First off at $750 I agree with everyone else it’s a deal most of us would plunge into without much thought. But to offer an alternate perspective from years of experience, here are a few thoughts you might want to consider.
From a practical standpoint, I’d suggest it’s a good deal if you have the skills and enthusiasm to tackle the sheet metal repairs yourself. If not, you might be better off saving up more money and buying a different truck that needs less work. It’s easy to get started on something that’s over your head, and eventually lose interest after a considerable amount of time and money have been invested. Cab mounts and rockers are common problems, and if these are shot it’s likely much of the floor and cab corners are gone as well. Be sure to check the over the windshield, as rust in this area can be a very difficult and expensive to fix. If these have to be repaired by someone else it can quickly consume the entire hobby budget, or lead to shopping for a better cab.
If you already have a truck of this type, or intend to have a collection of them, or recover costs by parting it out, it’s probably a good deal as a parts stash. If the hood is an original eyebrow model that is rust and dent free it could be worth $500 to the right person all by itself. My own experience has shown (with a few exceptions) that building just about any old car or truck to full completion is eventually going to cost $10,000. This figure can be reached by doing relatively few things to a really cherry vehicle, or go into months of repairs that can challenge enthusiasm for the project. If this is going to be your one and only dream truck – just restrain your enthusiasm long enough to do an honest evaluation to make sure this is “the one”.
