My grandpa bought this truck new in 1978 from a local chevy dealer. He was a carpenter so it was due to be a work truck. He retired a few years later and the truck had maybe 30k miles on it. After he retired it barely got driven. He passed away in 1992 and the truck was basically in storage and passed down from my grandma to my dad when she died then my dad passed in 2018 and the truck has sat in storage. My dad commuted in it and had the rust removed by replacing the bad panels around 1995 and the interior redone. Currently it has 44k miles on it and sits in storage. My mom wants to sell it. BaT has said no thanks, cars and bids only take vehicles to 1981. Should I just throw it on ebay? Or should I try hemmings? I know old stock trucks are supposed to be real hot right now but the amount of sites is making my head swim after my original plan fell through I'm not sure what to do.
Just a curious question, BaT declined you ? What does that mean ? Did they judge the truck not worthy, or are there some guidelines that it doesn't meet ? I know very little about the BaT venue.
You could put an ad here. Also, I know there are websites devoted to Chevy squarebody trucks that have classified ad sections. There's always Craigslist and Facebook Marketplace, if it were me I'd rather sell locally instead of having to deal with shipping it to another part of the country.
In reply to Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) :
Yes some guideline it didn't meet. There are many reasons a vehicle could be rejected.
In reply to stuart in mn :
Thanks. I'll have to search out one of those sites
I'd start with FB Marketplace as its pretty easy. You'll get a lot of crazy lowballs and some scammers, but I've been pretty pleased with how fast I can sell something locally compared to trying to get top dollar nationally. With this crazy economy, sometimes the local sales get top dollar too. National sales also have some hassles, tend to draw out the timeline, and fall through a fair amount. I don't know if you're looking for top dollar or just to move the truck at a fair price. I'm usually on the move it on at a fair price spectrum.
Does it run and drive? Is it cleaned up? That makes a big difference.
In reply to Carl Heideman we are trying to make good money off a great truck. Its clean, nearly rust free(has had panels replaced so has been repainted) mechanically it runs and drives as new. Its basically a survivor.
What is the consensus on consignment shops. I found fastlanecars.com and its 130 miles from where the truck is stored. The truck could drive across the country if needed so thats not a bad drive.
This is a good example of how well the car has to be photographed in order to get top dollar.
https://www.fastlanecars.com/vehicles/2994/1973-gmc-sierra-grande
I recommend you strive for that level of clean. This may require professional detailing. Be ready to spend $250 and tell them you want under frame detailing too. Stock sells best. If it doesn't leave any remnants of damage like rub or wear marks, I would remove the bug deflector. Love it or hate it is how some people will see it but getting rid of it elimates the haters. I would remove the truck bed cap too, but I suspect that removing the cap will then expose wear marks on the bed rails and those marks would be a greater negative. Therefore, leave the cap.
You'll need detailed pictures as detailed as the ad above. Maybe you wont have a "white room" but take photos in a pleasant setting that doesn't detract from the quality of the truck. Pictures taken outside on an overcast day can often come out better than pictures taken on a super bright day with tons of shadowing. Try noon on a cloudy day. Your ad should have words but let the pictures do a lot of the talking.
Once clean, put the truck on your local FB Marketplace. Maybe give it a price of $22,500. I think that will signal to people that they might be able to buy it for $20k. Engage in conversation with everyone who inquires but keep in-person visits to a minimum. This will reduce your time wasters. The world loves to communicate via text. After answering someone few text questions let them know that you'll need to speak to them via phone before visit. That phone conversation will weed out the dreamers and it is easier to smell BS via spoken word than it can be via written word.
In reply to John Welsh :
Thanks. I noted that they do all their own photography which makes that a snap. Thumbs up on all the rest. I'll probably have to have the bench seat redone as well.
In reply to gunner (Forum Supporter) :
Notice that they covered the bench in a "period appropriate" Navaho-ish seat cover. Do the same. Do not invest into tires/wheels. Stock is great. It lets the buyer/dreamer see what he would rather have there. If the rubber is old, dont worry. Leave it that way. Now, if the rubber is old and your buyer wants to have the rubber replaced before he drives home, just give him the name of a local tire shop or Walmart that he can place his order with, directly, to have them mounted on the afternoon after he buys the truck from you.
Seat covers:
LMC $89
Brothers: $89
gunner (Forum Supporter) said:
In reply to Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) :
Yes some guideline it didn't meet. There are many reasons a vehicle could be rejected.
AIUI, BaT has a maximum number of auctions they run per day. If they have more people wanting to sell cars than they have slots available in the near future then they pick which cars to run and which to decline.
oh that's gonna sell quick
Man, that truck just SCREAMS grandpa. She's a beaut!
You should get good money for that square body values keep going up even for ones in far less good condition as that.
In reply to John Welsh :
Ah yes. Seat cover and done. Great idea. Tires are good. Full tread and coded 1018. No dry rot. Not changing anything else. You did point out something though. The truck is at my moms. I dont want people out there bothering her. I'm going to call that consignment shop and see if we can work something out.
eBay? We sold our '75 Pontiac wagon via eBay and did fine.
In reply to gunner (Forum Supporter) :
I think the easy button is probably Instagram, give it the right tags and the buyers will show up.
My first truck was a '78, C10, 2WD, long bed, Big 10. I loved that truck.
In reply to chandler :
I guess I don't know how to sell stuff on Instagram. Would I just post it up in my profile with a bunch of hashtags?
https://flickr.com/photos/159999126@N07/albums/72177720298362527
Some of the photos and videos I already have. The true mileage really is 43,772 as seen in one video.
gunner (Forum Supporter) said:
In reply to chandler :
I guess I don't know how to sell stuff on Instagram. Would I just post it up in my profile with a bunch of hashtags?
Yup, I always searched firstgenforsale when I was on there; I'm not anymore, but I'm guessing squarebodyforsale will have the same feel
I can't tell for sure but does it have a seat cover on it now? If so, what's the original seat look like underneath? If it's good it I think it would be a plus to remove the cover.
It may be worth replacing that rusty battery tray. Brothers Truck has a replacement and it's only $16.00. https://www.brotherstrucks.com/1973-80-CHEVY_GMC-TRUCK-BATTERY-TRAY-BOTTOM/productinfo/BTB7380/
In reply to stuart in mn :
Thats the reupholstered actual seat. Thanks for the heads up on the battery tray.
