Totally Rusted out?

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Grit dog

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Thought you guys from the rust belt would get a kick out of this….
To be fair the bed floor looks like hell. What’s left of it anyway. Looks like it had road salt or wet manure stored in it for 20 years, in the rain.
But this is considered basically not worth repairing up here. And can’t even see any daylight through the rockers or floor boards!
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Grit dog

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I know @AyWoSch Motors will see this….
There’s at least a half dozen rust free looking running driving 4x4 square burbs on CL up here right now. All around $3-4k.

Hell I can judge the economy right now pretty well based on squarebody prices. Very little is selling. Trucks like mine which would be gone for $20k last year are being advertised month after month.
Got my eye on another K20. Round eye….
 

DoubleDingo

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Good glass...when I was cleaning my windshield a few weeks back I noticed the original glass on my truck is in excellent shape.

That truck may be a project but it priced right and would be a good buy
 

bucket

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What I laugh at the most is: "every body panel is shot".

However, for their description of the truck, I would have expected a more "shot" type of price.
 

Arizona Ranger K5

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I actually grew up in Burien. Getting old cars/trucks from up there that have been their it's whole life is sketchy as hell. Wet things rarely get a chance to dry out. It's not "if it has rust, it's how bad is it rusted." Rust is like an iceberg, what you can see is only a small part of it.
 

bucket

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I actually grew up in Burien. Getting old cars/trucks from up there that have been their it's whole life is sketchy as hell. Wet things rarely get a chance to dry out. It's not "if it has rust, it's how bad is it rusted." Rust is like an iceberg, what you can see is only a small part of it.

It all just depends on what you are used to dealing with. What may be a rotten parts truck to some people can also be a relatively solid driver or project truck to others.
 

Midnightmoon

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Without exaggeration, I could sell that thing for double the asking price in a matter of minutes here in western PA. More realistically, I would list it for $5000 and buyers would be knocking the door down for it here. Solid frame and good glass is all it takes for people here.

It's too bad it costs so much to ship something like that across the country. We could make a killing buying there and selling here.
 

fast 99

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The west coast is hard on vehicles stored outside. Got a lead once on a 68 Shelby, not much info but price seemed right. Drove 350 miles. Literally, there were alder trees growing through the floor. Really all they had was a tittle, VIN plate and the wood steering wheel stored inside.
 

Grit dog

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I actually grew up in Burien. Getting old cars/trucks from up there that have been their it's whole life is sketchy as hell. Wet things rarely get a chance to dry out. It's not "if it has rust, it's how bad is it rusted." Rust is like an iceberg, what you can see is only a small part of it.
Of course if a vehicle was treated poorly enough for long enough that’s the case.
And no arguing that the LEAST rusty vehicles are those that never left the desert. But the only part of the vehicles that fair better in the desert are the steel parts. Everything else gets burned to a crisp.
Having lived in many parts of the country, I feel the PNW is the best balance of considerations for a good older vehicle. Plenty of them with little to no rot. No salt unless used alot in the mountains. And a fresh water undercarriage wash every day you drive it from Oct thru April!
Once you’re talking 30-40 years old or older, it’s a mixed bag up here whether clean no rust or not.


Without exaggeration, I could sell that thing for double the asking price in a matter of minutes here in western PA. More realistically, I would list it for $5000 and buyers would be knocking the door down for it here. Solid frame and good glass is all it takes for people here.

It's too bad it costs so much to ship something like that across the country. We could make a killing buying there and selling here.
Haha, I’ve thought about that soo many times. Having close friends in IL and WI, could just pack em up and ship em back.
But yeah by the time you tack on a couple grand for shipping, sure it’s worth it for a private party to find the “right” vehicle and pay extra for their one personal purchase. But I feel it in general cuts out a bunch of the potential profit. Especially if it’s getting split between 2 parties (in my hypothetical scenario).
 

Midnightmoon

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Of course if a vehicle was treated poorly enough for long enough that’s the case.
And no arguing that the LEAST rusty vehicles are those that never left the desert. But the only part of the vehicles that fair better in the desert are the steel parts. Everything else gets burned to a crisp.
Having lived in many parts of the country, I feel the PNW is the best balance of considerations for a good older vehicle. Plenty of them with little to no rot. No salt unless used alot in the mountains. And a fresh water undercarriage wash every day you drive it from Oct thru April!
Once you’re talking 30-40 years old or older, it’s a mixed bag up here whether clean no rust or not.



Haha, I’ve thought about that soo many times. Having close friends in IL and WI, could just pack em up and ship em back.
But yeah by the time you tack on a couple grand for shipping, sure it’s worth it for a private party to find the “right” vehicle and pay extra for their one personal purchase. But I feel it in general cuts out a bunch of the potential profit. Especially if it’s getting split between 2 parties (in my hypothetical scenario).


There is a guy in the state of Indiana that has done it for years. I believe he website is rustfreeclassics.com. You need to take a look at the prices that he asks for stuff. Make sure that you are sitting down.

The shop I am associated with has a dealership license and buys out of state auction vehicles all the time to flip. The money really adds up quick. There is one auction in WV that we get stuff from all the time. It's out of the question to run one of the rollbacks down there at this point to pick vehicles up. You now have to drive them back or pull them on a trailer.
 

Grit dog

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There is a guy in the state of Indiana that has done it for years. I believe he website is rustfreeclassics.com. You need to take a look at the prices that he asks for stuff. Make sure that you are sitting down.

The shop I am associated with has a dealership license and buys out of state auction vehicles all the time to flip. The money really adds up quick. There is one auction in WV that we get stuff from all the time. It's out of the question to run one of the rollbacks down there at this point to pick vehicles up. You now have to drive them back or pull them on a trailer.

He’s got some nice vehicles looks like. Yeah there’s a market for it for sure.
And if fuel/shipping/the world comes back to normal it would be more feasible.
 

bucket

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There is a guy in the state of Indiana that has done it for years. I believe he website is rustfreeclassics.com. You need to take a look at the prices that he asks for stuff. Make sure that you are sitting down.

The shop I am associated with has a dealership license and buys out of state auction vehicles all the time to flip. The money really adds up quick. There is one auction in WV that we get stuff from all the time. It's out of the question to run one of the rollbacks down there at this point to pick vehicles up. You now have to drive them back or pull them on a trailer.

Much like the Rust Free Classics, in Ohio there is a dealer called Fireball Motors that sells a lot of really cool western trucks.
 

Strick

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Thought you guys from the rust belt would get a kick out of this….
That truck looks as good as my other 79...maybe even better. I wish it weren't on the left side of the universe or I'd add it to my collection. I'd spend the truck cost in diesel doing that trip. Maybe some other kind soul will rescue the big girl.

Strickland
 

Elliot W

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I thought of this as a business idea. Buying rust free and plentiful squares in the south then hauling them north for resale. Even have an option to put a full kit together with the truck (new panels, motor etc.) almost like how kit car companies do, and gear the business to the father/son project crowd. If you know what you're doing, it could certainly be a lucrative business.
Without exaggeration, I could sell that thing for double the asking price in a matter of minutes here in western PA. More realistically, I would list it for $5000 and buyers would be knocking the door down for it here. Solid frame and good glass is all it takes for people here.

It's too bad it costs so much to ship something like that across the country. We could make a killing buying there and selling here.
 

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