Another 350 sent to the big Blue oval in the sky...

[LEB Ben]

So I get a PM on another site this morning that makes me absolutely sick. I've been trying to get my hands on a 79 350. Starts out like this:

ME
Hey man...I saw you yanked some 60's out of a 79 350...and I was just curious what was happening to the rest of the truck?

Other Guy
um im not sure thetruck is located in huntington wv which is like 4.5-5 hrs from charlotte....im orignally from wv so thats how i came across them ill ask the guy and let you know...blown engine straight body thou

ME
Oh...ok. Thanks. Don't go through any trouble for me, I just thought if there was a 79 350 sitting out there without axles, I wouldn't mind picking it up. Have a good one


Ben

Other Guy
Talked to the guy he tried selling whole at 2000...said his wife already made him scrapped it since it couldn't move said it wasnt worth having.....motor was blown and tranny was unknown....so he sold axles and tcase and crushed rest...

Well at least part of that truck lives on. I realize most guys don't care about these old rigs, but damn...a 350 with a good body coulda sold pretty easy IMO.

 

[Austin]

I hate to see trucks of this vintage get crushed. Kills me.

 

[LEB Ben]

Yep...and this was a decently priced rig...I woulda offered upwards of $1500 for it...then spend another 2k in axles and I have a spare 400. I think alot of times, things like these go to the crusher because people aren't realistic about what market value actually is, or don't know enough to know how sought after a vehicle may be.

And then the guys that really piss me off are the ones that have been watching too much Barrett Jackson and have an entirely over inflated view of how much their vehicle is worth. Then it doesn't sell, the vehicle sits and rots, gets passed on to a kid who doesn't want it and it gets scrapped. That exact example happened to me this weekend...I went to take a look at a 67 Fairlane...nothing spectacular. It was bondo'd to hell, and I've seen better paint jobs by kindergartners...the chrome was either dull or had rust forming on it. The interior was, perhaps, a saving grace. The owner was awfully proud of the body work and new red paint...and due to that, called it a frame off restore. I was thinking maybe he'd be asking 6k for this car and 4k would be a a fair deal. He came back at me with 12k. I about choked, Bailee was with me and had to quiet my laughter. That's when the guy started in with Barrett Jackson rant and how one just like his sold for 40k. Another recent Fairlane I was looking at was primer out, had rust holes, no trim and was overall a project car. I was thinking this was 2-2500 car...wrong again. The guy wanted what he bought it for (2200) plus the 2k he spent on the engine...and I assume there's about a 2k premium for how these things are skyrocketing in value and getting tougher to find because he asked 6k. Now don't get me wrong, I understand the games of selling a vehicle, and I understand folks can do whatever they want with their vehicles...but c'mon these guys were nuckin futs.

 

[5.0Flareside]

some people are complete idiots... they put a rattle can paint job on something and bondo the hell out of it and call it a restore...

personally i think Bondo should be illegal.... lol....

 

[Evan's f250]

some people are complete idiots... they put a rattle can paint job on something and bondo the hell out of it and call it a restore...

personally i think Bondo should be illegal.... lol....

lol, but seriosly you can do all the metal work you want, but the trucks still gonna have some bondo.

 

[LEB Ben]

^^^True...but my rule is, I don't wanna be able to hear a difference when I tap all metal vs. when I tap an area with some filler. And the first 67 Fairlane I was talking about, was just slathered on, and not even well. It was wavy as hell.

 

[Evan's f250]

^^^True...but my rule is, I don't wanna be able to hear a difference when I tap all metal vs. when I tap an area with some filler. And the first 67 Fairlane I was talking about, was just slathered on, and not even well. It was wavy as hell.

true, If you're gonna bondo it, get it as smooth as possible, I don't know why people just slap it on and paint over it without sanding, it looks hidious. Most of them that look that way probably don't have grind the rust out b4 they bondo it lol. If done right, bondoing is alot of work

 

[BKW]

The ongoing problem is, people buy an old rolling pile of misery, but have no plan. They tear it apart down to the frame, not recording what came from where, but...

When reality sets in when they realize what it's gonna cost to restore the pile, the parts are dumped in the trunk or bed, the pile is either parked out in the back forty, or goes to a boneyard.

If I had a C note for every vehicle I've seen like this over the past 50 years in pick-a-part yards, boneyards, parked behind gas stations or abandoned along the road somewhere...I coulda bought two new F150's.

How many threads have y'all seen on websites where a person has typed their grandious ideas for restoring the pile...which usually begins with rebuilding the engine to achieve a gazillion horsepower?

But, after so many posts, the person disappears like a phart in the wind, because they couldn't afford their grandiose ideas. Meanwhile the pile has been stripped to nothing.

There was a guy on t'other site that dragged home a bumpside he found in a field, posted pics of it.

It was the worst POS one could imagine...a rusty dented terd with body and mechanical parts missing including engine/trans. Rodents had taken up residence in the interior.

The guy went on and on for weeks talking about the engine (which he didn't have) he was gonna get...blah...blah...blah. Then he vanished.

Nothing p!sses me off more when I read threads like this, cuz I just know what will soon occur. The more they spout, the less they do.

