I'm new to this forum, but you seem like a good bunch. I want to buy a 57 f100 and I found a decent one for sale. It is a long box small back window with a 272 and a 4 speed in running condition with exception of the clutch master which is stuck. It has minimal rust in the step braces front cab mounts and fender bottoms, the box is pretty good no rust, the drivers door has been bent backwards in the past and doesnt close right other than that it is complete and pretty nice compared to others I have looked at. So my main question remains what would you experts pay for a project like this. thanks in advance for your opinions.

 

The least I could get it for.
Actually, I've found with all of my project vehicles that the initial purchase price ends up being one of the smaller expenses of the experience. I think it also depends on your geographic location and the popularity of the type that you're looking at; kind of a supply-demand deal. But in most cases it ends up being - How bad do you want it!

 

just kind of wondering what others have paid or would pay for similar trucks. Don't want to get ripped to bad, ya know

 

Can you post up some photos?

After a quick nation-wide Craigslist search, there are probably 15-20 for sale in the U.S. , ranging from 900.00 to 12,000.00.I would always pay more for one from the west/southwest and have it trailered to you.You'd be money ahead, I believe.

 

here's some pics I hope http://57ford.shutterfly.com/pictures#n_5

 

I Strongly agree with Steve (IBUZZARD). If you are in the rust belt that truck is a great find. In the Southwest it would be mediocre. I bought my '65 landcruiser pickup from Show-Low Arizona. The 900.00 to ship it to NW Washington State was the best money I ever spent. It had no engine or tranny, but that stuff is easy to deal with. It's about rust and having all the hard to find parts intact. In the Seattle area, which is neither salt road rust belt or Arizona dry, That fridge would be in average condition. I recently saw one a lot like it for 1200.00 on cl Seattle. Last fall I paid 600.00 for my '59 f350 with script flatbed. It ran and had new tires 8 x 17.5s. No brakes and clutch master stuck like yours. Minor rust out on floors cab corners, doors and front fenders. It had been on Craigslist for over a month. Yours looks like a 1000.00 in Seattle. If you possibly can, get one from the desert. I should have done that with my '59........

 

OP's 'About Me' profile sez: MN

The thing is: The collector demand for trucks is miniscule when compared to cars. These trucks aren't rare, aren't worth much, but are money pits.

The economy sucks and a gallon of regular gas is fast approaching 5 bucks a gallon. So, they are only worth what people are willing to pay for them.

B8TZ-7A543-A .. Clutch Master Cylinder / 1957/60 F100/1100 / Obsolete

5 available NOS
----------------
B7C-7578-A .. Clutch Master Cylinder Repair Kit / 1957/60 F100/1100 / Obsolete

35 available NOS

Last Friday, while on the way home from a long time (since 1929) LA truck wrecking yard, spotted a 1957 F100 Styleside parked next to an industrial building in Santa Fe Springs.

Taking a short cut thru a Whittier residential area (I always look up driveways), spotted another 1957 F100 Styleside. That's two found within 10 minutes.

Neither of these trucks looked like they had moved in years, and there are many more out there. Gotta love LA LA Land, cuz there's more old rolling piles of misery located here than anywhere else. Why?

Large population, so many were sold new. And, since it hasn't snowed here in LA LA Land since September 1949, there are next to no rust issues, there's no need to use salt on the roads.

 

That thing is clean for a MN truck. I'd be happy to pay $1000 for it if the title is included. Rusted hulks pulled out of fields will still fetch about $200-300 in scrap price. I've always said, the less money up front for a project, the more money spent to get it finished.

 

you guys are very helpful. This truck is in very good condition for a Minnesota truck cause its in KS. I'm here on a trip, the clutch cylinder would prob free up cuz its been driven recently. The guy wants 2400 cuz he's done head work and gas tank work and the truck is 100% complete. I guess hes still a little steep on his price Anyone have any good project 57s out there for sale? I'm not afraid to drive to pick up or maybe have shipped. Oh yea I have a really nice 57 chrome grill except for the drivers side eyebrow is smashed where would a guy find one of those? Thanks guys

 

If you took a trip to sunny Los Angeles (blue skies, the birds are chirpin' as I type), it would be a real eye opener for one who lives in the frozen north. There are 10's of 1000's of old piles layin' around here.

