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My name is Kyle, and hoping to be a 1954 F100 owner in the next few days. I found a truck yesterday for sale on the side of the road and decided to stop. I met the guy today to get a closer look at the truck. It has a little rust on the cab corners, but doesnt seem terrible. Fenders seem to be in good shape. It does turnover, but hasnt ran in a little over a year. I'd imagine the fuel is playing a large role in that. I know I see people asking $5k for badly rusted barn finds, not sure what they are actually getting though. This guy wants $7k, and with a little work it should be able to hit the streets. I have plans for it as funds allow, but do not want to overpay on the front end. He paid $6700 for it 2 years ago and has about $3k into it. I know it's going to be hard to tell from the pic, but does $7k seem to be a reasonable price? He said the master cylinder went out, but it comes with a new one as well as a new set of tires. Thanks in advance. Here is a link to the truck with more pics when the owner before the current owner had it. http://www.2040-cars.com/Ford/F-100/1954-ford-f-100-rat-trucl-034-bad-news-bettie-034--869711/
Welcome Kyle!
It certainly has that ratrod look to it that's popular now! For starters, it has a 1953 grill in it (not '54).
I'm wondering where the current owner has $3,000 into it. Judging from the original pictures to now, it doesn't appear that he really taken care of it. A new set of tires and master cylinder doesn't add up. Nothing else looks to be changed and it has been sitting there a while based on the flat tires. Did you look under? I'd take a look at how well the C notch was done. The rust in the box and rough welded caddy tail lights are more cosmetic but you don't want shoddy suspension work. Also look at the electrical work - I see some dangling wires under the grill which would make me cautious. I'm not sure if it was converted to 12 volt. Does it still have the flame throwers on it?!
Ultimately it depends on what your plans are with it. I'm working on a '54 F100 that the previous owner was kinda going the rad rod. I decided to re-paint the hood and it has opened up a can of worms. I think you'd a lot of time and money getting that truck ready for a shiny paint job. But as a rat rod/ driver, looks pretty cool.
He added a little heater and named some other stuff but I honestly don't remember. The $1k to have it shipped might have been included. I'll have to message him and find out. I like the rat rod look, but I'd like to strip it down eventually and paint it. I'll drive it as is for now just to enjoy it.
Custom vehicle pricing is tricky, especially one that seems to be a bit past its prime. Couple of red flags: it isn't running, it doesn't appear to have been garage kept in the recent past, there seems to be some rust happening on previous custom body work, and the quality of work on the frame mods is unknown.
Tires and a MC are a nice start. If the mods are stuff you like and are willing to pay for, the price is about right. If you aren't a fan of flame throwers and lowered trucks, start discounting.
The c notch looks to be done correctly. Flame throwers have been eliminated and he put two flowmaster mufflers on it that dump past the cab. It was straight pipes before. He mentioned that the plugs fouled a lot. Not sure what would case that other than running rich? I can't imagine the motors are hard to work on. Future plans would be to swap in a 302 or maybe a coyote 5.0 if possible. I am currently building my 5.4 for my 03 Lightning so I need to finish that first. I've always wanted this style f100 and stumbled across this one. $7k is pretty much my budget too. Not sure if I can find anything better for that price or not. Is there anything specific I need to look for? Any known trouble spots I can take pics of? None of my buddies know much about old trucks so I am going into this with minimal knowledge.
The prior owner may had it running rich because of the flame throwers. It looks like there were spark plugs in the exhaust (old school way of doing it). The spark would ignite the un-burnt gas.
I'd want to know if the engine was rebuilt. It looks pretty clean in the prior owner's photo but who knows. It has a "Don Garlits Performance Engines" tag on the valve cover - but that could have been added as cosmetic only.
I was looking at a Lightning transplant or 5.0 Coyote transplant for mine. Then you realize all the other stuff that needs to be improved/ fabricated too! There are a bunch of builds on this forum so you can get an idea of the work. Not saying not to buy, but I wish I was a little bit more cautious when purchasing mine last year.
As far as notorious areas - cab corners are typical. I'd also check the cowl area - that cowl vent doesn't seem to be sitting down. (Explains the rust on top of the floor boards?) From the prior photos - it looks like dents, painted over rust in the box/ rear fender area. There are some people on here that are far more familiar with these trucks than I am.
BTW - are there door poppers on it? Noticed the shaved door handles.
The prior owner may had it running rich because of the flame throwers. It looks like there were spark plugs in the exhaust (old school way of doing it). The spark would ignite the un-burnt gas.
I'd want to know if the engine was rebuilt. It looks pretty clean in the prior owner's photo but who knows. It has a "Don Garlits Performance Engines" tag on the valve cover - but that could have been added as cosmetic only.
I was looking at a Lightning transplant or 5.0 Coyote transplant for mine. Then you realize all the other stuff that needs to be improved/ fabricated too! There are a bunch of builds on this forum so you can get an idea of the work. Not saying not to buy, but I wish I was a little bit more cautious when purchasing mine last year.
