Sell...Don't Sell

[Dad's72]

I have been frustrated for a while with my situation. I never share my feelings with anyone normally nor do I ever plan a pity party for myself. But lately I have been in a pretty crappy mood surrounding my 72 Chevy.
The beginning. My father was the original owner of the truck and right before he unexpectedly passed away. He gave into my lifelong begging and gave me his truck. It was in good shape on the outside and in but wasn't running. I am not sure why it wasn't running because right when we were about to due a full frame off he passed away. I used all my budget on funeral costs and to finish remodeling my parents house along with a remodel on my house. The budget wasn't much because I did all the work on both houses myself. This was in 2007 when I was 27 years old. I put the truck in the garage to keep it out of the elements and after all it was finally mine. It has a lot of sentimental value as it is the truck that took me on my first fishing, hunting, and camping trips. Not to mention all my little league games.
Fast forward to now. I have since bought a new house, gotten married, and had two perfect and beautiful children. All my money went into that house along with my families expenses. I had to sell that first house after the market went down hill and we needed the money. I still have the truck and would like nothing more than to restore it but just can't ever scratch up any cash to do anything. Daycare, mortgage, and life are really expensive. I have the ability to do most of the work as I am really good with my hands and have been working on vehicles with my dad before I ever owned a car. The truck sat back outside until I bought another house so it now has rust in the bottoms of the doors, floors, drip rail, along front and rear windshields, fender corners and still does not run. The motor turns over by hand so I guess that is a good thing.
I want to fix it up so bad but I can't ever see myself having $10K laying around to do it. I feel like I should just sell it. It feels like a curse or a burden to have most of the time. Just ticks me off. Half the time I look at that tuck and can see what it can be but then the other half I see it as something haunting me as a project that I can never finish.
What would y'all do? The truck is a 72 Cheyenne Super 350/350 Turbo Transmission long bed all original down to the carburetor with 146K miles. Maybe I needed to vent to folks that may know how it is since we are all wanting the same thing. I don't know. Just torn on what direction to go.

[indymachinist]

Don't give up on it. I have a feeling if you say forget it and send it on down the road, in a few years you might regret it. At that point though it will be gone. You see people on here quite often wishing they could get their old truck back and a lot of the time it just doesn't work out.

Instead of going straight for the full blown restoration, how about getting it running and just enjoying it a bit as is to see how you feel about it?

I bet getting it driving again would put a smile back on your face.

[bean]

You will regret selling it. Do what you can when you can. Work on getting it running then go from there. Few of us can drop 10k at once on our trucks but most can swing say 50 a weekend . DON'T SELL THAT TRUCK!

[cypressbog]

I'd clean out that side of the garage and park that truck in there until you have the time/money.

[truckster]

I agree with the previous posts. Don't sell it. Work on it when you can. Be patient and realize that life will continue to change, and at some point you'll probably be able to do what you want to with it, but only if you still have it.

[leddzepp]

Cover it up and keep it for later. The amount of money you sell it for now will have no profound impact on your life.

[Tiger Joe]

If you're at your wits end with it, push it in a corner and forget about it. But I would try to make sure that corner was IN the garage and not sitting outside.

if the trucks just sitting, it doesn't cost you anything to keep except the garage space. as others have said, you can always work on it later, but you more than likely cant get it back once its gone

[jamie72]

no way i`d sell it..if nothing else buy a good cover and just keep it.. your dad gave it to you for a reason.As for the money to fix it up, just do a little at a time,i`ve been putting parts back for the last 20 yrs on my current truck, and finally getting started. good luck.

[Dieselwrencher]

The truck looks to be in pretty decent shape. I wouldn't sell it, you will regret it for sure. I'd work on getting it running. Small blocks parts are so cheap these days. Once you get it running I'd just work on the things it needs to be driven safely, then work on getting trim and such that is missing and then drive it. Once you save some money down the road then restore it. Once you tear it apart, you can't really do much except work on it when time allows. I've almost sold my 72 a few times for the same reasons as you. I'm glad I didn't. I would have lost my butt on it any way.

