Bear with me as I'm new to this forum. I've just sold a 65 Ford cobra that I built by hand from the frame rails up. The F100 is the most beautiful truck thats ever been built. At least I think so. So I'm on the hunt for a new project & I've come across this one after looking for the last few months. I'd like your opinions on the value of the truck in the pictures that I'm posting. The truck was last on the road in 1978 & has been inside a barn for quite a few years. It has not been started in over 15 or more years. I don't know much other than what you see pictured here. The bed a has a sheet of metal in it covering the wood. I don't know if it's been welded in or not. One cab corner has a hole in it & has been sprayed with "TUFF STUFF" to fill the corner. It has a IN-line 6 Cyc. & three speed standard on the column. One rear will is locked up, but I don't know why. Could be rusted brake parts, or a froze wheel bearing. The frame appears to be solid & in great shape. Take a look at the pictures & tell me what you guys would pay for it & what it's worth in this condition. I don't want to drive 4 hours if its not work the trip.

 

I am not a 56 guy, others more versed should chime in. What I see here is a rusty truck that has been rattle can spray over everything to make it look better. It will probably need all four cab corners and roof drip rail work. I assume that you are looking thru the runningboard. Can't tell on fenders. I don't like being negative however, given what I can see, I for one would keep on looking. If you built a Cobra, I am assuming that your not planning on a stock truck. That makes the drivetrain of no value to you. I think that what you are buying is a truck that needs lots of new metal and metal work. I try to buy the best metal that I can find. It will be the cheapest route by far.

 

Being that you have to start somewhere and if the price is right I don't see why this wouldn't be something to go and look at. If you want a project it would be a project, (they all are) then I would take a trailer and go look at it. Maybe the price can be negotiated if it looks a little worse than it looks here but unless you are going to buy someone else's half way or more finished project you are going to have to put a little money and time into it anyway. I built a 73 mustang fastback and am on my second truck, let me tell you, these trucks are alot easier to build than any mustang. Good luck.

 

I agree, it appears a quick shot of primer to make it look a little better than it really is. I prefer to buy them in there original bliss unless all the metal issues have been correctly repaired. Besides the cab corners, check the front of the hood and fenders for rust through and also the door bottoms both inside and out. You will have a lot of time invested in replacing/repairing sheet metal. The cab top around the drip rails is one of the most difficult in my opion. It would help if you told us what the seller is asking, it may be reasonable or unreasonable.

Also, go back into your user CP and add your location. Someone here may know of a truck for sale close to you. And WELCOME to FTE.

 

i think you should just keep looking and tell one of us where that hideous thing is so we can relieve the current owner and you of any issues it might cause .............. like tim said go get it ! looks good and what your describing isn't hard to beat into submission .............

 

He wants $1500 for the truck

 

I think $1,000.00 is pushing it, and $1,500.00 is too much. You can buy them for $500.00 that really don't amount to that much more work. I would reserve an opinion about the condition of the frame until actually seeing it. This is going to be a whole different ball game than the Cobra you built because it's more a matter of repair and replacement than putting all new parts together. It's what you don't see in these pictures that tends to jump out and bite you on the butt when you get started. I'd say you really need to go look at it and decide for yourself if you want to take the challenge.

Later Man...

 

I would definitley go and look at it. Like the last post says, take a look at the frame and see how you feel about it. In my opinion it would be worth looking at, it's already got your interest and you could waste alot of time and gas money looking for another one. They all need some kind of work unless your putting out $10,000 or more for one finished. Also depends on what you want this truck for, maybe a fishing truck or just beating around town. A show truck is going to be big money, time, parts chasing and things like that. Take a road trip, its part of the hobby.

 

Yep, what they all said. Take some time and look more carefully than I did. My frame ended up being tweaked so badly that I was looking at somewhere around $1,000 to "possibly" get it usable again. As I'm in too far to back out and another truck would have come with its own issues, I bit the bullet and ordered a new frame and suspension from TCI(yes, it was expensive). I suspect that I'll go over budget by twice what I had wanted to spend. OTOH, I love the looks of these trucks and always wanted to build one. So, off to the garage I go, Good luck!

 

Welcome to the forum! Where you start is mainly driven by where you want to end up. You have the experience with car projects based on your Mustang, this F100 will not be much different. In SoCal you can't find a 56 F100 in that condition for under $2,500...so you will have to decide about the price based on your location. As for the condition, it's where you want to go with the truck that will make or break the deal. For instance, if you plan to go with an IFS (TCI, Heidt's, etc) then the condition of the front axle/king pins/ springs are of little concern. However, if you are planning a concours restoration then you would probably be a little more concerned about those items as well as the gas tank, rearend, etc. Cab patch panels are easy to come by and it's almost a given that any truck that has been sitting for any period of time will need some patch panels. You would probably want to replace the wood in ANY truck you found so the metal in the bed shouldn't be a showstopper either. Rust in the drip rails is a killer on these trucks...nobody makes an aftermarket roof section so IMHO a rusted roof is a deal breaker. If I came across that truck in my area I would ****** it up...it looks like it could become a driver without much work which means that you could enjoy it "as is" for awhile until you decide how much/far you want to change it. Good luck...

 

This is the truck on E-bay I went ahead and pased on the deal. My wife says "Why dont you buy something you DON'T have to fix.......(Budget just went up")....lol

So I'm still on the hunt.

BTW- this is the project I just sold to start me new endeavor. This showed up at my house a year ago in boxes!

 

Well it looks like you did a great job on converting the parts to a car! My wife told me the same thing some time ago, why don't you buy a running truck so we can make the truck club runs in a "truck" instead of our daily driver. So I bought a running 56 BW...it wasn't what I would call a reliable driver, so I "fixed" it. That means it's still in parts out in the shop! Hopefully you made enough money on your Cobra project that you can afford a really nice completed F100. If you decide on a year/model and have a price range in mind, then I am sure that you will get a lot of input from the folks on this forum. Saturday is the F100 Western Nationals in Anaheim, CA put on by Pickups Limited of Orange County...it might be worth a trip to SoCal to see what's on the market out here. Take the wife and kids to Disneyland while you're here and score some "family" points while you're at it!

 

Havi's rule of thumb to buying projects: what costs less now, will cost more to finish. What costs more now, will cost less to finish....Which is why free seems like a million bucks.

Now, IMO, $1500 is high in today's market. $1000 is decent, but not much more than that. A big window would get more, a chrome front grille will get more, as well as a Y-block V8. This is a base platform truck with rust, wrong bed floor, and doesn't move. I'd offer $800, and wait for a reply. If he says that's too low, move on. If it's parked next door, it would be more tempting, but I'd still not pay more than $1000. And that's with the title.

 

Oh, and welcome to FTE!!

 

I bought my fifty four in similar condition and it had no engine which didnt bother me because i wanted to add some power anyway. As far as the drip rail and the roof mine is very solid though. Mine also had a big piece of diamond deck welded into the bed by PO. I paid 500.00 for mine. I will tell you that if you dont mind the extra work its not a big deal putting in the patches if you have a little welding experience or are willing to learn with some practice you can do it. But that being said I really wish mine had not had all the rust issues because my project would be a lot farther along if not. Just estimate the time you think it will take to repair all the rust and patchwork and double it. I will say though I am still happy I bought my truck because they are getting harder to find and if they arent rusty you can probably expect to pay about 3000.00 for a solid one. Just my two cents though.