To buy or build... that is the question

[biohazardbill]

Going over a list of things to do to my truck, and I am not a body guy (never really tried body work), it seems as though it would be cheaper to buy a clean rust free truck rather than go through everything on my current one.

So I pose the question, what are the pros and cons of each?

[TopFuel1966]

If you can find a good one, buy it. If you can't do just about all the work yourself, mainly body and paint, you'll spend far more making one right than what it would be worth when it's finished.

[Surfdaddy]

It's true. You can buy one finished and really nice for LESS than you can do it yourself. But you won't have the priide of ownership in it like you would by doing it it yourself. That's part of the fun of this hobby, doing it yourself and learning as you go.

[biohazardbill]

Originally Posted by Surfdaddy

It's true. You can buy one finished and really nice for LESS than you can do it yourself. But you won't have the priide of ownership in it like you would by doing it it yourself. That's part of the fun of this hobby, doing it yourself and learning as you go.

The body is the main thing I am referring to, even buying one I still have a suspension and wheels etc to put underneath it, so there still would be self worth to a point. Having someone else do the body work would have just as much pride as buying one already straight etc. as I didnt do the refurb either way.

[markeb01]

Back in the 1960’s I would buy anything I found that I had a passion for. Condition wasn’t really all that important, because any part needed could be purchased for about $5.00 in a wrecking yard. In 1967 I rebuilt a 1957 Chevy sedan which had front end and trunk lid damage. A local wrecking yard provided a new hood, front bumper, grille, fender trim, trunk lid, front passenger fender, Bel Air upper fin trim, and a pair of Bel Air seats in mint condition. Every item or pair of items cost $5.00 each. I just dragged it all home and bolted it on turning a $100 car into a $750 car with just minor expenses.

By the mid 1970’s cars from the period I enjoyed dried up in the wrecking yards and prices skyrocketed. As a result I changed my attitude towards what I would buy. I restricted my purchases to the absolute best vehicle I could afford to start worth, and never anything with rust. If I bought something and later found rust, I sold it off. I’ve never welded and couldn’t afford to pay for repairs so everything I’ve built had to be completely within my abilities.

If you have a passion for learning bodywork it can be enjoyable and provide the ability for a wider range of projects, but if you are building one vehicle and just want the best result for the least amount of investment and aggravation, my opinion is to buy the best, most rust free example you can find and afford. It can save both a ton of money and a lot of “learning experiences” you may not find enjoyable.

[Surfdaddy]

True, buying one with the body done would save you a bunch of stress. Dealing with body shops with a truck that needs to be worked on is a pain since it's not where they make the most money. You can look for one and work on yours as you go. That way you can get some money out of yours and also find out what works and won't. Either way you have a truck.

[T Smith]

I think in the long run (unless you're a body guy) getting a reasonably solid truck to start with is the best route to take. That way you can drive/enjoy while you're sorting out the mechanical stuff and then you can slick it out and paint. I've seen too many cases where a vehicle gets dismantled with the best of intentions and it just gets too overwhelming and the project is forsaken.

Just my .02 and what I did....

Thomas

[awbrown]

Search the web and get a truck from Arizona or some place that doesn't have snow /rust issues ... I bought a rust free pontiac from AZ and shipped it to MIchigan , had 2800 in it to my door , one rear quarter for the car that is factory now sells for 1450.00 or so plus install .. You are much better off to buy as much truck as you can afford , plus it will be worth more if you ever sell it .............

[Alan's Classic]

If you buy one already repaired and primed or painted see if they have pics during the repair process. It might not show everything, but it will give you an idea. I've seen a lot of stuff people have covered up. Check out 198plus build in my signature. Good luck

[k1rodeoboater]

Eh...I bought my truck for the learning experience not for resale value. I know I'll never get back what I put into it and I don't really care. With this truck alone I'm getting to learn how to...

Work on drum brakes
Retrofit disc brakes
Work on a carbureted engine (and perhaps rebuild an engine)
Work on a engine with a points style distributor
Work on suspension
Learn how to weld
Learn how to remove dents with hammer and dolly
Learn how to properly use body filler
Learn how to paint (albeit a non-traditional way)
Learn how to wire up an entire vehicle from front to rear making my own harnesses
Learn how to sew and re-upholster a seat
Learn how to replace all the glass (although this is limited to older cars only)
Learn how to fabricate and do some custom things

I can't really put a price on all of that. I know that this truck will never be a show truck, nor do I want it to be one. I just want a cool, functional, unique daily driver that just so happens to be almost twice as old as I am and that I've done all/most of the work on.

...and yes some lessons are more painful than others, but if you don't experience it you don't know where your limits are and you won't learn anything. I could very easily afford to take this current truck to a restoration shop and pay them to do EVERYTHING to it...but where's the fun in that.

If you're looking to build a show truck/trailer queen then by all means spend the time and get the most rust/damage free truck you can find. In the end you'll have a better base to start from and you won't spend near as much fixing up stuff. Keep your current one if you can for a donor for parts, a runaround/shop truck, or even just to verify where this or that part goes and how it goes on there.

YMMV but there's my 2 cents.

[1964c-10]

^ I'm about in the same boat, my truck is 26 years older than me. i don't have much experience welding sheet metal, i've never done body work, don't have much experience with carb'd engines, and i have never sprayed automotive paint before, but i am anxious to learn and complete my truck by my self because A. i know the work and what i have/will learn is priceless, B. i will end up with a truck that is like new but will cost a lot less, C. carb'd vehicles are cheaper/easier to maintain/repair than EFI or FI, and D. i have the money and time to do it right now where as i probably won't in the future.

so those are a few of the reasons why i'm doing what i'm doing the way i'm doing it.

Jason

[oem4me]

Originally Posted by biohazardbill

Going over a list of things to do to my truck, and I am not a body guy (never really tried body work), it seems as though it would be cheaper to buy a clean rust free truck rather than go through everything on my current one.

So I pose the question, what are the pros and cons of each?

Long story short.. there are no cons to buying a straight rust free project vehicle.
If you buy intelligently, what you pay initially will be less than what you would spend trying to repair a rust bucket. Factor in all the headaches and downtime, and it's a no-brainer. Go with a solid original. always.

[skysoldier173rd]

Always build my own, but you should start with the very best body you can find for sure. I've done a few rust buckets and its a year or more before you really can get going on anything but repairing rust and it gets pretty discouraging. I did a 55 chevy, took two years to put in floors, rockers and quarters. I was so burned out after that, lost interest. Now when i do a project, the race is on to get it running. I worry about the cosmetics after it's a running driving vehicle. Then you can do the rest as budget and ambition permits. The guy who starts with a good body is far ahead and I don't mind paying more for that privlege. There's no glory in repairing rust, it's just a whole lot of dirty work.

www.picturetrail.com/skysoldier173rd

[61 son of a Gun]

I bought this 61 almost as it looks in the my avatar pic, it had a lot of shiny goodies . But I knew when I bought it I would be changing everything ,as many things were not right ... for me anyway. I'm doing many body mods and changing some of the suspension . At this point with all the man hours I have into her I should have brought one back from the dead/saved a beater . Two things I gained by buying a mostly built truck was it is almost rust free and had some goodies I would have never bought.