10 for 10

’67-’72 Chevrolet/GMC Truck
One of our favorites on the 10 for 10 list, the ’67-’72 Chevy/GMC pickup, is regarded by many as one of the most attractive pickup trucks produced by GM. The sweeping lines and mixture of modern and retro highlights have made this series a popular choice among enthusiasts. Of these, the most popular choice is the ’67-’68 Chevy fleetside.
The great character lines, combined with a basic mix of available options for the day, have certainly helped build the popularity of these trucks, plus they are easy to work on and still somewhat available. Builders have long recognized the potential of these trucks, and when combined with reasonable asking prices and the tremendous availability of aftermarket parts, it’s a hard choice to beat if you like the way they look.
As we mentioned, the attractive entry-level price of these pickups starts at around $2,000 for a well-used but running V-8 model, up to around $4,500 for a well-equipped version that is in great shape. Either choice leaves enough room for upgrades of your choice before hitting the self-imposed $10K ceiling.
Some of the more popular options that will increase the asking price of these trucks is the big block, factory bucket seats and A/C, but with some serious searching for exactly what you want, finding one of these great trucks with one or more of the options you are looking for makes this model a top choice in the up-to-10- grand list.

Ebay auction number: 270108478366
One particular ’67 we found is a most expensive buy-in option, and if you want a truck that someone else did a lot of the work on, then such a buy is for you. This short-wheelbase ’67 Chevy supposedly has great paint, and it has a great stance and an updated engine and interior. Purchasing such a truck means it will need little or no work unless you wish to personalize it, and that would leave you with $1,500 to do the job. If the truck is all it is claimed to be, you could install nice new wheels and be done.
This approach is not for everyone on a budget, but consider that it would get you a great-running truck with a good-running V-8 and that would save you a frame-off restoration, at least for now. Purchasing someone else’s finished ride also allows you to get to know the truck so that you might make more experienced decisions regarding later upgrades. This approach, although not personal, can save you both time and money, making this teal ’67 an example of a great buy.

’67-’72 Ford Truck
The ’67-’72 Ford pickups are dominated by the Chevy crowd, and this means that there are far more of these trucks out there for the pickings—and you should find one cheaper. Not many have received the rodding treatment, but these Fords are making a strong comeback.
Ford introduced this new body style in 1967, discontinuing the ’61-’66 truck design. These are great-looking trucks and feature I-beam front suspension, big V-8s and a roomier cab with enhanced visibility as a result of all the additional glass area. When looking for a possible candidate, keep in mind that for ’67 there were three trim levels: base, custom and the Ranger, which offered carpeting, plush seats and chrome exterior trim.
Those looking to have a great, buildable engine should check out the ’68 lineup, which included a new 360ci V-8 that replaced the 352, and a 390 V-8, both of which have a lot of aftermarket options available, making engine rebuilding quite affordable.
In 1969, a four-door crew cab was offered for the first time on a Ford, which we feel would make a great-looking show winner, but probably not for $10K. However, for this sum you could make one great-looking truck. Just imagine how good one would look slammed over a set of 20- or 22-inch billet wheels.

Ebay auction number: 150110118882
Our eBay truck is a ’71 example of an F-100 Custom short-­wheelbase pickup with a little wear, but it really looks good. The “buy it now” price was set at $1,300, which leaves plenty of room ($8,700) for all manner of neat upgrades. This truck is equipped with an inline six and a three-speed trans. We would swap that out for a rebuilt big block, which you can find quite inexpensively. A stout-running small block would also be an option, but it’s doubtful that you would save any money going this route. Or, you can go a cheaper route and hop up the inline six. Update it a little and back it with an AOD transmission for more comfortable highway cruising.
The paint isn’t in bad shape, so a good buffing may be just the ticket here. These are the things you need to decide before purchasing, as a new paint job will take a big chunk out of the $10K budget. Also, a set of 20-inch rollers won’t come cheap, but it will most certainly do the trick of filling these wheelwells. This is one of the best 10 for 10 examples we could find, and it is exactly the type of pickup that we felt would make this list so worthwhile.

