I'm Looking At A 1978....

[87GrandPrix]

So at my friends house, I looked in his garage and it just so happens to have a 1978 Chevy Scottsdale K10 (Full Time) 4x4 in it. It's got a 350 V8, Texas Box, New doors, New wheel wells, new floors and FRESLY Painted Metallic Grey-Silver, and a plow mount on the front. It looks like it has a 2 inch lift on it also. It says 64,000 miles, but you never know.

He hasn't driven it in years and its all dusty and has random thing sitting on it.

His son Silas said he would probably sell it for 800 and I asked his other son Seth if he would sell it for 800 and he said he probably would.

I need a winter truck, and this Full Time 4x4 sounds pretty handy, its like an AWD car.

Here's a picture of what it looks like, minus the brush guard and 33" tires.

 

[waggin]

Full time 4x means full time driveline friction, full time extra front tire wear, full time decreased fuel economy, full time bind while cornering on hard surfaces. If the body is as nice as it appears in the pictures, then it's probably worth it. Count on dismal fuel mileage w/full time 4wd. Trucks are cheap right now, so make sure it fits what you want in a truck, or spend a little more for what you really want & need. If it doesn't come with the wheels/tires in the pictures, what does it come with, and if you don't like them, how much will it cost to get what you want?

Even better if you can pick up a NP205 part time, gear driven transfer case and the rest of the stuff to swap from that boat anchor full time, chain driven NP203 that's in the truck now.

 

[87GrandPrix]

That's not the truck that im buying, that's a similar truck I found on google.. I'm only buying this 78' for winter and hauling stuff. If I even buy the truck im going to most likely put 15" Soft 8's on it and im still looking around for a meaty tire for it.

 

[85 Cutlass Brougham]

If it is as good as you say then it's worth it. Also, full time 4WD does not mean it is always on. You can unlock the hubs on most full time trucks. (If you couldn't, the transfer case would not last long on pavement) The one bad thing to me is that it seems like a shame to ruin all the hard work they have in it by using it as a beater. I would still use it in the winter, but just take good care of it. Wash out the salt and sand with a hose every week or so, paint the frame and undercarriage with Rustoleum going into winter, keep the drain holes in the rockers and doors clear, make sure the doors and windows seal well, paint the floors with bedliner stuff, etc. If you do all that, it should make it through the winter with minimal damage.

 

[Munkey B]

the truck DOES NOT have locking hubs. it has a cap on end of axle that is not selectable, hence, full time.
full time has a NP203 transfer case.
all the bad rep 203's get are just that hype. they are a very solid T-case. that's why you see alot of guys using 205/203 doubler systems.
really only problems w/them is chain stretch. that all depends on mileage and abuse.
i'd be more worried about the 10 bolt axles. (it might even have a D44 on front if your lucky. sometime in late 70's, early 80's GM changed to corp 10 bolt)

i've owned 6 dodges w/203 case and never a problem. i'd take that over a 208 anyday.
if you wanted to convert to PT, the cost would not offset the savings in fuel or wear.

it's a good reliable drivetrain. you could switch to a 208 or 205 but there's other issues. not sure about the 350/400 trans adaptation to these.
i know on dodges, you need a completey different output shaft for a 208 and there is a 1/2" difference between a 205 and 203 shaft.

this is what a dodge 203 has on shifter knob.
4 Hi-loc
4 Hi
N
4 Low
4 Low-loc

not sure on a chevy.

for $800? take and run as fast as you can.

 

[jrm81bu]

The 4wd on that is always on. No lock-outs. The 78 I had was full-time. I liked it, never had a problem with the transfer case(other than changing the trany and t-case together on my back in grass without a jack-took 3 of us to do it). And ya, the axles broke first. I'd do it for 800 if it was even half decent looking and ran.

 

[Blake442]

Buy it, drive it into the ground, and then when it breaks/dies, you can pull the 350 and stuff it in your GP...

 

[jrm81bu]

Buy it, drive it into the ground, and then when it breaks/dies, you can pull the 350 and stuff it in your GP...

:lol:
Amen, brother Blake! :lol:

 

[87GrandPrix]

I took a good look at it today, and OH MY GOD the frame was perfect, I could see factory metal rather than surface rust, the paint is metallic grey like I said with like 2 flaws that are barely noticable. It sits pretty high for a truck of that year, I got in it and pushed all the random crap outta the way and turned the key, it rolled over and the battery died. It will start with a fresh batter EASILY. It has the stock muffler and pipes on it and they are nearly mint. Im going there again today when my friends dad gets there and Ill take a bunch of pics of it.

It has a plow mount on it but the plow is somewhere else, it has a towing package and all the controls for the plow in it. The headlight bezels are a little worn but meh, I can re paint those if I want.

It has 5 years of dust on it they can be cleaned, the floors underneath are beautiful, wheel wells have a tiny bit of surface rust, and the rims have their rust but a nice set of Cragar Soft 8's will do no harm.

The tires have 60% tred but they are old and outta style.

It has a nice spray in bed liner in it and the floor of the bed has barely sprouted surface rust.

It's not a dual gas tank, Im not 100% sure the Speedo works because when the truck is off the speedo needle is past 100, same when key is on. There is no rust on the leafs, there is a fair amount of grease on the front differential, Drive shaft is clean.

If you look underneath the truck behind the panels there is under coating.

 

[Munkey B]

i just noticed your in Michigan.

let me know if you need any help
no seriously, i'm on vacation starting 8-8