Cost of replacing---not fixing---body?

[jimmyj]

Just got off the phone with a guy who says I can get all the panels for my '72 C20 for probably $300-400 "all day long," then pay a body shop a thousand or so to replace them all. Says just the cost of the bed alone would only be $99. Is this true? Could the body of my truck be that cheap to replace? And where would I find all this metal?

Seems like that's the cheapest route, considering how much work I'd need to do on my truck's body to fix the rust.

[superman3405]

That does not sound right, I just bought a front fender and it ran me 139.00

[drivethechevy]

yes its true that most all the body parts are sold for these trucks but depending on what needs fixing it will be more then 400 the prices are pretty good but the add up quickly
some places that sell the parts are lmc truck parts and the paddock parts both have websites that show the parts and send out free catalogs

[whatnow123]

This isn't true unless this guy knows someone going out of business or is talking about each panel costing 3 to $400. Most all the sheet metal that the vendors supply are marked up 100+ percent, but they also buy large quantities and inventory turns take a while on most parts so the cost is needed to stay in business.

[see ten]

I was checking prices for a bed through Goodmark the other night and these were the numbers I found.

Bed floor $850

Bedside (you need 2) $449

Front panel $149

Wheel tubs X2 They had them listed for $59 and $99

You're looking at over 2K and we haven't even figured a gate.

[70cst]

There once was a seller of used truck parts who could be located by his business flag.... He had words that were as solid as quicksand when he said: "Do I have a deal for you." The the potential buyer was not and he remembered the words of a wise 67-72 Chevy Truck owner: "If it sounds to good to be true...then use discerment in making your decision." Once the buyer realized the seller was actually a cousin to James Blanton he with glee for now the buyer showed wisdom of other 67-72 Chevy Truck owners .

[jimmyj]

It did sound too good to be true, but in my defense, the guy wasn't trying to sell me anything, nor was he trying to get me to sell him my truck. He said he'd worked on a hundred of these things, and that replacing body parts is cheap as hell.

Man, what a bummer. All I want is a rust-free '72. Is that too much to ask out of life??

[70cst]

Originally Posted by jimmyj

Man, what a bummer. All I want is a rust-free '72. Is that too much to ask out of life??

: Ok...that is a worthy dream but to find one now a days is harder than finding hens teeth. If you keep lookng you might find one but it will take a while. Good Luck and keep the faith.

[whatnow123]

Originally Posted by jimmyj

Man, what a bummer. All I want is a rust-free '72. Is that too much to ask out of life??

They don't exist unless you buy one already done or do it yourself. These trucks starting rusting the first time water got down the cowl vent.

[myoldchevytruck]

Use only quality sheetmetal. There not cheap, but they fit. Use Goodmark. You won't regret it.

Good Luck

[see ten]

Originally Posted by jimmyj

All I want is a rust-free '72. Is that too much to ask out of life??

I looked for 9 months for the last rust free truck I bought. The guy had owned it for 27 years and it had been garage kept.........And I paid for it!

[clean71]

Originally Posted by see ten

I looked for 9 months for the last rust free truck I bought. The guy had owned it for 27 years and it had been garage kept.........And I paid for it!

You've got that right! I've seen trucks with receipts totaling over 50K with rust. just because the restorer failed to address the inherent design flaws of them. Trucks looked great but, look hard enough and you'll still find rust. I think "rust-free" is something of an oxymoron when it comes to our trucks. Keep looking though and you'll find something with relatively little rust or at least rust that you can live with.