’88-’98 Chevy Silverado
Anyone involved in the sport truck hobby understands why the ’88-’98 Chevy and GMC are on this list. They are by far the most popular truck builds of the ’90s, and the most popular of the lot was the short-wheelbase fleetside Chevy.
The formula was simple, and these trucks were hot for good reason: They were affordable and easy to find used. You could pick up a bright red or black Chevy and slam it with dropped spindles and a C-notch kit, throw on a set of 18-inch billets, which were considered big at the time, and you had a much-talked- about hot rod. Although not a neck-snapper, the engine made for a good cruiser.
In the late ’90s the introduction of the Escalade provided these trucks with a second life. Manufacturers began offering an Escalade front sheetmetal conversion kit, and these trucks once again dominated the show scene, cruise nights and high school parking lots. It was a great formula that worked, and to this day it still results in a terrific, personalized pickup.
These trucks were available with either a 4.3 V-6 or the Vortec V-8, and while the V-6 offered great fuel economy and unmatched reliability, the small block was the hot rodder’s choice, especially with a set of popular Flowmasters. These trucks are plentiful today and have become even more affordable over time. Potential builders looking to pick up a sweet daily driver need look no further: As we move into yet another generation of Chevy and GMC pickups (the ’07s), the ’88-’98s have never been so affordable. With an aftermarket loaded with options, these trucks make a great “first truck” effort, so you should have no problem living within the $10K cap.

Ebay auction number: 110110651606
Again, we found a home run with this great-looking, cherry ’95 Chevrolet 1500 equipped with a 4.3 and a five-speed trans. The exterior of the pickup is teal with a gray fabric interior, and while you may opt for leather, this a deal that would get you started.
At $3,800 this is a very attractive pickup, and since everything looks to be in great shape you could immediately begin working on the suspension, the new wheels and any of the personal appointments you would like to have on such a truck. For this kind of money you may even choose to set up the chassis on an air suspension, as there are a great many options available. Add a set of billet wheels, a new set of large-diameter tires, and you can achieve whatever look you are striving for—all for under $10K.

’89-’92 Ford Ranger
For those looking for less than a full-size pickup, the Ford Ranger is a top choice. When Chevrolet introduced the S-10 to replace the not-so-loved LUV pickup, Ford countered with the Ranger. It was an immediate hit. What once was jusÏt an option package for the F-100 in the ’60s began life as a new-model pickup. That was in the early ’80s, and the Ranger flourished.
The second-generation Ranger is an even better-looking truck, especially when given the attention it needs to be a hot rod. Since Ford produced an astonishing number of these trucks, aftermarket parts for body repairs are readily available. The simple styling and the availability of a 3.0-liter V-6 sparked interest in these trucks, much of which has since faded, leaving thousands of these trucks awaiting a second chance at life.
The Ranger not only makes for a good-looking truck when building one into a show truck, but if you’re willing to do the work the 5.0 Mustang engine makes a great swap. Since purchasing one can be so reasonable, pricewise, this leaves a lot of room for lowering the chassis and dressing up the exterior and the interior. Performing this swap is very possible within our given budget. When lowered, the extended cab provides a great build platform as well as providing plenty of room for custom seating and a killer stereo.

Ebay auction number: 320100832373
Our favorite of the Rangers we found was this red ’91. But we found many more examples that would make great build trucks. At the time of this story this truck was in the $300 price range, and it needed only a few simple fixes requiring time and very little money. There are a ton of these examples out there, providing you with a great entry into the world of customized pickups.
This is a halfway decent truck, needing only a little TLC and a set of wheels and tires, with gobs of budget left to turn it into something really special. The body is fairly straight but would require some attention, and it could use a nice single-color paint job, which could be done at home, or at least cheaply. Add to this the wheels and the necessary lowering components to give it that right stance, and you would have a cool truck. Heck, for this kind of money you may have enough left to do all sorts of personalized treatments to the interior, the bed, the trim or whatever else you are looking for with a custom effort.

’82-’93 Chevy S-10
You knew we would eventually get to this one. After all, the square-body S-10 is by far one of the most popular and most affordable of the smaller pickups. This popularity helped build a stout aftermarket, making parts availability an overwhelming experience. Nearly every inch of these trucks has one or more aftermarket components available to either replace or upgrade it.
The S-10 had smooth factory styling, but the early stock engines do suffer from a lack of power. The 2.8 engine and five-speed trans in most of these trucks were what we would consider a dog of a drivetrain and are not good candidates for adding power. This has made the 4.3-equipped pickup far more desirable.
A common engine swap to cure these ills is a small-block Chevy, and countless V-8 engine installs have been performed. Even a simple call to Jegs provides you with a one-part-number install kit, which will arrive at your door and allow you a much improved S-10 worthy of further upgrades.
These trucks can either be lifted or lowered with the use of bolt-on products, and your choices are from literally hundreds of companies that have all manner of options to suit your needs. All will work well with the stock chassis, so you can take this truck to whatever extreme, chassiswise. Top this with a full shave, or even a stock exterior and custom wheel and tire package, and you have the makings of a great but small pickup. The work is easy but will be more involved than the other choices offered here.

