Hi Guys, I've been a "lurker" for awhile and appreciate the wealth of knowledge you all share. Was wondering if it would be allowed to ask for your advice on whether or not a truck I'm considering buying would be a good deal? My dad and I (mostly him) restored a '54 when I was a kid and I learned to drive on it and basically drove it all over the farm for a couple years before I got my license. I loved that truck. Anywhoo, Mom sold it when my folks divorced and I've always wanted to get another one but have never found one that I can afford, that doesn't need alot of work that I'm not qualified to do. Dad's in his 70's now so he's not gonna be able to help much. He's a minister and one of his parishioners has one they are looking to sell so he thought of me. I haven't seen it myself but I take Dad's opinion as more credible than mine. He says it's in really good shape, no rust, and runs good. I have attached the pics they sent me. I guess it's a V8 and all original other than the wheels/tires of course. I'm not looking for a show truck, just want 100% original to drive around town, maybe take to a cruise night once in awhile, and just re-live those child hood memories. They are asking $16k for it, which seems like a great price to me but wanted a 2nd opinion. Thanks for any input!

 

 

What kind of V8? I would inspect it a lot closer. Sounds like way too much, realistically.

 

Got an email with the reply below but don't see it in the thread. As far as I know it's the original V8 that it came with. Jafo56, any reasons in particular I can use with the seller to try and get closer to the $10k? I guess he paid $16k for it not sure how long ago but that's where his price comes from as I understand. Thanks for the input!

Here is the message that has just been posted:
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What kind of V8? I would inspect it a lot closer. Sounds like way too much, realistically.
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Those pictures do not support his asking price. You need to see details. If the truck is an unmolested straight rust free truck with a top quality paint and excellent mechanics, it is worth much more than a rust bucket full of filler and a $400. paint job. Just because someone paid a specific price, does not mean that value is there.

 

All original means the appearance of the truck when it drove off the assembly line. This truck isn't even close to being 'all original.'

Wrong wheels, repainted, reupholstered seat, but wrong seat upholstery, bed wood and dividers were painted body color originally.

Rear bumper is aftermarket, the added lights are not original, the running board step plates, taillights with the Ford chrome script and blue dots aren't original either.

Where is a pic of the so-called original V8?

Do not believe a single word that private sellers claim, as they lie just like used/new car dealers, lawyers, politicians and TV evangelists.

Do not believe the miles shown on the odometer, as it reads to 99999.9 then returns to ZERO!

IMO: 16K is waaay too much money for this non original truck.

btw: Looks like someone gave the seller a gift of the blue paint and he couldn't wait to begin applying it.

He went "hog wild" painting all sorts of parts that would not have been painted blue originally. (sigh)

 

NumberDummy, thanks for the reply. I guess when I said "original" I meant, not chopped, or rodded, original engine/drive train etc. I agree on the paint, why paint the bumpers?? lol Didn't sent a pic of the engine but my dad saw it and said it was original. The seller hasn't listed it for sale yet. He goes to my dad's church and Dad saw it at his house during a grad party. You don't think anyone would lie to their pastor would they?? So assuming it's in good mechanical condition, and there is no rust as my Dad said, given all of the issues you stated, and the market for these trucks what it is, what do you think would be a fair price?

 

The Ford Y block was introduced in 1954 cars/trucks. Used in cars thru 1962, in trucks thru 1964, but there are different sizes. If you look at one a these engines, how can you tell if it's the original?

The thing is, owner sent all sorts of pictures, but none of the 'original' engine.

Men lie to the police, their friends, gal pals and wives, so why wouldn't they lie to their pastor? Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea maxima culpa!

It's not rare, not everyone wants one, so it's only worth what people are willing to pay for it.

Do not suffer from "buck fever" or allow the money to burn a hole in your pocket. In other words, do not pay too much for it, because you'll soon regret it.

 

You'll have to look at the truck in person to determine the actual condition of the body and major mechanical systems. The pics are too generic to even guess at that. Where does it have rust? How is the frame? What about the electrical system, fuel, cooling, etc.? How well does it start, stop, run & drive?

It's really hard to tell details and specifics from the pics, and as they say, the devil is in the details. I can see, for example, that the tailgate chains are missing, but does that mean the truck has a different latch system on it? Or are the tailgate chains gone, and you have no way to open the tail gate and keep it from falling onto the rear bumper? The grille seems to be missing the headlight surrounds, but does the owner have them, or are they gone for good? The paint is suspect already, as the front bumper and brackets are painted, but does that mean the frame was also painted, or was the paint job a cheap quickie at the local bodyshop, where they just squirted the blue over everything? A partial pic of the front seat won't tell you if the seat foam is shot, or if the seat track is gummed up with crud & grit. These are things you're going to have to look at yourself.

As for originality, well, it's already been pointed out that it isn't. Is it an uncut, unmolested truck? Maybe, mostly. There are a few little things that Bill pointed out that aren't stock. IMHO they aren't dealbreakers, since they can be corrected pretty easily.

Everyone has their opinion on the price, and like most things, it's relative and subjective. Personally, I think the asking price is a bit high, but how high is unknown until you get a better look at the truck. Just to inject a bit of data into the equation, the Hagerty valuations for the 53-55 Effies have been holding steady for the past few years; you can see them HERE and learn more about the way they compile their information HERE.

Good luck.

 

The truck you are looking at is nice and could be painted with the correct stock colors, but that will cost you even more money.

Here is my unmolested 54 F100, painted the right way, with the correct seat upholstery and correct bed paint and tail lights, with the original engine, and with stock hubcaps and wheels. And it is not worth $16,000.

 

I don't think you told us your location. Like real estate location plays a part in pricing.

Here is another comparison. I bought this 55 F350 in Erie, PA in April of 2016 for $6,000. Plus I spent over $1000 for new tires. The truck was painted once, but is unmolested, stock, with original seat and upholstery and original engine. It is an F350 flatbed dually so that makes a difference in price.


Taken the day I drove it home.

 

So, this is my truck. It's all original, but just about everything needed work and ($$). The engine was rebuilt and runs great, but the paint and body work are not the best. It may not be worth $16,000, but I probably spent that much. I'm thinking the truck you are looking at may very well be in better condition than mine.






Jim

 

I think anyone would be hard pressed to build that truck for $16,000. I'm not going to ask you what you've got into it, but I'd be very surprised if it was under $12,000.

You can buy cheap, and then spend $$$ fixing stuff up, or you can just pay for stuff that's already done. I'm already into my '53 for more money than I care to mention, and I'll probably never get most of that back out. But I knew that when I bought her.

 

I'd way rather have Abe's truck than the blue one any day of the week!

Not really a fan of the "cragars on old trucks" look that much, metal flake paint, and a windsor. Maybe the pro restorers can make it work because of the level of work they do, but it doesn't look right to my eyes otherwise. Personal choice and all, that's mine. I'd sure like a peak under the hood. I betcha the Y block is long gone. Maybe not, but it smells like it. ProTip: If you're trying to sell something, take all the crap out of the bed and cab before taking pictures.

Having said that, if you could get the truck at a decent price, it might work for you. Save your money, you may have to look at a lot of trucks to find what you want. Check the truck out in person. Don't act too interested, or they won't budge on the price.