 

[LEB Ben]

HAHA...see that all the time Bill. I was cruising another site, and one of the members who is relatively hard up, started talking about restoring one of his rigs. The fact that he's broke never really came up, just that it was probably more expensive to do than he thought. He started spewing about how he'd do all the work himself...which does cut down alot of cost, but it became evident he never thought of the cost of supplies or that he realized how expensive good aftermarket parts actually are...and then he realized there was gonna be no rotisserie restore, finally realized a resotration isn't a restoration oif you simply cut out some rust, replace the panels and add a little paint.


I think that's the biggest thing, is folks need to start defining 'restoration' and applying it in it's truist form. IE that 67 Fairlane I checked out, the guy said his was restored and 'he seen one just like it on Barrett Jackson go for 40grand'. That's great and good, but he doesn't realize there's a difference between dropping 20...30...50k on a full rotisserie restoration and slapping some bondo on and new paint.

 

[bucks77ford]

I hate seeing trucks crushed before they are stripped down to nothing. So many good parts going to waste.

People don't do enough research before diving into restorations or they are just plain stupid. Hell, you could do a very cheap "restoration" if done with some common sense. Not everything has to be "show quality". I think the biggest reason other than $$$ is that people get to a point of realizing the amount of work and time it takes and quite frankly, many people just quit or just don't have the time. I never would have finished mine if I didn't do much of it before I had my first child. If I had to start something today, it would take me FOREVER..

Also, not taking into the account that once a can of worms is opened, you never know what you'll find. How many times have you seen or heard people tearing their trucks/cars down and finding out that the vehicle is more gone than they anticipated?

 

[BKW]

People don't do enough research before diving into restorations or they are just plain stupid.
You just hit the nail on the head...twice!

Also, not taking into the account that once a can of worms is opened, you never know what you'll find. How many times have you seen or heard people tearing their trucks/cars down and finding out that the vehicle is more gone than they anticipated?

The first rule of thumb is: Do not believe one single word a seller claims.

The second rule of thumb is: Research, research, research before buying the vehicle.

The third rule of thumb is: Inspect the vehicle completley before buying it. Hire an inspector to look at it, if it's out of the area.

What's cheaper, paying 100 bucks to the inspector, or passing along the green without spending a sou to get an inspection? No inspection: You may end up with a pig-in-a-poke.

The fourth rule of thumb is: If the seller claims this or that has been rebuilt, ask to see the receipts. If no receipts, the seller is prolly a liar! PASS!

The fifth rule of thumb is: Order all the repro parts catalogs you can find...then look at what the parts are gonna cost.

Oh, and btw: Whatever $$$ estimate you come up with for the resto...DOUBLE IT then add 20%. And that still may not be enough.

 

[Mil1ion]

My advice to new owners is always, take sometime to drive the vehicle and have some fun for 2 years before doing any major dismantling.

Do things along the way to eventually make sure this is the vehicle you really want to Invest $20,000.00 in or put it up for sale to someone who may want to.

 

[78F250SCCS]

I've had big plans like most people do, more like dreams I would say.But I made a modest plan on what I wanted, budgeted for it had most the parts already, had what I had to buy calculated and gave myself a timeline. then the wife and I used that money for a travel trailer. Second time around I had about half the money saved as to the first time, again had every thing planed out, this time I found a truck that was in better shape than I could ever do for half the price of what I would have had to spend so I bought instead of building. I would love to build a truck, but as far as finding time, money, and people with the know how to help me, I know my project would still be half done.

 

[Dirky]

some people are complete idiots... they put a rattle can paint job on something and bondo the hell out of it and call it a restore...

personally i think Bondo should be illegal.... lol....

Filler is absolutely necessary in body work. The problem is when people use the stuff to cover major imperfections and rust/rotted out metal. It's made to smooth minor imperfections.

I've seen some nice stuff go to the crusher before, it is very sad...

Can't buy it all though, so what are you gonna do?

 

[5.0Flareside]

thats what i was meaning... it was early and didnt fully say the whole sentence... lol

meant that using bondo in large amounts should be illegal...
MY BAD YALL....

 

[78F250]

I'm still working on my 78. It won't be a show truck but it'll do.

 

[bucks77ford]

I've seen some nice stuff go to the crusher before, it is very sad...

Can't buy it all though, so what are you gonna do?

No we can't get all, but I wish people who had the nicer trucks would realize what they have and with internet marketing, selling good parts is easy. It's people who want an arm and a leg for parts are the ones who have a hard time selling them or want too much for a truck. Then time goes by and sooner or later something happens and the owners need to get rid of them quick so they end up going to the scrap yard. That's what sucks.

 

[LEB Ben]

I'm still working on my 78. It won't be a show truck but it'll do.

Yeah...don't get me wrong, I have no problems with beaters, DD's, sharp looking trucks, etc...what I have the issue with are the guys that have that beater add some bondo and paint and think they have that show rig...then when it doesn't sell, they scrap it...or it's too far gone to use.

No we can't get all, but I wish people who had the nicer trucks would realize what they have and with internet marketing, selling good parts is easy. It's people who want an arm and a leg for parts are the ones who have a hard time selling them or want too much for a truck. Then time goes by and sooner or later something happens and the owners need to get rid of them quick so they end up going to the scrap yard. That's what sucks.

Exactly. With the exception of the literal junk that I try to pawn off on other people, I've never had an issue selling parts. It may or may not be in the best condition, but IMO, the prices are always reasonable and never takes more than a week or two to sell or trade.