Ebay auction number: 130098656592
In a word, Chevy S-10 pickups are plentiful. Yet we found them to be somewhat limited on eBay. Perhaps owners didn’t think they would be a popular buy on the Internet, so your best choice might be to look for one locally. There are lots of them around, and they are cheap.
We did, however, manage to find an ’84 example, which was already equipped with a 350hp small-block Chevy for $3,800. This “buy it now” price is not bad considering that all the work is already done for you—and assuming, of course, that the swap was done in an acceptable manner. Because it already has a great small block, a nice set of flames, a tonneau cover and a clean interior, you have the makings of something here. The mileage claimed was 60,000, but for this price you shouldn’t really care, even if you found yourself rebuilding the engine.
This still leaves plenty of budget to further upgrade the suspension with new hardware and to add a lowering kit. In fact, you could rebuild the entire suspension just to freshen it up. This could be a great truck, and the outdated wheels should not be a deterrent, as they allow you to make the truck yours. Any such truck will no doubt require a lot of updating, and that’s a good thing. Whatever the outcome for such a truck, what a great price to get you into a small truck with V-8 power.

’93-’95 Ford Lightning
The first generation of Ford’s super truck is the ’93-’95 Lightning. Ford began the Lightning saga in ’93 and really pushed the light-duty truck market with this offering.
The Lightning was designed to compete with the GMC Syclone and the Chevrolet 454 SS, and it did that very well. Ford began by enhancing the chassis for increased rigidity, which made the Lightning handle and perform much better than its stock counterpart, the F-150. While the second-generation Lightnings are supercharged, the ’93-’95s are naturally aspirated 351 Windsors, which pumped out 240 hp and 340 lb-ft of torque. The engine receives most of its power thanks to the GT40 aluminum heads atop the Windsor block.
While you will find that many of these trucks remain stock and are wonderful trucks just the way they are, when fitted with bolt-on performance parts and handling upgrades, these trucks will put newer, high-horsepower trucks to shame. The door is wide open as to what you can do to enhance the present performance; just think along the lines of an upgraded Mustang, but with a truck suspension, and you get the idea.
Contrary to popular belief, finding a nice first-generation Lightning is neither hard nor expensive, which makes these unique Ford pickups prime candidates for a fabulous Ford pickup build.

Ebay auction number: 130096799619
One of the hardest to find for this list was the Lightning, not because there weren’t many available but because prices were all over the place. The majority of the trucks we found and witnessed selling were in the $7,500 range, making it a strong candidate for this $10K list. There were a number of decent trucks for this build, so it became a matter of choice and price.
Thanks to the respectable power, our example would probably receive an altitude adjustment, as well as a set of billet wheels and new upsized tires. These trucks are in the higher price spectrum of this market, as they already come with a lot going in. But modifying the truck would not be difficult, and our eBay example was very tempting, even to us, both in price and styling. Our ’93 Lightning example is one of our favorites on this list. You can’t go wrong with such a fine truck.

’90-93 Chevy 454 SS
These limited-production pickups are some of the coolest trucks ever built, but they were not necessarily great trucks stock.
When GM decided to build a full-size performance truck, with plenty of grunt and the great looks to match, it stuck a big block in the Silverado. The 454 SS pickup is a great candidate, as the 255 hp and 405 lb-ft of torque delivered with the 7.4-liter 454 engine can be greatly improved upon. Even though it might be a tad outside this list, can you say 502/502?
The 454 SS featured dark tinted windows, an upgraded interior, A/C and a host of other amenities that placed it above the base-option 1500 model. Since the platform is shared between the 1500, there are thousands of aftermarket bolt-on products to both tune the engine and slam the suspension of the 454 SS. While these trucks were hot during the early and mid-’90s, the riot has died considerably, allowing prices to fall accordingly. Due to their age, though, finding one in decent condition with reasonable mileage can be more difficult than one might imagine. Regardless, if you do come across one and it’s reasonably priced and in great condition, this truck makes a great foundation for a bad-ass pickup.

While we could not find a prime candidate with a “buy it now” price, we did find a few around the $6,000 range that did not look bad at all. At this price, and depending upon the condition and what you would wish to modify, $4,000 doesen’t leave a lot of breathing room, but you could take the truck up in stages, or simply live with what you can do within the $10K range.
With this type of power on tap, modifying the pickup with the remaining $4,000 would be a blast, literally. If you go for looks and are satisfied with the present power level, a set of dropped spindles and front coils and a flip kit for the rear would be the place to start. This would be followed by a big set of wheels and tires, and you’re off with a great foundation.
This truck would be a prime candidate for anyone looking for a good-handling truck, but consider that it will be a bit more nose heavy than a small-block-powered pickup. Going in, the suspension is much better than the base truck, but it sits way too high. So what you have here are choices, choices, choices.

