I have been looking for a 56 truck but today I found out that my barber has a 53 f100 that he wants to sell. The truck has not ran for a long time, tires are flat, paint is in bad shape, wood in bed is in bad shape, interior is in bad shape, glass is in bad shape and paint is in bad shape. It has a 62 thunderbird engine and auto trans and he says that it ran when he parked the truck. It looks like all the parts are there and all of the body parts look like they are in real good shape except for a few scrapes here and there and the area around gas filler is rusted out and needs to be replaced so hopefully very little body work would be needed, just paint removed and some body work and paint? The truck does not look like it has ever been in a crash. My question is do you think it be cheaper in the long run to buy a truck that is all ready built or start from scratch. I would be doing a lot of the work my self. I do not want a show truck but a nice resto mod truck with new paint that I will do myself and new interior that I won't do my self and new suspension which might me able to do and all the other stuff that is needed. The big question is if every thing is done the way it should be done do think it would be worth what it cost to build?

 

It's extremely hard to get out what you put into a vehicle of any type. You have go into a project for the enjoyment, not for profit.

From your description it sounds like could have a decent base if you can get for decent price.

Pictures woulld be nice.

 

You'll always buy it cheaper than you can build it!

 

Welcome,
Your question really depends on your state of mind. If you are looking for a project that could take years to get it back to a driveable condition then buy it. But if want to hit the street and fix and replace as needed then buy a "finished" truck and change it to your taste. Every engine ran until the owner to parked it. But in every case something happened to cause the owner to loose the since of reliablity in it.

 

You have an interesting dilemma here...

My experience has been, is that it is probably more affordable to buy something that has already been restored. You see it all the time, where someone will have $30k in something they want $20-25K in.

However, if you know how to restore this type of truck on your own (you know mechanics and can do all of your own painting/body work), you could have an awesome truck that you can be proud of for an affordable price.


For me personally, I enjoy "saving" a vehicle and finding the one that has been in storage for a while and slowly bringing it back. However, I try to not get stupid with money bringing it back and do as many of the repairs myself as I can. I tend to break even or make a couple hundred bucks when I do go to sell. Good luck though either way.

 

I have a slightly different view. While I can't argue with the fact that you can generally buy one cheaper than you can build it, many of us don't have the $$ lying around to buy an already restored vehicle. However, we can afford to buy one cheap and then slowly invest money in it over time as we can afford it.

More power to you if you can buy it built and save yourself some money, but I am not in that picture and I enjoy the challenge of the hunt for parts and feeling of accomplishment of saying "I did the whole truck from start to finish."

 

1961/63 Thunderbird's came with 390 4V's & MX Cruise-O-Matic. Valve covers have 5 bolt holes per side, are rounded without any holes for oil cap/smog valve and "as original" have reverse embossed THUNDERBIRD on them.

Oil fill tube on right (passenger) side front of engine, has a generator, the radiator cap is on the "surge tank" that is located between upper radiator hose and engine block.

Buying someone's uncompleted project is a crapshoot, especially one that had been sitting for a long time. It's what is known in the hobby as a basket case.

Parts in boxes, parts missing, parts swapped from gawd only knows what, cuz sellers memory has faded.

Plus, you are totally unaware of the quality of workmanship performed inre to swapped engine/trans and etc.

1953 F100's came with either a 215 OHV I-6 or a 239 flatty, 6V positive ground. 1956 and later is 12V negative ground.

"It ran when parked." Uh huh, yeah right...the oldest lie in the old car hobby!

 

How hard have you looked for a '56? I'd look at more trucks before I decide to tackle this one. It doesn't sound like it's going anywhere soon so you can always go back to it once you've done a little more homework.

