The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area General Truck Talk Does non original parts hurt value?

I have a general question.

I bought a 52 truck about a year and a half ago as a project. Haven't had time to actually work on it much, other than to collect parts for it. the seller said some things and i really did not pay it much mind.

Well it turns out that the truck is original, numbers matching. Engine turns over freely so should be rebuildable.

My question is some parts need replaced and aren't really worth the time to rebuild. Or so i think. Is it worth trying to find original parts like bed sides versus buying reman parts? Does that have any impact on the value of the truck being numbers matching. ok more than "numbers matching. Original engine in truck.

Thoughts?

depends on who you're going to sell it to.some care- some don't.
if you are building it for yourself, do what you want to it and don't worry. if you are building it to sell, do some investigating. this forum is a good place to start.

daren

If you want it all original 'just because', then rebuild 'em.

If you just want to drive it and enjoy it, take the non-working bits off, catalog 'em, put 'em on the shelf and drive it with newer pieces.

It's all about your budget, abilities and what you really want to do with the truck.

Also, it's an old truck, the market is small, there is no point fixing up an old truck trying to make a profit.

Only do it, if you want to do it and it makes you happy.

-W

Woogeroo's advice is spot on. Keep all the pieces parts, then if you sell it's all good.

Just don't get to hung up worrying about the numbers matching thing. Unless your truck is very rare, highly optioned or an immaculate survivor "numbers matching" doesn't mean much to the vast majority of prospective old truck buyers.

Have fun with it!

I agree that you should keep the original parts if you remove them so a future buyer can return it to original if they wish. You're only original once. So many people are hot rodding old vehicles that original cars/trucks are getting scarce enough that they're going up in value fairly rapidly.

Great advice. I am building to drive and enjoy for me. However I do not want to lose any inherent "value" in the vehicle.

If I was going to try and sell the truck then I would change the chassis put a ls engine in it and lower it. Lol.

Of course most of the old trucks for sale around here someone tried to chop it and found out too late that the project was over their head and budget. I shed a tear each time I see one on craigslist and then laugh when the asking price is $6k.

I simply tell people, "It's as close to original as I can /could get it!" If I can find, get, and afford the parts great! If not, going to improvise untill such a time comes! The only one you really have to impress is yourself. Enjoy it!

I agree with above comments. It is your decision, you want to drive it and enjoy it, so build it your way. I thought I would resto-rod my '40, but after getting it driveable, and finding it had the original engine in it, I thought about how few are still original. And, it's a blast to drive! So, I probably will leave it original. And, besides, I have a streetrod too, if I want to drive 500 miles or burn some rubber. Good luck with your project!

It also depends on the part. Bed sides and sheet metal won't matter much if you replace them with steel. Fiberglass fenders seem to be a death wish for some reason. I use them and really like that I can get replacements any time. The only number you need to worry about is the block, it has the VIN number on it and needs to match the title.

Internal engine pieces are wear items and anyone in the sales business knows that. Just look at some of the restored numbers matching muscle cars being sold. They have been rebuilt from ground up with almost all new parts, yet claim numbers maching all original.

Keep major parts like drivetrain, suspension, switches, seat, gauges, and steering. The rest can be replaced with out much care or looking.

Joe

"Numbers matching?" How does that term apply to AD trucks? What numbers, and to what do they match?

Tom,

As you know (but others might not), there is no absolute way to know if all the parts are original parts for/from the same vehicle.

However, some "Matching Numbers" are possible.

Casting dates and/or casting codes on parts do not indicate when that part was placed in the original vehicle.
- The casting date is the date a part was cast, not the date it was installed during assembly.
- The casting code might have been used in more than one year.

If the engine/transmission were matched at the factory, there might be matching-IDs on one/both parts (Hydra-Matic-equipped vehicles - block engine serial-number/ID on a tag on the transmission). Even this information does not reference the cab/body/vehicle ID/code.

