found possible donor truck - advice?

[guyryan100]

Ok,
I'm working on my '67 stepside (Chevy) and was about to go buy a load of parts but I ran across a possible donor today.

I would use from it:
chrome bumpers
2 front fenders
2 inner fenders
engine (350)
trany (350)
power steering components
wheels
tires
radiator support


It has been partially painted but is presently 3 colors. This is ok because I'm about to head to the painter anyway. Without this donor truck I would have to buy all of the above (and supporting parts such as the steering column and linkages) seperately. Based on my current inventory (i have my old motor, painted bumpers, etc) I would only be 1 fender short of having two complete trucks out of the deal. Therefore I could take from the donor what I wanted to finish the '67 and still have nearly 2 complete trucks - thus selling the second in a drivable state. In the process I'd get to build TWO trucks and learn a lot.

Now to the donor:
It is a 71 frame, front end, and cab. the bed is a '69 fleet. The body has all been painted/patched to a point where I cannot detect rust or bondo from 5-minute curb-side inspection, but I don't know the underlying condition of the body. Even the inner fenders, etc are in painted clean condition. The dash is a bit cut up but not terrible. Cab and front end are day-glow orange. I assume (I know what they say about assumptions) that it's a southern truck since it's now in GA but know that it could have traveled the country for all I know.

The engine was recently rebuilt by the seller and has aprox 300 miles on it since. It has a nice looking carb on it but I don't know any of the specs on the rebuild or anything yet. Based solely on appearances it looks like he was aiming for high horsepower.

I'm going to look at the truck tonight and am interested in your feedback on

1) what to look for
and
2) and rough idea (I know, I know) on value.

Oh, the other factor is that with my present resources I'd have to RENT a truck to run parts to painter, pay for delivery of the engine hoist, etc. which would end up costing me around $100 by the time it's all over. This truck would let me do some hauling right away.

Thanks a lot!

[Stepsides 4Ever]

I would be very skeptical...with only 300 miles on an engine rebuild, why is the guy selling it? After all that time, money and effort, I think the guy may be trying to unload it because something isn't right. Also, you are buying a power steering system that is 30+ years old...is that something you want to do? I mean, if you are just trying to patch your truck along and get a couple more years out of it, that is one thing...but if you plan to keep it for awhile, and you keep throwing old parts into it, you are going to be perpetually repairing it on yourweekends.

You also don't mention what the asking price is...maybe you could guesstimate what those parts are that you need would cost new or rebuilt, and compare it to what the asking price is. Granted, you will have two trucks with one to sell when you're done, but if you factor in the amount of time and effort you'll have into building two trucks versus how much you plan to recover from the sale, it may not be worth it.

[guyryan100]

Stepsides,
Good points. I was actually doing the calcs on the individual parts now - I come to a parts value of around $3000. His asking price by phone is $5000 but he may take less. I suppose I could part out the second set - several nice parts (such as new taligate) that somebody could want. This might save me that work you're talking about.

Here's my cost breakdown:
Left Fender 150
Right Fender 150
L Inner Fender 100
R Inner Fender 100
Inner Rad. Support 200
engine 750
tranny 750
tires 400
battery holder 50
chrome bumpers 250
power steering components 100
bumper bolts - chrome 20
+ the cost of not having a hauling device around 100
This comes to $3120.

If I could get the truck for that price and IF the engine is good and IF i could get around $1500 for the second truck when it's all done, I'd end up saving a lot of $$ and a lot of time in researching, ordering, picking up, parts. This way I'd have everything that I need in my garage in one transaction. That's appealing. The real risk is the engine, I guess and whether he'd take a lower offer.

I should also add that the truck has been for sale for at least 2 months (maybe longer) and that he said he did the rebuild himself. Dunno that it matters but is more info.

[guyryan100]

any questions I should be sure to ask 'em tonight with testdrive?

I will be sure to ask:

specs on motor and of rebuild
why the sell
age of tranny
age of power steering components
what's that smell

[cdowns]

first off if you"re young and planning on building 2trucks at once you'll quickly learn that you're not accomplishing much of anything on either one!! the theory i have on buying a parts truck is figure out what you need off it ,drag it home take what you need off it take the remaining usable parts off put them up for sale to get what you paid for the parts truck and get rid of the carcass in less than 10 days. then concentrate on building your project truck most parts vehicles i've bought have been in the $100-$500 range
as far as engines recently rebuilt by owners HAHAHA unless you personally know the guy don't take his word for it !!! new sparkplugs and wires a steamclean and a rattlecan paint job ain't worth squat. enen if he has reciepts for all sorts of stuff you really don't know if it's really in your engine unless of course your name is clark and you live in smallville

[Stepsides 4Ever]

$5k seems a bit steep for a dayglo-painted rig, but it really depends on the value of these vehicles in your area. I'm going to be honest with you, spending $5k for a parts truck is a bit much (my opinion), even if you can recover some of your money. That owner-rebuild, unless the guy does it for a living and can prove he knows what he's doing, is enough to make me walk away. The deal is just too complicated...too many ways to end up on the short end of the stick...I'm a simple guy by nature. On the other hand, if you're good at wheelin' and dealin' and horse-trading...

[krue]

Hey man that's steep for a parts truck! For $5000 around here I would expect a truck in good running condition with decent paint. I can't believe Georgia is that much different, pricewise.

[99-2door]

Not sure what the value of trucks are in your area, but to put that into perspective. My uncle just bought a 69 GMC I-6 column shift SWB in great condition for $6K. That's for a pretty much original truck that he hopped in and drove home.

