I have been crawling around my F100 the last few days. I have slowly started to notice things that have to be fixed for this to be road worthy in NC. The problem is I was hoping to get an honest answer on what you guys thought of the whole project.

I have totally redone the brakes.

New shoes, Hardware (springs), Self-adjuster kit, and Drums.

It needs a new radiator, and muffler. I also need new emergency brake cables since the old ones are rusted and don't move at all.

The tires on it are rotted and I need new ones or at least good used ones.

The underbody of the truck is rusted pretty good, mostly surface rust with some holes eaten thru in various places. The bed needs to be fixed it is rusted through about 2 feet from the tailgate all along the bed floor.

The interior needs a lot of work, and there are rust holes throughout the cab floor. The inside roof is rusted from a failed cb mount. Most of the rubber mounts throughout the frame need to be replaced.

I bought the truck for $400 and the engine runs. Of course it is hard to get a good idea of the motor since there is so much gunk under it all over the engine.

I was hoping to make this a daily work truck (back and forth to work), and my fishing truck since my boat would fit perfectly in the bed.

I have been messing with it and guess I am getting discouraged. I was hoping that some of you could look at the pictures and tell me if you think this would be worth my time and effort.

I was wondering what the price would be for something like this truck fully restored. I would hate to pour $5,000 into it to find out it is only worth $6,000 fully restored.

I was hoping to restore it and customize it as I went along. I guess I am looking at it in all it's glory and really questioning myself.

I desperately need a vehicle to go to work with. We currently have one car and it is too much of a hassle to switch vehicles between us all day long and the gas prices are killing us big time (just like everyone else).

I am open to questions and suggestions and want to make this work, but am leery of the total cost down the road and if it was worth it. I would love to play with it to occupy my time, but don't want a "money pit" project.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks guys.

My pics are on my website at - http://web.mac.com/dquack/iWeb/Q/F100.html

 

I see a couple of options. First, make it street legal and drive it. Second, and possibly cheaper, find a better body that needs an engine and swap your running gear into it then part out your current 66. You might break even or make a couple of bucks in the process.

 

I recently bought a 66 running with little or no rust for $1000 bucks, worked required is tinkering and fun not the extensive body work you are talking about.
Look hard and make sure you really love the truck because you will never get your money out. There are trucks out there that are still reasonable and don't require near the work
Good Luck

 

You do indeed have a lot of work in front of you to restore it. Personally, I think it requires too much work to be a good restoration project. I would make it safe first and legal second, and drive it n the meantime. You paid a good price for it, so that's a great start, it is worth at least that in parts, more than likely.
However, I would consider it more of a working donor parts truck waiting for a more deserving recipient.

Just my thoughts.

 

I drive a 66 customcab daily to and from work and I think that it is a good investment to fix them up. If you go to sell it you can get more than you have put into them. I have seen them on ebay going for better than 10k.

 

Your truck is not too bad. Yes, it is going to take a ton of cash to get it in great shape. But let me give you a bit of advice.
Take your time. You sound as if you want a daily driver, not a show truck. So let's start there.
Concentrate on the drive train. Since you've already done the brakes, go one step further and replace that master cylinder. Work on fixing the little things first.
I can tell you there is a lot of work into replacing, repairing, upgrading, modifying, etc.
You will gain more confidence in your truck with a few short trips around town.
Now for the good news. Most drivetrain (engine, trans, rear end, brakes) parts can be found via this website, NAPA, and a few other vendors. Pick up a Classic Trucks mag and peruse the ads. One company is offering front fenders, another has floor pans, some have glass, etc. Parts hunting is half the fun.
Build your truck, at your pace.you and your family will enjoy it more than you can imagine. I have some of the fondest memories of riding to the lake in my Dad's old GMC and eventually learning to drive it. I lan to continue the trdition with my kids.
And look at it this way, every time you add a new part, your just making a new payment on your new truck.

 

Thats not a bad truck at all! nice, for $400. The hood is trash, but the rest looks repairable and workable/ from the pictures, it looks like mostly surface rust. A can of Ajax and a power buffer might make that truck look twice as good.

On the other hand, I don't think that truck would ever be a good candidate for a total restoration. It would need too much, and cost more than it would ever be worth.

However, a new hood, a new coat of paint, and fix the worst of the rust holes, and you would have a nice, old classic truck that should last long enough to pass on to your kids.

 

Thanks for the advice guys. I was leaning towards fixing it up to drive and look nice, but not restore it all the way. That way I put money into it and it is worth it, but not get carried away with sinking money in it.

Plus my oldest son is 13 so he will need a car in a few years and I think this would be a great one for him. Old style truck with a steel frame and body would be good on these crazy NC roads.

Thanks again for the pep talk.

 

quack, I think it looks pretty good. I do agree with rosati though...concentrate on the drivetrain like you have been doing. Keep an eye out for donor parts and work the sheetmetal(start w/ the cab) as time, money, and parts availabilty permit. Make it a driver 1st.

 

drat. I had a message all typed and it goes "poof" I hate that. Anyway, the bottom line is that I also think your truck is probably not a good candidate for a full resto from this owner (note the synergy of owner and vehicle). Instead, you could get a beater truck for a grand or grand and half. My concern is that I'm guessing that the underside of the vehicle is in not good shape given the rust holes that you describe. You're also not going to justify this vehicle via fuel costs b/c you're gonna get 12mpgs with this. I've looked at contents in your posted web link and my take there is that you could leverage your aptitude for working w/sheet metal and that's a plus for this project. If u consider it a hobby (no expected rate of return), you will get other benefits that you can't attach a value to (daughter's experience). You will spend over 5g's on this for a full resto and you're right; it won't be worth any more than you'd put in it (probabably would be worth less). If this is considered to be an investment, you don't have a good one. If it's a hobby, it's a different story. Making the vehicle look decent and be serviceable for several years would cost you a couple of grand.
Paul

 

My thoughts are. A properly restored truck will never sell for what you have in it. Make it safe and drive it.

I have seen worse. The deeper you dig into your truck the more "surprises" you are going to find. From you pictures, it appears that it will clean up nicely with a ton of elbow grease. You have the skills to repair the metal ( I read your story).

Thanks for your service to this country!

 

phjbbu

12 mpg isn't bad. See I only have to drive 5 miles to work one way.

With the minivan right now I drive to work for PT (physical training) then come home to shower and change. I then drive back to work at 9 and come home for lunch. My wife drops me off after lunch and she goes home. Then she comes and picks me up at the end of the day and takes me home. That is 40 miles in one day. Too much driving.

When I get the truck up I can drive in for the morning and come home at the end of the day. Only throwing 10 miles a day on it then, maybe 20 if I come home for lunch.

Again thanks for all the help.

 

Looks like a good grille and bumper, most tin is useable, I'd say a bunch of elbow grease and a hood will make a decent driver. Get that kid interested in it, and he'll have a cool driver for high school!

 

It's definately a project truck....I bought the exact truck two weeks ago (red/white '66 Custom Cab w/ 352, etc.).

Good luck!
Doc