Another Whats it worth thread

[Mathew21]

I'm have been talking to a guy about buying his Truck. The truck is on the other side of the country from me. I have a buddy that lives a few hours from the seller. So if I decide to buy it he's going to go check it out for me. I'm new to these Trucks so I'm curious what you guys think it's worth.

1971 3/4 ton. He says it has no rust, runs excellent. It looks to me like it has been repainted at some time in it's life.

[Truck Guy99]

What is the seller asking? That would give us an idea if its even worth cheking on buying. Does the seller have a title? Got a pic of the undercarriage?

[Mathew21]

Originally Posted by Truck Guy99

What is the seller asking? That would give us an idea if its even worth cheking on buying. Does the seller have a title? Got a pic of the undercarriage?

He sent me a picture a few pictures of the undercarriage it looks real clean. I accidentally erased those pictures. He wants $3500.00. Yes he has a title for it.

[Coley]

My bid is....$2500.
I'm not fond of the painted bumpers, radio cut-out thingy, missing a/c compressor, wrong seat, missing lower/wide moulding,....and I think it might have some rust based on the side shot.
Get your friend to take some better pictures of the rockers before you seriously decide.
Just my two bits...., good luck either way.
Coley

[Truck Guy99]

What he said

[MidLifer]

The truck has been repainted and was originally Ochre (a color I have a sweet spot for, see my avatar). Also, I bet that under that huge wooden thingy in the dash is a huge hole. That air cleaner - wth? And on and on.

It depends on what your goals are for this truck. If it's relatively solid, rust free, and your plans are to completely restore it, it would be a good platform to start with and probably worth in the $2k range. Remember you'll also have to pay to ship or drive it out, and these things get <10MPG so it may be cheaper to ship it!

OTOH, if you like how it looks and don't mind the "imperfections" and just want to drive it, then it's worth what you want to pay to have it as-is.

Just remember, it's 42 years old, and as a lot of us have learned when buying these trucks, just about anything on the truck may need replacement/rebuilding, including a lot of stuff you can't see on a visual inspection.

If you're ok with that level of risk, go for it.

[Mathew21]

Thanks for the advice everybody. I'm looking for a truck to be a driver. I have no plans on doing a restoration. I'm not new to old cars and trucks. I have a 1952 Ford F1 pick up now that I drive as much as possible weather in Michigan permitting. I'm starting to think I might want to hold out and find a 67-72 Suburban. My wife and I have one child now and she's hinting around for another.

[MidLifer]

OK, so here's some more unsolicited "advice" specific to 67-72 Chevy trucks:

the prime rust locations on these trucks are:
- Rocker panels
- Rear cab corners
- Drip rail
- Above windshield inside cab
- Cowl/firewall
- Inner fenders (but those are easy to replace)
- Cab mounts
- Kick panels
- Floor pan, particularly driver's side

But I see a CA tag on this truck so that's hopeful - could be a dry one

The exhaust manifolds on the small block chevy engines, particularly driver's side, tend to crack. I see that this one still has them so 50% chance at least one is cracked. Plenty of header choices for these trucks and/or a number of aftermarket suppliers for new rams horns.

That carb looks old (original Q-jet?), and I can't see if the truck has the original dizzy or if the PO did a HEI conversion. As you know, neither a new carb nor a HEI distro will break the bank.

71 3/4 ton trucks had disc brakes in the front, and given that this one has power brakes it probably also has power steering. All good. The drum-brake models require more advance planning when you are in the mood to stop...

Other than that, it's all the usual stuff that you want to look at in any old vehicle.

I bet it would be a fun driver and not much downside, because if you get it on the money and you end up not liking it, plenty of guys (including a lot on this list) would buy it from you for a resto candidate.

[ole dollor]

looks like with a little T L C it would be a good truck. not bad for a daily driver...