Long to short value???

[BIGDOGTRUCKER]

My truck is all stock/correct 350/350,12 bolt posi,PS,PB and AC.Bed floor is a bit rough for me and the sides while solid need work.If my truck were converted to a SB and the job was done 100% correct by a quality shop,how would the value be affected???

[leddzepp]

If it's done right you will have a larger pool of buyers if you sell.

[LockDoc]

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If you have to pay to have it done you will probably not see any extra money in your pocket when you sell it. On the other hand if you can do all of the work yourself you will benefit from the transformation...

LockDoc

[hugger6933]

I have three trucks this style I am building and 2 are long 1 is a short. I had decided to have anything to sell after the first truck came in at the shop it was a fairly decent 70 long bed running and driving great starter truck for somebody. After a few people heard that I had a truck this style they came and as soon as they saw the truck they said if it were short I would take it. Now I have been hustling cars and trucks since the 80's and I had heard that one before hundreds of times. But when the second truck came to me in a trade a few months later 68 GMC 3/4 factory big block T400 air, power steering, power brakes, wood floor, buddy buckets and speed warning.With all that going for it I added a tilt right away and knowing that someone would prefer this one to be a short truck. I went on the prowl, and found a 68 short parts truck to get the frame and bed and few other parts then a 72 parts truck [it was long] but all it gave me was a gauge dash and 5 lug suspension. Then I found another 71 swb it will give me a nice fender hood and extra bed floor extra right fender, gauge dash and few other parts. Now I have the stuff to change both long wheel base trucks into shorts with 5 lug suspensions. I def think that it will make a diff when it comes time for someone else to own them. Now keep in mind I own the body shop that they are sitting at and when I am not working on them it means I am working on something to hopefully make some money to keep the shop open and feed me and my wife[and one of us eats a bunch!!!]But seeing that both of these trucks are gonna be big block [unless the plans changes to use some of the 6.0 ls motors I have]with T400 and one may have the 4L80E [the one I kinda would like to keep or at least sell last]and the other 70 is a short and it is the only small block truck in the bunch[ and it will have as of now aT5]but they all will be buckets with tacs or tac/vacs all will be disc brakes even the last [cheaper ] 70 that may stay 6 lug and they all will have tilts [even the floor shift] and they all are gonna be a frame off rotissere job. Why not use the rotissere if I have one? It just makes things so much easier to work with. Now if I were sending this out to be done it would be impossible, but I am doing most if not all of it myself or at least it all [except int in house]. I also have been gathering parts a while since these trucks have come into my place. I have all the parts to do everything listed to all three trucks above with the exception of one console. I still have to buy some sway bars front and rear for some of them but other than that it is all here and most of the body work is done at this time, so it is possible that all three trucks could be ready for paint one behind the other. But I am hoping to get some wrecks bought back in soon. Now the value of a truck similar to yours if you are wanting a short I would say change it to short,if it doesn't much matter to you leave it alone. And like was brought up in the above post if you have to hire some or all of the work done to do a long to short conversion, it will eat up any possible profit you may have made in the truck. Being that it is a [I don't want to call your truck plain or regular because it is not] truck with a normal amount of production options, it will not bring any special interest buyer being a short over a long. I can say enjoy your truck it is real nice. Jim

[special-K]

If you are asking as an investor,I have no help to offer. But,if it's for you and you're just concerned with "ruining" it by altering an unmolested original,I'd say go for it if that's what pleases you. Unfortunately,these days being an all original matters to far less than the hoards of single minded types who only like shortbeds and not trucks in general. So,you won't hurt it's value a bit. No offense,but it's a fairly common model (although in great shape) and most who would be concerned with originality are focused on higher optioned,rarer combinations of options,or super low mile survivors (in any shape or form)

[WIDESIDE72]

