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Yeah, we used to go to Texas for trucks because they were plentiful, cheap, and not rusty. That truck would be $10k up here. I've learned through months of looking to not even look at older trucks under $7k because they were going to still be complete basketcases. Or "I took this apart some years ago and know all of the parts are here" (unmarked, in random boxes) or "mostly solid, I have all of the patch panels needed to fix the rust". Once you establish that, it's not hard to spend a bit more on something like this. Mix in a few bad experiences with sight unseen purchases even with photos and videos and having it an hour away, well, it becomes a no brainer. I just had to get comfortable with having a C-1, which wasn't made for long. Understood on the rings, I have a bottle of 50/50 ATF and acetone already mixed, I use it on everything that needs to come loose, I used it on Ford 8N rings that had been open to atmosphere for years and it got them loose.

Short version is that I bought it. I kinda screwed up because I had a meeting with a contractor this morning that took long enough that the banks were closed so my pocket full of cash wasn't all that impressive but I'm okay with what I paid for it. I'm going with the "kicking myself later" thought process. Also.... I found the original air cleaner assembly. The original spare tire carrier is in the bed. The title VIN matches the dataplate on the firewall, the mileage is shown as actual on the title (58,xxx) He hasn't found the key but we hotwired it so I've heard it turn over briskly, heard the fuel pump kick on/smelled fuel. (He showed me the massive number of keys in his briefcase and promised he would have one of his guys go through them and find the key that went with the truck). It rolls freely, and goes in and out of gear just fine. Oil was clean and to the proper level on the dipstick. Rear brake cylinders will need to be replaced, which is why the brakes were down. He said he has another 54 parts truck in Virginia so if I need something, I'm supposed to just give him a call and he'll get me what I need. The more I looked at it, the more I liked it and again, when else am I going to find one I can see personally? So I bought it. The Rolls Royce behind it had a stuck brake so it needs to be freed up so they can get it out. I will deliver the balance due tuesday after work (banks are closed on monday) and get the title. I'll make arrangements to have AAA bring it home wednesday after work. I really don't think it will take much to get it going but I'm sure you guys will help me if I get stuck, right? I spent a few hours with him one on one when he invited me to see the other cars in the pharmacy in the neighboring town. He can't drive right now for some reason so I drove him around. He told me he barely made it though high school but somehow he's done really well. When you can outbid Jay Leno for a car in the $250k+ range, I'd say you're doing okay. And there are more cars in Virginia, he is going down there thursday to meet with folks to sell those and check on some real estate developments he has going. As Los Control said, he's just divesting himself of most of the cars because he knows his sons don't know or care what they are. He doesn't need the money (obviously!) but he has a history with each of them in some way or another, he bought my 54 from a very good friend when his friend's health started to fail. Now his health is failing and he is trying to get them new homes before he runs out of time. Anyway, that's probably more than you needed to know but it's been a very unique adventure. More to follow when I get it home. First order of business is to find a good rear bumper and brackets to protect that sheet metal out back! Thanks for the opinions and responses.

Thanks for the replies and information. Glad to hear the carb and heater are probably OEM and original. The taillight on the other side is the same. I only wondered because Googling the Signal Stat part number didn't come up with anything so I figured it was older. There also is a splice in the harness near the light, another sign it was added later. I thought that there should be a bracket for the license plate on the taillight but there is what appears to be a light under the center of the tailgate that I assume is for a license plate, it must have been relocated or added later.

Roads are bad today, still waiting to see if they are going up there or not. I've been going through the photos again (I have 104 of them) and found a few parts that I wondered if are original to the truck or not. The Mopar Deluxe heater, Signal Stat 21-L taillight, and the Carter carb....

Nice truck and solid opinion, thanks. I hear you. I feel like I may be in the kicking myself phase if I don't at least try to make a move. I didn't hear anything today so I sent a message this evening. I keep looking at the photos of the 54 (I have quite a few more I haven't uploaded inside the fenders and other rust prone spots that look really good) and I just don't know when I'll find another one of these this solid in my own back yard where I can lay hands (and magnets) on it. So I'm going up there tomorrow (if the weather holds out, we are supposed to have snow, freezing rain, rain and more snow tomorrow/sunday) with cash in hand. I told them I'm interested as it sits but want to work a deal. It appears they still can't find the key. Switches with keys are $7.60 on Rock Auto and I just had to replace one on my 92 D350 so that's not a big deal. But that also means I can't start it. It's a flathead six that seems to be a pretty bulletproof engine with parts available, right? The truck has been restored at some point before it was parked, it's hard to believe they would restore something with a bad engine or not go through it to some degree. He said it ran when he bought it, which I take with a grain of salt because it can't be proven, but nothing else I've seen he's bought has been junk. But I care more about the sheet metal here in Ohio than the mechanicals. I expect it will need coaxing and maybe some ignition parts to start after sitting but I'm okay with that. I still have my dwell meter etc. However, if I can manually turn the engine and feel compression, I would feel better. What is the crank nut size, can I get to it, what would I need? CW direction of rotation? We've talked about VIN....I only found the dataplate on the firewall uploaded on an earlier post and I didn't see anything anywhere else. I did not check anything on the engine serial number other than a T prefix so that seems right, if the engine does not match the firewall plate, is there another VIN plate or ID, where it is located? He said the truck was from Colorado so I should see that on the Ohio title but how else do I align the truck with the title? It doesn't have to go through the Ohio out of state inspection (basically checks body VIN versus title VIN) but still wondering how I know they match. He has the beater 54 there as well, just want to be sure I get the right title. The hour or two I spent around these guys yesterday was informative, I spent an hour just talking to the owner, we both grew up in the rougher areas Dayton. This guy owns property all over the place from Ohio to Virginia and the guy I'm working with is like a property manager/maintenance guy for everything in addition to trying to sell the cars. He said the boss owns most of the houses in a few places. The owner said he has an old pharmacy nearby the school where he keeps the nicer Rolls Royces. Apparently, the school holds the low rent stuff, most of his nice cars are in Virginia where he lived before coming to Ohio. He's sent quite a few of them to Mecum already from what he's said and I tend to believe him. This truck is small potatoes in the big picture, that's why he called them away to work on something else when I was standing there and they couldn't find the key. It's change in the ashtray to him but he still wants that change, except when there are larger potatoes to buy elsewhere. It's been an adventure. Thanks!

