Hello. I went to check out a local craigslist add today for a 1954 F100. My wife and I are throwing around the idea of getting a project to work on after she finishes her RN classes. I have a bad habit of rushing into projects and making things more difficult than they need to be. I was hoping someone could let me know if the truck is worth purchasing. The owner is asking $1400 for the truck and the pictures don't show it but he said he has several beds for the truck so the body is (I think) complete. The truck has a 9" rear end with a 4 link, mustang 2 front suspension with tubular a-arms, no engine or transmission, and it seems the majority of the interior is missing. I am most concerned about the areas where the rust has eaten all the way through the front fenders and front corner of the hood on the passenger side. the holes are about the size of a quarter. The plan is to do a fuel injected V8 with an automatic transmission, street rod, not a stock restoration. Any help is appreciated.









thanks


Charles

 

Welcome to the board!!

If you want opinions you've certainly come to the right place....LOL. We've all got them.

My advice is to start with the best truck that you can afford to buy. I know, I know, a cheap deal seems like a good deal but sometimes the amount of work you have to put into the project just to get it up to par can far outweigh the price of buying a nicer truck as a starting point.
The other things to keep in mind is you experience, your tools, and workspace as they all play a big role in any project.

To me, for $1400 I would expect a rolling chassis (not necessarily running) but at least rolling. When it comes down to it, if its a good deal to you and you are happy with it, then go for it.

Bobby

 

Hey Charles
Welcome Aboard! It's always difficult to say what things are worth through pictures. You definitely have some welding & grinding ahead of you.


If possible - have him pull the truck out of there so you can take a look at the chassis. If it truly has a nice Mustang II front suspension & a 4 link rear end - that would be a real nice start. I'd pull it out of there & make sure it's not all rusted. A well installed Mustang II front suspension - $2500 in parts plus the labor to put it in - $4K. A 4 link is around a $1,000, nice 9 inch rear end another $500, etc.


The interior looks pretty good as well - nice to see a dash not all hacked up.


It's worth the money to get a nice rust free cab to start with.
Fixing rust is a long haul of cutting out sheet metal, welding, grinding, etc.... (Like 9 months of it). A nice rust free cab can be had for $600 in the Southwest & another $800 to ship it in. $1400 for a nice frame with IFS & 4 link plus a Southwest cab for another $1400 - $2800 would be a solid start.


Post a pic of the bed - the guys can tell you if any of them really go with the truck.


Interesting over there in Michigan.


Ben in Austin
1950 F1

 

I have a completely different point of view that the other folks did not mention. The number one point of interest is what are your skills and how long will it take you to do them. Every time I have built a project it has taken me two years. Pretty much I turn off the TV and tell everyone I know that I will get back to them ASAP. Two years latter I come putting up in my new ride. It is your commitment. How competent are you at welding and building engines? As the previous people have said start with the best you can find. Are you getting the items for the best price? My main point would be that if I wanted to build a nice ride and not worry about a restoration then that would be completely different situation. If that was my truck then I would set it up on blocks cut out the rusty metal and start welding. I would go to a wrecking yard and find some similar donor vehicle to cut away. I would not be particular if the curves matched the original just right along as it looked good to me. As far as the rusty that I saw it would likely take me 10 days and I am ready for body putty. Sand blast and naval jell to make it ready for paint. Nothing has to be perfect because that is why grinders and body putty is in use. Weld up the floor and cover it with carpet no one will know. Much different than a complete restoration. Remember it is your commitment. If your work area is limited, your skills are limited, limited equipment, and your experience is limited then maybe shop around for something less demanding. Enjoy Thanks

 

Good Morning,

Thanks for the replies everyone!

To answer some of the questions asked:

My mechanical skills I would say are much better than average. I have been working on vehicles with my grandfather since I was 10 so just about 20 years of everything from oil changes to full engine rebuilds.

I do not know how to weld but I have access to a 110 and 220 mig welder. The welder is at my grandfather's heated pole barn where the truck will be built.

The biggest issue I see going into this is that I have no clue how to tackle the metal work. I've never been scared to get my hands dirty though so I plan on trying it.

In the pictures the truck looks like it's sitting on the ground because the people who had it before the current owner removed the suspension to get it ready for an air ride setup. The owner said he has all of the parts to reinstall the leaf packs.

