The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Just wondering if this one is worth the effort

Hello Bolters. This is my first post here, although I've been lurking for a while. I have a chance to obtain (for nothing) a '53 1 Ton Chevy. This truck is in pretty rough shape and I wanted to get some opinions about the viability of this restore from folks with far more experience than I have.

The chassis and engine are all there and seem to be fairly sound from a rust perspective. The body is banged up and a bit rusty but seems like it could be restored. Somebody broke the windows out of this truck years ago and the interior is a complete wreck. The dash is a wright-off and nearly the entire floor is rusted out. I can probably take car of all or most of the mechanical stuff, but I know zilch about body work.

You can see for yourself here: http://timd.pictobot.com/PictoBot.asp?XBot=U293J3MgRWFy&Rnd=970327&

Any comments/suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Tim

Some cancer patients are so far gone they have a much better quality of life if you don't try to save them.

[img]http://www.stovebolt.com/weeks/images/planted.jpg[/img]

I dragged one better than that to the wrecking yard earlier this year.

Do you want a 1-ton? Does it have a clear title?

A 1/2-ton is more popular and easier to find parts for. All the body pieces are the same as for a 3/4- or 1/2-ton, so readily available replacement parts could bring this one back.

So if you want a 1-ton, and this one has a title, it might make a start. But otherwise I don't see anything on this one I'd drag home.

And I'm not all that picky.

Welcome! When you find a truck that has very few salvagable parts on it to begin with tells me to stay away. From what I can see in the pictures the only things that are worth thinking about removing is the : steering wheel, the hard to find hub caps, the grille if it's not banged up and rusty, the valence/front bumper and the stainless dash pieces if you can get them off without bending them. This might be the test to see if you want to work on old trucks to begin with. By the way I think it is a 47 not a 53. No vent windows, swinging door handles, emergency brake location and the exterior gas tank. Where are you located? ......g

I would take your hard earned money and find a truck that has a little easier starting point. My first truck was $100.00. After $3,000, it still was not ready to drive. On my second truck, I spent a lot more. Probably more than I should have, but I was comfortable with spending it. Within a couple of months, the truck was running and within a year, I took it for a drive. My motivation to stay with this truck is easier. Progress comes much faster. Do a little math exercise and see what all of the parts you need just to get it running or in the shape you want it in would cost (be truthful). You will probably find it will cost much more to bring that free truch home VS buying one in good to excellent shape.

I know of at least 3 AD's in my area that would be cheap starters and are in much better shape than what you are looking at. I am not an AD guy and I still see em.

If I were you, scrounge a part or two of that old truck, but leave it where it is. Money and motivation wise, you be much happier. Keep your eye out if you want an AD...they are hidden every where....but get one and enjoy it.

Hey, way to go, you found a poor old 1 Ton soul! Yes, there isn't much left to work with. If you wanted to go for it, a different cab would be needed for starters. My project is a 1 Ton and it is really tough to see that everything including brake drums are available for 1/2 Tons, but not for 1 Tons. However, I like my truck and I like the open driveshaft.

My truck is a one ton. I wanted it because I used one years ago . It was a company truck. I agree about starting with one that is a little bit better. You are more likely to stay interested if you can see some real progress. I bought mine five miles from home and had it running in about two weeks. Still working on it but I can drive it when I want to and thats why I bought it. I hav'nt had any trouble finding parts for it.

noob ,just buy one finished.the time and money to restore the one in the woods is just toooooo much,it's dead.leave sleeping dogs rest!!.I bet the frame is gone also. :rolleyes:

I would bring it home and scrap it for its reusable parts and discard the rest. If it has a title, keep it and the tags off the truck in case you end up getting a buildable truck that doesn't have a title.
Just my opinion,
Scott

The reason that it's free is that the owner doesnt want to pay to have it removed. I dont know what it's job was but that cab is caved in and you know the brakes are going to be stuck. You'll need a bulldozer and a chainsaw to pull it out of there and there still isnt anything to save. It's tempting to accept a free truck but unless the owner is paying you to remove it...

Go for it! It wouldn't be much work to shine the right front wheel cover. Looked like it had at least one good spring pack on the left rear. I'm putting new gauges and sending units in mine, recommend you do the same for this project. You can replace the steering column with a tilt from a mid 80's Chevy Van. You could (maybe) clean, seal and paint the fuel tank. I'd recommend replacing the tires, if you plan on driving faster than 45-50 mph. Reproduction glass is available. It isn't a 1953, but more likely a 1947 or 1948.

Hey Bullet, that's the same reason I bought my c-30. Back in the early 70's I drove a '64 F*** one ton that the trucking company owned. I had to use it to pick up parts from the machine shop, etc. They had it tricked out real nice with a custom paint job, diamond tuck upholstery, custom built dash, etc. I dearly LOVED that truck and I've wanted a one ton ever since. I got mine just over a year ago and it's almost road worthy now. Just waiting for a gas tank my brother-in-law found for me (it's from a '71 Blazer so it should go between the frame rails.) The tank I have now is so corroded that it plugs up the fuel filter within about ten miles.

That's a mighty big bite to chew right there. Free is good but, the other guys are right, he doesn't want to pay someone to haul it away.
Get yourself an easier starting point. They're out there.
-David
Kustoms-and-Sleds

I know I'm just a female, but I have some thoughts on this too.
It's so exciting to find an old truck in the woods and the owner tells you it's free for the taking. Tony and I have found lots of them, but the extra work to do is not worth it. The first thing that will happen is when you try to pull it out, you will have about 4 pieces all ready for your "basket". The rust makes everything weak and stuff. Every door hing and movable part will be rusted in place. The dash has gauges missing so you will have to start from scratch there too.
So unless you have a life time devoted to that truck only, mega moneys, and nothing better to do, I'd use it for a lawn ornament like Barry Weeks has in his yard.
Tony started from scratch with my 51 and his 37 and they didn't have any rust. It was a LOT of work and I helped too. look for Tony and Joys trucks The problem with started with something like your truck...you probably will get discouraged and never finish it. Hard to finish them in a "good" state of rust.

Tim
Welcome,in one hand you have a free (I love free!)truck,one you may step back and say"yep with a little this and little that"b4 long you'll have a whole lot of nuttin.once you start working on an old truck,you'll see there's a lot more wrong than the eye can see right away.Hang on,wait a while(I waited 8 years)but it will be worth the wait.I dont post much here(Too busy w/wifey)but I do manage to read them and these people are great here on the Bolt

Wow, what happened to the back of the cab on that truck. It almost looks like a tree made that big round dent.
If that truck was a Deusenburg or a Yenko Camaro or had some kind of emotional value I would take it and fix it. But there are loads of trucks around. They sold millions of them. You can generally pick up a running AD for as little as $1,200.
I paid $2,400 for mine which already had a lot of work done to it and is completely rust free. You could easily spend $3,000 on part alone and that truck might still not be running.
Run, don't walk away.

If you accumulate enough of those freebies, you might have the beginnings of a salvage business, especially since eBay has made it a nationwide market. The main thing to consider is whether you've got enough storage space without creating problems with the local planning commission, or domestic problems that will have you sleeping in one of your projects! I've got stuff that's been sitting in the same spot for 20 years or more, but I've got 100 acres, and a very understanding spouse! I'm ready to pull in two more relics soon. If I get independently wealthy tomorrow, it's going to take me 10 years to catch up on project work!
Jerry

send in one of those pics for the 2004 IRWIPI contest.....

Wow, thanks for all the replies. You've pretty much confirmed my suspicions. Perhaps I'll seek a less 'challenging' project.