The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk '55 Flatbed for sale. Need help in determining Value

Hello,
I'm new to the site and to Chevy's. Been a Buick man, but need a truck and it's got to be a Chevy.

I found this '55 first series and was wondering if you could give me a ballpark figure on what it might be worth.
Owner claims a recently rebuilt, great running engine, no rust, recent body/paint work, starts every time and runs great.
Any help would be appreciated.
Also, is it possible to remove the flatbed and replace it with a standard truck bed?

Here's some pics:
[img]http://carad.ebayimg.com/i21/01/a/05/1b/83/16_4.JPG[/img]
[img]http://carad.ebayimg.com/i23/03/a/05/23/2a/b2_4.JPG[/img]
[img]http://carad.ebayimg.com/i23/03/a/05/23/2a/9b_5.JPG[/img]
[img]http://carad.ebayimg.com/i16/02/a/05/1c/49/e8_5.JPG[/img]
[img]http://carad.ebayimg.com/i10/04/a/05/21/ec/c8_5.JPG[/img]
It appears to me that much of the chrome has been painted, the seats replaced with something more modern and the rear bumper is a 2x4.....but do you see any other major issues?
I would primarily be using it to haul stuff to and from Home Depot and the occasinoal load of mulch or block. Maybe transport my Motorcycle as needed for service, etc.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Hi welcome to Stovebolt. I'm going to move your request for information about this truck to "General Truck Talk. Please be sure to come back if you are actually selling or buying something. I'm sure you will be happy with the results. If you have any problems please let me know and I willl help you out. Thanks, Joy from Stovebolt P.S. Could you link all those pictures? Things will go faster for people like me with dial up. ;-)

Hi bhclark and welcome to the bolt.
I saw something like this last night at oldchevytruck.com and he was asking about $5,600. Remember that a trucks value is in the eye of the OWNER/BUYER.
With that said I believe you have a wonderful find
Have fun with it and visit us here at the Stovebolt Page.

regards Cliff59

Nice lookin' truck. Yes, you can put a standard pickup bed on it. The '54 bedsides were a one year (two if you count '55) design and may be hard to locate (if you want 'correct for year'). I don't think that they reproduce that year bedside... Undrilled (no fender holes) '55 and up reproduction bedsides might work if you can't find the '54s ('55 '2nd' and up are very similar to the '54s).

That is a nice looking flatbed. If you don't use it I'm certain that somebody will help you recoup some of the costs of a new bed.

Looks like Mar-K reproduces the bedsides but they don't appear to have the '54 embossing ( see right bed side ) that sets them off from the later beds.

I noticed that the rear axle is eight lug -- is that a 3600 or a 3100? The 3100 (1/2 ton) tends to be more desirable than the longer 3600 (3/4 ton) and therefore fetch a higher price.

It is a 3600. What size would that mean the engine is typically and why would the smaller trucks be more desirable?
Is the 3600 longer in the bed or is the cab larger?
Thanks!

You could get any engine you wanted in these as long as it was the '54/5 235 six (same went for the 3100 and 3800 one tons).

There are probably a number of reasons that the smaller trucks are more desirable, the number one reason being proportion. Other reasons might include maneuverability and registration/licensing costs (Calif. reg on my '56 3/4 is about $125 yr -- based partially on gross vehicle weight).

The cabs are the same size. The length is made up in the bed (wheelbase is longer).

Three window cabs aren't as sought after either. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder -- I prefer \'em to the five window trucks.