[MACKL]

I bought my parts truck for $500.00. (From the Memphis TN area) The PO said "rebuilt engine and trans" . Nothing was ever done to the engine, other than break off a couple of bolts in the block. The transmission was the biggest butcher job we have ever seen. When I got finished, I had 2k in the engine and trans to get it right. One thing to remember about most sellers, THEY LIE!
The good thing, I was upgrading from 6 cyl to V8, stick to auto, manual brakes to power disc, and manual steering to power. I have every screw, bracket, spindle and little hard to find item in one afternoon. (Just line Jdowns said, less than 10 days.)
My opinion, get him down on price, way down, or walk away. There are better deals outh there.

[A few 72's]

Not far from you, and I agree with krue & MACKL for the prices in this reagion. For 5K you shold be able to get a nice ride. If you look at the GMC on the post I just did.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s....php3?t=103899

I gave $500 for it less than a year ago, figured the wheels and tires were worth that. Not much of the front sheet metal, but had a running 350/350 combo(not real sure on the condition yet), air cab, ps, pb(disk setup) and hopfully the posi is still present.
Some of the trucks on there I've had a while but did not give 5k for any one truck. (had the c20 for ~3years, sub ~2 years, Daily driver ~6 years)
I would look a little more.

[spencra]

I've never heard of a parts truck for $5000. $500 maybe, and that's on the high end of a parts truck in this area.

[guyryan100]

Ok, another perspective on this one.... another way to look at it.
I found a drivable truck with a very clean looking body (again, have not scoured it yet but only a 5 minute walk-thru) that has the engine and tranny I want, + some (dunno what yet) apparent performance parts (plenty of chrome) and all of the parts that I need to finish my project all in assembled order and ready for use. I could plop my stepside bed on it, mabye my cab just for grins (so it's still a sort of '67) and I'm driving. My alternative is to pull and replace my current engine and tranny, buy several body parts (fenders, etc) and rebuild. I'm just thinking that this opportunity may put me ahead of the curve if I can get the 2nd truck for the cost of parts. One of the primary appeals to me is that I'd have the working model and would have a lot less guessing as far as getting the engine buy/swap done (this from a beginner).

Granted, $5k is overkill for my needs and I wouldnt' spend that much for the truck regardless of the condition because it'd be more than I need. But if I can get it for the cost of the parts and save myself many hours of work and research, it might be worth the gamble on the engine. That is, if the seller can provide some documentation on the rebuild. Granted reciepts aren't proof but they do lessen the risk.

This is a tough one. I appreciate everyone's input. I'm going to run over there and snap some photos of the truck now (lunch break) - i think these will help give you an idea.

--Ryan

[Stepsides 4Ever]

Looks to me like you are leaning towards doing this...but I think you are placing too much emphasis on what goes where kind of stuff and having all the parts available at one place and one time will resolve some issues for you. Here's the deal: our trucks have the benefit of having most parts reproduced and commonly available, and many, many of the parts were used in later year models, such that a lot of '70s, '80s, and even some '90s ('Burbs) parts will interchange. Our trucks are basic in design, which means simplicity. They are readily adapted to later components. Information is also readily available, here and other places on the web, as well as having quite a bit of literature available to help you out. Pick up some parts catalogs...you'll see just what is supposed to go where. Buy a factory assembly manual. But to buy a another truck to see how it goes together and to have all the parts in one place at one time, I dunno...are you pressed for time on this?

Adapt. Engineer. Modify. Update and upgrade. Modernize. Ask questions. Read. Find something close and make it work. That, to me, is the fun of this hobby. It's the journey that makes it fun.

Just my $.02...

[guyryan100]

Stepsides,
You are right on. I'm going to pass on the day-glow orange. I ran out and took a closer look over lunch (snapped some pictures but now camera is dead) and saw some details that made me second-guess. For example, although the engine had nice headers and carb and so forth the guy had also spray-painted EVERYthing which makes me thing something's hidden behind. even the power steering fluid cap was spray painted. Under the fenders had been sprayed black without a good cleaning so you could scratch the black-painted crud off with your hand. I know the parts I need might be OK on it but at the same time you can tell that the guy isn't a stickler for perfection but is trying to get the thing to look good quick. May be a good project for somebody at the right price but its not a good match for the frame-off restoration project I've undertaken. So I'll spend a little more on newer components and wrap this thing up as previously planned.

Thanks all for the input.

[Stepsides 4Ever]

Frame off? Don't know if you've already found this, but you gotta check this out...cab and front clip, all at once...a dozen or so bolts, and off she comes. How cool!

Here's thethread.

I worked at a place that closed it's doors, and I grabbed a section of racking. It works great to pull an engine or to pull the cab! I wish it was a little higher (it's only 10 ft.) and a little wider (I can't open the doors of the cab) but it did the job. Then, with the cab up, I just put a couple of lateral pieces under the cab and set it back in the rack. Nice and secure.

Here's what it looks like...the tire is there for scale. I can put together the rolling chassis and roll it under the cab, then set the cab back on the frame. The moral of the story is use what you have available to you...you're only limited by your imagination...

[Canadian694x4]

Sweet setup... We have piles of racking like that where I work...gives me sum ideas for the future...

[Robo_bot]

heres my a-frame i use

[Robo_bot]

2 heres a better shot of it its 12 feet high by 10 feet wide made outta 4x4 pressure treated wood

[Stepsides 4Ever]

Ingenious! Very inventive...mine is only 7' wide. This is too cool...I think I will start a new thread...