Restoration of a 79' 4x4

Head for

It depends on what you want.If you want a show truck with a trick engine it's going to cost a lot ($20,000) or so.Now if you want a nice daily driver and willing to do most of the work yourself it will be cheaper.Most doors & hoods will cost you about $40 at most local pick-a-part yards.I have no idea on the bed.A friend of mine had a motor rebuilt and installed for $2200.Don't forget paint and body work and all the little parts.If you do it in small steps and take your time it will be worth it.I am doing this with my 1964 IF-100 and when it is done I will be proud I did it myself.

Brian

Thats Kind of what I want to do. I'm only 15 and I have to spend all my own money and this will be my first truck (Daily Driver). The truck has a 400 Modified in it and the guy thats selling it has a 460, that has to be rebuilt, and I have many people willing to help me get the job done. in steps and what not, I considered paint, how much do you guys know for a pretty decent paint job? The guy thats selling it also has a COMPLETE set of Rancho 9000 Remote (Dual Quad) and two steering stabilizers that he will throw in with it. the tires on it are like new tread wise but are bleached and faded a bit. What do you guys think? Think Its worth it?

TIA Bucky

I built a 4x4 53 Chevy when I was your age. I had no money, and really, you don't need any if you do everything yourself AND if you don't read hot rod magazine. You could spend a ton of money rebuilding an engine compared with what the engine is really worth. I mean, a carbed 460 that doesn't need rebuilding is much cheaper. If you want to make it a no-buck challenge, try to get somebody to give you a 78 Lincoln that runs good for FREE. You might look in Hot Rod and think it would be really cool to spend $2500 on some aluminum heads or something. But it won't improve your life at all. If you're making $5 an hour, there are much better ways to use your money, and I don't mean on 20" wheel either. The truck won't be a race car no matter what you do, so don't fool yourself into giving some rich guy all your money.

Paint is the one thing that is always costly no matter what. Even the paint itself is pretty expensive if you do all the work. Good body shops will want $3000 for a paint job, but I suppose the really cheap guys like Maaco are not that bad if you prep the truck yourself and take all the trim off. If you paint it yourself, you'll have to borrow or buy a good paint gun, but one good way around that is to paint it in auto body class at a high school.

Body parts are fairly easy to find and cheap. There is a body shop supply place in your town, and you can find them and see what all they have. Judging from what's in J.C. Whitney, there is plenty of metal available. The interior should be a breeze. It's simple, and all the parts are available new and used. For a seat, you can probably pick something snazzy out of the junkyard for $100. Or maybe you can rob the leather sofa out of that free lincoln....

Is it posible to start over with a pickup from Phoenix AZ? I bet it'd be cheaper and end up better both.

Alvin in SE-AZ (they aren't as cheap here) ps- more of a hammer mechanic, not much of a powder coated frame guy ;)

What is this guy asking for it?what shape is this truck in?Is there alot of rust?You might want to save your money and buy a truck with more working parts.

Brian