Mr ED don't get too frustrated. Everything adds to your base knowledge of what is a good deal and not so good. When you do pull the trigger you will feel good about the deal. I get the frustration. I had a couple of stiff drinks and started farting around on EBAY. Accidentally bought a pile of crap. Oh.....and a funny story.

 

This is kind of obvious (wasn't for me!). Watch out for trucks that are in isolated areas. I bought a decent truck from upper Michigan and freight almost equaled price of truck. Get a freight quote before you buy.

 

Let us know where you are and how far you're willing to drive. I know more than a few of us will keep our eyes out for you.

 

When I began looking I was also surprised... a bit. I had a '55 in high school, the only rust was at the bottom edge of the tailgate and truthfully it wasn't even that bad. Yeah, it had a sloppy steering gear, about 3/4 of a turn of play, but otherwise was solid. After I moved to Colorado in '76 Pop sold it for $600. In that condition today it would easily fetch $30K+.

Beside the desire for another '53 - '55 my rationalization was this: I could buy a nearly used-up POS Ranger for $8 - $10k and continue to lose money on it every day I owned it. If I bought a '53 - '55 (sorry, I never cared for '56) for a decent price and in reasonable condition the worst I could do was break even, if and when I decided to sell it.

I spent a month or so online until I found something close to what I wanted for a fair price. A '53 with a 15 foot paint job, almost no rust (some bondo smeared around the front cab mounts to seal up the floor pan) an original engine with a slight rod/wrist pin knock and a plywood bed floor but otherwise a solid, original (for the most part) truck. Paid $15k for it, have spent about a grand in parts to correct the sins of those that came before me and to repair things that 63 years of usage require (plus adding overdrive and power steering.) Add in a proper paint job and I don't think I'd have any problem getting $25 - $30k.

Considering I made $10,400 in '72 and today my total compensation is easily ten+ times that, basically doing the same job, one could argue that '55 should be worth $60k. But it's only worth half that... You could easily spend that on a new pickup. Yeah, it would be loaded with all the crap nobody really needs but it would have a heckuva lot more creature comforts than my '53.

Just to make a long post even longer... When I bought my '53 I drove it from Toledo to Louisville and had fun all along the way. In Celina, Ohio the town was apparently just about to begin a parade through town. Kids and parents were all in front of their houses on main street. BBQ grills were smoking, kids were playing, adults were tipping adult beverages and it seemed everyone was enjoying themselves. As we drove through (my buddy following in my Jag convertible) everyone was yelling and waving at us as if we were the lead vehicles. We just smiled and waved, acting like hotshots while hoping someone would run a home-grilled burger or hot dog out to us. Life is good!

 

"Gold chainers" don't want to get their hands dirty, want to buy something that's on the road. A lot of people simply can't or don't want to build one, just write a check. Nothing wrong with that, really.

 

These folks keep a lot of us employed...you won't find me badmouthing them.

 

Every time you see an ad with the words "RAT ROD", "Barn find", or " Gas Monkey" in it anywhere, just know the price will be stupid and keep on scrollin!

 

Havent seen alot of F-1's around here lately. (utah) but seem to find plenty of f2 3s and up.
Are you set on an f1 or would an f2 f3 work?

Last year I picked up three f2 f3 parts trucks for $166.663 each. One had a good running rebuilt 226 in it. Another had a merc flathead v8 runner in it. Third one no engine.

This spring i picked up 2 f 2 f3 trucks (one with engine one without). Extra cab, 2 merc cranks. A flathead engine. A trans. 48 F1 pickup bed trailer . 3 rusty merc overdrive transmissions. And other misc extra parts for $500 plus traded a trailer i paid $150 for.

My friend has an 51 f1 driver. He had a 327 in it. But could drop a flathead v8 in it.
Has usual rust but could be a driver with minimal work.
Ill ask him if its for sale.

 

I scored my 49 for a buck 36 years ago, the guy just wanted it out of his yard. It was in pretty rough shape but it was all there except what rusted off.

 

You can definitely build one for less money, I can build one for less money, but not everyone can. It is easy to take for granted skills you may have but remember not everyone has the tools, time, or knowledge to repair let alone build from scratch a vehicle.
Sometimes I wish I had the cash to just go buy a done hot rod, but the problem is if you know how to build one you will never find one built exactly the way you would do it, so it would still need to be "fixed".
Plenty of old iron out there, but if you are set on a certain model it can take time to find the good deal. I find most of mine while I am not looking for one!

 

Thanks for all of the replies. I am in no hurry since I have my cruiser to get me to the local cruises. I am going to wait on the right truck to come along.

Calvin: I saw that old Army truck and at first was interested until I looked really close at the photos. It is a rusty hulk and the owner probably thinks that doesn't matter because it is a low mileage truck.

And as far as what I want? Let me put it this way. When I first started looking, before I sold the car that I had for sale, a running '51 with Ford 302, C4, 9" rear popped up on ebay in Minnesota and was listed as a rat rod. It had PS, P/B, and A/C. I bid 7 grand and it sold for 8 because I still had one too many vehicles to bid more at the time. It had a solid body that needed a paint job and the interior needed help as well but it was listed as a daily driver. As a side note, it has resurfaced in Atlanta for $11,500.00 and the guy is even using the same photos! While I have done complete restorations right down to engine/trans/rear swaps, those days are in my rear view. So the more complete running truck will get my interest. Here's another example. A sweet '50 that needs a driver popped up on CL today at $12,900.00. Flathead V-8 but it is a stick and with a bum left knee, I cannot do a clutch. Now as you know, Speedway has a C4 conversion kit for a shade over 2 grand.

So in closing, the more I can get, the less I have to do.

Thanks.

Later!
Mr. Ed

 

Old iron is hot right now. Custom choppers are virtually dead. Twenty years ago you couldn't buy a new Harley without getting on a waitlist or having a special friend at the dealership. Now H-D is offering 0% financing on 84 month terms.

If you REALLY want to see an insane market, look at any air-cooled Porsches. I've been in that market for twenty years, and if I'd emptied the 401K into the garage 15 years ago I'd be retired now. Makes me sick to think of it.

Enjoy the hunt. Craigslist is your friend. That is, if you want a project. I see a lot of fat-fendered Fords throughout Oklahoma. A lot were parked in fields and the weather aged them but didn't outright destroy them.

Having cash ready and being smart about it makes a big difference. I once bought a Porsche for 55% of asking price. I knew what I was buying, I was financially ready, and more importantly, the seller talked too much. Don't be afraid to open dialog with a seller if he has what you want. He wants to sell the truck, or he wouldn't have placed an ad. Find out how bad he wants to sell it and go from there.

Happy hunting!

 

My new favorite is: "I know what these are worth, so no low-ballers".

No, you really don't. If you did, you wouldn't be asking 8k for something that's been sitting out in the woods for the last 40 years.

 

Later!
Mr. Ed

 

I've had good luck in the past posting want ads on craigslist or where ever. A lot of people have things they're willing to sell but haven't taken the steps to sell it, like pricing it out. Get's rid of a lot of the high prices.

Also there are apps for chrome that can watch craigslist for you for what you're looking for, so if a good deal is posted you'll know ASAP verse finding it's already been sold.

And letting people know you're looking for something also helps. Everyone comes across a lot of stuff that's good but not what they're looking for or can afford at the time, if they know you're looking for it if they stumble across one, there you go.


And shipping a car is about $800-$1000. So you can find a really good deal, ship it and still have it come out cheaper than buying locally.


Check Offer Up. It searches for stuff within a certain mile radius of you, lot of activity but doesn't seem to be swamped with businesses or high prices like craigslist.