Questions on 54 C-1 truck project

[888]

48 minutes ago, Los_Control said:

To me that looks like a happy tail pipe .... just a hint of brown on the inside   I bet the engine will run decent, although it might not start right up without fussing with it.

The body looks extremely good .... living in the rust belt it looks miraculously good.

The rest of it is a fun DIY stuff you can take care of.

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. 

[bkahler]

I bought my 51 B3B when I was visiting Idaho in 1996.  From what I was told they don't salt the roads in the winter and my truck had only surface rust.  I didn't have to do any rust repair on the truck.  Dents and dings, yep, it had lots of those

 

Finding a rust free truck is worth the additional initial investment.

[Veemoney]

 For comparison of similar truck just listed. Not mine and don't know the seller.

Marketplace - 1948 Dodge Ram Wagon B150 | Facebook

[888]

17 hours ago, Veemoney said:

 For comparison of similar truck just listed. Not mine and don't know the seller.

Marketplace - 1948 Dodge Ram Wagon B150 | Facebook

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. 

[Los_Control]

So what happened with the one you are looking at?

 

I feel price of vintage vehicles is directly related to the economy. Currently in a poor economy and prices are down and nobody wants to buy.

In a good economy people are optimistic and things sell and prices go up.

I think we are at the end of a poor economy and people will start buying and prices are only going to rise from here.

On the radio yesterday, home sales have been stagnant and all of a sudden they are starting to move again.

 

I have watched sales prices of these trucks for years ... I have seen some sell for a crazy high price of $18K and later see they are repairing wiring and fixing broken gauges ... things that should have been fixed for that price .... full blown restored Dodge trucks selling for $22K ... they just do not hold the same value as a Ford or Chebby of the same year.

 

I see trucks for sale on FB https://www.facebook.com/groups/pilothouse

 

I just have a biased opinion on what they are worth ... I get a nice survivor holds a basic value.

I bought a barnyard chicken coop that was ready to be retired after it sat in the yard for 30 years for $2K delivered to my door.

 

Every body part on the truck has been removed except the cab, frame and suspension has all been painted and greased ... new zirk fittings where needed. .... cooling system on this engine was work that needed to be done .... Water distribution tube is a chore.

 

 

Today I'm getting excited, after a few years in my spare time bringing this truck back to life ... I will be driving it in a few months.

 

I painted the truck in October 2023 and in February 2025 I gave baby her first bath  🤣

 

I just feel with the basic work that has been done and it is a good mechanically solid truck, all rust has been replaced.

It is converted to GM 12V charging system, Dodge slant 6 electronic ignition, Toyota dual circuit master cylinder All new brakes and fuel system, tires ...... All new electrical wiring ..... This truck is maybe worth $8500 .... just a honest opinion on my own truck that is not for sale and hope it is ready to drive anywhere.

 

I just get upset when someone has a truck they know little about and ask top dollar when it needs so much work.

Next week the same truck may sell for $12K and be kicking yourself for not buying it while you had the chance.

[888]

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!

Edited 7 hours ago by 888

[Los_Control]

Just one of those things ..... I remember when my Uncle passed away.

He had 2 acres of vehicles and most would start and drive onto a trailer. ...55 chevy and 56 Packards ... 49 chevy .... 71 Monte Carlo

When Uncle passed away, the family called in a wrecking crew and they paid $100 for each vehicle removed from the property.

 

The family wanted nothing to do with the old cars and simply had them hauled away ...

This is where your seller is at .... He realizes what will happen and is trying to liquidate before he passes.

I understand what he is doing and trying to sell before he passes.

 

Some people are just impossible to make a deal with.

 

 

 

 

 

[kencombs]

5 hours ago, 888 said:

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? 

The VIN wasn't a thing until I think late 60s.   Makers had serial/model info on the body ,engine and sometimes the frame.   Different states used different info on titles.  In OK they used the plate on the cab/firewall that has a SN, weight etc.   Other states used the engine, which can cause problems after an engine swap.   My 56 has the tag on the left side of the firewall, kind of hard to see.   Mine had a one digit mismatch from the title because the last digit was misread by a KS owner or official sometime in the distant past.   Luckily I got to deal with the Cherokee nation tag/title office and they looked at the tag and corrected the title without a big hassle.