hey Colin - my 58 has been a daily driver for years now [8? 10? who remembers] - before that my daily for 10-12 years was a 57 panel - also have a 57 step that get's used when there's a need, and more frequently that's in the winter - currently workin on another 57 panel to take over the daily chore - I guess it's a lifestyle, but don't cost as much as keepin new rigs workin, and things need doin
the 58 has some paint chips from loading/unloading big stuff, rust shows up some and is fixed if needed - I've prolly done some semi-major work on it every summer I've had it - last summer I fixed up some rustifying around the headlights and replaced the door sill steps cuz the originals finally got too bad - drafty on the road
just gotta drive'em til they're broke and fix'em, just what they were designed for! they're 'workin mens trucks' as ol Cut sez, and isn't anything that can deteriorate that can't be fixed
the undercoat helps, and if yer out on salty roads, try to hose it off underneath as well as you can as soon as possible [pay car wash works] - good paint job and wash it regular - big thing is keepin the inside as dry as ya can, especially take out the mat/carpet regularly and make sure yer wet boots aren't starting rust around the front cab mount bolts - just gotta choose if you want to enjoy gettin around in an old truck or if you want an 'investment' that takes up space you could be puttin to better use - I'm all for practical - use it till its unusable and do it over again, or pass it on
Bill
