And the price keeps going up & up

[Eyegore]

Original but man the $$$
and the rear bumper is even tweaked

http://phoenix.craigslist.org/nph/cto/5373481230.html

[Matt Man]

I hope he gets what he is asking, makes all of ours worth more. (maybe)

[f.monroe]

Nice truck but its a 305 according to the SPID. Not to bad but its not a 350 as stated unless its been changed. I doubt it has with the low mileage.

[TrailerTrash]

good grain gauge bezel =

front bumper guards =

but dam even those door pockets are nice!

[MusicMan70]

If it had a 454 then it be right.

[dragonball98312]

Love the interior

[factorystock]

Interesting, seller does not volunteer to mention if its original paint or not. At that price, it better be.

[franken]

Asking price and selling price aren't related.

[4 Wheelin Fudpucker]

Im betting his ole lady is making him sell it.

[Dannyboy1966]

Hell at that price I'll sell my 86 longbed for 6K, and go buy the 1 ton I really wanted to begin with...

[Firebirdjones]

Yep, as they get older the prices only go up, they don't get cheaper. Give these trucks another 5 years and see what happens.
As it is, it makes my original paint 454 1 ton priced at $10k look like a steel

A lot of unknowns on that one, don't know if it's been painted, no engine shots so hard to say if it's been messed up under hood with a potential engine swap done...
But to get a price like that, everything would have to be spot on and in working order. If so, he might fetch something close to that. I've seen them grab mid teens around here. Neat truck, make an excellent daily driver.

[Eyegore]

Here's another
https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/5374970712.html

[SamsAutoParts73-87]

local guy was trying to sell a project rolling shell for 10k, it is the original faded, dented paint though...sooooo

[1774btcrew]

Originally Posted by Eyegore

Here's another
https://phoenix.craigslist.org/evl/cto/5374970712.html

I actually supplied some parts to build this truck. Guy is nice. The truck started out pretty rough. More than I would pay for it knowing what I know but as said above, I hope he gets it. Makes our trucks worth more.

[Firebirdjones]

Thing is, you can't rebuild one to that extent as cheap as that asking price. Doesn't matter how rough it was to start, if you want to do a frame off and replace everything you'll quickly have twice that asking price. This guy isn't even getting his money back out of it at that price.

I restore classic cars for a living, both partials to frame off and anything in between. To tear one down to this level and start repairing, replacing, and rebuilding everything can quickly run up a $30k+ build, and if you want NOS parts and "correct" date coded parts that cost an arm and a leg, the price can jump to $50-$60k and on up from there depending on the car. 6 figures is not unheard of when restoring a car correctly.

Given this is a basic pickup truck they made millions of, and parts aren't that expensive, A complete restoration like this still isn't for the faint of heart. Hell just a nice quality paint job with good materials plus the labor can set you back $10,000 alone. Materials by themselves if you want good stuff can run up to $3,000 quickly. So you really have to look at it from both sides of the fence. Do you want to do one to a high quality level yourself and spend 2-3 years and $30k?? (assuming the level of this truck is beyond average, I'd have to lay eye's on it) Or do you want to spend say.....$15-ish for one already done and let the previous owner take the hit on the restoration??

[Firebirdjones]

Just looking at the only couple of pictures provided closely, I see some things I could never let out of my shop. All that front suspension is spray bombed black and it was never like that from the factory. There are a lot of parts there that should have bare cast finishes, some cad plating and some natural steel. When it's all torn down for a rebuild now's the time to do it. Trans was also completely sprayed silver. There are a lot of different finishes involved there for a correct appearance. If the trans was rebuilt, it would be easy at that point to refinish the bare casting to it's natural appearance and detail other parts as reassembled. Power brake booster needs to be sent out and replated etc.... These are just quick observations, there's more. Neat truck though.

Lots of little details are what makes a big difference in the overall appearance of a finished product.

[85/Silverado]

Originally Posted by Firebirdjones

Thing is, you can't rebuild one to that extent as cheap as that asking price. Doesn't matter how rough it was to start, if you want to do a frame off and replace everything you'll quickly have twice that asking price. This guy isn't even getting his money back out of it at that price.

I restore classic cars for a living, both partials to frame off and anything in between. To tear one down to this level and start repairing, replacing, and rebuilding everything can quickly run up a $30k+ build, and if you want NOS parts and "correct" date coded parts that cost an arm and a leg, the price can jump to $50-$60k and on up from there depending on the car. 6 figures is not unheard of when restoring a car correctly.

Given this is a basic pickup truck they made millions of, and parts aren't that expensive, A complete restoration like this still isn't for the faint of heart. Hell just a nice quality paint job with good materials plus the labor can set you back $10,000 alone. Materials by themselves if you want good stuff can run up to $3,000 quickly. So you really have to look at it from both sides of the fence. Do you want to do one to a high quality level yourself and spend 2-3 years and $30k?? (assuming the level of this truck is beyond average, I'd have to lay eye's on it) Or do you want to spend say.....$15-ish for one already done and let the previous owner take the hit on the restoration??

So If I want a great paint job on my truck it will run me about 15K?