’65-’71 Dodge Truck
Why the ’65-’71 Dodge truck, you may ask? We sure don’t see many of these trucks modified. Well, we figured you might feel this way, so we found the finest example possible that really displays just what these trucks are capable of.
As a good portion of these trucks have long ago rusted away, finding a good example can prove difficult, but not impossible. The end result is worth the hassle, especially for those looking to break away from the mainstream of Fords and Chevys, and you grow to appreciate the uniqueness of these early Dodge trucks. They grow on you.
Mitch Meyers’ orange example, shown here, gives you a sneak peek of what a solid project could turn out like, and while this may be a high-dollar show truck beyond the $10K budget limit, achieving just such an in-the-weeds stance is possible, and so is a cool paint job. Thanks to the low entry-level cost, not only is all this possible, but installing a V-8 isn’t too much of a stretch either, as the majority of these trucks left the factory with 318 V-8s. Look carefully, and look hard, as these trucks are out there for very reasonable money. What you will end up with is a unique example of a killer pickup.

Ebay auction number: 130097099593
This ’69 Dodge A-100 shortbed would make a great starter truck. Selecting a prime candidate such as this for building your own dream may be a litter harder due to the limited number of available aftermarket components and replacement sheetmetal, but it would be worth it in the end.
Our particular truck is equipped with an inline six, which we think would have to go, but then it could be hopped up to look vintage. Our choice would be a great-running 340, which would be very affordable, or a nicely rebuilt 360, which would be cheaper yet.
Thanks to the low closing price of $1,500, building such a Dodge would be easy if you plan to do much of the work yourself. A great weekend project would be slapping a Fat Man IFS under the frontend, followed by a replacement small-block V-8 swap, which you could do for about four grand, including the truck. Then spend the rest on all the small items like a new steering column and, of course, the wheels and tires. Can you see it? This could be a really cool truck.

’61-’67 Ford Econoline
No, we haven’t lost it: The Econoline is awesome, and it would make a great one-off truck. Introduced in 1961, the Ford Econoline pushed the envelope with new, unseen styling and engine placement. The Econoline survived a seven-year production run and seems to be very scarce, making a good, buildable truck somewhat of a rare item. However, these trucks could really be turned into great fairgrounds cruisers. Slap 10 or so of your best friends in the back, two coolers and a grill and cruise the next Goodguys event.
These trucks are equipped with an inline six-cylinder engine, so fuel economy would be quite respectable, especially when backed by an AOD transmission. Being different is part of this great hobby, and what screams unique more than an Econoline pickup?

Ebay auction number: 150109087549
Now, this one really took some time to find, but we did find a few prime candidates that would be ideal for a build.
The one we found already featured a hot set of kidney-bean-style wheels, complete with surfboard and Moon decals, making it one of our favorites. Since purchasing high-end parts is out of the question and, quite frankly, nobody makes any, this truck is strictly going to be a creative work in progress. In the $3,000 to $5,000 price range and already rolling on new wheels and tires, we would really treat the six to a simple hopup for additional power, as well as a nice interior and rechroming of the trim. The uniqueness of the pickup doesn’t require a lot of modification—just a lot of massaging.

’61-’71 International Scout
Last but not least is another of the cool but long forgotten trucks. The first-generation Scout, predecessor to the Scout II, which is still found on the road today seeing daily use, has begun to make a comeback.
The original Scout was introduced in 1961 as an all-out compact utility pickup. The Scout 80 was introduced with a 152-cubic-inch four-cylinder engine, as well as a fold-down windshield, vacuum wipers and an extremely large “IH” in the center of the grille. While these were viewed strictly as utilitarian vehicles, many saw them as small compact pickups with a removable top, similar to the Jeep. You could say these trucks were ahead of their time.
By the 1969 model year we saw the introduction of the 800 with a new 304 AMC V-8, which really boosted sales of the Scout. More than 100,000 Scouts were built, but they seem to be very rare today, making them another cool but unique pickup. That doesn’t mean they are not out there; only that they are probably sitting on someone’s front lawn with a “for sale” sign, rather than being on eBay. Again, the rarity of these trucks has made them as hard to build as they are to find, but some companies are beginning to recognize the need for these parts, which has helped boost the interest in these trucks.

Ebay auction number: 300099349577
We found a few of these trucks online and were very surprised at the prices. While many of them needed work, such as the example seen here, having $8,500 to spend on updating the truck could really turn it around. This one is a ’62 4×4, which we would swap out for a 2WD frontend and spend some money on paintless dent repair. Finding a better top wouldn’t be a bad idea, and fixing up the interior is a must but would be easy, as it provides a great palette to work with. Nevertheless, the Scout 80 or 800 would be tough to beat for the 10-grand challenge, as it has a great entry-level price, and what you would have is one individual styling statement. It makes you think, doesn’t it?