[custom10nut]

Don't sell it. It's been a part of your life since you were born. I've been in your shoes and found that you'll enjoy just getting it running and driving it. As you said, you're good with your hands, so just get some sand paper and stop the rust from getting worse, figure out why it won't run, and when the kids are grown and have their own memories in it, you can do your frame off resto. I bought my truck 24 years ago (this month), when my son was 6 weeks old. We spent a lot of time together in and under the truck. It wasn't until I heard his reaction to a statement I made last summer, did I realize how important "that old truck" is. All I said was "I think I might be selling the truck...."

[Tomahawk30]

Just to pile on what has already been said... From a purely financial standpoint, its not worth huge money as you describe it, so the only real reason to sell it is to get it out of the way. But if you think it haunts you when it is sitting there, just wait until it isn't and you wish you had it back!

From what I can see, it doesn't look to be in bad shape. Put something on the rusting areas to stop it from progressing, dig into the engine a bit and try to get it running (or just buy somebody's cheap running 350 off of Craigslist to slap in it) and enjoy it! They don't have to be beautiful to be fun! There's a lot of little things you can do with little to no budget. I like to start by building a spreadsheet and listing everything I can find that a truck needs or that I'd like to do to it. Then I price everything online. I also like to sort things by level of importance. That way if you have $100 here or $50 there, you can pick a little project to do that is one less thing you have to pay for later. It all adds up!

I completely relate to the frustration of not being able to do what you want with it all at once. I get that way all the time! But there'll only be one truck that was your Dad's, and there's a good chance you'll never get it back if you let it go... You know your finances better than any of us, but if I was in your shoes, you'd have to hold me at gunpoint to give that thing up.

[DBK81]

How old are your kids?

You are the same age as I am, if your kids are like mine (3 & 6) it wont be long and thier interest to be out in the shop with Dad will grow leaps and bounds, the truck is a connection with your Dad, and you have the ability to turn that piece of metal into a way your children can connect with thier Dad.

I've said this before to friends with sentimental attachments to vehicles, it's not the vehicle you are attached to, it's the memories you made in that vehicle that you think of when you look at or drive it.

My father and I did a frame off resotration of a '63 VW Karmann Ghia (started when I was about 7), we finsihed it when I was 14, and he sold it when I was 15. My fondest memories of that vehicle aren't of it polished gleaming white sitting in the garage, it's of it body removed, frame on jack stands, and laying on my back under it with my Dad beside me. In those times I asked my father about his childhood (troubled) I asked him about his first vehicles, I asked him about life, we talked about things I know I never would have had the courage to ask him about had I not spent those hours and hours out there with him. Now as he gets older, we will talk and I'll say to him "remember when you told me about..........." and he will have forgot about that story of his childhood but me bringing it up and giving some back story he remembers, ponders on that thought and memory that would have otherwise been lost and smiles, and in turn makes me smile.

Short story long your truck doesn't need to be a frame off resto, it doesn't have to cost you much of anything, take it into your garage, take your kids out with you, slowly work away at getting it running, and then drive it, tinker with it, but share all those moments with your kids, our legacy isn't in the things we own, it's in the experiences we have in/with those things and who we share those experiences with.

Hang onto it, turn it into memories for you and your kids.

[67ChevyRedneck]

It's been 10 years... get it running.

I think it looks pretty damn cool as it is. Put the missing trim back on, clean out, prime, reseal, spray paint the drip rail area (if you keep the repair to just the drip rail area, no one will ever see the "new" paint) and get it in the garage. The "rust" will greatly slow down if she's kept dry.

Crate motors are as cheap as $13-1400 delivered to your door. Put away $25 or $50 per week until you have it. I have stopped eating out lunch for work completely. I still bring a lunch, but the savings alone is around $20-25 per week.

I'm in a similar situation, I've had my dad's 67 firebird at my house since 2010. I have bought a ton of parts for it, but only managed to strip it down. In my defense, I have done a full blown reno on my house and done a ton of work on my 65 Mustang and 67 C10. I don't care how it happens, but I'm building a small shop in 2018 for the car and my C10.

[71c10longbed]

What is interesting about your story is how fast the truck got rusty when left outside.

I have a similar situation. My father-in-law is the original owner of my 71 and used it as a daily driver until about 1995. It was in good condition then but mostly sat until 2013 when I rescued it. The amount of rust that accumulated during that time was amazing.

[Kell]

Sounds to me that it's more about it being in the way than the money. If it's a burden, I bet your Dad is like mine and wouldn't care if you sold it, you may regret it but sometimes you have to do what you have to do. I'm not very sentimental about "stuff", what my Dad has given me cannot be touched or driven down the road.

