No apology necessary, you can say what you think here, pretty much. Your opinion is your opinion. We like to talk old trucks with anyone. When someone says don't call it this or that, it's just their opinion. Some members are tight and some are loose. No big deal. There is no harm intended. Welcome to the Stovebolt! 99% of the issues have been discussed before and we rehashed one of them on your post.
Also to answer you original question. You don't say what era you are speaking of: On here, Stovebolt can be 1916-1972, the Guru's have allowed a broader definition of Stovebolt than 1929-1962. You also say $15K-$55K, that's a large gap. You have covered a pretty nice moderate resto/nice running barn find, all the way to a show truck. Don't know what era or quality you want/need. Some prices reflect actual quality of resto, some reflect what they need for profit and some are just crazy. Educate yourself here and at swap meets, in magazines and car shows and you will see the differences. But you have to actually see these trucks in person. Then, of course, it's all about available funds, motivation, time. There are a lot of do's and don't's if you decide to restore. The first mistake is to buy one that is too rusty, second mistake is going to a catalog and ordering everything, but that's easy and fun. First thing to do is derust/stop rust, weld, bang, straighten, clean and sweat. No money involved, just work. If you are up for that, you can handle a "restore or preserve". peace out.
