Is this a good buy and restore project?

[72power]

My neighbor wants to sell me his '72 chevy truck. It has holes on either side of the cab when you open the door, like in between the floor and bottom of the door. He put a new bed on it cause the other one was rusted through, and theres about 2 or 3 rust holes on the front. its got the 350 motor in it with some mods done to it that he was extremely vague about. He said he had it doing 100 in 2nd gear though. So i was wondering if it was a good buy. Ill try to get the pics from my phone up later.

[my67chevytruck]

depends on the condition of the rest of the truck etc, and if its a SWB/LWB. having some rust is typical of these model trucks.

[mr48chev]

I think that most of the guys will that there are a lot of factors invoved in buying a project truck or car.

The first being your skill level with the various things that will need to be done to it.
Second I would say was the overall condition of the vehicle and third would be if it was a desireable one to restore.
Many of us who choose to modify or customize one of these trucks are happy with one that is rather plain and doesn't have a lot of interesting options. On the otherhand the guys who choose to restore one to showroom original usually look for trucks that have a list of desireable options on them.

As for myself I don't really like dealing with rusted out bodys but I don't bat an eye at doing a complete rebuild of the engine.

From the sounds of it I'd be a bit scared of it unless it was almost free as it sounds like there is a lot of work to be done to bring it up to decent shape.

As My67Chevytruck said, longbed, short bed and does it have a batch of desireable options? A shortbed CST with ac an a tilt would probably be worth putting a lot of effort in as far as repairing rust while a longbed 3/4 ton with no options may be more towards the parts truck end of the spectrum.

While I was looking at it I'd also check for the frame being rusted out an any other problem areas that you might spot.

And photos always help guys here be able to give an honest opinion.

[fine69]

I locked this thread.

And it was brought to my attention that i was WRONG to do so.

It is NOT against the rules to post a WIW if you are intending to buy parts or a vehicle.

Only if your are attempting to sell an item and wish to get a value of it before doing so.

I appologize.

If you could somehow post some pics we will be glad to help you in your quest to purchase a truck.

Mike

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by 72power

My neighbor wants to sell me his '72 chevy truck. It has holes on either side of the cab when you open the door, like in between the floor and bottom of the door. He put a new bed on it cause the other one was rusted through, and theres about 2 or 3 rust holes on the front. its got the 350 motor in it with some mods done to it that he was extremely vague about. He said he had it doing 100 in 2nd gear though. So i was wondering if it was a good buy. Ill try to get the pics from my phone up later.

First off welcome to the board.

If he had the truck going 100 in 2nd gear (doubtful) that would tell me that he beats it pretty hard. I don't know what he is thinking for a price but I wouldn't make him an offer unless it was a really low one. There are a lot of 67-72's on craigslist right now so I would do some checking and compare prices. Good luck and don't hesitate to ask more questions when you get the pictures posted.

LockDoc

[Sammy]

Above the windshield rust through is usually a cab replacement for most. Rocker panel and inner rocker rust is common but usually repairable if caught before it destroys the floor. Take a close look at the cab mounts and supports for rust. Pics of these areas posted will get you some ball park figures along with what type of options and engine/ tranny combination it has.

[72power]

Hey guys, I guess my phone won't send pictures to my email. But I'm going over there tomorrow with a digital camera snap every angle of it. He wants $1500 for it, but he bought new brake lines, rockers, and a new bed for it. He was originally selling it for $800-900.

edit: wait it sent 1 picture, im going to get them up in a few minutes.

[BAGNDRAGIT]

1500 sounds a lil high. and i would be skeptical about the motor, as mentioned above i bet he beats on it pretty hard.

if your ok doing a rebuild, or have a motor to swap it may not be a bad buy.

another point of interest is the rust. definatly would like some pics to better judge whether it is worth you time.

Claude

[72power]

pictures that have come through so far:





the other main image should be on its way, but those were what i was talking about, and in the other pic, it shows the holes in the floor running along the door.

[72power]

and here is the last picture:



I'm new to restoring cars, but that looks serious to me. It is drivable but i dont want to see the road through my floor when i drive.

[dan42]

Pictures no worky -

[72power]

Originally Posted by dan42

Pictures no worky -

what do you mean?

[chuckmc8]

Rust is the major player. Say it again. RUST. All else is nuts and bolts.
Rust is the project killer.
If its so, let it go.......

Oh, and the 100 in second....thats probably what I call "old man syndrome"...it just happens to most of us from time to time......

[70cst]

72power and from Ohio...One thing I would suggest is that if you like this body style of truck (years 67-72) and who doesn't...you might want to look at the 67-68, 69-70, and 71-72 and you might find you prefer another year than 71-72. There is nothing wrong with a 71-72 year truck but each series of truck has that special look. Also do you prefer a swb or lwb truck? As mentioned mechanics are far easier fix than rust in most cases. Also as been said...you are in a buyer market and you should have many choices to select from. Good luck.

[72power]

Originally Posted by 70cst

72power and from Ohio...One thing I would suggest is that if you like this body style of truck (years 67-72) and who doesn't...you might want to look at the 67-68, 69-70, and 71-72 and you might find you prefer another year than 71-72. There is nothing wrong with a 71-72 year truck but each series of truck has that special look. Also do you prefer a swb or lwb truck? As mentioned mechanics are far easier fix than rust in most cases. Also as been said...you are in a buyer market and you should have many choices to select from. Good luck.

ive always loved the '72 since i saw that movie "Dazed And Confused" for the first time like 3 years ago. The truck looked amazing and i was like "man...I gotta restore one".

heres a pic of it: