Hello everyone reading this. Didn't have much time to hover around the forums so this is my first post here, straight to business.

Feel free to talk in natural terms, I'm a classic car enthusiast myself, seeking for a reasonable advice from trucker realm which I opened for myself just recently (used to work with European and Soviet made cars only, before coming to Americas).

There is a '66 Ford truck for sale. Guy who sells it is a 5th owner, attempted to restore the truck using other guy's job but the latter was not good and he decided to put it on sale. Chilean made with Argentinian engine. Shortbed styleside, Custom Cab, 292 Y block, manual 3-speed column shift, Twin I Beam, Holley carb, basic round gauge combination. Simple (NOT power) steering and brakes, engine rebuilt in 2013 and used very little since (looks like the truck was stored or kept in parts most of the time). White wall tires, 2 simple spare wheels included. New seat upholstery. Starts, runs and brakes fine. No bondo. Grille, bumpers, badges, hubcaps etc. in very good condition.

Those are good things. Now the bad ones:
-Lowered (about 20% compared to highest) compression in one cylinder;
-Battered, rusty Twin I Beam suspension that looks like it was never disassembled and requires immediate attention;
-Many loose joints;
-Missing lower part of clutch housing (apparently lost due to former thing);
-Missing "beauty" parts (upper faux leather pieces on doors, armrests, one hubcap, hand throttle cable);
-Rusty cab floor with several bad patches (frame and bed are OK though);
-Poor wannabe 2-color paintjob, requires completely new one;
-Faulty radio;
-Window mechanisms are as hard to turn as cranking engine by hand.

Sorry for posting no photos, maybe I'll manage to bring them in later. In your opinion, what is approximate US$ reasonable value of this truck in South America? Please keep in mind, there is no big selection of alternative offers out there.

 

So you're thinking about buying a '66 F100 that was assembled new in Chile with an Argentinian engine that's mechanically in rough shape and you want to know what we think it's value is in a South American market? It will be interesting to see if anyone on the forum knows enough about such a truck and your market to make an educated guess. The "Y" block V8 was no longer offered in the North American market on F100s after 1964. The South American (Argentinian) version may have been of a lower compression specification to handle lower octane gasoline. Considering the already failed attempt at restoration and the missing and questionable parts, not to mention the fact that the differences a South American built truck might have from one of ours, the cost in time and parts hunting to repair the truck properly might likely be prohibitive. I might take it off the seller's hands for free if I were local, but I wouldn't pay any money for it. In my opinion, you're looking at a very long process to get it back to safe and reliable to drive. Hopefully, someone else will have a different and more optimistic opinion for you. Good luck.

 

X2 on SuperSabre comments. I'll also add your in Chile, where are you getting parts from? If looking to buy parts from the U.S. consider shipping costs.
You'll want to verify that the engine is indeed a 292 yblock. As mentioned, 64 was the last year for the yblock at least in the F100 series.
You'll need to look at this cab real good and figure why the cab floor rusted out so bad. I'm sure you'll find more areas where water gets in.
Even for free, it's going to cost a lot to bring it back to a reliable and safe truck.

 

Thanks guys. As I've noticed, classic South American models almost all have older model year engines than their native U.S. brethren. Not a big concern, I need to get ANY V8 that won't fall apart. Of course there are some badass trucks restored in fancy-schmancy style, but it's not what I'm looking for (let alone sky-high price of such offers).

Besides ordering parts from U.S., there is some opportunity for junkyard hunting and a decent stock of new parts in Argentina, so it's not a situation with no way out.

There are couple of another Ford trucks available in the vicinity, including 1975 XLT Ranger. Pretty worn too, but everything is in plain sight, no wannabe job attempts and MUCH cheaper. Is the latter any way more durable/worthy for restoration in its technological nature than 1966 model (regardless of other factors)?

 

Lonely Warrior - There is a '73 - '79 F100 truck section of this forum. Ask your question about the '75 Ranger XLT there. They should be able to help you. Good luck!