Like many of you guys I am involved with more than one project. One is a '48 panel and the other is '48/51 F-4 flatbed. I have had the panel for about five years and have it about half finished. I have had the flatbed for about three years. Both are about in the stage of completion, meaning about half way. Also, like many of you guys, I don't really have the time or money to go full bore into them so I work on them when time and money permit.

I might be able to buy another '48-50 panel truck in decent shape, not great but decent. The '48 panel I have now I grafted a roof from another parts panel because the truck was involved in a roll over sometime in it's past and the roof was trashed. The floor in the front is like Swiss Cheese and still needs to be replaced, which I have a perfect donor floor out of a crushed F-6 to weld in. I have already completed the major body work around the bottom six inched of the body. I have had the entire body from the firewall back sandblasted and epoxy primered. The rear doors need work. I replace the original chassis with a stock chassis from a '50 pickup that has a rebuilt flattie and all new chassis components.

You can check out pictures of my current by clicking here

The other panel I might be able to get needs work but has never had any major damage or repairs, at least that's what the seller has told me. It also has the original flattie that ran last year but just turns over now. From the pictures I have seen the truck looks pretty decent but still needs some body and mechanical work.

What I would like to do is buy the other truck, swap bodies and sell my original panel body on the "new" truck's chassis and get some of my money back. I have done a lot of work my original truck but there is a lot left to do. I would like a truck that didn't have such extensive work done to it, like the grafted roof and floor. If I would swap bodies I would be pretty much starting from scratch again. Swapping bodies is not a problem. I have a forklift truck and I have had my panel’s body off quite a few times to work on the gas tank and exhaust modifications.

This is what I am asking your opinion about. Do you think it’s worth doing? Would you do it to have a truck body that hasn’t had major work done to it? I personally would rather have a body that in one piece and isn’t all patched together if possible. I think I could sell the whole parts truck or just parts and get at least half of cost of the "new" truck.

 

I would sure want to check the new body to insure I was not walking into a bunch of work on it - like some hidden rust damage. Then I would want to look very hard at my patched body - is there anything wrong with it?

For myself, I would finish the one I have already started, and if it still bothered me that the body has been patched, I would sell it and start again. If you sell the pieces now you will not get nearly as much for them as they are worth on a complete panel truck, and the buyer will worry that you know something he does not.

My vote would be to finish what I started - but either way you are going to end up with something special!

 

Thanks ***** for you input.

The truck is about 80 miles from my house so it's no problem to take a trip to look it over. I was planning to do that. I know all the places to look for problem spots from over twenty years of playing with these trucks. I am just trying to decide if it would be worth doing. I will consider all opinions offered in making my decision.

 

Bob -

Like you, I am deep into body and chassis work on my 56. I have to do a patch panel on the cab left front to repair previous collision damage that was just bondo'd over and continued to rust. Other than that damage, I am very happy to have a truck with very good sheet metal. It really makes a difference.

I would buy the "new" panel (if it checks out to be relatively rust free) and swap all the goodies in from the other project. The I would sell off the rest.

 

Funny, just had this talk with my dad yesterday.

"Let's not start any more projects until we finish what we have".

Sooo, I've decided to part with many "projects" I've collected over the years, in order to narrow it down to a few I really want to finish.

Some things I'm selling could get more money if I "did, this and that" to them, but what the heck, if I had the time to do "this and that", I should put that time towards the projects I want to complete.

So, IMO, take a loss on what you have, consider it an education on "how to", and let it go, since time is valuable. Get a "project" that you're sure you can complete and move forward.

FWIW, I've finished (back in the late 70's) '57 Chevy PU.

75% finished '59 Chevy PU.

90% finished '89 IROC

Ground Zero on a '36 Ford PU

Sold and selling in the last few months (all partially complete projects opr for parts):

'91 Camaro
'67 Camaro
'48 F1
'66 Mustang
many of my '55-9 Chevy PU Parts.

Thing is, I'm mid-40's, 3 kids, and unless I hit the lottery (heck, I don't even play it...so that's a moot point), I'd never be able to finish them all.

