Finally ran across a 71 highboy and am thinking about buying it!

Here are the details.

Good.
47,000 on the odometer and the guy says this is orig. miles???? Maybe?
Has a fresh 390 with $1500 in reciepts on the engine.Purrrs like a kitten,sounds strong!
Interior is extra extra clean!! spotless rubber floormat. Seat has a couple tears. nothing major.

Bad
Both front fenders are rusted through in the back and each have a $2 bondo job, otherwise straight.
Box is pretty straight but one mount is torn through the bottom of the box.
Pass. door is straight
Driver door has a dent but not kinked. sholud pull out with a plunger?
Cab top is pretty rough but no rust in corners.


Bottom line is the drivetrain seems to be solid but body is pretty rough.
I'm wanting to buy this truck and build a nice lifted 4x4.
I'm not sure if I would be better off to get this one and do the body work or wait for a better truck to come around. Seems to me these trucks are getting harder and harder to find

what do you guys think it is worth? Pics don't show damage!



Thanks!

Good lookin truck That rear bumper is awesome.

I don't know much about the older trucks so I couldn't venture to say how much its worth. Good luck on the deal and welcome to the site!

It's hard to put a net worth on old trucks. The value is going down alot with the price of fuel these days. And much of it depends on market location. I bet he'd have a tough time selling it for much more than what he has tied up in the motor. The rust and damage areas really bring down the value. But, it is a nice truck.

Rough Guess $3500.00

People really need to: Drive, touch,inspect a vehicle in person to give a value if they know what they are doing

What State/Prov is the truck in ? I couldn't read the plate

Here's a comparison...

http://boise.craigslist.org/car/761518949.html

http://boise.craigslist.org/car/737184049.html

A couple nice trucks there on craigs. That first one "almost a show truck" seems pretty cheap, but probably about right. There are good deals all over, but how far does someone want to travel to get one. After travel or shipping expenses, that good deal can turn into an alright or not a deal at all.

Its amazing to see the different perspectives on trucks value. What it boils down to is, What YOU think it's worth.

"Bottom line is the drivetrain seems to be solid but body is pretty rough."

If you think about it, I'd rather have it the other way around- blown motor and tranny with a straight, rust free body and interior. Mechanicals are a helluva lot easier- and cheaper- to make right.

Be careful on the dollars. In today's climate, not many folks can afford to drive that thing, even as a weekend toy. Rough guideline- it was worth a lot more a year ago than it is today. A lot of folks haven't come to grips with that yet.

The seller will want a high price, but the buyer is the one spending the money.

I have no clue about the "high boy" or any of that, but I do know that the 390 will not get very good gas mileage. That lowers the value in today's economy, even as a weekend toy.

PB is correct. Mechanical stuff is easier and cheaper to replace than body work and paint. Good paint is getting more expensive by the day, but the labor and materials costs are astronomical now for body work.

The more solid and straight a body is the better off you are.

It's a South Dakota rig, and th emarket there generally means it won't sell very quick if the price is much over probably 2000, but there are plenty of fools waiting for their money to burn a hole in their pockets... Underbody being rough makes it harder to fix as well, it is all welding, and invariably, where you have a little rust, there is more that you don't see. Cab mounts are one of these truck's worst points. It is possible that it has that few miles, but why the rebuild? It should have been fine, unless it was outside in the weather for a long time. The rust makes me suspicious as well, since salt isn't as prominently used around there, unless it is near Sioux Falls... but since it is registered in Meade county, I would say it has a harder and longer, service life than claimed...

Your area will dictate value . Here I'd get $1000 for the bed with rust.

Any Ford guy would give top dollar here even with the rust issues .

The motor rebuild . It truly could be low miles truck . See em all time but if it sat and wasn't run much .Theres the reason for rebuild see it all time in classic cars

I know people making living coming out there and buy these trucks for parts . Becuase they r cheap of cost /condition.

So if there is more work than u want (bad fenders r nothing) Keep eye out for the next 1 .

its alot harder to fix rust then change an engine so if ya wana find a good truck i would shop around in states like texas,ok,az,mn where there isnt snow. i got my 71 in texas and only paid 200 bucks and it already had a 460 in it

You never stated how much he is asking?
the way I look at it is a truck is only worth what you are willing to pay for it. and that all depends on how you like the truck and how bad you want it.
Now with that being said, it looks like a great foundation for a even better project, I would maybe go as high as $3000 for it, but it is hard to tell from the pictures

Lost said:

The motor rebuild . It truly could be low miles truck . See em all time but if it sat and wasn't run much .Theres the reason for rebuild see it all time in classic cars

I know people making living coming out there and buy these trucks for parts . Becuase they r cheap of cost /condition.

So if there is more work than u want (bad fenders r nothing) Keep eye out for the next 1 .

Click to expand...

They head out there to pick up vehicle also because the low humidity, lack of salt use and dry climate makes for less rust too, but unless it was parked under a tree, it shouldn't have rusted that bad out there. I know where there are a number of them at, barely any rust at all, and have been sitting since the 80's ... I brought home a 71 Lemans that hasn't moved since 82, and the floor pans are perfect...the cowl area is solid as well, more damage from the sun than anything, the rust it has was from being driven. But it was out in the middle of a field too...

Thanks Guys!

I offered him $1500 but he said bottom dollar is $2000. I'm still thinking on this.
There are a couple 2wd bumpsides just down the road from me that I might be able to get pretty cheap and just do a body swap! Maybe $500.

Is this a wise move?

If you got the time and the money I would say " Buy every damn one you can! " and from what I can see in the pictures $2000 is a fair price

It all depends on what you want in a truck as to whether you should pursue the highboy, or go for something else. If you are buying based on value, you are going to lose... you rarely get back what you put in, it needs to be a purchase that has value to you personally. Something you can try is to meet him in the middle, 1750, cash in hand, see what he does...

I'd buy it and drive it just like it is

I like the fact that every highboy for sll has a 390 in it when in fact ford never put a 390 in a 4wd and its hard to believe that every single 360 has been changed out for a 390

very nice truck