Is this the Perfect GMC Sierra Stepside?
This recipe requires several rare options, several cups of modern upgrades, and just a pinch of Corvette.
If you want to talk about modified and restored trucks, the market seems to be flooded with an endless supply of machines from the 50s, 60s, and the 70s. Maybe it’s age, maybe it’s style and design, but for some reason the trucks from the 80s just don’t get that much love. It’s that relative rarity that makes this 1985 GMC High Sierra C1500 so much sweeter. We found this beast rolling around on Classic Cars, and it set our hearts on fire.
Bought new in 1985, this GMC Stepside was already a dream thanks to its factory wooden bed-floor. We knew this option was a rare one, but according to the sale listing, only 2-percent of trucks left the factory this way. Couple in a 305 V8 with four-barrel carbs sending power to a 700 R4 automatic and we have a real party on our hands. The 308 locking rear is just icing on the cake.
And don’t be afraid of the 117k miles showing on the dash. The motor was just torn apart and rebuilt a few hundred miles ago. The parts list is long enough we don’t want to bother you with it, but all the big ticket items like bearings, piston rings and more were replaced and upgraded. They even cleaned and painted the block with a nice coat of black gloss, and finished it out with a healthy dose of chrome. The transmission has also been rebuilt, and it includes the much loved Corvette C2 spring shift kit upgrade.
Inside you’ll find a completely new interior, done up in a camel beige that looks great with the truck’s deep black paint. Speaking of the paint, the outside of this truck was cleaned up and finished as nicely as the engine and interior. The Cragar mag wheels are a bit overplayed, but that wooden bed, chrome rails and the new bumpers make this pickup look better than new.
The asking price of $30k seems a bit steep, but with this much restoration work it’s hard to fault them. It’s a Florida truck as well, so you don’t need to worry as much about winter-salt rot hiding under those freshly painted frame rails. When we were in high-school we would have killed for a truck this nice. Maybe it’s time to book a plane ticket to Gainesville and make that dream come true.
