4 Square Body Chevys Worth Buying Today

Square body Chevy trucks are from the third generation of Chevrolet C/K pickups ranging from 1973 to 1987 model years. While the square body Chevrolet truck is widely regarded as one of the best looking truck designs as a whole, values vary among particular model years.

If you're looking for a classic pickup truck for your next project, the square body Chevy is a great option. It's possible to find project trucks in this category priced under $5,000 that have the potential to sell for amounts well into six-figure territory when properly restored to original or resto-mod condition.

According to data from Classic.com, over the last five years at least one example from four square body Chevy truck models years, including 1973, 1979, 1983, and 1984, have sold for more than $160,000. Honorable mention goes to the 1986 model year with a sale price of $147,500 during the same five-year period.

[Featured image by Michael Barera via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 4.0]

Chevrolet ended its Action Line, the second generation of C/K pickup trucks and one of the most iconic Chevrolets from the 1970s, in 1972. When the automaker launched the third generation C/K trucks for the 1973 model year, it tried to call them the Rounded Line. However, the new name didn't catch on and the new generation body style was quickly dubbed the square body by the public.

Over the past five years, Classic has recorded 37 sales totaling more than $1 million. The top sale for the 1973 square body was a highly modified Burnt Orange C10 Custom model (shown above) that brought $220,000 at the Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale Arizona in January of 2023. The truck was purchased for $6,600 in November 2020 prior to undergoing restoration and modification.

The truck's original engine was replaced with a 650-horsepower supercharged 6.2L LT4 V8 from Chevrolet Performance backed by an eight-speed automatic transmission. Additional modifications include the new independent front suspension 4x4 chassis and heavy-duty transfer case with shift-on-the-fly capability.

While that individual truck sits on the extreme end of the scale, average prices for a 1973 Chevy square body are more reasonable at $28,773. The most recent sale recorded by Classic went for $27,000 involving another highly modified 1973 Chevy C10.

Classic recorded 102 sales of 1979 model year Chevy trucks over the past five years with a total value of around $2.7 million. Its position as the seventh installment of the square body generation retains its 1970s status while incorporating potential technological gains from six years of advancement.

Classic's top recorded 1979 square body Chevy truck sale for the period brought $165,000 at the same January 2023 Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale Arizona as the 1973 square body discussed above. This truck, a short-bed K10 with factory-installed four-wheel-drive, featured full restoration in 2022 that included a Rough Country six-inch suspension lift, 400-cubic-inch V8, four-speed automatic transmission, and 35-inch Dick Cepek Trail Country tires. According to Classic, the project truck was purchased for $1,000 in September 2021 and listed on Bring a Trailer where it was not sold despite receiving a bid of $46,250 in December 2022.

Average sale prices for the 1979 square body sit at $26,692 with the most recent sale in October 2024 at $22,000. The latest sale being a yellow and cream colored C10 Super Cheyenne with a 5.0L V8 and 22-inch U.S. Mags wheels.

Square body Chevy trucks from the last half of the C/K series third generation have generated some of the highest sales. While the 1983 square body maintains a relatively low average sale price of $25,350 based on Classic's 72-recorded sales over the past five years, the highest grossing sale for the period brought $228,250.

That particular sale occurred at the Mecum auction in Kissimmee Florida on January 14, 2023. Prior to the auction, the lowered 1983 C10 Custom already had a long list of accolades, including the 2022 C10 Nationals 73-87 Truck of the Year, 2022 Goodguys Late Truck of the Year finalist, and an appearance on the cover of Street Trucks Magazine. Just a few months prior to its 2022 success, the truck was purchased for $4,800 in Texas in April 2021 then sold again for $8,750 in November 2021. While it's hard to track down an image of that particular custom make, the one depicted above is a similar model.

If you're looking to replicate that success, Classic currently has a 1983 Chevrolet C10 listed as "original and highly original" for sale at $6,900 in Staunton, Illinois. It has 48,341 miles on the odometer and features a 305 cubic-inch (5.0L) V8 and automatic transmission.

The final four square body Chevy truck model years are the most traded. Prior to the 1984 model with 159 sales, only the 1979 square body had more than 100 sales recorded for the five-year period. The dollar volume for 1984 square body sales comes in at $4.4 million with an average sale price of $27,545.

The top recorded sale was for a 1984 K10 Custom pickup that went for $194,700 at the Barrett-Jackson auction on January 26, 2024, in Scottsdale Arizona. The modified K10, refurbished by Hill's Hot Rods, featured a Gen V 5.3-liter V8 backed by an 8L90 automatic transmission and an Atlas II 3.0 transfer case. Upgraded suspension included a custom Offroad Design four-inch lift, Fox shock absorbers, and 35-inch Toyo Open Country M/T tires.

There are currently 12 1984 Chevy square body trucks listed for sale on Classic's website. Asking prices range from $79,900 on the high end for a modified K10 4x4 located in Michigan down to $15,000 for an original C20 Silverado long bed in California featuring a 454-cubic-inch big block engine.

Some of these square body Chevys increased in value from a few thousand dollars to six figures in a year or two, albeit with the addition of plenty of elbow grease and some premium parts. With that kind of return on investment, and the satisfaction of driving a classic pickup truck, it looks like square body Chevys are still worth buying today.