In a dilemma. Could use opinions.

[jorgensensc]

******let me start by saying this is not a for sale thread, please do not ask me about the sale of the kit or pm me regarding it. If/when I decide to sell I will list it in the for classified section. Thank you for understanding!*********

Hey all!
So the '68 stepside has been sitting waiting for paint for over a year now. I pulled it apart so that it would get painted right. I have everything to put it back together, engine runs great, etc. Iw as planing on keeping this truck. When we had our son in February it would still work for me ( 8 year old daughter and son and I can all fit on the bench). However, we are having another son in April, sonow there really isn't any way the truck will work for us. So it looks like I need to get it painted and sell it. However, it seems that everytime I get ready to get it painted, the money gets used for some other household issue. Now comes the question:
How much does Vintage Air add to the value of the truck?

If I sell the kit I already own, I know I will take a loss on it. I know it wont bring enough to pay for the whole paint job, but it will probably be enough to finish off the paint job fund I have already started.

Or should I just keep the vintage kit and keep plugging away at saving what I can when I can?

How much value does it really add? I have the complete heating system for the truck to reinstall if I decide to sell the vintage air kit.

Thank you all in advance for your opinions and advice. It is much appreciated!

Shawn
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[Classic Heartbeat]

Shawn, In this day and age (especialy in your neck of the woods) A/C is definetly a bonus. If the system is one that when assembled it uses the stock or stock looking A/C vent parts thats even better. I would say that it would increase the value of the truck at least the cost of it, but more importantly it is a selling point. If I were looking at two trucks that were essentualy the same except one had A/C and the other did not, I would purchase the one with it even if it were priced $1,500.00 more. A/C makes the truck more user freindly and will make it appeal to more people, so I would install it. WES

[jorgensensc]

Thanks for the insight and well thought out reply. That is the kind of perspective I am looking for. You make a very good point. The system would use factory vents, so you nailed that. I was thinking about the buyer who looks at the truck and either Doesnt care about AC since it will be a weekend cruiser, or figures he can just add it later, not knowing the true cost of adding AC. Thank you for your perspective, I really appreciate it!
Shawn
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[swamp rat]

Originally Posted by Classic Heartbeat

Shawn, In this day and age (especialy in your neck of the woods) A/C is definetly a bonus. If the system is one that when assembled it uses the stock or stock looking A/C vent parts thats even better. I would say that it would increase the value of the truck at least the cost of it, but more importantly it is a selling point. If I were looking at two trucks that were essentualy the same except one had A/C and the other did not, I would purchase the one with it even if it were priced $1,500.00 more. A/C makes the truck more user freindly and will make it appeal to more people, so I would install it. WES

I have to agree with Wes on his perspective, but will add i have never priced a kit so do not know what kind of coin you are refering to.

[67cheby]

i agree also with the ac being a HUGE selling point !! keep it

[67cheby]

go ahead and put the truck in the paint shop... WHEN IT GETS OUT OF PAINT PRISON 1 YEAR from now ... you will have the rest of the money saved up !!

[70cst]

I agree with the above...

If I lived in Tx and was looking at two trucks and one had AC and one did not...there would be no question which truck I would want. Good Luck.

[jorgensensc]

Originally Posted by 67cheby

go ahead and put the truck in the paint shop... WHEN IT GETS OUT OF PAINT PRISON 1 YEAR from now ... you will have the rest of the money saved up !!

Ha! I know what your saying. Fortunately ( or unfortunately) I know a guy that paints for a living, and can do it on the side and has access to a paint booth. The only thing is he is pretty quick and the truck doesnt really need much in the way of bodywork ( just a couple of rock dings, no rust issues). So he figures about 2-4 weeks to get it knocked out.
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[jorgensensc]

Okay guys. The consensus is to keep the ac and paint it when I can. Thanks for the input!
Shawn
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[67cheby]

2-4 weeks......LOL<LOL<LOL<LOL..... i am laughing so hard i am crying....so lets say he is really fast , i still think you should triple his alotted time frame !!

[Classic Heartbeat]

I was thinking about the buyer who looks at the truck and either Doesnt care about AC since it will be a weekend cruiser, or figures he can just add it later, not knowing the true cost of adding AC.

That realy narrows the field of prospective buyers. Remember you want the truck to appeal to as many people as possible. WES

[jorgensensc]

I hear ya. He has painted for others and has been pretty quick. I will say this, having the money ready to go, with Christmas and the new year rolling around ( property taxes and federal taxes) is a powerful motivator to get On the ball and get a job done.
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[barry h.]

