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Story goes like this. It was my grandfathers 1959 f100 forestry truck. Setup with a gun rack and spot light. Super sweet ride. My aunt an uncle have had it for about 15 years in montana in a garage. they came to there senses and let me have it. (i am in california). I wanted to drive it down. They said no way. So
I hired a broker in Ca to find a shipping company in Montana. They did. He arrived and loaded the truck. i have before pictures. Then comes the hard part. The truck shows up four days later. The driver hit an overpass at a motel in Palm springs before he arrived. He never called or anything. I wanted to kill him but reminded clam and even paid him his money. I was told by a lawyer friend to complete the transaction so that i could then go through the legal process. long story short.
After getting their insurance info myself they have denied the claim b/c the truck used to ship the vehicle was not on their policy. Also they said they sub contracted the job out. They sub contracted the job to their son who works for he company. They lied to the insurance company and they seem to not care. Markel is the insurance company. So i have contacted my insurance company Gieco. They just sent a guy out to inspect the vehicle and project the damage in dollar amounts. I am hoping they pay for it and then get the money from the other insurance company.
My question is
How much is this truck worth? In my eyes it is priceless. It was owned by grandfather. Original paint, motor, trans, side box, spot light. I need to prove that it is worth fixing. How do I do that. I can;t find any forestry trucks let alone ones for sale. None that have the specs that this one does. i need help proving the value. Thank you all for your help. I am very distraught about this whole situation.
I agree with you that it is priceless. One less in existence unless you save it. I'm assuming you understand there is a huge range of possibility related to price. Their first question will probably be: how much was it insured for. I set the value on mine. Most antique owners do. I'd say you'd be extremely lucky to have an adjuster value it north of 16k. You'd be very lucky to have it valued over 12k. I'd argue at 10k but would consider it a big win. I think you should settle around 7200-8200. All that said I've seen them sold for way less. I'm sure their number will start there. Just my opinion. Remember... Don't settle until it's time to settle. Start high. Good luck! That story is tragic. Post results so we know.
How sad! That was a beautiful truck. I think I would have killed that guy. Hind sight isn't worth much but I would have rented a truck and trailer and moved it myself, I don't trust anyone with my cars..
very sad,you can still have it fixed,i have fixed a few that were worse,some transporters just don't care its all about the money,i think I would of made his truck look the same
First off, this thing can be fixed, don't let them tell you otherwise. Don't let them total it. If the bottom half of the Cab is OK, getting a top half is easy. Most insurance Co's don't want to mess with finding the needed parts for old vehicles, if you do that part for them, you have a better chance of them fixing it.
My condolences, I hope you can find a way to get it restored.
What a waste. I assume it has some sentimental value. I hope after it is said and done you can keep the truck. It can be fixed. I can't tell but another cab could be the fix. The rest of the truck looks immaculate. Let us know what happens.
Just throwing this out there: If the shipping co or ins company will pay for the repairs, Great! Go that route. I'd say to do this as an insurance job through a reputable shop, with a full paint job, your between 12-16k--depending on the shop. Shoot for this.
If not, and you can get north of 8500 from ins for them to total it out, let them scrap it. Then immediately get it from the yard with a salvaged title--the day they drop it off there (I'd follow the tow truck). It's usually just a bit more than scrap price if you tell them your story and they aren't D bags. Then put the remainder of the money into having it fixed. I would be very comfortable saying we're only talking about swapping the cab and doors, paint, then glass. Based on what we can see No way that effected the frame or anything else 'structural'. Find a doner cab, doors, glass, and a good shop or good mechanic with a lift.
You can get new glass delivered from lmc if the doner lacks it, with track kits and seals your under 2 k for all of it, and you can get a cab and doors for the same price or less--with or without glass depending on luck. That leaves you plenty for the labor. If I were closer I could do that -minus the paint- in a 40 hour week and you'd have a couple hundred left over, but no paint. Alternatively, you could swap the top; but I'm betting gapping the doors (especially the drivers side) and body work for paint prep after that would eat the labor budget more than a cab swap. The vin is in the glove box, so, no big deal. Not like you need to save it for that. I wouldn't hesitate to fix it. I'd look at this as an opportunity to think about going big window rear and factory tinted glass all around. You will eventually regret not doing so.
The last option I have to recoup financially is to recover it from the yard as a salvage title and put it up on CL and Ebay. You'll get at least 2k, as is. Maybe more. scrap yard will probably hit you for a K for recovery. With 9k you could probably replace the model, but not the sentimental attachment.
I had a truck driver hit my daughters Explorer, totaled it. So they gave me blue book on it and then gave me the option of buying it salvaged. They took out the difference and I had the vehicle. It's less hassle for them. They have to pay somebody to haul it off to the junkyard. I think I paid $400. Sorry to hear of your troubles.
Jonesy
that is a sucky situation. and I have a strong feeling the insurance companies are not going to pay you what you need. I would suggest you get a friend that knows how to weld ( do not take that truck to a shop because they will scam you ). take the cab off your truck and asses the damage. it doesn't look structural which is good. you need to go to a scrap yard and find the same year truck as yours (59). you might want to find one with a big back window and take the cab off it. your passenger side door looks good so all you need is a drivers door. try to save the mirror off of yours. then get your welding friend to cut from the bottom of the cab to the body line under the windshield were your too tone paint is. you will have the back,roof, and windshield in one pice for your truck. cut that area off of your truck and weld on the new stuff. while your at it fix any rust you come across ( you will find some ) then completely disassemble your cab and get it sandblasted. get it painted, put it back together with some new glass and your set. I am very sorry for what happened and wish you luck.
I remember seeing this truck for sale on Craigslist when I was searching the US for a 59. I would start at least $12-14K. They are going to lowball you. If you want to keep the truck get at least $10K. You should be able to find someone to do a cab swap for that price. Good Luck and let us know what happens. I live in Nor-cal and know a couple of guys that have parts and complete cabs if needed.
03-21-2016, 08:24 PM
