Hi everyone, this is my 1st post. I am about to buy a 55 f100 with a big block in it. All the metal and body panels are in good shape. the truck drives and all but the brakes are shot to hell. my question is how much would one of you pay for it?? it has 2 fenders (for the spare and without the spare). it needs to be taken apart, cleaned, painted and put back together, but nothing extensive. The interior is trash minus the dash and gauges. it needs a new seat, carpeting, headliner etc. so, how much would i expect to pay asking price is 4995. its at a dealer.

 

Thats a good question there DM, I'd say it depends on what you want to do with it. I bought my 1955 F250 back in the 80's for $500.00, all stock and drove it from Washington state to Virginia. Its seen many changes, I'm starting all over, puttin in a 460 this time. I don't think I did bad for $500.00 To me that seems kinda high($4995) just going by what you described. Has the frame been altered? IFS? One thing is for sure, if you buy it you'll spend money on it. How much depends on how deep you go into it. Good luck

 

everything is stock. no ifs, just engine mount crossmember and engine/tranny and a 2 inch raise in the rear has been changed. I want to put in in like new condition so i can drive it for a few years then sell it for what i put into it (I will do all the work myself) till i afford and locate my dream car. what should i offer the dealer for it?? what would be the highest you would pay?

 

Try to figure out what it will cost to put it in the condition you want . Then maybe double it and you could be close to what it might cost and decide if you have the time and want to put that much money in to it. That should give you an idea of what you want/should to pay for it , what it is worth to you. Most of the time it will cost more than what you can sell it for unless you get very lucky.

 

Monkey,

Is the truck drivable? I guess not if the brakes are "shot to hell". Is the engine and transmission in good condition? It's hard to say without seeing it, but I think $4995 may be too much for this truck. From your plans to put it in "like new" condition, you might be better off finding another truck that is less expensive. Better yet, since this is just something to play with until you find your "dream car" (whatever that is), then it may be best to bypass this one and save for what you really want. You hardly ever get the money back that you put into one of these old trucks, so if it's not your "dream car" to begin with, you may be wasting your time, effort, and money...

Vern

 

Good advise from GreatNorthWoods

 

From your description, I would not pay over $1000. So you should prob pass on this unit and keep watching the classified ads. It's better to pick up a project in progress with lots of new parts. $5K is way too expensive for a beginner project in rough shape. I am sorry to tell you this bad news, but better now than after you buy it. Good luck, John

 

about half the asking price on that truck is based on the engine. 428's are getting very expensive these days, but would make a pretty neat truck. I would also pass if it was my $4995 that was being spent. That being said, project truck prices seem to be pretty high right now as well. At the Portland swap meet this past weekend I don't remember seeing a single rolling project truck for under $1500, and that didn't even get you all the pieces. But I would continue to shop around, especially since it sounds like you're not going to keep the truck forever.

Ron

 

thanks for the replies everyone. I was thinking of offering the guy $2500. My dream car is an impreza sti btw, but ins. and payments are too much right now as i am in college. I enjoy working on cars, so that is why I want to get this truck. It has all the parts minus brakes. The engine and tranny are in great condition and everything else works. It even has new tires. It is driveable... if i use the ebrake to stop. It looks as though it was a work in progress, and the owner lost interest. Ill try to take some pics this week ...probably wed. and post em up. Then you can tell me what you all think, but i think all in all it is worth something and far better than my current car (1985 peugeot 505)...I htink even the brakes are in better shape on the truck.

 

Monkey,

Impreza? Isn't that a Subaru or something like that? That's your dream car? If that were my dream car I'd be thinking I was having a nightmare...

Good luck...

Vern

 

sorry, thats just my favorite car. im an off road car fan, and the focus doesnt do it for me. a ferrari would be nice, but even if i had the $$$ i couldnt justify spending it on a ferrari, id rather restore a mustang or camaro.

 

I sold cars professionally at a mega dealer in N.Central Texas for a while before going back to college. An extraordinarily well thought of and respected company. I learned enough to know that I would trust no dealer deals... they are in the business of making money... as much as they can get. 5k for what you described is WAY high. For decent brakes in a rodded truck you can figure up to one large or more; interior, maybe half of that or more, then the odds and ends? Well, in a few years with alot of your own work you would have invested 7500-8500k or more. Don't see you getting that much money back out of it. You may get that much in fun... but don't count on the cash.
Amost anything would be better than your current ride, imho. I do know, that if you could afford the Ferrari, you wouldn't be asking us for advice. Or giving Vern nightmares! good luck. himmelberg

 

Thank you everyone! ....himmelberg, i was looking at putting in about 12000-13000 over 2 years and getting about that maybe a lil less like 10000-11000. If it lasts me 2 years, i think i would have got back about what i put in. So, you have let me know what i wanted to know. With an initial investment of about $5000, i can get a running truck that i can have fun with and work on. Then with a few more $$$ I can make it pretty, and tell my grand kids i had a classic 1955 Ford f100 with 400 ponies under the hood. Im not really seeing a down to this if i can get it for less than 3000. If anyone feels that i should not tackle this, please let me know. Oh, and I have a mechanicaly inclined family that is going to help me out! You guys are great. Please keep the comments coming!

 

Monkey,

Sounds like a plan. I like it. If you can get the truck for 3K, you might be okay. There's lots to be said about what you can get out of redoing one of these old trucks. It's not just the money you get back out...and it's always nice to have a story for the grand kids...

Who knows? After working on this old truck for a couple of years maybe you'll forget about the Subaru and realize an old Ford truck is your dream car!

Vern

 

That's right, nobody is going to be giving you thumbs-up for the Subaru. But everybody likes old Ford trucks! People just stop and stare as you drive by. I had a guy in a new Mercedes almost crash going down the freeway and watching me. He was probably wishing he had spent 1/3 as much money and gotten something to be proud of. Good luck, John