This project falls under the heading of “Be sure to check the VIN before you buy, dummy.”

It was April 30, 2020, with the Pandemic raging, and I was totally bored with the whole “work from home” routine.  Wanting a 1969 Step side, short-bed C10 pickup, I was scanning Craigslist and eBay for a low-cost restoration project.  I had found a really nice candidate in Washington State.  It was a former Forrest Ranger pickup that had seen service for many years and was now retired.  Solid bones, I thought.  But unfortunately, the bidding on the final day of the online auction got out of hand and I decided to pass.

Just a couple of weeks later, a very interesting post on eBay popped up.  A 1969 Step side, long bed C10 pickup.   Very rare and unique.  A gentleman in Midland, Texas was downsizing his collection of vintage pickups in preparation for a house move.   The initial auction price was $1,500.   I thought I’d toss in a bid and see what happens, thinking there was a slim chance I’d win.   Keep in mind, this was a “Roller”.   No engine or transmission.  And quite rusty, but salvageable.   Sure enough, I won the vehicle at the initial bid of $1,500.

A week later, I arranged a date to secure the truck.   After a quick visit to see my son in Lubbock for the weekend, I headed south on I-27 to Midland.   Seeing the truck had all its panels and that unique long bed, I was totally pumped.  Also learned it was a heavy-duty model.   The seller was in quite a hurry, so I paid him cash, he gave me the title, and we quickly got to work loading up.  The truck was so heavy, we had to borrow a Bobcat from a neighbor to push the thing up onto the Auto Transport trailer.   After securing the load, I headed home.

Once back, I excitedly inspected my prize and decoded the VIN.  To my dismay, it was not a 1969 but a 1971 model.  Ugh.  I called up the seller to ask if he mistakenly posted the wrong year.   He profusely apologized and even offered to refund my money.  I gave it a quick thought and decided it was my fault for not checking the VIN before buying.   My bad.  And a lesson learned.

After letting my mistaken purchase sit for a few months, I decided it was just too far off the mark for my collection.  I chose to post it for sale on eBay and sold it for $2,500 to a guy in the Northeast who restores monster trucks.   Not a bad flip.