Newbie Here.Opinions,Comments,and Advice Please!!

[justagoodolboy]

Hello everyone.I've been digging around in this site for a few days now and I really like what I see.I'm thinking about buying a 1972 pickup and would really like your input.
This truck is owned by a friend of a friend (I know him but not real well) and I have only seen it in pictures.I called the owner and he pretty much told me what he knows about the truck.It has less than 1,000 miles on a rebuilt 350 that has been bored .30 over.The tranny and transfer case were rebuilt 2 years ago and it hasn't been driven much since then.The four wheel drive is out but everything works out to the hubs.He bought the truck to fix up for himself but before he got started he bought a 68 c10 short bed and is doing it instead.I can buy the truck for $2000 the way it sits or he can fix the four wheel drive and I would pay him whatever that takes on top of the $2000.So,here's what I need to know.
1.Is he asking to much?
2.What will it take to get the four wheel drive working?Should I let him do it or am I better off doing it myself?
3.As someone who has no experience with body work(I have a buddy who would help me some) is this a good truck for my first one?It doesn't look to bad but what do you think?
4.I'm not looking to restore it back to original,but I'm wondering if I'll run into a lot of money on stuff that doesn't look big.Like patching rust, trim and a tailgate and the interior.I know a lot of that depends on what I want to spend but,not counting paint or wheels, how far will $1000 or $1500 go? (may be a dumb question.)
5.If I decided to sell it am I likely to get my money back out of it?I know there is no cut and dried rule to this but i'm not sure I want to get into something knowing I won't be able to get back out.Because driving it instead of my current work vehicle at the current gas price would cost me $50 a month more.But maybe the joy of driving it offsets the cost

I've always thought it would be cool to fix up an old truck and this might be the 1 so fire away with your thoughts!

[justagoodolboy]

Hey i thought I attatched pix?
I figured it out.

[PanelDeland]

Sometimes pics don't upload for whatever reason.They may also have to be resized.
Check the truck over in person before you ever turn a penny.Look for rust everywhere.Rockers and corners are common rust areas.Above the windsheild is a hard one to fix.There's virtually no way to verify a rebuild without a teardown so take that with a grain or two of salt.Look to see how complete the truck is,the little things can nickle and dime a project to death.
Think about how you want to use the truck.4WD is nice if you want to hunt/fish from it but not much help on a daily driver unless you live in snow country.Pics will help with rust ID which is the major thing(to me anyway) on these trucks.The mechanicals are fairly simple and can be learned by anyone(I'm a great example).

[wancosc356]

Its looks to be in pretty good shape. Especially for your neck of the woods. It also looks like an AC cab.

1) $2000 seems like a fair price. I enjoy haggling, whether Im the buyer or seller. So offer him lower than you are willing to pay and you will hopefully meet in the middle where you wanna be. Cash in hand also helps you get a better deal. Just don't let him know how much you have.

2)As far as the four wheel drive. There is no telling why it is not working. There could be alot of reasons. If you trust a strangers mechanical skills and trust that he will not charge you more than it costs, let him do it. I personally would try to figure it out myself or have my mechanic look at it. The broken four wheel drive can also be a bargaining tool because it is not working. Ask him why it isnt working or what is wrong with it.

3) As far as body work goes, it looks pretty good for your area. Typical rocker and cab corner rust. You also want to look under the cab at the supports to see if they are rusted out. Look under the front end at the inner fenders and inside the engine compartment at the radiator core support under the battery and the same spot on the drivers side. Also take a look under the bed and in the bed for rust. If your buddy is a decent body guy and he or you know how to weld, you should be ok. Learn as you go.

4)As far as money goes, $1000-$1500 will get you as far as you can stretch it. All the little things add up. You could spend anywhere from $100 to $1000 on a tailgate. I think the rust, tailgate, trim and 4x4 are your main spending issues. You can make it work. You just have to be patient and look for the deals.

5) If you decide to turn around and sell, you may get your money back out of it and you may not. The economy has hit the market on classics and restorable vehicles. These trucks were going for alot more just a year ago. Now guys are getting half of what they could have. But you never know, someone could come along and have to have your truck and pay whatever you are asking. This all depends on location, economy and the right person finding your truck.


As far as the rebuilt engine, transmission and transfer case go, PanelDeland is right. Take those statements with a grain of salt....unless the guy can show you receipts that prove the rebuilds.

If the transfer case was "just rebuilt", why would the 4x4 not work. Maybe it just needs a front driveshaft or maybe the gears in the front axle are trashed. Ask him why the 4x4 doesn't work.

Take a drive over and check out the truck. Look everywhere inside and out. Make sure you are ok with what you are getting into. And no matter how much u look, when you get it home, you will always find more problems than u saw before.

Also, does this truck have a clean title? If so, make sure it matches the VIN plate in the door jamb. This will affect the value. You can always get a title for it but you are looking at $225 for a title company to get u one.

Good luck and welcome to the board!

[rico7769]

Don't buy with the intent on reselling. Get the fever, fix it up, and keep em running! Buy for the right reason and you'll not regret the purchase. Do some research on the "rebuilt" items and check them out thoroughly. I've been burned by friends in the past and business is business. Just what I think.

[rwolf9653]

1. 2000 sounds fair, but I always try to talk it down a little.

2. no 4wd could be an expensive problem, so figure out what is wrong and how much it will cost to fix BEFORE purchase.

3. How much repair you do to the body may be a changing prefernce. At first patches here and there are livable, but as you fall in love with the truck you may get the itch to do a frame off resto.

4. Again depending on what you want the end result to eventually be and how much work you do yourself, 1000 - 1500 could get you pretty far. I know right know there are not great asperations, but you dont wnat to replace bad panels with cheap metal just to save a dime now only to have to replace it again later.

5. Dont sell it........ever. If you are worried about fuel milage buy a beater car to commute with, and keep the truck so you can keep your man card.

[justagoodolboy]

Thanks for your comments.

Wancosc,I asked about the 4WD,and he said it's in the hub,but he's not sure exactlly what all is involved.And yeah,the statements about checking into the rebuilt items is right on.I bought a 4 wheeler once with "brand new" bearings in the rear end.They went bad within a month.

Ricco,I'm thinking that planning to sell at a profit is probably not a good idea.So maybe I should look for a 2WD as I already have a 4WD daily driver.There are several for sale in my area.This 4wd I'm thinking about is 300 miles away,but no problem as I would just go pick it up and spend the weekend.

Another question,I'm sure it varries but what kind of mpg would I be looking at with a 4wd? 10-11 locally is what a few people have told me.Is there anything that can be done that would help that out much?

Thanks for your comments,and I'll keep thinking about it.

[justagoodolboy]

rwolf, I will definetly have him check out the 4wd before I decide to buy.

And yeah,I don't know how far I would want to go in restoring it.Right now I'm thinking just get it in good shape but if I don't use it for a daily driver I might end up doing a lot more than I think.