuel pump. Depending on how it runs I might install new points/condensor/plug wires and so forth later.

for the fluid to soak piston rings, i've used ATF and ATF/acetone mixture, I've used Kroil, I've used WD-40, various things. If you do the ATF/acetone mix, you need to shake it before each use to keep it mixed well.

From the looks of the steering wheel wear, It's probably 104,527, Still a nice truck to save. Getter quick before that shed comes down!!!.

Wow, that is a nice truck. I am worried about the shed too!

I cannot find the shed in the photos. I do see a pile of lumber stacked on the truck. Someone help me out here. ;-)

Fortunately, the truck is now out of the shed and the shed has been torn down. I saved some of the wood to use in the house we are building for the facing of our island. It became unstable in the last few years after some wind/storms and rotting wood. Unfortunately, the truck is now sitting uncovered behind a relatives shop.. Before the great-grandmother passed away a mechanic had gone through the engine and repaired some small issues so shouldn't be many problems with it. My hope is all of the seals in the windows/windshield have held up and water is not getting in to cause more internal rust since its sitting out in the elements. The shed although unstable provided some shelter for many years, the only totally exposed part was the front end. My hope is I can talk some sense into the grandfather to give me the truck so it can be restored and used as a driver. I need a truck (up until recently have been driving 120 miles a day for work so my daily driver has been a rice burner if you know what I mean) and to have a piece of my wife's family history would be amazing.