Opinions on this '71

[matthew.mcmullin]

Originally Posted by ken4444

I'm still on the fence here, but the logical side of me says too listen to everyone and hold out for a better candidate.

Stick with your gut... it's giving you sound advice.

[James the III]

As stated above if this has a clean title it can be worth it's weight in gold .
Get a cab and a nose, and make a wood flat bed and boom a truck.
I'm kinda shocked that dyna core has not re-popped the 68-72 cabs..
and this type truck is just the ticket there.. and why total rust bucket 70-72 Chevelles, 1st gen Camaros and 68 mustangs are being pulled out of the mud and weeds..
original vin = that year emissions,, state issued vin = year of completion emissions.
I'm sure it is quite a gray area only using 4" of metal from one body and calling it that vin.. but..

[leddzepp]

Originally Posted by jocko

Whew. Run away. There are better deals out there by far.

This ^^^

[boraxman]

Couldnt give me that one...but I'd take the steering wheel lock/

Keep looking.

[1968aj]

not trying to be a smart a-- but I am near Houston if you don't buy it tell the guy I would give him a couple of hundred for it. it would be all its worth to me and it would get it out of his way. like I really need more parts.

[ken4444]

Originally Posted by 1968aj

not trying to be a smart a-- but I am near Houston if you don't buy it tell the guy I would give him a couple of hundred for it. it would be all its worth to me and it would get it out of his way. like I really need more parts.

PM sent!

[Grumpy old man]

If you can't have the garage space for a long time your better off being a buyer of a nice shiny finished truck , rebuilding one from the ground up takes considerable time and money let alone all the tools and equipment .you can't buy the low buck truck if you don't have all the skills and equipment it takes .

[Mollzyie]

I'd buy it and get it running just cause I feel so damn sorry for that thing . Doesn't look like it's ever had a decent owner .

[ken4444]

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

..rebuilding one from the ground up takes considerable time and money let alone all the tools and equipment .you can't buy the low buck truck if you don't have all the skills and equipment it takes..

Agreed. I rebuilt my daily driver '85 Jeep but I did not do a frame-off restore. I just did it one project at a time and never had it off the road more than a couple of months at a time.

The main thing I learned with that project is that the only way to do these things right is to disassemble everything, evaluate each piece, repair or replace each piece, and rebuild the truck one part at a time. Any modifications or changes (like a fuel tank relocation) have to be worked into the rebuilding plan. I also learned that you can't underestimate the cost of such a project and that you generally don't get your money back on these things.

Originally Posted by Mollzyie

I'd buy it and get it running just cause I feel so damn sorry for that thing . Doesn't look like it's ever had a decent owner .

I kind of feel the same way. The current owner's had it a few years but never drove it much, and the last owners didn't do anything more than some hack body work.

[Grumpy old man]

This is one of those trucks that if it can be bought cheap enough you buy it and steal the engine out of it spend one day cleaning it up and dump it for what you have in it and now you have a free small block to play with .

[ken4444]

Originally Posted by davepl

....Here's one piece of serious advice: buy the best truck you can afford to start with. These trucks are usually worth a lot less than the labor it takes to get them that way, so any money you save by starting with a better unit is usually a savings compared to getting a rougher truck up to that standard....

That sounds like good advice, and I can get behind that. If one takes that to the logical conclusion, then I should consider buying a completed/rebuilt truck with a price that matches what I am willing to spend on a rebuild project. I believe that in general you don't get your money out of these things, therefore it's ultimately better to buy someone else's completed project. I certainly wouldn't rule that out, but I do want the experience of doing the project myself.

Originally Posted by Grumpy old man

This is one of those trucks that if it can be bought cheap enough you buy it and steal the engine out of it spend one day cleaning it up and dump it for what you have in it and now you have a free small block to play with .

A fantastic point. That's what's great about many forums: A range of advice that land on both sides of the issue.

[cypressbog]

Sometimes buying someone's unfinished project is easier and more cost effective, but that takes a lot of room too.

[ken4444]

There's no shortage of LWB C10's in my area, so I've been keeping an eye things. One possibility I had never really considered is that I will end up a truck that's had a fair amount of work done to it, but is still far from complete. Even in that case I think a true frame-off repair job would be needed because that seems like the only way to really do it right. For example I found a great looking truck (from 25 feet) but the seller says it has rust problems. It's unfortunate that someone would go to the expense to paint a vehicle knowing it's got rust problems.

[73737373]

Originally Posted by DT1

I'm going to go out and kiss my truck right now!

Me too (my truck, not yours)!!! They are labors of love, for sure, and each one comes w/its own set of challenges, especially when "restoring" in whatever fashion one wishes to do so. That said, they are not for the faint of heart because to "restore" one properly takes a lot of time, a lot of patience, a lot of equipment and a lot of $$. Craigslist is littered w/failed attempts to "restore" old trucks.

[SKT]

Double post...

[SKT]

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Ken,

I have been following your CJ progress for years and admire your patience, attention to detail and your desire to continuously push yourself to learn new things.

All that said, here is another vote for buying the best condition truck that your budget allows. My thought is that you'll be a lot further ahead. Similar to your CJ, you'll be able to enjoy it while working one project at a time. As you've witnessed, a full frame off restoration normally doubles or triples the initial budget.