I say keep the truck and wait awhile to finsh it.theise trucks are getting harder to find,i have three kids and 1 in collage i know how hard it is to find extra$$$$$$$$ to spend on it but i sold one 15 years ago for the same reason and i wish now i had not. Good luck

[Todd68Chevy]

I agree with keeping the a/c with the truck. I had a 71 with a perfect black paint job, ran and drove great, V8, Auto, P/S, P/B, ect. and could not sell it for $9,000.00 about 7 years ago. Even in Indiana it took me 2 years to sell it and everybody that looked at it wanted air on it. I think if it had A/C and was in PRIMER it would have sold faster. The guy that finally did buy it was going to put A/C in it. I think you have already made up your mind but I thought I would add my opinion. Have a great Christmas.

[cdowns]

if you are planning on selling the truck as a running driving turnkey finished vehicle i'd think you can recoup the ac investment with it installed

however if selling as a freashly painted project needing completion i think you're better off selling the kit

[j.burton50]

factory air is great i have to hunt a compressor, someone removed mine for weight purposes i guess.

[tonypaul]

From a buyers perspective- (im always searching for good deals on cars and trucks) I think it would be just as good to incude the a/c system with the truck uninstalled and leave it unpainted. By choosing a color you automaticaly have the chance to discourge someone by the color choice. Alot of folks that are looking at these classic trucks are looking for semi-projects. A big appeal for me is finding a truck that is unpainted and needs some work that way I can finish it the way I want. The added cost of having the a/c system and paint (even though its very inepensive for you) done might put the truck in a higher price than alot can or want to pay in this economy. I would put it up on craigslist the way it is now for what you think its work as is. If you get no buyer then spend the money and time on the paint and a/c then adjust the price accordingly then relist it. In the end you should make about the same amount.

Just beware- If you get it painted and the a/c working and looking and running good- you might not want to sell it......
Just my humble opinon....

[VA72C10]

I'll agree with installing the A/C and painting before selling....and I'll chime in as someone who sells a lot of parts on here, locally, and ebay....prices on all items have dropped substantially over the last 6 months. Parts for projects that are even brand new in unopened boxes aren't selling at all or are only selling if 30% or more off the new price...

If you can finish it and put the A/C on it will be worth a lot more. A complete, nicely done truck will still sell for top dollar....a project will sell for pennies on the dollar....

[VA72C10]

Originally Posted by tonypaul

From a buyers perspective- (im always searching for good deals on cars and trucks) I think it would be just as good to incude the a/c system with the truck uninstalled and leave it unpainted. By choosing a color you automaticaly have the chance to discourge someone by the color choice. Alot of folks that are looking at these classic trucks are looking for semi-projects. A big appeal for me is finding a truck that is unpainted and needs some work that way I can finish it the way I want. The added cost of having the a/c system and paint (even though its very inepensive for you) done might put the truck in a higher price than alot can or want to pay in this economy. I would put it up on craigslist the way it is now for what you think its work as is. If you get no buyer then spend the money and time on the paint and a/c then adjust the price accordingly then relist it. In the end you should make about the same amount.

Just beware- If you get it painted and the a/c working and looking and running good- you might not want to sell it......
Just my humble opinon....

Basically though you're looking for a great deal....he's looking to sell his project for top dollar....not sell it cheap to unload it...

I got a blazer that was in need of paint and finishing....for 4200 plus a ton of extra parts...spent about 8000 total (including purchase price) of my own money finishing it after subtracting the parts i sold. Sold it for 16K after expenses... So I cleared right at 8K....the PO had 20K in receipts and sold it for 4K.... he spent two years and 20K and lost money selling it.

I agree with you that I look for unpainted projects or unassembled projects to buy....as a person looking for a great deal....but that doesn't help the seller...

[jorgensensc]

Thanks guys! All great points. I have to agree about the necessity to paint it and finish it off before selling it. I don't have to sell it right now, but just would really like to make some progress towards finishing it. I won't put it back together until I can get it painted (I'm a stickler for doing things right), so right now it is just sitting there, and unfortunately I live in the city and driveway/garage space is scarce. I completely understand about how the new owner could paint it the color he wants, and add the ac later, but with the low prices of project trucks, I couldn't recoup what I have in it with all the parts etc. Throw a nice paint job on it and assemble it and I'll be turning a profit. I guess I'm just getting ansy because I am out of things I need to buy to finish it, and I'm just held up at paint. It will definitely be a head turner when finished.
Just on a side note, I like to look for unfinished projects too, and a biggy for me is painted unfinished projects. If the body is good and the bodywork done right with a halfway decent paint job, then that knocks out a HUGE expense right there. It's very hard to recoup paint cost on unfinished projects.
I've also noticed down here that many people are looking for finished trucks. They don't either have the knowledge or time to build them. So they are willing to pay for completed trucks they can just tinker on or leave alone. But with tough economic times, the price is a huge factor and can end up hurting you if you overbuild a truck. Hence the reason I asked about AC. For example, if you have a set of nice rallies on a truck, and you take them off and put a 2500.00 set of wheels on it. The price of the truck doesn't go up anywhere near 2500.00! Maybe 500.00, if that. You might garner more attention, but
Not necessarily a better price. Does that make sense?
Shawn
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