Quite a milestone. Congratulations.

 

Your truck really is in pretty nice condition compared to most farm trucks that have seen years of abuse.....I would drive it as is (add a flatbed) without a second thought! Have fun with it for a while and you won't worry about the paint as much. And I'll bet you still get plenty of waves and thumbs up!

At least you got the safety and mechanical stuff done.....that is a huge hurdle! Congrats and enjoy!!!

 

I agree too. You're right where you need to be. Add that flatbed and you'll be in like Flynn. People get excited just seeing an oldie chuggin down the road, no matter how shiney the paint is. Get out and drive/enjoy it.

 

Thanks guys.

I'm more anxious now than I have been yet. But the registration in CA may have to wait until next year (after Christmas) which will drive me bananas. It's gonna be $238 for the great state of California just to have the tires touch the street legally. $154 of that is the "weight fee".

I just checked with Hagerty Insurance, and they gave me a quote for only $170 a year for $10,000 guaranteed. I thought it would be a lot more.

Any of you guys use Hagerty? Ever filed a claim?

 

Do they issue temporary permits in CA? In WA we can get a 3 day permit that you tape in the window so you can operate or transport unlicensed vehicles. The loophole is it's good for any three days you want to mark on it. Some folks 'forget' to mark on it and just tape it in the window... Something like that could be fun for a long weekend, maybe.

 

I have never heard of those here. We have to pay a fee to drive the vehicle for one day to the DMV to get it registered. It's against the law to drive it to the DMV if it's not registered without paying the fee.

CA issues paper window stickers on some vehicles if you have to wait for the plates. They're pink and have the month they expire in large numbers so the police can easily see if you've passed the expiration month.

 

I don't keep spreadsheets for cost analysis because I don't want to know how much I'm "investing" my all of my vintage vehicles. I just try to keep rough estimates in my head.

Good luck with the registration. I just got my renewal for the Panel for 2013. It's $152, which is almost as much as my 2004 Licoln LS. That includes about a $35 fee for weight and another $32 for personalized plates. My Airflow is around $100 a year.

Check the driving restrictions with Haggerty. Most of the time, you can't use the vehicle to run errands or as a commuter. It's "pleasure" driving only. However, you can stop at a hardware store on the way home from your "pleasure" drive.

 

Joe,
What you have in the truck and your projected spending is a bargain!! Like Ilya, I really don't keep a running tab, except for parts which I can write off. I have a figure in my head, that if my wife could read my thoughts, would flip out!! But its all worth it to me of course!! In Florida, I was paying $210 a year for registration (fees doubled in 09) and I was lumped in with tractor-trailers even when I called the state and told them its an old fire truck. Friends from my fire truck club told me about the antique tags in which you pay $100 and you have the tag with no annual fee for as long as you own the vehicle. Do they have such a thing in California? Its a real money saver over the long haul.

I use Haggerty for the Buick and its reasonable. They wouldn't insure the truck because I can't secure it out at the barn so I am using another company for around $200 for $12K, which is under insured at this point. I might enclose the barn when the truck is finished and try haggerty again.

Anyway the truck is looking good. Keep up the good work!!

 

Sweet! Congratulations.

Once you have it registered and legal to drive in California, I've got a line on a couple of great Broncos.

 

Thanks guys.

I have some time to research insurance companies and services. Betsy will be the occasional driver so limited mileage will help with the rate, I'm sure. With gas over $4 and mpg probably around 6, I won't be taking her on any major trips!

And Charlie, there won't be any Broncos in my driveway unless you come over.

 

I got the truck really cheap, so I have sunk close to 4K into it to get it ready to drive... mainly the wiring and lights, the wheels and tires, and the brakes. I have more money in the brakes than I do in the wheels and tires, thanks to the tip from Stu on the wheels and tires.

We don't have Antique plates except for motorcycles made before 1943. We have Historical plates, but the vehicle may only be driven in historical exhibitions, parades or historic vehicle club activities.

 

I wanted to keep accurate records because I want to know exactly what it cost to "finish" the truck. It's just the way I am. I know exactly how much I've paid for gas in my car since I got it almost 3 years ago.

Pretty sure I will consider ALL my driving of Betsy as "pleasure" driving.

 

A little bit of progress today. I got more wire wrap so I could hide more of my new wiring and re-wrap the tail light wires with some smaller wrap.

Here's the high beam switch, tail light switch and brake light wire running down to and past the master cylinder.



Here's a "before"



Here's the hidden horn relay wires.



Here's a "before".



And here's the tail light/brake light wires with the smaller diameter cover. I still have lots of extra wire back here as I don't know what the final placement of the lights will be when I put the bed on it.



Here's a "before" I wrapped them the first time...

 

Looking good! I hate seeing wires all over the place.

 

Thanks Ilya.

Yeah, I figure the firewall will eventually be painted... maybe even black... and the wires needed to be covered now. I really wish I had the money to register and insure Betsy now, because she's ready to go!