Chevy C65

[Electra_Glide]

Looking for any comments about the older Chevy C65 dumps. The one I'm considering is a 1975. 25800 GVW, gas motor (454), 5 spd with a 2 spd rear with 73k miles.

It would be used to tow the skid-steer trailer and run small loads for some retaining wall jobs I have coming up.

Anything in particular I should look out for?

Thanks in advance...

Joe

 

[cat320]

The only thing i would be worried about is going thru a tank a gas a day with that 454. other than that they were good trucks .

 

[Cat420]

We have almost the same truck (77' Gmc 6500). Be sure to get under the truck and check EVERY brake line, we had to replace them all. Also the electric brake boost went bad. The floor is also mostly rusted out of the cab. Other than that it is a very good truck, ours sits for weeks and then starts up no problem. It is a beast of a truck, definitely overkill for towing a skidsteer. Unless you need the dump body capacity, you may be better off with a f-550 size dump for the gas mileage.

 

[Electra_Glide]

Unless you need the dump body capacity, you may be better off with a f-550 size dump for the gas mileage.

I'd love to have an F550, but let's just say that this particular truck is a little more in my price range.

I started looking at 1-ton dumps, but you really can't get any payload on them legally. Like yours, this truck will probably be sitting more than it will be running in the near term. If it were something I knew was going to be put to use every day, then I'd be willing to spend more, and the gas milage would be more of an issue.

I'm off to look at it now, so we'll see...

Joe

 

[xkvator]

EG...how'd it look?

 

[digger242j]

Yeah, How'd it look? One of us might want to borrow it.

 

[Electra_Glide]

Well, it didn't look too bad for a 30 yr. old truck, but you know what they say about looks being deceiving.

On the positive side: very little rust, aluminum dump bed, new exhaust.

On the negative side: leaking brake cylinder on one of the rear wheels, bad shimmey in the front end, and the deal breaker: a broken odometer. :crying

The broken odometer scares me since I have no way of knowing the true milage. I'm looking for a reliable work truck, and without knowing the true milage, I'm not sure this is the truck.

Like I said, for a 30 yr. old truck, it really wasn't that bad, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized I should just bide my time, finish my CDL training (goin' to take the written test in the next few days), and keep saving my pennies so I can go out and buy a 33k GVW truck like what I want.

For you Western PA guys, it's sitting on a lot up near Prospect, PA (right on Rt. 422), and the guy has it listed on trucktraderonline.com. He's asking $5995. (Don't know if the moderator allows posting the direct link?)

I'm still resisting the urge to call him back and offer him about $3800... :drinkup .

Take care and be safe...

Joe

Kantz Excavating and Contracting

 

[digger242j]

I'm still resisting the urge to call him back and offer him about $3800... .

For what it's worth, I once looked at a truck, and decided to buy it. Somebody else came along with a pocketful of cash and the dealer sold it out from under me. He then offered me another truck he'd been preparing. He offered it to me for something like $6800. I decided to go elsewhere anyway, but the next week he had that truck advertised for $8000. Moral of the story is that you might just get a deal, if you bother to ask.

 

[PSDF350]

For what it's worth, I once looked at a truck, and decided to buy it. Somebody else came along with a pocketful of cash and the dealer sold it out from under me. He then offered me another truck he'd been preparing. He offered it to me for something like $6800. I decided to go elsewhere anyway, but the next week he had that truck advertised for $8000. Moral of the story is that you might just get a deal, if you bother to ask.

I remember when i was a kid my dad worked at a junk yard an the owner gave him a car. well about 2 months later my dad is out doing a tow comes back his car is gone :beatsme wondering what the heck happened to his car goes inside oh someone came by and wanted to know how much and he sold it to him :eek2

 

[leadarrows]

I paid 3500. for my 77 C65 about 6 years ago. It had a new 366 in it. I have replaced the clutch, rear end, brakes, exhaust, tires and wheels (got away from those split rims) steering box, king pins drag link, heater core, carburetor, alternator, fuel pump, and the water pump.
Whew :eek2 LOL
But I still only have about ten grand in it and now I have a very sound truck.
Those repairs were spread out by the way not all at once.

Now the good news. That truck has been the main money maker for me. Paying for it's self 30 times over since 2001 which is when I started using QB so that is all the further I can track costs and profits for it.

There are lots of choices when considering a dump truck. I saved a bundle on all those repairs by doing them myself. That's a big factor. If you can fix up an old beater your self then older trucks can be a bargain.
If down time is a big problem for you then it might not be the way to go. You know more about you situation then I do. I am happy with mine and I have made my living with it for several years so I'M happy.