[Firebirdjones]

Depends on how far you want to go and what we are starting with. Materials can be as cheap as $5-$600 for "run of the mill" stuff. However I don't recommend it for a car that is going to see sunshine and other elements. If you want it to last and your already in it this far I would at least recommend spending $1,000 to $1,500 for decent material that's going to provide a better finish and more durability. I like Sikkens products as top of the line, nothing lays down like it or looks better IMO, but you are going to spend $3k or more for all the material alone.

Labor is where the price can really change drastically. Couple of shops up here won't even simply spray a car for less than $10k...period!! I do them substantially cheaper.

If you get into parts replacement, repop stuff verses OEM NOS stuff is going to change the price drastically.

Labor can be intensive depending on the work involved to get it ready for paint. Even a rust free car can still be 60-80 hours just in prep work before I'd consider it ready for color..hours and hours of block sanding and many coats of primer filler in between etc.... Shops can run $60 an hour and on up from there.
Painting a car and doing it correctly to a high level isn't something done at Macco for $150, Especially if someone expects to get a big dollar amount out of a car when the time comes to sell. This stuff just isn't cheap to do anymore.

[green72s]

I agree with Firebirdjones. Five to ten years ago I would see restored 67-72s for $25,000 and have sticker shock. Then after undertaking a restoration myself, I know how much of a bargain those trucks actually were. Now squares are starting to move up the ladder into that range, I'm not surprised. Putting these two specific vehicles aside, I think buying a restored or an "expensive" pristine vehicle will almost always be cheaper than going through a restoration (especially if you farm out the paint and body work).

[Firebirdjones]

Right on the money with that statement Mr. Green. In most cases buying a perfectly restored vehicle done is almost always cheaper than the restoration cost.
A lot of people that watch BJ on TV think people are paying ridiculous prices for cars. (sometimes they do) However if you are there in person to see the cars that bring the big money, take notice of the restoration, and if you have a good grasp on what it takes to get a car to that level, you start to understand that in most of those cases (not all but most) it's the seller that paid for that restoration that is taking the hit. The big shops that turn out pristine vehicles like Scott Tiemann at Supercar Specialties, or Muscle Car Restorations, or the Minter baby birds will charge well over 6 figures by the time those vehicles are finished. So if you pick the car up for $60-$80k, you did pretty good for yourself. There are exceptions with these cars, the rarest of the rare that will bring well beyond that kind of money, but it's a small percentage. Point being, restoration work isn't cheap when done properly to a high level.

I hate to say it but Green is right, squares are moving up the ladder. We've enjoyed them for years as cheap fun and bargain prices. I Don't know if they'll ever be as popular as the 67-72 stuff but I believe as they get older the prices will continue to creep.

[1774btcrew]

The truck in question, isn't a perfectly restored truck but a couple steps above a nice daily driver. Lots of LMC parts. I think someone's opinion that has actually seen the truck completed and in stages of completion is better than someone's that has seen a couple of pictures. I too have restored some vehicles as has my dad and grandpa so I fully understand what it takes to do a complete restoration. I also know people can do a quicky restoration and make something look nice and shiny where a lot of people that really aren't car people don't notice the flaws

[1774btcrew]

It is a nice looking truck and the paint looks good. I just don't think it is done to the level of being a $17,000 truck There was not a lot of body work done on this truck as all of the original sheetmetal that was used started out really clean. Heck, the bed even came off a sport truck. Cab was switched out as well

[barry1982]

I agree with you guys. I have restored a 72, an 81, 82 4 x 4, now working on a
82 diesel with the rare A833 overdrive. I shudder to think of hours spent in my shop. If I paid myself $5.00 an hour.... no one would afford this truck when complete! Fortunately, I am able to do the engine/body/and paint work myself. The actual parts aren't bad, spread over the time of restoration. I don't build them to sell. Have been running square bodies since 1983, and own at least 20. (many are parts trucks) We have a problem with rust in the north country. Our counties feel it necessary to salt/sand the roads everytime we get a skiff of snow. With it being so cold, you can't wash the trucks as often as you should, and before you know it, fenders are flopping in the wind. One thing I am happy about is the quality of some of the replacement panels out now. I ordered new cab corners, inner/outer rockers from a company called "Key Parts" in the US. They are probably stamped off shore, but are a heavier gauge than OEM

[nonstop]

The way I see it is I bought my truck to use as a truck. I have a hard time spending that money on a truck of this vintage, especially one that will be seeing dirt trails. I don't think I'm the only one who bought cheap with the intention of repairing or upgrading as time went on.

I still have my first car in my garage (68 Firebird). I am trying to fix it up as I go along. I'm currently in the body stage, and have hit a roadblock. I am bad at body work and have to save up for it. It would be nice to be able to spend that kind of money on something that is finished and ready to go, but I don't think most of us are in that type of position. I understand restorations are big money, but too many people have too broad of a view on what a restoration is ask big money on something that isn't a true restoration.

[f.monroe]

The two trucks in this thread are two totally different trucks. The russet original truck is original. Only original Once and the price is reflective of an original truck kept in original condition for 38 years. The other truck is a restoration and if its your ideal truck then it's not a bad priced truck considering the work that has been put into it. Both are nice but an unrestored original will always be worth more to me. I
There are things about the 77 that I don't like. The door speakers being the biggest problem for me. Its still a super nice example of a mostly original truck.
Frank