Hi Mike-
I'm no expert on body work, but over the past few weeks... my 8 year old son
thinks I've become one! Actually I've managed to do some pretty nice stuff
with a great mig welder, a nice grinder and lots of hours! If you have a
personal or sentimental connection with your ole truck... you can find a way
to restore it (at least get it into a "mobile" condition).
We've got an 59 Apache 3600 that is in much worse condition than yours
appears to be (from the photos)... with possibly one exception... the
tailgate. It's tough to tell from the picture on the web, but it looks like
you've got a bit more damage than we've got there. But... having said
that... if your not trying to restore the truck to show quality (right away)
then maybe you could fix it up some, drive it and save some ole truck money
as you go until you can afford to buy replacement parts.
Another word of advice... really, really... really look the ENTIRE truck
over checking for the worst. If you don't seem to find any horror spots...
get a brighter droplight and look even harder the second time through! The
reason I'm saying that is... since I've been getting deeper and deeper into
the "underlying history" of my son's truck (beyond multiple paint layers,
pop rivits and old bondo over older bondo and even worse)... I'm realizing
that I really missed a lot of costly damage during my first inspection
process. My son LOVES his ole truck, so that's worth a lot to us, but if I
had it to do all over again... we'd have waited around for a truck in better
shape. Our smiles would be bigger and my bank account would be too! :-)
To sum it all up: Serious rust means serious money and lots of creative
repairs. Cracks and dents are a much easier fix if you've got the right
tools or a friend who's a good welder. Personal or sentimental feelings are
pretty powerful things... so make sure to factor them into any decision.
And lastly... no matter what you decide... my son and I think the old red
truck looks like a nice old grandpa that deserves something good coming it's
way!
Let us know what you decide to do.
Ken (& Brian)
======================================================
>Before I start putting money into my 1952 Chevy 1/2 ton, I would like to
>get
>the opinions of those who are no strangers to body work. I've created a
>little web site that shows the areas of concern on the truck. Please >have
>alook and let me know what you think -
>
> http://www.microsolution.sk.ca/52Chevy/
K&B
Father & Son 1959 Apache Fleetside Truck Project in NJ
apache58truck@hotmail.com
Everyone asks:
Why the 58 in the e-mail address if the truck is a 59?
Our only reply:
When we bought it they told us it was a 58. When we
discovered it was really a 59... it was too late to
change the address! Plus, someday we might buy a 58 too! :-)
-
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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