With that being said, I think 67chevyredneck is right, truck looks cool as it is and you will have more fun driving it as it is than starting an endless EXPENSIVE project which may or may not ever be finished.

What's wrong with a little rust anyway? they call that patina now, all the cool people have it. I have a lot of fun driving my cheap rusty farm truck around.

[summitflier]

I'd keep it, but that's me.

These old trucks are a great investment these days. Kind of like property value.
They just keep going up in price. You can't hardly buy one today (even one in
pretty rough shape) for the price they were when new.

[boraxman]

Keep the truck...I see plenty of threads here - folks trying to find theyre - dads - or gramps old truck..If you need to just put it on the back burner for a while/

[hugger6933]

the truck aint eating anything so it can just sit. Your thinking a resto but they are only original once put back the missing trim get it running and safe suspension wise and brake wise. your kids will love that truck as much as you do. It can be a bonding place and time to spend together if nothing more than just pulling plugs and playing with the fan belt. You can't buy memories that you can make with that old truck and your kids. They don't stay little but just a brief flash then are up and out of the house.
Lots of folks would love to have a truck in that shape. I own a body shop but wouldn't touch that one as long as the "tina" craze is still going strong

[jeffahart]

Sounds like a pity party! Get off your duff and get it running. That is the most important thing when you are feeling bad about it. Take the cheapest route to getting it so you can head out for a taco and beer. Who cares what it could be, drive it for what it is... a cool old truck!

Next question..

[blizno23]

I understand about it feeling like a curse. Having an old car or truck is a big task in just holding onto it alone. Put that thing in the garage and use the bed for storage. If you keep thinking about it, there are cheap things you can do (carpet, door handles, window cranks, sunvisors, bumpers) that can re ignite a spark. I think once you spend the minimal amount of money needed to get it running, that can also help out huge. Once sold, you can never get it back. Think about if you gave your child something they've been wanting a long time and then they sell it. Just something to think about. Good luck!

[tdangle]

I have my dad's 70 and considered the same thing. Blew it apart to restore it 8 years ago and life got in the way. I had to put it together to move and have been driving it each week or so since. The key is to drive it, no mater how it looks. The more I drive it, the more I realize it would have been a huge mistake to sell or get rid of it. You also won't believe the people that come up to you and want to look at your truck. It's inspiring, makes me think a lot of people would love to have the old truck/car their folks once had.

Good luck.

[Coach]

Here are my thoughts. My grandpa was my best friend growing up, he had a 1964 C10 that he took me everywhere in. When he passed away, I was 13. When I was 16, my grandma gave me the truck. It sat for the next 2 years with nothing done to it. To help pay for college, I had to sell the truck. To this day, I regret selling the truck and even though I have a nice truck now, it does not replace my grandpa's truck. Don't sell it, hang onto it, otherwise one day you too will look back with regret.

[Ed F]

Not much I can say that hasn't already been said. Many thousands of these trucks are still around today but none of them have the connection to your Dad. This is the truck your Dad drove, care for and shared life with you in. All the money in the world can't buy that. My suggestion would be to get it running like others have said. Chances are that won't cost much. Don't make any fast decisions regarding selling it. Do you have any siblings that would be interested in having it. Otherwise keep it under roof and give it time.

[Rod Run]

I haven't read many of the responses in here, but here's my take on the situation, which is the same with any vehicle.

If you like it, keep it
If you have the room for it, keep it
If it doesn't cost you any money keep it
If it cost you, but you can afford it, keep it

If it bothers you, sell it
If you can't afford it, sell it
If you can't afford to build it, sell it
If you don't have time to work on it in the future, sell it
If it's going to rot away before you can get to it, sell it

I've seen way to many vehicles rot away and go to scrap because "the owner was going to build them one day"

I think your dad would not care one way or the other, as long as you were happy. Sometimes we do better by letting go, instead of carrying an unneeded burden

[jocko]

Dad's truck + Cheyenne Super = Keeper.
We've all been there - hindsight is 20/20, so take advantage of everyone's regrets here and save it for a better day. It's a nice truck and someday you'll get around to it. Easy to say, I've made this exact (wrong) decision many times. And I still don't have any room in my garage.