Advice on 1960's truck

I want to buy a 1960's truck, not a show truck, just a nice older truck to use. I have found a few nice ones on the CL, the problems is i do not know what to look for, or what questions to ask. I am expecting to have some issues, but i do not want to get hosed. So I am appealing to the gear heads here, what should i look for and what are the questions i should ask? Also, is there a place to get price quotes for older trucks, such as KBB? Any help would be great. thanks all

RUST RUST RUST.

everything else can be fixed easily.

In case someone didn't already mention it... RUST!

If you are in STL, watch for it behind the wheel wells and at the back corners of the cab. The midwest region uses salt in as a de-icer on roads in the winter.

The engine/mechanical stuff should be obvious with a test drive, and as said above can be fixed fairly easily.

Def RUST! Of course if you have a small MIG welder and lots of free time it could be fun!

Trucks are nice to work on because it's all easy to get into all the places, and they are generally very basic (the old ones).

I'm partial to the '72 Chevy, because we had one when I first started driving. 3 on the tree! Squeaky clutch! It was three shades of orange (not counting the rust).

I'm also partial to Fords because I am working on a 69 mustang, and so I'm tons more familiar with the engines and trannys. But all those trucks back then were very cool!

The best thing to do is find the make and model you're most interested in and hit message boards specific to that truck. There are many general mechanical things to look for, but the real quirks will be known by folks who bleed a specific make. I collect International Harvester trucks, and there are many things to look for that Ford or Chevy guys might miss. Good luck with your search, old trucks are well worth the effort!

You might also inquire about the drivetrain, whether it is original or not. The reason being, some transplanted drivetrains are done well, others are done with a gas axe and birdsh*t welds = trouble for you done the road. And yes, RUST!! You probably want a half-ton C10-Chevy, F100-Ford, D100-Dodge, if you want to drive it at freeway speeds. The 3/4 tonners were geared quite low in the 1960s.

I have a '67 Chevy stepside, 250cid inline-6, 3 on the tree. (Sorry, not for sale, has been in the family forever) My best advice would be to try to find one not too rusty (corners of the cab can be bad) and that has hopefully been kept in a barn or garage. I belong to this forum: The 1947 - Present Chevrolet & GMC Truck Message Board Network - Powered by 67-72chevytrucks.com the guys over there are great and will help you out with whatever you need. I personally like the '67-'69 chevys and GMCs the best.

Thanks for the advice all. The front runner is a 1964 Ford short wide bed Pick-up. I have yet to see it, supposedly there is no rust and only 60,xxx miles. It sounds a little to good to be true, but it is wort a look.
How do i find out what these old trucks are worth? I do not expect it to go up in value, i just don't want to get hosed on the price. thanks again all.

MoBeer44 said:

Thanks for the advice all. The front runner is a 1964 Ford short wide bed Pick-up. I have yet to see it, supposedly there is no rust and only 60,xxx miles. It sounds a little to good to be true, but it is wort a look.
How do i find out what these old trucks are worth? I do not expect it to go up in value, i just don't want to get hosed on the price. thanks again all.

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Don't know the value without my handy-dandy book, but does it have the six (240 cid) or eight (292 cid)? Three or four speed? I only ask since the eight would command more dollars if originally equipped.