Yeah. Should be copied into a sticky. Does anyone ever read stickys?

 

Thanks, I accept credit cards, checks, cash with proper ID...

 

Hey thanks for the reply, I should of been a little bit more specific with the word budget. I plan to spend somewhere around the 20k-25k over the next few years building it up.

 

Thanks for the reply!! And the articles ill definitely have a read.
Ive been looking a a guy juanky build out of florida that sells rolling chassis/body trucks , haven't really decided for sure yet which is why I'm after some of your opinions

 

guys thanks so much for the responses, too many to get back individually but heres a bit more about what me and my ideas...

Found a guy juanky build out of florida that sells chassis/rolling bodys which look to be in good order ( saving time and money in the body shop)?

Budget wise over the next couple of years around 25k

Daily driver and weekend cruiser is what I'm after

Poor mechanical skills and very little tools on hand

 

This is what I'm thinking, crate motor and auto trans etc

 

Welcome to FTE.

It looks like you are starting with a budget most of us wish we had. You should be able to build a nice truck for 25K. But keep in mind New or Upgraded parts can consum a budget quickly. Crate motor 7K, chassis 3-5K, interiors another couple K. Also as several have said Paint can run from a couple thousand to 10-15k. The real warning is you can sort of figure the Big stuff but it's the little stuff that can add up quickly as well.

The most important thing in this hobby is to Enjoy your build!

 

Your budget doesn't sound way off, but your lack of tools, and experience might be. Its easy to get in over your head. I don't want to sound like I'm discouraging you. You will need to buy a lot of tools and learn how to safely use them. While the idea of restoring a vehicle on your own or as a father/son project is exciting, it is a lot of work, even for someone with lots of experience.

Honestly 12-15 will buy you a pretty darn decent road ready truck. Then you can "fix er up" at your leisure. Slowly buy some tools, get a welder and practice with it. But starting a full blown complete restoration, fabricating engine mounts, compete wiring, body work and paint as a first project seems a bit ambitious to me. Not impossible by any means. But tough for sure.

Take a look around at build threads. Pay particular attention to the date the first post was made

In any event, welcome! And best of luck!

 

I looked at Juanky Built's website and they have some nice trucks on there but I know anything about them. Many of these places try to get you hooked on a vehicle and then it goes on from there as more and more problems arise. I am not saying that they would do that but some places like this do. Your budget is not their budget.

We have all given you the bad news but I think that your goal of having something to work on with your son is worthwhile whether you finish a truck or not. You will learn together.

You have a reasonable budget if you had the tools and mechanical skills. But, that said, you can always buy tools and if you need technical knowledge the guys on this forum are truly experts and are willing to help whenever they can.

You and your son could also take classes at a local community college to gain experience in skills that you don't have like maybe welding or body work.

Suggest that you buy something that runs, drives and stops well. Then focus on the cosmetics. These trucks are pretty basic and offer a good place to start. Suggest staying away from anything that has been modified too much. If you start to get into modern engines, transmissions, etc. you may get frustrated very quickly.

As I said I like your goal of working with your son. That should remain as your primary goal and the truck secondary. Don't lose sight of that.

 

Hey Try,
Welcome Aboard! My son, Zack & I brought an old truck back
to the land of the living. Don't be discouraged - just buy something that's already running &
don't tear it apart. Just do weekend upgrade jobs to it - but keep it running & driving. It's much
easier to stay motivated with a running truck rather than a pile of parts.

Our truck was a barely running 1950 F1 that had been hot-rodded in the 70's.
We overpaid at $6,500 for it. It still gives Zack & I something to talk about & work on together.
I'd say go for it!!!

Ben in Austin
1950 F1 (351W/AOD)

 

Thanks for the info. Have had my enthusiasm kinda knocked around a bit after some of the guys feedback ( not having a dig at any of you by any means ) but am still on the look out for a decent running truck as advised by many of you, thanks!!!

You wouldn't have any pics or more info on your project would you?

Tristan

 

Don't let our comments discourage you. We just want to make sure this is the best possible experience for you. I started out with almost no tools and zero experience. My family life and budget has made my progress slow, but I have learned a lot and I am making progress.

With your budget, you should be able to do everything you want. Buying a running driving truck will most likely bring you the most joy. But, if you really want to learn everything and have the time to learn and work many hours on it, you can do it.

Often times when you as a question about something, you will get many different opinions. Since there are many ways to accomplish just about everything on these trucks, you can take the various opinions and go the direction that fits you best.

You are on the right track and we look forward to seeing what direction you go and we will help all we can.

 

Thats it we were all here to help each other. Thanks for the comment

Tristan

 

Hey Tristan,
Here is a picture of our barely running 1950 F1 we paid $6500 for.
I'd be picky & get the best running truck you can afford up front.
Look for one with a rust free cab - that will save you hours of grinding, scraping, & welding - which isn't the fun part.

We didn't do a good job of documenting our project & we had a lot of help in our build. I would recommend searching for posts by Tyler S on here. He & his son just finished up with a Father/Son project out in Tucson - well documented. Here is one of his starting texts - they started with a rough not running truck.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-51-f-1-a.html

Good luck over there. Post some pics of trucks you are looking at - the guys here will give you good advice on things to look for. It's the "making it pretty part" that get's expensive. A paint job is at least $7K to get other's to do it.

Ben in Austin
1950 F1

 

Say i find a nice running driving truck what would you guys recommend changing and upgrading in terms of importance

i.e new motor , front rear end etc? Like to see what you guys would prioritise first