The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Opinion, is it worth the time and $'s?

I have a 51 chevy 3600 that I have owned for about 15 years. Decided it was finally time to start doing something with it. The truck itself is all there but it is in great need of body repair. I know that the outer cowl, inner cowl, inner to outer cowl, and front of floor for both sides needs replaced. The sheetmetal alone will run over $500 not including the labor (probably my own). The box will also need a lot of metal work as well. My question is: Is it really worth putting all that $'s and time into the body of this truck or could I possibly find a cab and box needing much less work for a good price? I live in upstate NY, so clean rust free trucks are few and far between. I looked at a cab at the spring Carlisle event this week, the guy wanted $2500!!!! So what do you guys think, fix it or dump it? Thanks!

if I could do the work myself , I would probably fix it but then sometime money wise it might be better to find one already to go,,,,just depends on how much you wanna tinker with it,,,no good answer here..either way you win,,just dont crush it,,Fred

If your gonna do the work yourself go for it.I know what you mean about NY.I live in NE OH.and it is the same here,everthing is rusted out.Very hard to find parts,especially a complete cab.

not a lot of that stuff here....so come on down

well it could be a nice pice when your done if you feel like you can do wonders with it do it!

From the way you pose that question it sounds like you really don't want to do it. I give you permission to bail and look for something else.
Cecil........

I live in upstate NY also and agree it is hard locating parts. There is a parts truck near me but its pretty rough. Think he wanted about 5 C
notes.

Dan

Sorry..........I have a couple of rear fenders some rust but solid

Dan

Maybe I will just sell it as is or part it out. I will have to put some serious thought into it. I really love the AD's and would love to do it up, but it could turn into a money pit. Decisions ....decisions! No rush though, it's been 15 years till now, so why rush.

Cuse,
From your name I would guess that you are in Syracuse. I grew up there until moving to Las Vegas (NO RUST) 8 years ago. Here's my opinion FWIW. An old truck is a lot like an old friend or even a family member, especially after 15 years. If you are not confident in your sheet metal/body working skills then park it, save up some $$$ and have a professional body job done, especially if the mechanical end is still sound and you are good with that part of the work. It may cost a bundle, but once it's done, you'll have a really great truck that you can enjoy (if taken care of) for the rest of your life. If you let it go, you will kick yourself in the butt every time an old truck (cherry or beater) passes you on the road.
Gene

Time is on your side.I spent 6 years on my 37. I would take it down to the chassis and then work my way up finding/buying parts as needed. The trick here is you spend money stretched over a period of time without robbing the cookie jar. Once looking you will be surprised what you can find and once you complete the truck YOU know what you have from the chassis up.Not a truck you buy that someone only did a cosmetic job on and you have to re-do everything to get it right! Thats my .03 worth.

Hey Cuse -- and all the other relatively new guys -- Welcome to the Stovebolt Page! If you have any ideas, suggestions or comments about the site, please don't hestitate to let Peggy or I know (If it involves work, let Peggy know. If it involves sitting around drinking beer, that's my department )

I'm with Alvin. I started the frame-off resto on my big '49 in July, 2000. I currently have a rolling frame with a juiced up brake system. Not exactly blistering progress, but manageable. I went through a couple of stages (as the folks here will tell you) of just wanting to give up and sell the pieces. But Somebody told me the same thing Gene4145 and Alvin are telling you.

If you have the patience and can stand not driving the truck for a while, settle in for a long-term process. Once you make that mental adjustment, and keep looking for stuff, you'll be amazed at what comes along to help you (like pristine cabs on junked trucks that a friend of a friend says needs to go -- just watch out for friend of a friend deals...)

Anyway, if you want to bail out, that's fine. If deep down, you really don't want to, that's fine too -- we're here to help either way.

There are still other trucks out there, as well as all the parts you need -- you just have to keep your eyes open/feelers out and be ready to make a roadtrip at a moment's notice.

In this game, the key is patience. Quality parts either cost money or time/patience (sometimes both) -- which one do you have more of?

Good luck and don't forget we're here to help. Go read some of the Saga's or a Roadkill or two (if you really want that kind of intellectual abuse) for some stimulation/motivation. And look through the Gallery, too. Lots of us have been where you are.

Regards,
John