Buy a rust free truck from SoCal for a grand or so, have it shipped to MN.

Do NOT believe a single word a seller claims. Private sellers lie just as well as used/new car dealers, lawyers and politicians.

If seller sez this and that have been rebuilt and/or replaced, ask for the receipts. If no receipts, seller is a probably a liar.

Do NOT believe the miles shown on the odometer. Odometers of trucks of this vintage read to 99,999.9, then return to ZERO!

Do not get "buck fever" and buy the first old pile you see. Research first, buy second. Be aware that the cabs of trucks thru 1966 can be a tight fit for peeps that are 6 ft plus.

You don't have a real nice chrome grille if one side is smashed. If you can find someone who can straighten it...it will have to be rechromed after all is said and done. Figure at least 5 bills minimum.

Restoration costs are HUGE, Repro parts for 1957/60 trucks are almost non existant, as these trucks are basically ignored by the aftermarket sector.

If you wanna buy an old truck that will be easier to fix, find parts for: 1973/79 F100 or 1975/79 F150, then obtain a copy of EVERY repro parts sellers parts catalogs, start with Carpenter's (800-476-9653).

 

I mean the part above the headlight that is riveted on is smashed the main bar and other eyebrow are perfect. Hoping to find one where the main part is smashed with a good drivers eyebrow.

 

The round chrome (or painted) headlamps doors nestle inside the grille, were available separately. The grille itself is a one piece assembly, the riveted extensions were not available by themselves.

This is an example of what I'm talking about, research first before buying, as you are unaware. If you are unaware, you may end up with a POS.

I've owned 337 vehicles since 1956, 84 FoMoCo products. I researched before buying, so never bought a POS. I know how sellers operate as I've been in the biz in one form or another since I was weaned.

My family owned an Olds dealership for 80 years, I was a Ford partsman for 35 years. I bought and sold NOS Ford & Packard obsolete parts for over 20 years. I have parts catalogs, so I know how things fit together.

's to the hobby usually have no literature of any kind (many "internet" collectors have no literature either). More literature is available to the hobbyist today, then there was when the piles were brand new.

Many peeps end up buying pigs-in-a-poke that need gazillions of dollars to fix because they have no clue.

As usual: The money is burning a hole in their pockets, they are affected with buck fever, they believe every word a seller claims, so they buy the first vehicle they find without a care in the world.

Then after they buy the pile, reality sets in...when they discover that slapped on bondo with a coat a paint over it and/or undercoating is hiding all the sins, the engine knocks like a bill collector, smokes like a chimney.

What parts cost, how difficult it can be to find parts, the prices are oughtta sight to fix engines/transmissions/rear axles/steering gears/suspension/body work/interior/chrome and et cetera.

"You think you bought an old truck, but what you really bought is a hobby, and hobbies tend to be expensive."

 

I don't think 2400 is out of line for a truck that solid.

 

I'm no expert, but there is no way I'd pay $2,400 for a truck in that condition. I bought a 59 for $3,200 this past February that was in much better condition and I think I paid too much. I got that fever that Numberdummy describes and took the plunge and should have researched the 57-60's trucks a bit more before spending $$$. With all of that said, I am having a blast with my truck. I am finally getting it in the condition of where I feel safe taking it on 25-50 miles trips on the weekends. My advice is buy the best condition truck that you can afford and then go from there. I have already spent about $1,500 on my truck since I purchased it and that does not put a dent in others things that either it needs or I want to put into it. I will easily put another $5-6K into the truck to get it into the condition I want it to be.

 

The driver's door being bent backward will prolly cause the most greif. Those hinges are very strong so I would expect that the door pillar took most of the beating. Sounds like it would take some heating and beating to get it back into the correct posistion. You will prolly want to get a parts truck, even though it may not seem like it right now.

If you still are in love with the truck, go for it, as that is why we drive these relics!