If I was close enough to Kansas to check that out, I'd definitely have a look at it and quite possibly buy it. It just seems that few to none of these survivors show up around here because the salt kills them.

It looks decent to me as well. The owner said the truck came from Colorado so that probably explains a lot. I've learned to look elsewhere for anything rust free....my son lives an hour north of Seattle and that's the perfect environment for cars. No snow so no salt and not enough sun to bake paint or interiors. Unfortunately, it's $1,500 to have something shipped back but I have been looking just in case the impossible deal shows up and he's Facetimed me before so I could look at something.

I sent a message to the guy fielding the calls for the owner on car sales and he didn't know if the owner had found the key or not. They didn't work today because of the icy roads in the area, it's probably an hour and a half of back roads to get from where they live to the school. It's 25 degrees and snowing sideways due to the 25 mph winds after freezing rain last night so I get why they might not make the trip. I told him I was interested enough to buy the truck but would like to have a key and hear it run, no reply as of yet but the guy was getting texts constantly while I was with him yesterday. Apparently he fixes up all of the owner's properties as well as selling of his cars, plus drives him around everywhere because his eyesight is going bad. Anyway, we'll see where it goes from here. If it was meant to be, it will happen.

Thanks for the response. I plan on taking some cash with me and see how things work out, assuming they find the keys. I would "like" your response (and the others before it) but apparently I've exceeded my amount of reactions for today and I get an error message when trying

Thanks for the responses and guidance. Good to know on the battery box, I was wondering why there was rust in that area when everything else looked good. Made me wonder what else might be rusted that was hiding somewhere. Also noted about the other buyer suddenly entering the picture. They've cleared out another 10 cars in the week I was on vacation so they are moving them out, that's for sure. Whether that's a bargaining ploy or not, hard to say. I will ask today about the key, he said he has a title, and I will need to see the title before going further. As mentioned previously, $10 for a key is not going to be a dealbreaker but I will ask them to swap the switch from the other truck or hotwire it so I can hear it run. Regarding price and condition....yes, this is the $9,500 truck and everything Los Control mentioned are valid points to think about, for sure. It has been sitting for years which is probably why it's still as good as it is but it means more work. Here's what I'm thinking right or wrong....maybe you guys have had better luck finding these than I have but this is the first time I've seen ANY vehicle around here older than 1980 that wasn't a recent fresh paint "restoration" that I tend to run away from, a bondo bucket like the D100 in Tennessee, or some combination of both. A remote/sight unseen purchase that has never worked out well for me so those are out as well. At least this is all original metal as best I can tell and right here where I can see it for myself. Being in the rust belt, I tend to look at wiring and mechanicals as something I'm willing to fix if the sheet metal is right and I like the vehicle. Is it overpriced? Possibly, but if the chances of me finding another one this straight tucked away in the basement of an abandoned school an hour away are slim to none, maybe I'm willing to pay for it versus chase something else I may or may not find for a long time. If I like it well enough to keep it, the investment is worth it to me. I will see if they found the key and go from there, will report back one way or another. Thanks again for the feedback, it's all much appreciated.

Yes, that's what I was thinking, not sure when I'll find another one someplace close enough to see in person. It seems really solid, I can't find bondo anywhere with a magnet and it looks really straight sheet metal wise. The only significant rust I found was underneath on this brace, not sure how big of a deal this is. It's really packed in there so it's hard to get to it but the more I look at the photos, the better I like it. I did learn that a guy came up from North Carolina while I was on vacation and said he wants both so I may have to move quickly. I guess the ice storm that is supposed to hit today made him wait. The seller couldn't find the key and had to leave to look at another property so we really didn't get a chance to finish talking. I am supposed to hear from him tonight on whether or not they found the key, I may just offer to bring a deposit to them tomorrow to hold it till they can find the key.

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Thanks for the responses. I was able to see the truck this morning and it's all metal, no bondo I could find. One on a lower fender that is starting to blister and lose some paint. They could not find the key and thought it was back in Dayton at the owner's house so they are going to lay hands on that and let me know when they find it. Rather than type much more, I'll just load photos and see what you guys think.