Hi guys and gals. My name is Tom and I've been looking around for a decent short bed first gen 2wd for a while. A buddy of mine has one that he barely uses and I've been after him a while trying to get it but he just won't sell it.
A couple of weeks ago one popped up on facebook and I inquired soon as I seen it. However it was already spoken for. I was a bit bummed out but kept looking. Out of no where 2 weeks later I was messaged by the owner and asked if I was still interested. Apparently a deposit was given but then the buyer backed out. I didn't hesitate and went straight there to check it out.
The ad said the truck needs a fuel pump. It's the throttle body 318. Sure enough the truck wouldn't start. I sprayed a little fuel in the intake and it attempted to run. I definitely do not hear the fuel pump running in the tank so seems it may be the culprit.
The truck was owned by the father of the current owner. He bought the truck brand new in 1988. It has 94000 original miles. As far as rust there is surface rust on the hood and roof. And there are 2 small areas on the rear wheel wells where moisture sat on top of the pain in the ass chrome trim. Other than that she is solid as a rock. The floor pans still have factory paint on the bottom and top. Not a stitch of rust. The frame still have numbers that were painted on in assembly and they are still quite legible.
The girl told me the odometer never flipped and given the condition of the truck I really don't believe it has nearly 200k on it. The interior is in better shape then my 2002 super duty. Bed floor is in good shape.
Now for the kicker. I paid $300 for the truck. The hitch is that her father died 8 years ago and since then no one has dealt with a title. She gave me a bill of sale and told me to keep her contact info and she would do anything she could to help me get a title. Here in Va. the most common practice I've seen is abandoned vehicle. If the vehicle is on your property for 48 hours it is abandoned. DMV will attempt to contact the registered VIN owner and after 15 days if no one has contacted them back I will be given a title in my name. I hope it goes that easy. Regardless I feel I got a steal. I kinda felt bad when I was leaving as I could tell it really was hard for the girl to sell it but it seems this time of year people do desperate things to get some extra cash.
The truck needs a good going through so my immediate plans are getting it running, going through suspension and brakes. Pretty much getting it roadworthy.
My vision for this truck is lower her a few inches, maybe white paint???, fix up the interior a bit, try and find another motor to build up a little to give her a few extra ponies and swap them out. The truck was a factory AC truck and I'd really like to get that working for summer cruising. I'm having trouble with wheel visions. I'm picturing kind of a pro-touring type build but not sure how big wheels would look on the truck. I guess time will tell. I really look forward to this project as it's about the only truck I've passionately hunted for a long time. I owned a couple short bed square body chevys and they are fun but overdone. These dodges are rare to see out there and that's what I love about them.
I'll post up some pics soon as I figure out how. Hope you all like the truck and please feel free to express opinions or concerns.
A couple of weeks ago one popped up on facebook and I inquired soon as I seen it. However it was already spoken for. I was a bit bummed out but kept looking. Out of no where 2 weeks later I was messaged by the owner and asked if I was still interested. Apparently a deposit was given but then the buyer backed out. I didn't hesitate and went straight there to check it out.
The ad said the truck needs a fuel pump. It's the throttle body 318. Sure enough the truck wouldn't start. I sprayed a little fuel in the intake and it attempted to run. I definitely do not hear the fuel pump running in the tank so seems it may be the culprit.
The truck was owned by the father of the current owner. He bought the truck brand new in 1988. It has 94000 original miles. As far as rust there is surface rust on the hood and roof. And there are 2 small areas on the rear wheel wells where moisture sat on top of the pain in the ass chrome trim. Other than that she is solid as a rock. The floor pans still have factory paint on the bottom and top. Not a stitch of rust. The frame still have numbers that were painted on in assembly and they are still quite legible.
The girl told me the odometer never flipped and given the condition of the truck I really don't believe it has nearly 200k on it. The interior is in better shape then my 2002 super duty. Bed floor is in good shape.
Now for the kicker. I paid $300 for the truck. The hitch is that her father died 8 years ago and since then no one has dealt with a title. She gave me a bill of sale and told me to keep her contact info and she would do anything she could to help me get a title. Here in Va. the most common practice I've seen is abandoned vehicle. If the vehicle is on your property for 48 hours it is abandoned. DMV will attempt to contact the registered VIN owner and after 15 days if no one has contacted them back I will be given a title in my name. I hope it goes that easy. Regardless I feel I got a steal. I kinda felt bad when I was leaving as I could tell it really was hard for the girl to sell it but it seems this time of year people do desperate things to get some extra cash.
The truck needs a good going through so my immediate plans are getting it running, going through suspension and brakes. Pretty much getting it roadworthy.
My vision for this truck is lower her a few inches, maybe white paint???, fix up the interior a bit, try and find another motor to build up a little to give her a few extra ponies and swap them out. The truck was a factory AC truck and I'd really like to get that working for summer cruising. I'm having trouble with wheel visions. I'm picturing kind of a pro-touring type build but not sure how big wheels would look on the truck. I guess time will tell. I really look forward to this project as it's about the only truck I've passionately hunted for a long time. I owned a couple short bed square body chevys and they are fun but overdone. These dodges are rare to see out there and that's what I love about them.
I'll post up some pics soon as I figure out how. Hope you all like the truck and please feel free to express opinions or concerns.