Bringing retro cars back to life with modern internals is a task not for the faint-hearted: you must be prepared to invest absurd amounts of time and money in it without any guarantee of a financial payoff. This was the case with this 1971 Chevrolet K20 pickup that its owner had spent many years working on only to sell for a song.
The K20 came out in 1967 and proceeded to get updates and improvements from General Motors nearly every year, because it was seen as a trailblazer in its own market niche at the time. The front end styling, the bed and the other exterior traits kept changing from year to year. Apparently, the owner decided not to stick with any particular design year and just brush up his truck however he saw fit.
The work took more than 10 years to complete and reportedly cost over $130,000. The pickup ended with a custom-fabricated front grille, chromed side sills and mirrors, and a rather minimalist, clean-looking body finished in a nice shade of blue. The arches received 17-inch chrome wheels shod in Cooper Discoverer AT3 285/70 tires, and the suspension was rebuilt on modern components (with an air lift at the rear axle).
Some modern amenities, such as climate control, made it into the cabin as well. New leather seats and steering wheel were installed, among other things. A powerful 7.5-liter engine mated to a four-speed AT was placed in the engine bay. The listing did not specify the power, but it did mention 745 Nm (549 lb-ft) of torque.
Earlier this week, someone on Bring-a-Trailer bought it for $57,000. It may seem not too shabby for a 52-year-old truck, but makes us just a little bit said as we are looking back at the time and investment it took to build.