I was looking at LMC truck working on some pricing and I saw they have patch panels for a lot of the truck parts. Would you guys recommend anyone else to buy parts from?

 

Welcome aboard.

Yesteryear Ford Parts & Northern Classic Trucks - Reproduction parts for your antique Ford truck . are both in MI.

Store - Mid Fifty F-100 Parts & 1948-1956 | Dennis Carpenter Ford Restoration Parts Are a couple of places many of us use.

Just search for 53-56 F100 parts on the internet. Then ask about the Vendor BEFORE you buy.

I'd suggest checking the roof very closely. It's one of the things you can't buy. Well not in steel the do have fiberglass roofs. Most everything else you can buy reproduction. Try to stay away from the Chinese made stuff.

Good Luck

 

Go on CL & start searching in ever widening circles from your location.

$1400 is cheap but if they pulled the suspension out & the body is rusted through you don't have a truck. You have a bucket of parts with a title.

I'd bet you can find a better example within 300 miles that isn't hacked up.

If you can't weld you don't want to learn on the suspension of a truck. One bad weld & you could have serious problems.

I like the truck for parts. But I've seen trucks far worse off than that get back on the road.

 

Hey Charles,
Sounds like you have a great background to make your plan happen. You will get good at welding - look on here for Ax's Welding tips. He's posted a tutorial for how to get started.


We tried LMC patch panels on our truck. They didn't have the angles right so we went with some made by a friend on here. I would just have no expectations for a perfect fit - you will have to do some adjusting to get it to work & match your needs.


Good luck up there!


Ben in Austin
1950 F1

 

Does the truck have a title, with serial numbers that match those stamped on the frame?

 

Welcome to the madness. Personally, I would offer much less than the $1400 being asked by the seller. My rule of thumb is this: If the car is full of parts and junk or sitting in the weeds smothered by vegetation it is worth $500 less than the asking price. I know I am stepping on some toes when I say this but if someone puts a car up for sale and can't take a few hours to cut the tree down going through it or remove the cat litter boxes from the bed of the truck, why should I pay top dollar? All the missing pieces also add up quickly. Too many guys are seeing top dollar rides on tv and thinking their parts trucks are worth big bucks. It takes a lot of time and money to make a truck roadworthy. IF you can get that truck for under $1000 you have something, IMHO, over $1000 and it starts getting pricy. On a side note: No matter what may be installed on a vehicle, it doesn't add value unless it can be a) verified and b) that it is installed correctly. I recently purchased a project that had Wilwood brakes. The seller kept trying to upsell the fact that it had a "killer" set of brakes. Only problem was the calipers were installed upside down and sat so long they had rust issues. If you have to pull it out of the weeds offer him $700. Good luck!

 

From those pictures, I'm not sure I'd offer as much as teardropty. All I see is a whole bunch of rust. It looks like someone's aborted abortion. All of the sheetmetal is shot. I wouldn't give 2 cents for "several beds" since beds are typically used up real hard and new ones are pretty cheap compared to the work needed to restore one. If they're in any similar condition to what's here, they're scrap. It seems to me like this is someone looking to pawn off a whole bunch of crap to someone. Buyer beware. There are a lot better trucks out there. Don't rush into the first one you see. Oh, and welcome to the forum!

 

Like everyone mentioned before for 1400 I would expect a rolling chassis. Looking at the pictures the amount of rust is going to add up to a whole lot of time and money, also looking at the welds on the four link they appear questionable. If you do go for it I would low ball the price.

 

I would pass. Maybe a few parts there, but a much better project truck can be found with some searching.

 

Please explain your statement "has leaf packs" and how that relates to the statement "4 link rear" please. It's early here so maybe my brain just hasn't started yet. Welcome to the forum!

 

I'd say some more thought needs to be done here. 1400 is a steep price even with the frame work. Rear end will more than likely need new seals, brakes, including brake cylinders, four bars will need new rubber bushings. Mustang front new brake calipers(min rebuilt), rubber bushings. No part of that body seems to be major work free.
For a first build, a better foundation would be IMHO a better starting place.
But the biggest reason I would want to start with a better foundation at a more reasonable price is the lack of welding skills for the type of welding that needs to be accomplished and the project will be at another location other than the builders home, which equates to loss of time and loss of interest is high.