(Though I just might have a deal where I can trade it for a '56 F-100 and a '53 Chevy 3100 ^_^)
Man Ric, that is a BEAUTIFUL truck. lol if only we weren't so far apart... and I could afford it, lol.
Oh, one idea that comes to mind; before I bought my Mustang I restored my daily driver. It was just an s-10 but it allowed me to see what I could do and to learn a great deal, it didn't really matter if I screwed it up basicly. I spent only about $200 and made the truck worth about $5000, I know this because it was totalled 13 days after I finished it and thats what the judge went for, lol. But it will help you to see what all is involved and more importantly what you ENJOY doing. Painting a car isn't hard, it just takes some knowledge, and in my opinion is the most fun you will have, its the only thing you'll do that is instantly rewarding on the build, course you will discover that they shouldn't really call it painting a car as you spend 95 percent of your time sanding.
I think it be a good idea to try it if you had a daily driver that could use a little something. You learn A LOT and its not really critical work, it doesn't have to be a $10,000 paint job, but it allows you to try your hand at everything enough to see what you'll like to do. Personally I love to do it all, but I would buy a truck that needed a lot of cosmetic work but drove strong over a truck that was spotless but needed mechanical work. Its just a matter of what you enjoy. lol I love making things pretty.
This knowledge will help out infiniantly when you go to buy a project; you'll know what is worth the money you save veruse what you don't want to do. Plus you'll be able to do it better since you have more experience. Could give you a much wider selection on projects and awesome deals. The more you know...
I also looked at the 53 its not bad but does have soem rust in the floors and a couple other minor stuff. its got a Chev 305 and t350 trans from what the owner told me, He couldn't meet me so I just made a real quick stop to look.
Painting a car isn't hard, it just takes some knowledge, and in my opinion is the most fun you will have, its the only thing you'll do that is instantly rewarding on the build...
lol you buy me the paint and do all the sanding and you bet I'll paint it for you!
Oh thats right, it was between that one and a sweet maroon one, I just remember seeing it and going "man I'll never be able to afford an original big back window... least I can do the kit!"
Call 1-800-252-1956, Mid 50's has project trucks. As far as Craigslist goes when you searhc try 53 Ford, 54 Ford, 55 Ford, 1956 Ford. I have found people list trucks other ways than F100. Good luck in your search.
These folks know F-100s and I believe if you "adopt" one of their project trucks you get some extra goodies to go with it plus they have pretty much anything you need for one.
lol you buy me the paint and do all the sanding and you bet I'll paint it for you!
Oh thats right, it was between that one and a sweet maroon one, I just remember seeing it and going "man I'll never be able to afford an original big back window... least I can do the kit!"
I just talked to Matt that has the 56 big window with the 460 in it. If anyone is interested in it , let me know & I can pass his name & number to ya.
Ricky
Also, don't let geography impede your progress. Let me be Frank (or maybe Bill): You are going to buy this truck, spend thousands of dollars to do that, then spend thousands of more dollars to fix and restore it - thousands - I promise - you will.
You can have a truck trailored and shipped across country for less than $1000. And that $1000 may be saved by getting a better truck when restoring later down the road.
If you find one some place remote, put out a call and ask one of us to go look at it!
Again, I agree with Julie on this one. Look beyond local ads. I found my fire truck in Iowa, 1800 miles away. I'm in Oregon. There are many trucks all over the place, and finding one local for $5K plus, could be a money pit, that you could buy the same thing for $500 1200 miles away, and have the same thing after investing $5K plus. Believe it or not, after reading the info from the many other members, and from doing my own research, these old trucks can be completely rebuilt, minus paint, and purchase price, for around $9-10K, and that's starting with little more than a rolling frame with some poor quality body parts. A Y-block can be ruebuilt for less than $1K. A frame powder coated for around $200 (depending on local services). All the glass can be replaced for around $500-$600. Tires around $65 each, plus mount and balance. So, these old rigs are not as expensive to rebuild than many would believe, assuming most of the work is done by the owner. All the rigs advertised saying "over $35K invested" take into account paying someone else to build it, and include custom additions. You would have to pay a very expensive shop, and start with a total pile of crap to invest more than $15-$20K into restoring one of these old trucks, or have some really wild ideas to add to it.
Oh yeah, so far, i have only around $500 out of pocket expense invested into my 53 F-750/800 build up, and it's almost finished. That takes into account the nearly $5K I have spent to aquire trucks, and the donor semi, and selling parts and such from my stock. So, by the time I am finished, I will have spent close to $10K, including paint and new wheels, tires, exhaust, rear fenders, and a chrome "Texas" style front bumper. It would then be parade and show ready, and the end result after buying and selling, I would really only be out of pocket around $5K-$5,500.
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