C-10's are a large production vehicle. They're out there and patience can normally yield a good deal on a clean foundation. Unless it's a sentimental vehicle, I see no reason to willingly take on a rust bucket.

For anyone interested, here is Kens CJ refurbishment thread:

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f8/ke...hread-1040550/

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[70cst]

Some great advice here...

I would consider looking out of sate and if you find a truck - buy it and have it ship to you.

Rust is a killer.

[ken4444]

Originally Posted by SKT

...All that said, here is another vote for buying the best condition truck that your budget allows

I appreciate the advice and I would offer the same advice for a CJ buyer. What I have learned in the last few months is that old CJs (they're all old) are not too different than old C10's in terms of buying the previous owner's pile of crap.

So, to take this to the logical conclusion, if I am willing to put $18,000 into a C10 and its rebuild, should I just buy an $18,000 truck?

I have pondered this very question for a while. I think it's likely I can get a great rebuilt truck for this price, and the previous owner probably spent much more than 18 grand.

I have looked at several ~$5,000 SWB 67 to 72 C10's locally and in surrounding cities, and they're all crap. At best I'd be getting a valid title, workable frame and suspension parts, maybe a workable engine and trans, but everything else is a crap shoot.

If I step up to, for example, an $8,000 or $10,000 truck, I can get a better truck but it's still one that probably needs to be largely disassembled, gone over, and rebuilt. SWB trucks in this price range (around here, at least) were either "restored" years ago and have gone to crap again, or they were "restored" with plenty of corners cut and plenty of bondo, so that I'd never be happy knowing what problems were lurking under the shiny paint.

Right now what I really want to do is a frame off rebuild. I never had that opportunity with my CJ because I drive it almost daily. The conclusion I came to years ago is that when you buy a vehicle, ANY vehicle, you're really only buying a big collection of parts. A rusty 1971 C10 will likely provide you a lot of parts that are junk, and the price should reflect that. Anyhow, ultimately I will look for a truck that I believe offers a workable selection of parts for a reasonable price. Shiny paint on a $6,000 truck is worthless because it'll all be sanded off anyhow. Seats from a 1997 C1500 are a problem because I will have to sell them off and find an original seat. A 305 under the hood is not ideal because I want a built 383.

Anyhow, I'm rambling.

[SKT]

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Any more progress with the C-10 hunting Ken?

BTW, since you enjoy the Abandoned and Neglected Jeep thread, here is a similar one for Chevy trucks in the event you are interested:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s....php?t=747194/

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[bill3rail]

Originally Posted by SKT

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Any more progress with the C-10 hunting Ken?

BTW, since you enjoy the Abandoned and Neglected Jeep thread, here is a similar one for Chevy trucks in the event you are interested:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s....php?t=747194/

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That was his last post on the site 6/6/2017. Unless he is still lurking...

Bill

[BCOWANWHEELS]

Move on and pass this one

[ken4444]

Originally Posted by SKT

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Any more progress with the C-10 hunting Ken?

I don't have the time or space to rebuild a 67-72, and any good SWB trucks around here are really expensive.

I ended up buying a decent square body that was an 85% finished project. It needed a few fixes all around and I'm working on those now. However soon I will have to make the decision to dump a lot more money into it for new paint (currently it's orange), different engine (it has a 454 from a Suburban), raise the suspension 2 or 3 inches (it's currently lowered about 5 or 6), and more. So I may finish up the easy stuff (radio, carpet, sheet metal repairs in the bed), and then put it up for sale.

Also, the AC just quit on me so I need to investigate that. The AC vent vacuum control system needs work, the PRNDL indicator is broken because a steering column piece is broken, it has the occasional "no start when hot", and it leaks more tranny fluid that my CJ7 ever leaked oil. It has "race style" wheel studs, some of which are spinning in the axle holes. So I could probably dump 10 grand into this thing between paint, engine, suspension, and everything else to get it where I want it. It also needs a new seat and side mirrors. The 454 has no speed parts other than a new carburetor, so it doesn't crank out much power considering its potential. It does burn a lot of gas though. Too much. I can drive my Honda for 4 weeks on a tank of gas. This 454 gives me maybe a week of short trips.

[68Gold/white]

The only potential valuable part of it is the engine. Even if it runs and the trans works, they could be of poor quality builds, and/or cheapo parts.

As aj mentions a $3-400 dollar parts truck, tops.

[ken4444]

Originally Posted by 68Gold/white

The only potential valuable part of it is the engine. Even if it runs and the trans works, they could be of poor quality builds, and/or cheapo parts.

As aj mentions a $3-400 dollar parts truck, tops.

That's the conclusion I finally came to. If I had the space to store and part out 2 or 3 trucks and build one truck from the ground up. then this one might have been good for parts. 18 months later, I'm glad I passed on this one.

[rjs53]

I just bought one in the same if not worse shape. Replaced part of the floors cab corners, rockers, lower bed quarter both doors looked like they had hung mirrors from a semi. Had to plug 1/2" holes in both doors and part of the cab on the passenger side. Found it on CL in Reno. Had a friend go check it out, he said it was great. Sheet metal is done now replacing the front suspension. I guess it all depends on how much your willing to put in it, time and money wise. I'm a glutton for punishment