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This truck was my very first vehicle. It has been sitting under a tree for the last 20 years.
Less than 7 years ago, the body and front bumper area were cosmetically almost perfect.
An old boyfriend moved it with his truck out of the spot and caused it all to be messed up.
What would be an estimate of getting this repaired back to decent? Nothing too off the line but just decent?
Any and all responses are greatly appreciated!!!
I don’t remember what year the truck is. ‘72-‘79 is my guess. I’ve got better pics than this but for some reason can’t find atm!
Welcome. That's a 1967-1972 truck. You'll see them referred to as "Bump-Sides". 1973-1979 trucks are often referred to as ent-Sides" because they have a long narrow dent about where a bump is seen on yours. There's some crossover, but you might get more info in the 1967-1972 section, but do visit all over the forums.
That’s a bumpside so the moderators will probably move your thread to the appropriate forum. As far as cost, it depends on what you want to do and the true extent of the damage. You’ll need to pull it out of the muck and mud, take a pressure washer to it, and see how much rust or rot you have. Take some pictures after you do that and then people can help you.
why was it parked? generally people park a vehicle because something goes wrong and they get a new vehicle instead of fixing or figuring out the issue.
i would think that at minimum, you need tires, brakes, the soft brake lines, and a battery which would be around 1500 but could be more or less depending on the specific brands and where you get them. i would not be surprised if you have ignition issues or at least want to freshen up a few things like plugs plug wires distributor cap and rotor, ignition coil would be another 120-150. your fuel system might work fine, but at minimum i'd make sure there is a cheap clear an inline filter after the mechanical oil pump those are like $10 and an oil change and making sure all the fluids are good... could be another $30.
this is just parts but all these things are easy to do yourself with simple common hand tools and watching youtube videos. if you need to pay someone to do this stuff it likely won't be too much. maybe a couple hundred more on the high side? if nothing is froze up and your fuel system is in good working order that should get it running and in shape to drive. you can likely find a bumper on FB market place for 100-250. i wouldn't be surprised if that bed is pretty rough if all that stuff sat in it and it was rained on for the last 20 years. the sky is the limit depending on how much you want to do cosmetically.
there is obviously a lot more than could be wrong and a lot of things that becomes issues simply from it sitting so long, but these trucks are pretty simple compared to modern vehicles
My dad had it parked. He didn’t drive it.. An ex boyfriend put it where it is now. Big mistake.
I’m sure there’s all kinds of things that need to be done to get it running. which I won’t be doing myself. I don’t have the time. Tired of watching you tube videos to figure things out myself! Had to do that with a whole farm! I’m over it! I really do appreciate the insight though!
Selling it is an option. However it seems like it would cost less than $5k to get it driving. I think that’s worth keeping.
Last edited by MizzLinZe; Aug 29, 2023 at 03:34 PM.
Reason: To add something
My dad had it parked. He didn’t drive it.. An ex boyfriend put it where it is now. Big mistake.
I’m sure there’s all kinds of things that need to be done to get it running. which I won’t be doing myself. I don’t have the time. Tired of watching you tube videos to figure things out myself! Had to do that with a whole farm! I’m over it! I really do appreciate the insight though!
Selling it is an option. However it seems like it would cost less than $5k to get it driving. I think that’s worth keeping.
i think if you have a reasonable independent mechanic you trust, 5k would likely be the upper end of getting it up and running and if it's not, they will likely be able to diagnose it as more way before it starts costing you too much... good luck!
Welcome to the forum. You'll be over 5k to get it running, driving, stopping, somewhat reliable, and the basic body repairs and that's if you do it yourself. Double it or more if paying someone. Everything is terribly expensive now. Just parts shipping costs alone require a line item in budget. Hire the wrong mechanic and frustrations and losses will increase.
But....If you have strong sentimental attachment to it then money not an issue, take your time and have it done little by little as you can afford it. Its been out to pasture for 20 years so even if it take 5 years to bring it back the wait will be worth it.
Otherwise you could buy a really nice turn key truck in same model for what you'll have invested. I've done enough projects and tracked every cost down to a rattle can of paint in an xls. It adds up faster than anyone who hasn't tracked costs realizes. My 2 cents. Good Luck with whatever you decide. Peace!
Just assuming the engine isn't seized or in horrible shape, considering it was parked for a reason and has sat for 20 years. It would cost a few thousand if you're farming out all of the work just to refresh the brake system, get a set of tires, etc. There's no way to know based on this pic. Has the engine been sitting with a carburetor and air cleaner on it?
I'll just say if I drove by that truck and it had a sign that said free on it I probably wouldn't even stop to look at it unless I had a bump side that needed body parts.
I'd restore it, but I'm sentimental like that and can do most of the work myself. I still have the truck I learned to drive in, and it is patiently awaiting restoration.
. . . and yeah sorry for what the ex-bf did. There is so much frame to hook onto that it is amazing that someone would try that.
As far as parts pricing, I'm assuming it is a 1972 with an 300 inline-6 with an automatic transmission and power steering:
ent-Sides" because they have a long narrow dent about where a bump is seen on yours. There's some crossover, but you might get more info in the 1967-1972 section, but do visit all over the forums.