 

The paint, glass, interior, & bed wood are not all that important in a resto project. The materials and parts to fix thos items are readily available and you'd probably want to repaint anything you buy. However, make sure you do a THOROUGH inspection of the cab sheet metal before you leap. Open the doors and lift the floormat . What does the base of the hinge pillar (where it meets the floor) look like? That's also the front cab mount. Those cabs are notorious for rusted thru floors arount the mount and up into the toe board. Crawl under it it and look up at the area where the front fender bolts to the cowl. (You can also inspect that from inside if the kick panels are removed.). This is an area of typical heavy rust thru and a difficult repair. Move back and try to see the underside of the rear cab corners.


If all this doesn't scare you, go for it. You'd just be confident of your meatal working abilities.

 

The biggest problem I had in deciding to buy my truck was is it the right one. You say you want a 56 then I would wait for one to come around. Its not worth buying the 53 only to keep it for a few months before you decide its not the right truck for you because you really want that 56. Then it becomes your problem as its taking up space and it might be hard to resell until you find the person that wants a 53. It is nice to have the truck setup already there when you buy it but you can also source parts through members or upgrade using parts from a scrapyard.

Bottom line.... Do you want the look of a 53 instead of 56?

Good luck with your decision.

 

I whole heartily agree that it’s cheaper to buy a finished vehicle than to buy a bucket and make it show room nice. That being said, I have been known to bring buckets home on at least three occasions. The first was my ’49 F-2. I didn’t really bring it home but was sitting in my yard. It was my dad’s truck when I was a kid and it had a lot of memories for me. I’ve kept a rough mental record of what I have put into it money wise, about $4000+ over the last 15+ years. This involved a lot of wheeling and dealing, including buying 17 parts trucks, parting them out and keeping the parts I needed for my trucks. IMO, that’s one of the only ways to make this hobby somewhat affordable. $6000 might not sound too bad but for the initial restoration I guestimate I have well over 2000 hours into it, plus the unaccountable hours I’ve spent over the years maintaining it. That’s where the actual cost comes in, labor. If you figure out the hours you spend doing this at around $10/hr it will make you nuts. I personally value the F-2 at around $100K, I honestly know it’s actually worth maybe $6K, at most, but the sentimental value is a lot higher to me.

My latest project is a ’37 Buick Special. This project also found me. I helped a friend pick up a car in central Illinois and parked in front of his car was parked the Buick. I didn’t even want it but my wife showed some interest in it after I showed her pictures of it. I dragged it home and after three parts cars and a few deals on miscellaneous parts, swapping frames and body, only keeping the front clip from the original car I have a finished frame and a body on a rotisserie after three years. .

On this car I look at this way. I’ve checked out a few other Buicks just like this one, everything from baskets cases to ready to show cars. I could never afford to plop down money for show car, which go for around $30K. I’ve checked out a few cars I might have been able to buy, they were drivable but not perfect. These cars are in the $5-8K range. Even though they were drivable they weren’t in the condition I would feel comfortable driving them as is. I paid $550 for my original Buick, the parts cars have cost me around $1200 and I’ve sold close to $1000 of parts from them after reserving some very hard to get parts. If I would have bought one of the ready to drive cars I would have had to replace many parts that I have to replace in my project:

1. Interior-drivers all had faded, stained interiors
2. Glass-drivers all had delaminating glass
3. Trim-drivers all had OK trim but the bumpers were flaking
4. Drive trains-drivers all had issues, some “ran when parked”, most had dirty, leaky engines needing at very least new gaskets and paint.
5. Tires-most drivers had old, dried tires
6. Electrical-just from my experience with old cars 50+ year old wire is never good
7. Body and Paint-drivers all had paint issues. All had rust in the doors and floors. Some not too bad but still would need a "little" rust repair.

If I had bought a driver for $5-8K I’d still have to put almost the same amount of work as I have to put into my project but I started $4-7 ahead. Also, let’s face it, if most wives are like mine, if I came up to her and said I wanted to buy an old car for $25K she would have put the hammer down on that. It’s a lot easier for me to buy a car in increments. I also enjoy the work it takes to get a rusty old vehicle back up and running.

I have said for many years the most foolish person I know is the guy who hauls a rusty hulk home with the intensions of making it run perfectly and shiny but that never have stopped me. Like I said, I’ve done it at least three times. I do know this though; I will never drag another wreck home. I’m getting too old to go through that again. The next old vehicle I bring home the only tool that will be needed to make it run will be an ignition key.

