Question about purchase

[lynchiii]

Need some help...

A friend of mine completed his truck, let it sit for a while, started it up, and it caught fire. Apparently some critters got in there and played with some wires. He just wants to get rid of it now. He said he liked the motor still so I said he could take that and the rims that he likes and he would put the original rims back on it. Everything seems very straight.

Would the metal warp any with all of that heat? I can use the cab and tailgate, my cab would need a complete floor replacement.

He said he would probably just want what he bought it for and that was $1200. Good deal? I figured the forum could use quite a few of the other parts.

What do you think?

I added them to flickr because there are a few
http://www.flickr.com/photos/118251245@N07/

[flashed]

That was hard to look at but I think its worth that ,lots of good parts but Ive seen worse trucks restored .

[71swb4x4]

I am not sure if that is worth $1,200. LWB trucks aren't that hard to find. Panels can definitely warp if they get hot enough. You have a nice bed, doors, maybe front fenders, it probably has $1,200 in parts.
That cab may not be a horrible start. You will have to get into every nook and cranny on the front of it and get paint in there to make sure it doesn't rust. The fire removed all of the rust protection that it had. I would really think hard about using that cab. Not saying it can't be done, but it might be a challenge.

[lynchiii]

I agree that it was very hard to look at. I could see the work he tried to put in it. And just to make things worse, when he was running to get the fire extinguisher, he fell over a bean bag, broke his elbow and fractured his arm.

I would only use that cab because of how bad mine was. IF it is straight, I would only have to pop out one dent instead of replacing a whole floor.

I appreciate the info.

[Carl Spangler]

JMO, but I think you could do a LOT better for the same $'s.

cheers
JohnG

[WIDESIDE72]

So he paid $1200 and it caught on fire and he is gonna sell it to you for $1200. As Stevie Wonder said "that's what friends are for!"

[hugger6933]

Well,as I said a million times before I rebuild wrecks for a living and I have bought a fire truck a time or two to get a bed or frame or some rear end stuff. The hood is maybe a sled for some kids as Snow Bird Bob said were not done with winter yet even this far south. Strip the cab of all of its stuff have it [or at least the firewall]blasted inside and out. That couple of hundred bucks will well worth the effort involved. after it is blasted 2 to 3 coats of epoxy the 2 to 3 coats of high build and the more sanding then color time. Then you are putting the int. back in the truck, that is much quicker cleaner and easier than rust repair. Then you have the other parts to start looking for another home to offset the cost of the truck to begin with. If you are still needing some sheet metal to complete your truck you know what kind of deal it is gonna be for you. If you think $1200 is a little steep, what shape was it in when he got it for the $1200? Was it just like your getting except no fire damage? Good luck . Jim

[lynchiii]

I figured the $1200 was a little high. When he bought it, it had no tires and no motor. The body was straight though. He was asking 5k before the burn. He would sell it to me with no motor and the stock tires would be back on.

Here is the parts I could use off of it though.

Like I said, my cab floor is completely rusted, rockers, corners, etc. His has one dent and whatever damage may be there. I would blast it myself.

His doors sounded brand new when he shut them. Mine are rusted at the bottom.

I would use the tailgate and maybe the bed fenders if they are the same size.

The inner fenders may also be used.

May not be bad as a parts truck, but i'm guessing he should come down quite a bit.

[dubds10]

Selling you just the body that's partially burnt up is scrap price all day long. $500 tops to be honest as the heat from a fire does a lot of unknown damage and the toxins in the materials are bad enough. You still have to take the entire cab down to metal and hope there's no warped panels once you take it all apart. I wouldn't go anywhere near $1000 to be honest.

[lynchiii]

Originally Posted by dubds10

Selling you just the body that's partially burnt up is scrap price all day long. $500 tops to be honest as the heat from a fire does a lot of unknown damage and the toxins in the materials are bad enough. You still have to take the entire cab down to metal and hope there's no warped panels once you take it all apart. I wouldn't go anywhere near $1000 to be honest.

I was thinking the same thing. I'm hoping he will drop quite a bit more. Thanks for the info.