Hey guys, I just wanted to make sure it wasn't one of you that was bidding against me on this one. It is about 80 miles from me so, If I were to get it the haul fee would be very little. What do you think it is worth? I have sent an email asking for more info about the tranny, engine, rearend and such. Gater http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1953-Chevy-5-Window-Pickup-3100-series_W0QQitemZ230092436593QQihZ013QQcategoryZ5348QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
gater look interestimg . but if you csn i suggest going and looking at. i bought myne on epay and it looked a little better and was written up to be much better. now i have a shed full of disassemble truck pieces, but a very nice looking frame with new shinny paint and a cab in primer ( i payed $6500 for what i thought needed paint and interior and a box floor) that should go for 4000t . I noticed it is missing the same windsheild peices that you where looking for. I have not looked any farther into finding used trim, but there is a guy up here in ontario that has new center clips, if you still need any. good luck hopefully it will go cheap and to you!
Thanks GMCMan I found the windshield clips from a guy in Connecticut. I would say you are right. I will see how the guy answers my questions. I make the trip to Knoxville often since my daughter is there attending UT. If I were to get this one it would be a daily driver. I spent my money on my 3800 but I want one that I can enjoy by driving as well. Gater
Gater, there's an old saying that a picture can make a bad truck look good and a good truck look bad. My suggestion to you would be to try and contact the guy and arrange a meeting so that you can take a look at it. If it looks ok, see if he'll sell it outright to you. Be sure to look at all of the "usual suspects" for rust through, i.e. cab corners, front fenders at the cab area, etc. Then take your daughter to dinner and go home and dream about good daughters and AD trucks!
And Grandbabies You can't leave out the grandbabies Or is that just me gloating The truck does look good in the pics. But as others have stated, it's best to see it. My friend here in Gallatin purchased a 69 chevy short bed last month on epay. He payed 2500.00, drove 400 miles, picked it up after a short look-see. Looked ok but not quite as stated on epay. Got it home, pulled back the floor mat and metal was screwed to what was left of the floor. Guy stated only surface rust. The cab was usless, full of ROT, frame had been badly damaged, the wireing was usless, transmission pouring fluid, rear end wasted, radiator totally worthless, etc, etc, etc. The pics on epay looked great, the write up was very good BUT... he brought it home and was so disgusted after he found all the problems that it is now just parked behind his house. he said, "well, I learned a good lesson" Seems like an expensive lesson to me. He says he can not use the cab or bed at all. I think he knows what he is talking about, he's been restoring vehicles for over 25 years. But don't forget about the grandbabies TB'sD
Here's a little trick i learned in the '60's Whenever you go looking at a vehicle, carry a small magnet with you. A small magnet will stick to metal, but not bondo, filler or whatever. Ask whoever about the truck, car, whatever, then tell him you want 5 minutes alone with it it. Run the magnet around and anywhere it doesn't stick, ask him (or her) about it. Makes an honest person out of everyone. A fresh coat of paint will mask major rust damage for a while, but then, oops, you're stuck with it! Caveat emtore (sp). "Buyer beware"! Just an observation!
Don't bid on anything that they woun't let you pay cash at pick up. Most of my ebay experiences have been great, but ................ I drove 1300 miles from Kentucky to New Mexico to buy a rust-free, dent-free truck that I bid on on ebay. The truck was badly mis-represented. It was as rotten and beat up as a southern farm truck and didn't have a VIN. I took my money and empty trailer and went back to Kentucky. Wasting $500 on gas was better than the alternative. I wanted a good truck and was willing to pay for it. That one wasn't it. FYI....a bid on ebay is NOT a legally binding agreement. When the stuff hits the fan, ebay says it is really just a place for sellers to advertise their wares. They cannot force a buyer or seller to complete a transaction. example: elvis's boyhood house that the seller refused to sell (no reserve auction).
I had the same experience with eBay. I bid on (and won)what appeared to be an excellent '50 5-window, and was advertised as being in solid, "drive it home" condition. So I took my trailer from Ky to Alabama to get it. It felt and looked solid, but "drive it home" would only have worked if you lived within 20 miles. Got it home, power washed all the Alabama mud off under the fenders, etc, and found out that all fenders, and both doors had some very good fiberglass work done to them. It looked fine on the outside, but was NOT what the seller claimed it was. Learned a lesson, though, not to pay much for a vehicle without going over it 'in detail', magnet and all. For sure, if I lived within 80 miles of it, I'd ride over and take a look!
Yup- if you want proof that a picture can make an ugly truck look good, check my avatar! Oops- that's a GMC- well that explains that! I'm usually on guard when I see "It's okay to drive around the lot" (!) That's not what I usually buy cars or trucks for. That's probably code for "Someone cobbled up the front end so bad you'd have to be NUTS to drive it on the open road!!!" Just my thoughts... Happy hunting though, Gater! Keep us posted.
Thanks for the advice guys. It has surpassed what I was willing to pay anyway. For what I want to use it for it is too much. I want one that I can tag and drive within 10 miles of home with less than a months work. Then, as time goes by I can work a little at a time till I can venture out a little further. I live out in the country and we do not have trash pickup. I have to drive 8 miles one way every Saturday morning to take our trash to the convenience center (dumpsters). It has become a tradition where my kids look forward to riding along and listening to Car Talk at 10:00 every Sat. There is also a fireworks place along the way where my son wants to stop every Sat and get something that will blow up. There is also a country store where we get a coke and snack. I told them that it seems sad that they will grow up and one of their best memories will be going to the dump. They just laugh. I reckon we just like to have a routine time to be together and talk. I thought it would be fun to have one of these old trucks that we could use for that trip. I started out to make the one I have that kind of truck but it turned into something else. It will still be something we can share but in an entirely different way. Gater
Gater needs another project! If he gets done with BIG RED, he'll probably get too uppity to talk to us. We need to help him find another project. Otherwise, he'll just go away and enjoy driving that big 1 ton and forget about us little 1/2 tonners and 3/4 tonners! There's plenty of AD's in them there hills. All you gotta do is look real hard. Just don't spook any moonshiners on your hunt and don't dress up like a revenuer PS: Loved the story about the kids and the dump!
that's too bad, gater. that truck looked pretty darn sturdy for the humid climate there. i liked your story about going to the dump. i remember when i was a kid, i lived in Talahassee (i think i spelled it right), anyway, it's right off of Chilhowee (once again, i can't spell) Lake on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Anyways, we used to have to ride the bus for what seemed like 3 or 4 hours to get to school, and what i remember most about those bus rides was when the bus driver had to stop for a "Pepsi break" she called it- actually, it was a smoke break, but i think she didn't want to tell the kids that. anywho, we pulled into an old general store there and it was one of those like you guys were describing- 5 cent gumballs (this is like '85 or so)- and i'm talkin' HUGE GUMBALLS, and whatever else you want- plus a nice ol' hillbilly behind the counter. i never wanted to go home!! jon
Dump Runs Well ; I grew up making weekly dump runs and I still remember them quite fondly , yours sound like quite the fun time . That truck looked like a nice $3,500.00 work truck (the paint must have been terrible to look that bad in a computer pic) but anyone who pays over scrap price for a vehicle they've not gone to look at in person is -insane- (or a serious gambler) . I got burned just this way last year but I am now driving the car , it's still a rusted out P.O.S. but it's safe and -very- fast plus only 3,200 of them were ever made.... If you need a magnet to find rust damage , forget that B.S and take a buddy along ! . seriously . Cab supports are the real problem in these old trucks , it's nervewracking to have the cab shift on the frame when you're going 'round a bend .