The following "matches" are possible (I think):

- Date casting code, if on these parts: block (yes), head (yes), transmission (?), rear-end (?)

- Casting codes for other parts like manifold - but these do not have date casting codes. These casting codes would just would indicate a date-range for those parts?

- Information on engine: the engine "serial-number/ID" matching dates/codes on other parts (but that ID does not always have date/year information)

- Vehicle "serial-number/ID" usually can be used to figure out the production year based on the code's format/info, and/or on the style of plate, and/or the hp indicated on the plate.

Other "matching" info?

Zleviticus' vehicle list indicates why "numbers matching" is mentioned - a concept of the muscle car era that refers to the fact that on later production the 'real' VIN will include equipment information and individual components will have numbers that relate directly to the VIN .... has no relevance with respect to our trucks "originality" except where the engine number matches the vin on the original title

Bill

Learn something new each time I post. I was referring to the fact that the stamped on the block matches year of the truck. Yes I am used to muscle cars and the term "numbers matching." To me it seems like it is getting rare to see a truck with the original year engine in it. Everything I have looked at has newer,larger displacement engines in them.

Just depends on where you are looking.

Nonetheless, finding the same-year truck-engine on 47-52 truck is probably uncommon.

Here is how Wikipedia defines "Number Matching":

Number matching or matching numbers is a term often used in the collector vehicle industry to describe cars with original major components, or major components that match one another.

Many times these major components contain dates, casting numbers, model numbers, Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN), stamped numbers, or codes that can match the original components that were on the vehicle when it was new.

I totally agree. You make the choice. It's your truck.

Oh I forgot to mention that value is in the "EYE OF THE BEHOLDER"

Agreed! Just look at the crazy prices you find for things on craigslist.

My '52 has its original 216 and it will stay with the truck upon completion of the restoration.

A few years ago I bought a '46 half ton "barn find" mostly because it had the (rebuilt) engine it was born with. All but a few parts were the original. The previous owner was it's second. He'd started restoring it in the 1980's got too sick to finish it, then passed. His widow left it untouched in his garage until I came along. I probably paid more than some would, but I figured the rebuilt engine and body repair work he'd done was worth her asking price. Besides, my better half figured I needed another project and I figured this would be better than some. I do know that I would likely not have given it a second look had it not been as described.

by the time you get it all restored, you will most likely have more money into it than you can sell it for. These aren't really investments. More like savings plans, where you can almost get your money back out of them, but the driving is the interest.

if you want to make a small fortune in restoring a truck, start with a large one. the value is what the market demand is at that moment in time. so if the market dives, so does the value of the truck.

if parts are not worth the time to rebuild, then replace them. the truck is 60 years old. unless it was in a time capsule, many of the parts most likely have been replaced over the years.

I don't know many that have finished one of these projects and after totaling all the money and time spent would convince their accountant it was a "great" investment. I prefer to look at is a better way to spend money and time as a therapy that beats sitting on my arse glued to the tv or a bar stool somewhere. Besides, where else can a guy get lost in a sometimes frustrating project and still call it fun?

well in 50 years from now and they repair the statue of liberty and they use.. bondo and copper looking paint... and put 24 inch woffers and an alpine on it.. ask yourself hurt its value...

I believe it is highly unusual to find an original 216 in the early AD trucks. To find one generally means it is very low mile original truck or the rare motor that someone rebuilt a few times instead of replacing. It seems that most folks over the years simply did not spend the money to rebuild 216's when you could bolt a 235 or 261 right in and have a much more modern motor. I remember this being done alot when I was much younger, no one wanted the 216, they were scraped by the thousands. I am not sure of the market for original 216 trucks, but they are definitely rarer than one with a 235. Sheet metal replacement is fine in my opinion, used originals ae best but tough to findfor the bed. Nice aftermorket are available.

I disagree about original 216's being rare. I've got 3 and know of many others.....