Well..... Let er have it.... Be brutal....

[Dagr8npwrfloz]

The ol man's 68.... 3 on the tree got too sloppy to grab gears prolly 15 years ago.... Sat ever since. We did give er the dry motor treatment maybe 8 years ago and got it running. Not purring but idled anyway.... Then pops passed in 2008, and the ensuing hurricane of events took the ol fleetside to its current resting place deep in the Ohio valley...where he's sat ever since.... Re monicered " tree beard" by my 6 year old, the name resurrected fond memories of pops and I busting knuckles and inventing new cuss words late into the night back in those very woods..( Dad had a big ol beard for much of my life) ....
So the question I pose is....Is it salvageable? I've left blood in every nook in cranny of an automobile but never even considered a classic restoration.... All my experience was a matter of necessity, not desire, but none the less I've amassed a respectable collection of tools, and have the ability to do all the work myself....
I've been lurking here and on CL for a few days now, and I've seen quite a few trucks in much better condition, in the 2-4k slot... Buy one of those to restore? Buy one just as a donor vehicle? Or order the sheet metal and get to grinding? I guess I'm asking where you guys would drop your 3k and the reasoning behind it....

[Dagr8npwrfloz]

Sorry for #4..... "Puters and the inter-ma-web" on not in my particular skill set...lol

[EARNHARDT#3]

I like it just how it is. I'd do the minimum rust repair and mechanical repairs and enjoy it how it sits. Awesome color combo!

[69chevy lwb]

If you decide to forget about this one I'll give it a good home well sort of

[68bowtie]

am i correct in understanding you plan to keep/resurrect this truck, and are asking what to do first? if so i'd say you have two choices. option a) work on all the mechanical issues first (get it running, driving, and stopping safely). or option b) you tear it down to the frame and begin what looks like a major rust repair and body work. if you only have $3k to spend option b will surely leave you with a nice clean frame and a pile of parts laying around for eternity. i'm speaking from experience here... so my suggestion is ignore the body issues and get it running and enjoy it.

[Dagr8npwrfloz]

I am in fact leaning towards resurrecting this one....however the logical side of me realizes that (this) truck is in fact just a collection of parts with a particular number on the dash... I mean.... What makes a truck, "that truck" ? Is it the frame? The motor? The steering wheel? If you take every single part, one at a time, and replaced it with new...is it still the same truck? Or is it a pile of parts put together to "look like" that truck...
This thought process has me befuttled.... And born the question....
Should I restore this one, or get a better starting point in another truck?
And I apologize if it sounded like 3k was the total budget.... I'm no fool in that this is going to get expensive whatever the route.... I'm just speaking of my down payment...
Am I rambling? Too much time sitting in the woods I guess...hahaha

[Redline novdog]

Another one of these questions. You want us to help you make up your mind? Oh my!
IMO, Sounds like you have young ones, so from my experience get it running driving, and wait to see if some of the kids want to drive it/work on it in a couple of years. They might decide for you! MY $.02

[Dagr8npwrfloz]

"Another one" ???? THANK GOD!!!!!! here I thought the trees were getting to me!

[Jrainman]

all the advise here is good ,but many people live in states ,were it is easy to find good parts and decent trucks ,Now I ask you when was the last time you saw a running on the road 67-72 in your area . have you checked craigslist in your area for GOOD DONER parts and trucks for sale in your area .

Also I know people say get it running and drive it but in some states , a inspections requires a rust inspection and in my area they are big on this, I live in a state that they would not even consider putting a sticker on a truck with door rust or wheel well rust ,So check with your local inspection station first.

You have to consider this first ,because parts might be harder to get , and shipping fees on larger panels are expensive and in your area good solid used parts might be hard to find and if you find them they might be expensive.

The good is that you know the trucks history sheet metal and drive train.So take it a part and make a list of what is needed and decide from there how far your 3 grand will take you

[Dagr8npwrfloz]

To maybe clear things up, I AM going to build a 68 c10 in two tone 503 green with a 327 under the hood. With, without a doubt, the help of my already enthusiastic boys ( weather I like it not) ;-). I'm asking for opinions on if I should start with this one, or if i should just call it parts.... Maybe I should get some shots of the worst bits.... Hard to see the extent of the work in full side shots...

[michael bustamante]

its a 68...one of the more desireable years, rockers are rotted and probably some of the floor too and the passenger fender cup is rotted it looks like, but its a great color and you got all your trim. and theres memories on it for you and your 6 year old would probably love gettin under the hood with you. I would do the cab repairs, replace what you want pretty on the truck, and drive it with the patina like it is. it would be a good project and theres ALOT of people here who sell these parts good used.

[tommys72]

Get er running and drive it a bunch before making any big decisions. The truck and/or family may make up your mind for you

[Wizo]

What makes a truck: "That Truck"? IMHO,
Its all the memories that you had with your Pops,all the busted bleeding knuckles,all the new cuss words you learned.Its all the good and maybe some bad times that you had with pops in/with" "That truck" Relish the memories and hold them tight. In my case I made sure that I kept the cab with the vin tag and the frame with the same vin numbers together. In my case mine was a total frame off restore. A lot of parts got replaced.Follow your heart and do what you want to do.The last thing my pops told me was "do it up right" so I did.A lot of us here on the forum probably have the same or similar story.Were behind you all the way and we love to help. Keep us posted with pix. Just my 2Cents.Take care.

