Just an idea I have been throwing around for some time now. The question is what the demand would be for a newly built 1979 pickup. Not just restored but built with all new parts on a fully reconditioned chassis and cab. I know it sounds like that would just be a rebuild but a lot more along the lines of what Dmc does with the deloreon. I have restore many of these trucks and I am a master technician with a lot of resources and suppliers at my disposal. If you able to buy a 1979 f150 with all new components and sheet metal what would you pay for it?

 

There is more demand for Bumpsides.

If you're ambitious, I'd focus on refurbishing cabs due to the dreaded roof rot on both Bumps and Dents.

Also consider reconditioning Dentside beds due to Ford's "great idea" to add a metal wheel liner which just traps dirt/mud, never dries out, and leads to the wheel arch rust. Improve on the design by deleting the factory liner and coming up with a design that doesn't lead to rot.

A refurbished Bump or Dent cab? I'd pay up to $2000 for zero rust and fully anti-rust coated.

A refurbished bed ? Hmmm... $1,500.

 

How about a brand new bed, a bed manufactured with all new parts and zero old metal.

 

Having a few of these "Old trucks" I will say that the amount of steel in my one 66 is probably enough to make about 5 or 6 trucks. You can walk up to the side of the bed and shik the kit out of it, and not have a dent... try that with any "newer vehicle" and see what happens.
If you are asking if there is a market, I would have to say no, because just like the repro'd Bronco/Power wagons and such, the price is to limiting for the normal consumer.
Sure, if I could buy a "new" 79 for 10-20k, why not just take an old one and restore it,,, and that is the course most take.
My 79 is a work truck, hunting/woodcutting rig, I bought it for that and @ $700 it was perfect, my 77 is to be slowly restored, it has only 99345 miles on it and I don't drive it but once a month or so. I am usually driving my 66 F100 all over or the "wood truck"!

 

I'll take one with Coyote Power and 6 speed manual, no wait a sec. I think as long as we are dreaming here, I'd like about a 3 liter turbo diesel with 4 or 500 Ft lbs of torque that can get a good 25 MPG. I might even get rid of my Mustang and make this my daily driver.

I don't think you can reproduce this vintage vehicle without Ford getting up in your business for one, I also don't think you sell enough volume to recover your tooling costs or even reproduce them to be interchangeable. Unless maybe a few hundred thousand Chinese decide they want one.

Reproduction bodies have been made (under License) of some Muscle cars (Dynacorn Classic Bodies) but in order to build a complete car it will likely cost $70K. I'd bet that a old '70s Ford truck would be about the same, maybe a little cheaper and that number will severely limit how many units you can sell.

I think HIO has the right idea, high quality reproduction cabs and beds (with heavy gauge steel) would be a good start. As much as I love my Dent the Bumps just seem to be even more appealing and probably more rare. I also agree with his pricing / value of said parts.

If you can establish some success and reputation with these body parts then maybe you can keep going and build the whole truck. I think from a collect-ability standpoint an all original will still out value and out class any reproduction. (See Shelby Cobra for a good example).

The most I've seen a fully restored '70's truck that appeared to be factory original was less than 30K so I don't think this business would fly.

But hey, don't let me slow you down! Git er done.

 

Not going to sell a complete turn key new truck to any benefit any time soon.

There is a demand for sheet metal!!!!!!!

We cant even get an OEM door!


1. Prove it can be done, Locate the Ford tooling. Acquire it. Does it even exist????

 

Need an oem door? I'll sell you oem doors all day right now in box

 

what would a 77 f250 pair of doors run me? I also need a left fender and a heater core. Just curious for now. I'm in Seattle.

 

Hell you could do that with a 5.9 all except it would be closer to 800ft lbs of torque mildly built and still pull 20+ mpg. These trucks are light compared to modern trucks, well except for chevys but they don't count

I think it would be cool to buy a brand new dent, but something tells me it would come with a modern day price tag as well. No way to avoid that, but if I'm going to spend that kinda dough I would rather build it myself and make it like a fingerprint, unique to me.

 

So, are you saying you have NOS OEM doors for 73-79's still in Ford boxes? If so, how much do you want for a set?

 

I definitely have to take that one back, I bought 3 sets of oem doors from DC a few years ago and figured they were still in stock but to my surprise DC has almost nothing now in oem form. Sorry guys my mistake.

 

I know this video isnt on fords or even in america but i think this is directly related. They took an icon of Brittish history and made it, brand new and better but also made it impossible to sell. . Rebuilding the trucks from the grownd up would be the same story on the other side of the Atlantic.

Their is another Topgear where they had on the DB5 and E-type in stock form then thier countparts with new modern engines and chassis installed. The improvemnt is incredible but in the end the car would cost way too much.

Down to the basics would i pay for a brand new out of the factory dent side? YES! But it would easily cost as much as a new Ford truck, as expensive as they are. And with the pussafcation(spelling) of America 90% of truck drivers want a car with a bed on the back that isnt a ElCamino.

 

Dynacorn sells reproduction bodies for most popular muscle cars and a few trucks, you could price them directly to compete with that company if you sold complete cabs and beds. I agree that a complete reproduction that is modernized and waranteed would be a specialty item that wouldn't sell in large numbers. BUT, if you were to offer reproduction, made in America, OEM gauge sheet metal like the others suggest, then you could offer complete trucks as a built to order item.