There are so many variables to take into account when looking for a specific truck.
If I were looking for another one to work on, I would look for one without much rust, (no rust holes!), or bondo. I don't want long creases in fenders or doors.
I would rather have a truck with a very solid body, but needs mechanical work. Odds are, no matter what you find for less than $12,000, it will need to have every moving part worked on.
If one were to settle on a truck with some a number of dents and rust holes, one would likely be looking at a whole lot of rust repairs which cannot be seen. Then, on top of this, there will be the issue of having to go through all of the moving parts. A double whammy which makes that particular truck virtually worthless to me. I can buy new parts for less than what it would take to have a rusty, dented up truck ready for paint.
I realize that working an these trucks is a hobby for most of us, but your body and paint man does not do his job as a hobby. He wants to get paid, and he is expensive.
But that's just my 2 cents (which cost me more than $10,000 on my last build).