One thing I can say for sure. once you have a dump truck you will wonder how you ever lived with out it. That's assuming it will be you first one. If it's not then you may already no that.

When I wanted brake parts I went to a brake shop first. The owner tried to tell me the parts were hard to come by and were very expensive. I almost fell for it. He wanted 3 grand to put brakes on it. I thought I would just check at NAPA and see. I got a rebuilt master cylinder, rear brake shoes, rear wheel cylinders, rear axle seals and a brake springs kit for around 900.00.
All of which they had in stock except for one wheel cylinder which they got the next day.

I hope this info helps you.
I'LL post a picture.

 

[Cat420]

We would probably have to replace the same things on ours if it was to be used all the time. It was $5,500 about 5 years back. We bought it in late summer and then had a nasty winter. I would have figured that buying a truck with a plow would almost guaruntee a snow-free winter.

 

[xkvator]

EG
another source for a decent truck are some of the LTL freight companies. they get rid of there city tractors at a certain time period...some even right after engine rebuilds/etc.
the best way is to know one of the drivers
this was a Carolina Freight truck

 

[Electra_Glide]

EG
another source for a decent truck are some of the LTL freight companies.

Yep, you can find plenty of them on trucktraderonline and truckpaper. Most are a little out of my price range at the moment though. Need to get a few more jobs completed. I'm trying to rent what I need for each job, and then buy stuff when I can afford to pay cash, but sometimes it's hard to resist the temptation to go on a buying binge... :bouncegri

Did you get yours as a tractor and add the dump yourself, or did somebody else upfit it and your bought it as a dump? I've never priced out buying a tractor and then having it converted. I wonder if it's any cheaper than buying a dump outright.

I love your setup...it's exactly the same one I'd like to have for next year. What's the specs for your truck and trailer?

Joe

 

[Kevin]

I recently purchased this 82 c70 for 4000.00. It has an 8.2 diesel and had a previous life as a fire truck. I have had no problems with it so far and am quite happy with it.

Kevin

 

[xkvator]

EG
this truck was bought as a tractor and a fab shop that had the used bed installed it along with a telescopic hoist. this truck was supposed to be sold, so it only got a short alum. tailgate/no air. - its a pain dumping mulch - you have to lower the gate, but since it's alum.,it's not heavy...i can do it myself.
it has a ford diesel/6 sp. trans...enough power to pull the excavator on the 12k trailer. turns real tight. probably around $12k total invested including brakes/tires/etc.
you have to do the paperwork to convert it from a tractor to truck...notarized papers from the bed installer...pics/etc.
if the notary doesn't know what their doing, it's a PIA.
this truck could be 30k, but it's rated 26k...no fuel tax reporting. light weight is about 14k. don't need a comb. plate to haul the skid or excavator because the total is under the 26k gvr. Can't haul the 580K, though.
i heard more tractors are going to be avail. Sept., but none locally.

 

[greg9504]

I paid 3500. for my 77 C65 about 6 years ago. It had a new 366 in it. I have replaced the clutch, rear end, brakes, exhaust, tires and wheels (got away from those split rims) steering box, king pins drag link, heater core, carburetor, alternator, fuel pump, and the water pump.
.

Can you tell me more about converting to non split rim wheels? That's the only thing I don't like about my truck. Did you have to replace the inner rim too?

FYI For my 1982 C70 with dump and 4 ton HIAB crane, I paid $5500 CDN and put about another $2.5k into fixing it up (replaced every brake component). Would have been less but I paid someone to do the brakes. I haven't had a problem getting parts, but sometimes it does take a few days. The crane was manufactured in 1977 and I can still get parts for it, next day. So far all I've bought for the crane is a few dollars worth of seals, but I have asked about some other parts for it and all were stocked.

 

[Steve Frazier]

greg9504, Welcome to HeavyEquipmentForums.com!!:drinkup

All you need to do to convert your rims is buy tubeless rims in the same wheel size and bolt them on.

 

[greg9504]

Thanks, do you have a link to a site that sells the rims, so I can get an idea of price? So that means I would need new tires too. Unless I could run tubes in a non-tube rim. I did that on my pickup for a tire that had cut in the sidewall. I currently have Michellin XZA 10R20 tires, which look almost new. Would like to reuse them if at all possible.

 

[leadarrows]

I got mine at Clark Tire a local tire store. Mine were used and only set me back..Had too look..Twenty each. That was in 2002.
You could run tubes I guess but why do you think you need them? Just get new valve stems and your good to go.

 

[greg9504]

hmm I am 99% sure they have tubes now, it says "tube" on the side of the tire. So I would assume that means the tire was designed to run a tube.