Hey Wyatt

[6uldv8]

I'm jumping the gun here with little to go on but I need the "rules of thumb" on antique trucks.

I'm going to stop this afternoon in my neighborhood and look at an old Dodge that's been put out on the road "For Sale".

It must be late 40's early 50's........Looks like a solid coat of surface rust but from the road looks solid.

I really don't know much more than that right now except it looks like it's all there and it's rolling. Is this thing of any use as a hotrod and should I take a closer look or is there an unknown to me rule about staying away from Dodge trucks?

Is there a general ballpark $$ for an old clunker?

 

[Bones]

He's busy sipping Martini's in preparations to go see Sex and the City tonight. (where is that damn rainbow smiley?)

 

[6uldv8]

lol......by the time I hear from him I will have already bought the damn thing and then he'll tell me they're only good for boat anchors!

 

[InDaShop]

man, could we be a bit more vague???? ;D

No set rule of thumb at all. Dodges are certainly near impossible to find parts for so you got that going for ya. Chevy's and Ford's are your standard and have aftermarket support.

Odds are you are going to buy it, and ditch everything but the frame and body.
Put a later model rear axle under it (2 reasons 1. old trucks typically have STEEP gears, 2. Brakes)
The front end is always a toss up. I'm not a fan of Mustang II's, I prefer to front clip the vehicle. Thats not always necessary but options are fairly limited on all of them(Chevy Ford Dodge).

I am a huge fan of completely modernize drivetrains and leaving the whole truck look like you rolled it out of a field/hedgerow/barn. I.E. FI motor (hid under hood), Overdrive tranny (Good gas mileage and freeway speeds), Disk brakes to stop (old drums suck). On brakes think of it as keeping up with the Jones's. Evry car on the road now had disks and ABS, so if you are in traffic and they all stop....where are you??? Yeah you are still moving and likely using the car in front of you as a crumple zone.
Stock rims, blackwalls. Vintage looking tires are best bought from Coker, I get a pretty deep discount from them so keep that in mind.

As for the truck itself, and the model and does it look good, stylist, etc.... Man, old Dodges take a certain kind. They are big and ugly, but thats also their allure....

Get pics, and I'll try to help out as best possible. I'd love to see you hauling haybails with a latemodel Hemi hidden under a patina'd hood.