BTW, that's just the "car" list, doen't include the plethora of tractors, etc.

So, to sum it up (from my opinion) off what you have now, and buy what you think you can get done. Life is too short to try to get a few extra bucks off of killing all those pretty weekends working on something just to sell it.

Hope I make some sense here.

 

My advice on buying cars or trucks is to search for the very best sheet metal that you can find and pay the money up front for it you will be time and money ahead and will never have to think that you have a patched up truck.

Three of my four antique vehicles I bought on the west coast (I live in Maine) including my 49 F-1, Willard.

Note that the really smart money buys the best sheetmetal in a completed truck, however what is the challenge with that!

 

Bob

If the second Panel is in any shape at all BUY IT.
When you get it home Momma will throw the expected fit, you decide that this time I have stepped over the line.
You then have the brillent idea to call your Good Bud, Dick, and give him both Panels to make good with Momma.
Dick comes from PA, and hauls away the Panels and anything else Momma points out.

TAA - DAA, the day is saved.

(Alternative - if the second Panel is in any ahape at all buy it, One can never have too many Bonus Builts, Its a Disease )

 

Bob,

I don't think that you need any opinions on this one. Just do what I do!

The new "spare" Panel will probably sit for a few months until you find a buyer. You know how long mine sat until I sold it.

Ilya

 

I bought a 53 F-100 and decided after tearing it apart that the cab (mostly) was too costly to fix. So, I bought a 54 F100 for the cab and front sheet metal and then parted out the rest - still have some of it. I had no time invested in the body though. Since you have so much work into it already, I would say finish it. That is, as long as you feel good about the work you've done so far on it. If you're not satisfied with the body work for whatever reason and it's going to bug you the rest of your days, then buy the other truck and use the sheet metal. If you are happy with the work you've done, the floor shouldn't take all that much time to weld in. I know I would feel good about taking something that was that beat up and making it perfect again. This is kind of a personal choice that none of us can really make for you - only give some perspective. Just remember, one finished truck is worth a whole lot more fun than 2 in pieces.

 

IMHO you can't really go wrong either way. If I had shucked my truck the first (or 2nd, or 3rd) time I saw one with a better body, I'd be on my 3rd or 4th truck. On the other hand, I probably could have bought one that was 90% and driven it as-is and had money in the bank besides.

I told my sons, when we went shopping for their first cars, exactly what 49Willard said. I'd rather rebuild three engines than patch one rust spot, or pay for one paint job. But you're pretty far down the road with your existing truck...

Do whatever you like! No one here will judge you!

 

I have always wanted a panel truck. When I found my original panel I jumped on it because in this area anything that is remotely restoreable is very rare and a decent panel even rarer. I would never have put as much work into the panel if it were a more common pickup. My F-2's floor was worse than the panels when I started. I ended up finding a very low mileage fire truck to donate a "new" cab. Unfortunately, with a panel truck it's not that easy. The panel truck I am thinking about now looks to be a pretty decent unit. I am going to see it in person later this week. If it is in decent shape I just might buy it to drive it for a while. I would hate to let a nice truck pass. I may have a ready buyer for it if I decide to sell it. I was contacted by a major corporation in town a few months ago looking for a '48-50 Ford panel truck to use for celebrating their 50th anniversary. Their founder started the company using a '48-50 panel and they want to fix one to use for promotions.

I personally enjoy taking a truck in somewhat rough shape, not too rough I am somewhat anchored in reality, and making it new again. Check out my gallery to see what I am doing with a set of fenders for my '48/50 F-4. Most people would have chucked them, but oh no, not me!

Dick, I knew I could depend on you for a solution . If I do buy the panel, and after my wife cools off , I will contact you and you can come get both. Yeah, right! I also agree you can never have too many even though my wife strongly disagrees

 

Bob,

I say buy the second panel. Then you will have plenty of quiet time to comtemplate if you want to make the swap or not as the wife won't be speaking to you and interupting the thought process.

If the body on the second panel is in great shape, how can you go wrong? Besides, Dick will come over and smooth it all out for you and drag it all to his house, thereby upsetting his wife......the wheel goes around....

Bobby