[Dagr8npwrfloz]

almost as if bustamonte has been on the back 40, lookin over ol treebeard...lol! Good stuff guys appreciate everything and anything else to come.... I'm a carpenter by trade, so my circles don't include many gear heads.... And when it comes to chewing the fat over hairbrained schemes.... A 6 year olds comments are definitely honest, but not always sound in design...haha

I removed the column to fix the original sloppy linkage. Trying to drive it to the garage before it has to endure another winter... So...... I guess it's already begun huh? Lmao!

[magwakeenercew2jh]

Hummmmm.

I'm a veteran of a few builds. So, my $.02 would be based on MY experience.

Logically speaking, if that truck has all the stock stuff it came with, you like long beds, you love
the memories, it ran semi-recently, I'd suggest what EARNHARDT recommended.

Caveat: If you are committed to build a fancy truck, why not get this one running, do the basic
mechanicals and safety stuff, and then you'll have a family parts-getter. But do it without breaking
into the fancy-truck budget (whether or not you use "Tree Beard" for the fancy truck's platform).

Then, I'd take tommys72's wise advice.


Oops...Just saw these. They bother me.
I can't quite place one. But it looks like the roof/interior ceiling. If so, "Ouch"!

If that's correct, get it running and use it for a parts getter rig.
If you start a "fancy build", find something with less rust.

But keep this one after patching it up and getting it running.
Then, you and the kids, and the spirit of your dad can laugh at the rain when it comes in on the way
to the grocery store. Then, come home and keep working on "Tree Beard 2".


Spoken by a man driving a $15k truck with $30k invested.....Which ratio happens almost every build
.... for almost every builder.

[dmartin1]

If I was in the position, I would not hesitate putting 3k into a truck I had tons of great memories with my late father on.
Mechanicals first,then just pick away a little at a time on the rust while driving.
It may be just a number on the dash. But that truck with that number is the one you both enjoyed each others company fixing.

Just my thoughts.

[Dagr8npwrfloz]

That is the interior ceiling.... Rain gutter above the windshield all but gone. It took a tree to the face a while back, cracked the windshield and tore the gutter off.... Got it back in place and caulked the s%#! out of it.... But as u can see...a little too late...

[hamjet]

At first it looks like an easy fix, but the floor and roof rot can take alot of time and skill to tackle. alot of it could be a tip of the iceburg when you start cutting. It's a free truck, so if you have the time and space to spend doing it and learning along the way, go for it... PS; how bad is the frame, that will be a deciding factor too...

[Dagr8npwrfloz]

Frame is solid near as I can tell... Just surface rust... Gaps at the bed/cab are even, and the bed sits level across the back window... The bed has a half dozen softball size holes but none that coincide with bed bolts.... I'd have to say the frame is "fair to good" ? ... But maybe I'm being optimistic....

[dubds10]

Personally, I'd do mechanicals to get it a solid driver, pressure washer it & use it as a hauler. It's pretty far gone and requires extensive bodywork = time, money, skill. For that amount you can buy solid trucks else where & even if out of town you'll be ahead in the end. I've always passed on trucks with that much rust because it may as well be a full cab swap at which time I rather just buy a completely solid truck lol

[Ken B]

Originally Posted by dmartin1

If I was in the position, I would not hesitate putting 3k into a truck I had tons of great memories with my late father on.
Mechanicals first,then just pick away a little at a time on the rust while driving.
It may be just a number on the dash. But that truck with that number is the one you both enjoyed each others company fixing.

Just my thoughts.

This is exactly what I was thinking... Your Dad's finger prints all all over that truck and it sounds like the two of you spent some quality time with it. Even if it can't reasonably be made into a show truck it can be made into a daily driver. I think your Dad would love to see you and your kids having fun together with it.

[jdw]

Part it out. It's a good starting point. Put the money in the new truck kitty.

[69chevy lwb]

I'd get it running and driving and go from there do your best to keep it running and driving as you work on it and you won't get burnt out. This is how I did my first truck and I absolutely love it my second truck I tore to pieces did tons of custom work to it and haven't driven it in over 2 years and I despise that truck I fight selling it every day.

[swamp rat]

I believe the inner roof portion is avalable as well as the upper, i think the gutters might be as well? All the floor stuff is redally avalable. Its more a matter of how good you aew at that kinda repair, i'm sure if you removed the cowel you will probably find a couple more body seams that will need repair as well as the vent housings. Did you look around the firewall under the hood yet? mainly the drip channel and around the heater box and laster cylendar?

If all else there are good replacement cabs still avalable and if your creative the door jamb with the tag can be transfered to the other cab without removing any rivits.. (I didn't suggest you do this )

The truck has memorys and that is sometimes more special that finding a different truck

[Dagr8npwrfloz]

Lots of good points here... Thanks fellas..... I ended up driving the hour+ back home and getting my boys and brought em back to take a "real hard look" at ol treebeard. We read through all your comments together and batted ideas around after each one, and it looks like we're gonna put some lipstick on that pig... My 6 year old asked if whoever we sold it to would let him drive "grandpa's truck " to his graduation when he's old....so...... That right there seals the deal.... What the h€|| have I got myself into? Lmao!

Thanks again for all the feedback.... Going to take the day to rustle up all the brake lines and get the callipers cleaned up. Plan is to get er home by Thanksgiving on its own power, then we'll have a proper arsenal to attempt this battle....

One more time, can't thank you enough.... Crazy ceases being crazy if you have other crazies that are crazy with ya...

We'll see ya over in paint and body work... Gotta lot to learn....;-)