Originally Posted by hugger6933

I have three trucks this style I am building and 2 are long 1 is a short. I had decided to have anything to sell after the first truck came in at the shop it was a fairly decent 70 long bed running and driving great starter truck for somebody. After a few people heard that I had a truck this style they came and as soon as they saw the truck they said if it were short I would take it. Now I have been hustling cars and trucks since the 80's and I had heard that one before hundreds of times. But when the second truck came to me in a trade a few months later 68 GMC 3/4 factory big block T400 air, power steering, power brakes, wood floor, buddy buckets and speed warning.With all that going for it I added a tilt right away and knowing that someone would prefer this one to be a short truck. I went on the prowl, and found a 68 short parts truck to get the frame and bed and few other parts then a 72 parts truck [it was long] but all it gave me was a gauge dash and 5 lug suspension. Then I found another 71 swb it will give me a nice fender hood and extra bed floor extra right fender, gauge dash and few other parts. Now I have the stuff to change both long wheel base trucks into shorts with 5 lug suspensions. I def think that it will make a diff when it comes time for someone else to own them. Now keep in mind I own the body shop that they are sitting at and when I am not working on them it means I am working on something to hopefully make some money to keep the shop open and feed me and my wife[and one of us eats a bunch!!!]But seeing that both of these trucks are gonna be big block [unless the plans changes to use some of the 6.0 ls motors I have]with T400 and one may have the 4L80E [the one I kinda would like to keep or at least sell last]and the other 70 is a short and it is the only small block truck in the bunch[ and it will have as of now aT5]but they all will be buckets with tacs or tac/vacs all will be disc brakes even the last [cheaper ] 70 that may stay 6 lug and they all will have tilts [even the floor shift] and they all are gonna be a frame off rotissere job. Why not use the rotissere if I have one? It just makes things so much easier to work with. Now if I were sending this out to be done it would be impossible, but I am doing most if not all of it myself or at least it all [except int in house]. I also have been gathering parts a while since these trucks have come into my place. I have all the parts to do everything listed to all three trucks above with the exception of one console. I still have to buy some sway bars front and rear for some of them but other than that it is all here and most of the body work is done at this time, so it is possible that all three trucks could be ready for paint one behind the other. But I am hoping to get some wrecks bought back in soon. Now the value of a truck similar to yours if you are wanting a short I would say change it to short,if it doesn't much matter to you leave it alone. And like was brought up in the above post if you have to hire some or all of the work done to do a long to short conversion, it will eat up any possible profit you may have made in the truck. Being that it is a [I don't want to call your truck plain or regular because it is not] truck with a normal amount of production options, it will not bring any special interest buyer being a short over a long. I can say enjoy your truck it is real nice. Jim

Jim I think you are my "brutha from anutha mutha!"

[WIDESIDE72]

Thereason i say this is i bought a 70 longhorn with bb400 70k miles and 70 swb rolling chassis to do exactly the same to! Already had 5 lug parts on a 72 lwb frame from a truck i parted and found a 68 lwb step for its nice fenders with no spare cut out! They will go on the 55-66 swb bedsides i scored for $50/ pair after i drill the holes to fir the 67-72 configuration. It will also get a truck tilt i got local for $75(!) and tach out of a grain truck for $20(!!!)

[WIDESIDE72]

Imo there are still plenty of swb donor trucks available. I will continue to hoard any i find for cheap. Just pulled a 70 out of the pasture of a high school friend a while back for $200. Not much left (rusty) but running gear (250 6cyl/ 3ott) but it had a complete aftermarket ac and a nice stepside tailgate.

[WIDESIDE72]

Originally Posted by WIDESIDE72

Imo there are still plenty of swb donor trucks available. I will continue to hoard any i find for cheap. Just pulled a 70 out of the pasture of a high school friend a while back for $200. Not much left (rusty) but running gear (250 6cyl/ 3ott) but it had a complete aftermarket ac and a nice stepside tailgate.

My pont is a truck converted to swb with a factory swb frame is a safer investment than a lwb cut to swb. (Might be a safer truck literally if conversion was done incorrectly.)

[WIDESIDE72]

Cutting a lwb bed down to swb is another matter. I may have to resort to this myself as factory swb fleet beds are about dried up around here.

[68bowtie]

in that condition i would expect a value gain of about $2k.

if the goal is to sell it, i agree with lockdoc, that unless you do the work yourself it may not pay off. and if you do it yourself, is it worth your time?

if you simply want a short bed to drive yourself (which i do NOT see as closed minded) and you're concerned with cutting up an "original" i don't think there's too much worry there. but i don't think that was your question...