Basically, what can you afford, how much work are you willing to do and can do. Bottom line, with a truck like you described you will never make a profit on it, not if you include your labor.

 

Buying a complete truck versus piecing one together is always cheaper. The truck I am finishing now was pieced together. I did manage to put it together for around 15K but it has taken 10 years, plus or minus. However, if you really want a 56 go for it, the "running when parked" 53 may make you a few dollars but if you have a picture in your mind of what you want, go get it! JMNSH opinion

 

don't listen to the guy's here ..get the truck ..learn wireing ..paint body work ..motor work ..you will learn things you don't wanna learn..or you might like this stuff..my truck sat in the garden for years ..but mine was compleat ..and I wasn't smart enough to not listen to the guy's here ..they are enablers ..and proud of it !!!..oh yah ..as Havi say's .. welcome to the nut house ...

 

What is your goal here? A good driver in 6 months? A year? 5 years? How much can you afford to put into the completed truck? In my opinion, you should attend all the swap meets you can and watch the internet (Ebay, Hemmings, etc.). You can find lots of deals these days if your moderately patient. This truck sounds like a money pit to me. It would really be bad if you buy it, tear it down, buy lots of parts, then see the truck deal of your life on the side of the road, but you can't buy it because you have sunk all your available funds into this one. There's more than the money cost at stake here. There is also the oportunity cost to consider. By tying up you money in this long shot project, you remove the oportunity to buy a great deal in the future. I say save your cash and buy that 56 that you really want instead of settling for this slant cab. Just my 2 cents worth. Jag

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by 76f350spercamprspeal

Welcome to FTE, Best Damn Forum EVER!
------------------------
Here's How to Post Pictures:
1. Login to FTE.
2.Click User CP (In the Top Left Hand Corner)
3.(On the Left, There will be a list, The 5th Option Down, will say "Pictures & Albums) Click That.
4.Then, Click Add Album, Enter a title, and description, if ya want to.
5. Click Upload Pictures, Then click Browse, Locate the Files of your truck. (You can add 3 files at a time)
5. Click Upload.
6. Add a description to the individual pictures, then click save.
7. Add more files if ya want.
8. Click The Picture you want to post, it will give you two codes at the bottom, Right Click The Second one (It say's BB Code, Then Say's [IMG]http:blahblahblah...[/IMG])
Then, Once that is highlighted, Right Click, Then Copy, Then Paste it into your post.
You can add up to 30 Images in one FTE Post.
If, Ya need any help, Don't hesitate to ask.


Quote:
Originally Posted by old_dan

You can also go to the "Garage" tab and start an album right here on FTE. After you post pictures to an album, we can look in your album, but you'll also be able to "insert a picture" by pasting in a link to the picture in your album.

It seems awkward, but whenever you "insert a picture" to one of these threads, the forum is looking for the picture somewhere on the web (which is always available) rather than from somewhere on your hard drive (which isn't always available).

Quote:
Originally Posted By Jolly Roger Joe

Welcome to FTE!

Go to Image hosting, free photo sharing & video sharing at Photobucket and sign up for a free account. Then create an album for your truck. Upload any pics you want to post on FTE to that album. Have this album open on your computer when you want to post pics on FTE.

While you're making a post on FTE, select the pic you want to post from your Photobucket album. When the large version of the pic is open, right mouse click on it and select "View Image Info". The image info will be highlighted and will look something like this:
http://i285.photobucket.com/albums/l...ghtsafter1.jpg

Copy that highlighted info (right click / copy).

When you have the spot in your post where you want the pic to be placed, select the "Insert Image" icon at the top of the post (looks like a mountain) and paste (right click / paste) the image info you copied in the highlighted box (just shows "http://" when it opens).

Your pic will be placed in the post.

Hope that helps.

Here's a tutorial Bob put together: https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/67...-pictures.html