The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Daily Driver question/opinions

Even though I've been looking mostly at 60's C10's I do like the look of a 57 Chevy stepside truck. Does anyone use one of these for a daily driver, and if you do, what are the trouble spots I'd need to check to make sure one is solid?

Steve

I've been using TF series trucks for my daily drivers for decades .... if it runs, drives, stops and there's nothing flapping in the breeze it's solid

check around the headlights, lower rear of front fenders, door bottoms, door hinge pockets and cab corners for serious rust - all those areas are prone to it, but there's patch panels available for them and they're not too tough to repair - otherwise if it seems mechanically sound, go for it

Bill

Hi Steve I bought a 58 side step long box 3600 last fall. It was in fairly decent solid shape. Its a farm truck from N Dakota. I was lucky cause the guy up here in Canada that I bought it from had the motor and tranny rebuilt (the hard stuff in my opinion). I drive it fairly regularily around the neighbourhood weekday evenings and weekends. Put about a 100 miles a week on it. But only in spring summer and fall. She goes into the garage for the winter. I am very new to this myself but can tell you I have an absolute ball putting around town in it and people love to talk about it. As I mentioned the bod is in very original shape. But is is quite solid. Patina is fantastic. Came complete with gun rack too. Hope this is helpful. I guess the biggest trouble spot for me is the speed. 50 miles an hour is top speed and its shakin and a clatterin so I dont go there to often.
Rick

Whoa rickyt.........not sure I can handle not being able to exceed 50 mph. I'll need to do that somewhat regularly. Here's the truck I'm currently checking out.....

(Ad link removed)

that's a pretty nice lookin turnkey truck, but top dollar IMO ....Rick is talkin a 3/4T with a 4.57 rear, the 1/2T with a standard 3.90 and a V8 will cruise OK at 65 or 70

Bill

Sorry I posted a link I shouldn't have. Can I post pics of the truck I downloaded and not the ad?

I can't really add much to this, but I agree with it 100%. I also use a Task Force truck as a daily driver (mine's a'55). About the only thing i can add to this would be possibly the addition of an overdrive trans (either original SM319 or a T5) to help with the rpm during highway driving.

Yes, as long as it is hosted on a site where the link won't go away when the truck is sold.

Running an old truck for a daily driver will change your life completely......for the better. I've been driving AD trucks as a daily for, well since I joined here.

Looks like since 2008.

This is the one I was looking at. A 57 with a 350 and a 3 speed on the column. I'm awaiting more pics.
[IMG]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r305/FloridaFly/DSCN2181.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r305/FloridaFly/DSCN2178.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r305/FloridaFly/DSCN2180.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r305/FloridaFly/DSCN2177.jpg[/IMG]
asking price is 11k right now.

Steve

11k is about top dollar for a driver. no problem using it as a dd. my driver is a 52 1-ton w/ a v8 and 14 bolt rear (4:10) original front end. goes down the interstate at 65 no problem. i like older vehicles as they are cheaper to own and fix. plus the looks you get when ya tell people it's "just my work truck".

daren

I have a '48 truck but with '57 brakes up front. I still don't routinely go over 45 MPH. I've had to 52 MPH twice. Don't outrun your brakes!

Hi Steve, ya the 50mph is a bit of a drag cuz I like to go fast as well but that aint what this truck is about. As Bill mentioned above, mine is a 3/4 with a much different purpose. Its a farm truck with a granny gear. I guess my ignorance when buying it. But I love the old thing. I really wanted a shorty. They are very hard to find up here at a decent price. When I saw this one and how solid it was and ran as well I thought I better grab it. But it is a joy to putt around with. Just looking at your pics I would say grab it. Looks fantastic.

Hey Steve. I bought my 59 apache as a stock driver with a rebuilt 235. Added the 3:38 rear end, sway bar kit , made sure ever nut and bolt were either tight or replaced and have driven it in the last year alone at least once a month over 300 miles on the freeway at 75-80 without fear or issue of any kind so it can be done. I will be adding disk in the front as it will make driving in traffic around town a bit easier. Not sure if you think mine is as nice a driver as the one your looking at but mine came in at just a hair over 9k when I bought it so 11k might be close or right on depending on how nice this 57 is. Take a look at mine and compare for yourself.

http://s1186.photobucket.com/albums/z362/markireptiles/59%20chevrolet%20apache/

Josh that's a sweet ride. I'm waiting on some more pics before I decide. Nice part is there wifey likes it. That's always a good start.

Nice looking truck, if every thing works and the motor has good compression and oil pressure, etc the price sounds about right.
I rebuilt my 58 and have more than $11k in parts, no labor. Old trucks are great drivers,long trips and high speeds, I recommend newer vehicles. Good luck

Looks like a nice truck, and 11k asking in not too bad $$ wise if shes in good shape. Fresh paint can hide a lot of problems. I'd make sure any body work was done correctly, and shes not full of bondo. Check the areas red58 mentioned. The 350 / 3 speed should do OK on the highway but will be revving on the high side = poorer fuel mileage if thats a concern.

I drive my NAPCO at least 3 days a week. I can only go 55-60 max, so no freeway driving. Also, terrible gas mileage (9.5 mpg). Yours should do better since it is a 2 wheel drive.

