Just bought my first truck

Joseph Grande · August 9, 2019

Hey guys just bought both my first truck and my first Chevy. I always thought I'd buy a Ford, but we'll, my buddy needed money and wouldn't take a donation. So I bought a 1997 Chevy 2500 rolling flat bed chassis with some parts. The current cab is missing the seat and dash and is rotted through. So I bought a Chevy 3500 cab with everything in tact for $100. Then I bought a rebuilt check 1968 Chevy 350 with tranny for $1k, and a tail gate off of a deuce and a half for $100. So the next thing I'm going to do is pull it apart down to the bare frame and see what I've got that is usable and what needs to be replaced. I'll also be doing a lot of de-rusting. I've built bikes (motorcycles) and have done a lot of brake jobs and oil changes...this is going to be an all new adventure and go into a lot of realms that I haven't yet ventured into. But I remain optimistic and hope to have it done by the end of January 2020. I'll probably be posting a lot of questions here. But regardless of the fact that I thought I'd end up a Ford guy, I got this and I'm in it 100%...so I'm a Chevy guy now!

davester · August 9, 2019

I don't know what your plan is, but I would think you could buy a truck in much better condition, that needs WAY less work than that one does, for the $1200 you paid for that truck and those parts... That looks like a lot of work just to get it moving again. Good luck with it.

barry G · August 9, 2019

yikes, hope it fairs well. the singles are tortured in the frame between bed and cab. If you are into welding, you'll get and keep all you want. I weld my own, in the north.. very rewarding. Not for everyone..

Bigfutz · August 9, 2019

At least you have an indentured servant to help you build it (your buddy who needed money).

Joseph Grande · August 10, 2019

11 hours ago, Bigfutz said:

At least you have an indentured servant to help you build it (your buddy who needed money).

That was part of the deal.

Joseph Grande · August 10, 2019

On 8/9/2019 at 12:20 AM, davester said:

I don't know what your plan is, but I would think you could buy a truck in much better condition, that needs WAY less work than that one does, for the $1200 you paid for that truck and those parts... That looks like a lot of work just to get it moving again. Good luck with it.

You're probably right...but I have a specific build in mind and any truck I bought would have been pulled apart to the same extent.

Donstar · August 10, 2019

As long as you're doing this for the satisfaction and not in hopes of saving money, enjoy! There are a few TV shows about taking rusted out vehicles and transforming them to Barrett Jackson quality show stoppers or gnarly Rat Rots. If I had the space and lots of cash, I'd love to do a similar adventure. My preference would favour the "Vegas Rat Rod" style and quality of build. Keep us posted!