BTW - are there door poppers on it? Noticed the shaved door handles.
He opened the little window and reached in to open the door lol. I'd safely say it does not have the poppers. Just building one of those mod motors is pretty pricey. I'll probably stick with a 302 or something similar.
I just got a response and he has replaced the driver window, windshield wipers and motor, master cylinder, extra set of tires, exhaust, heater, rebuilt carb, emergency brake cable, and brakes.
This is a 6 cylinder truck. Even with the 302, probably looking at some upgrades. Engine mounts, transmission, suspension, brakes, wiring harness, steering, cooling, rear end, etc.? It's likely not something you can just drop in and go. If you go to a subframe, you are basically re-building the truck from ground-up! I would weigh long-term goals and cost.
We paid $6500 for our truck several years ago. The truck you are
looking at is in A LOT better shape. I looked around the state to see
what's out there... total rusted out trucks are asking $4,000.. As long as
the suspension stuff was done right... Is there no way to get it running so
you could drive it?
We paid $6500 for our truck several years ago. The truck you are
looking at is in A LOT better shape. I looked around the state to see
what's out there... total rusted out trucks are asking $4,000.. As long as
the suspension stuff was done right... Is there no way to get it running so
you could drive it?
Ben in Austin
1950 F1
I'm up here just north of Ft Worth in Azle. I would definitely rather have that truck, but WAY out of my range right now. Thanks for looking out though. I'm going to meet up again Wednesday and see what we can work out. Hell, I'll drain the fuel and replace the plugs myself if he will let me, just to see if we can get it running. If not, I'll just have to work some magic and see if he is willing to negotiate at all. I planned on doing a restoration eventually. Like I said, I'd like to enjoy it for a little while first. I've been scouring the internet for the past few hours and can't find anything in that price range that isn't a pile of parts. Ill probably end up pulling the trigger on it one way or the other.
You might try cleaning the plugs and pouring some gas in the carb and see if it will fire first. Or try running it off a gas can. (Rather than draining the tank)
Big question is how much time/ money you have to invest right now. I bought the '54 because it was running rather than a '56 that I found that was all in pieces. Don't get me wrong, I certainly see the appeal of this one! Sometime cash talks.
There seems to be a few projects around TX if you really want a V8. (You may have seen these already in your search.)
1955 ford f100. Has camaro front suspension, camaro rear end installed - $3700 La Marque, TX
You might try cleaning the plugs and pouring some gas in the carb and see if it will fire first. Or try running it off a gas can. (Rather than draining the tank)
Big question is how much time/ money you have to invest right now. I bought the '54 because it was running rather than a '56 that I found that was all in pieces. Don't get me wrong, I certainly see the appeal of this one! Sometime cash talks.
There seems to be a few projects around TX if you really want a V8. (You may have seen these already in your search.)
1955 ford f100. Has camaro front suspension, camaro rear end installed - $3700 La Marque, TX
1954 Ford F100, mustang II front clip with disc brakes. Pontiac 400ci with a turbo 400 trans. - $10,000
This may have a nicer body if you wanted to do a paint job. 1953 ford pu - $5500 Houston, TX
I do not plan on a full restoration for any project I get. I would like a nice matte blue paint job to match my sonic blue lightning though. I'd leave it low, replace engine, trans, brakes, suspension, wheels, wiring, redo the interior a little bit. (I hate the red seat!) Repair any rust obviously since I'll have it painted. All in time though. This is going to leave me toy cash poor for a little bit. I have a bike I am selling so I will get a little back out of that to sink into the truck as well. This is just something for me to work on and that will be a lot easier on the pocket book vs building the lightning. If I am lucky when my daughter gets older she will enjoy it as well. Thanks for the craigslists finds as well. I havent seen a couple of those. How much of a hassle is it for a truck without a title?
For $7k it should be a reliable runner driver. Good tires, good brakes, etc, just jump in and go. Judging by the quality of the workmanship, The PO got sucked into paying to much because it has "the look". After having it a while and the problems with said workmanship popping up, hes looking to pass it on to someone who falls in love with "the look". I'm guessing if you look hard the uglyness will become apparent. As it sits, I'd go about $2500 if I really had to have it.
It looks pretty molested. If you really like the portholes, bullet taillights, no door handles, dinky red steering wheel, etc. then go for it but there is a risk that it hasn't been done correctly. I certainly wouldn't pay $7K.
The issue is what is your skill level (be realistic), time and money available?
It looks pretty molested. If you really like the portholes, bullet taillights, no door handles, dinky red steering wheel, etc. then go for it but there is a risk that it hasn't been done correctly. I certainly wouldn't pay $7K.
Those are my thoughts too .
I really don't like the idea of buying something that has had suspension mods done to sit that low .
I bet it has been done for looks and not driveability .
Don't hand over any cash unless you can get in and drive that thing , and see how it does actually drive .
If he cant get it running so you can do so , either hit him hard with a low price or walk away .
If it was a good truck to drive he wouldn't be selling it !!
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