Drum brakes I assume? My drums stop me pretty well but the skinny tires will lock up (rear) on a hard stop and then the rear goes sideways. So, you just have to be more vigilant when driving. I do worry about how my face would look after I hit the steering wheel in a frontal crash every now and then though.

I drive my 51 1.5 ton every day. Gets kinda lonely on the interstate at a whopping 51 mph max speed, but I like how it forced you to slow down in life and relax / take in the scenery and enjoy the ride. I find myself choosing my other cars less and less just because the commute is much more relaxing in the big truck. This probably goes against all rational thinking, but it works for me.

That is one nice 57. My first old truck was a 57 1/2 ton SWB. Back in 1973 I paid $100 for it and drove to work every day 65 miles oneway on shift work. Of course mine didn't look near as nice as that one. Lots of rust in the cab caused me to retire it after 2 years and put together a 56 to replace it with. I eventually replaced the 235 with a 283 and had lots of fun with that old truck. Larry

I have a 59 as a daily driver. I upgraded brakes, engine and transmission, and she gets around pretty good, while retaining much of the original feel.

IMHO the key to being able to drive one of these daily is inderstanding how to work on them. Unless you have had one before, you won't know every nut and bolt, and how they go together, espeacially on one that has been rebuilt by somebody else. Even if you do get one running in tip top shape, the truck is still 50 years old, and some parts can fail without any warning. I carry a socket set and several other tools in case I have to make a field adjustment to get home. In 50,000+ miles of daily driving, my truck has been dragged home twice. The steering arm broke both times forcing the call to AAA.

I drive my 54 2-3 days a week too work about 30 miles but it is highly modified. pacer ifs, nova 2.73 rear and fenton headers and offenhauser manifold dual carbs. cruise, air. but it is appreciated by most who see it. original 235.

Ok. No response on the other one......here's one I'm looking at. Looks clean and simple, which I like. Straight 6 but that's ok.

I drove my ol' 57/8 GMC half ton daily for years,and not just commuting. I towed a 5th wheel trailer about 1,000 miles with it,moved a 14X70 4 miles with it once and hauled pretty much anything I needed hauled. That said,there ARE things you'll want to look at. An upgrade to front discs/dual reservoir master cylinder is an excellent idea if it's an available option for you. I install a GM 10si alternator,wired for all three wires,on my trucks. HEI is also a good thing. Make sure the clutch,rear brakes,u-joints and steering gear is in good shape and properly maintained. make sure the wipers work well. If needed get the radiator cleaned and repaired,replace the heater core,replace ALL the belts and hoses. Make sure the exhaust is safe. If the wiring looks even remotely brittle or "iffy",get a re-wire kit from one of the advertisers these people recommend. That's pretty much it. Much of this is only because the Boss only cuts ya some slack the first time or two that you're late for/miss work because your truck broke,so the idea here is to be sure there's nothing iffy enough to interfere with getting to work. If it's more something you can drive whenever you like without appointments or time limits,you can do a lot of this stuff later on,and enjoy driving the truck between projects.
These are things I skipped a LOT of when I was driving MY truck,but believe me-I have my battle scars from my neglect.
Speed

A good way to do it is make the truck safe first. Then work on reliable. Once you have those features covered,as you're driving it,try to pick one thing you notice needs work and try to concentrate on one task per month to get done without fail. (I make a list of everything I know the truck needs,and I find it's pretty satisfying to be able to cross something off the list each payday.)
Speed

I know Mods I did it again.......sorry.........

here are pics of my next target. '66 quoted as all original except for wheels. Straight 6, 3 on tree.

[IMG]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r305/FloridaFly/5G55F95J33F43Lf3N1c5h1d9d0665748d1e8d.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r305/FloridaFly/5Ga5K95F83G53Ka3L2c5h802e5689b646132d.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r305/FloridaFly/5I35O25Gb3m83Ib3Nfc5h6111b9609d5a1f5b.jpg[/IMG]
[IMG]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r305/FloridaFly/5I85Q05K13L93J53o1c5h620d2144391d12ae.jpg[/IMG]

He lied about the all original. If that is the original paint, seat covers and bed wood this truck has never been used.

if that's original, well then i'm a vergin.haha. what $$ is he lookin at? though it looks like a nice truck.

daren

Spoke to the fella. Real nice guy. He didn't mean the wood and paint were original. He's owned it for around 10 years. His dad's been driving it for a couple of those years and he just got it back. Says reason for selling is another project he wants to work on. Says paint job is from a 10 year old mild restoration. Says it's been garage kept when not driven. Admits there are a couple of rust spots under the front fenders, the windshield wiper switch is acting up, and when you turn either right or left (not both) then the turn signal doesn't shut off on it's own. Admits the finish on the wood in the bed needs to be redone. Says he's driven it over mountains in his area and taken it to car shows in South Carolina. He's gonna try to send more pictures. I'll keep you posted.

It's not a '66, it's a '65. If you do go for this one, make 100% sure that the the title is correct for this truck. (that really goes for ANY truck purchase)

Wow Bill. That's interesting. Did a little internet search and found that the 65 had the badge on the fender cowl was side by side and 66 was over under. Neat. I hope that the vin matches the title.

Thanks

Steve