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73-87 Chevy _ GMC Trucks => 73-87 Chevy & GMC Trucks => Topic started by: Buddy on April 01, 2011, 04:35:11 pm
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I just wanted to say I add up all the cost I spent on my truck during the total rebuild today. I tore my truck down to frame and started from there. I replaced almost every nut and bolt on this truck. I realize that this truck thing is totally just a love for the truck and not a money making project. I just cant get over how much money i have spent. i really had no idea that I had so much into it. I mean I knew i had a fair amount of money into it but MAN i spent allot. I am not complaning but i just wanted to know if i am the only one that thinks " man thats allot of money" I mean I go in dump a ton of money into a truck i couldn't get half of what i have in it. I didn't build my truck to sell it or worry about money. I did it as i had the money, i was also going through some hard times ( divorce) this project keep my head on straight and kept my mind off of things. I love my truck to death but sometimes I wish i would have done things different. I look at some of your guys trucks and think wow you guys have some serious talent. Mine still needs a ton of interior work. Always have a hard time finding good interior parts and always find things I wish I did different. Anyways don't know what i was getting at with this post just wanted to make a few comments... at the end of the day Love the way my truck and the heads it turns. Just think of the money spent sometimes and always laugh and think is this thing going to start today....Thanks for listening....
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These trucks can be good therapy, or they can make you need some therapy. I have more in my truck than what it cost to buy it new, and if I had it to do over there isn't much that I would have done the same way. I don't even have paint on it yet so the cost is still ongoing.
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thanks for the comment, i was worried i was the only one that would do things different.. however for every one thing I would change thereis one I wouldnt change. Thought you guys would think my post was crazy and make no sense... glad others agree and understand my comments
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I know where you are coming from, for me working on my truck can be therapy. It also gives me something to do when I'm bored. When I get in to drive it; I open the door with the door handle that I installed, sit on the seat I custom fitted, look over the dash and through the windshield i put in. I turn the steering wheel that I saved from the junk yard, I turn on the radio that I installed, sound comes from the speakers and amps I installed. when I am driving my truck I know it rides great, feels tight in the steering, goes when I hit the gas because of what I done to the truck. Bottom line is not what I spent but when I drive it it is my creation. Most of my drives in this truck are drives for the sake of driving it. Other are to make a driving somewhere better. I get a kick out of a total stranger coming up to me asking me 20 questions about the truck and then crawling on the ground to look underneath.
I may spend more money on it then its worth but that would be even more true if I bought a new truck 5-10 years down the road.
To me it is a great investment considering what I get out of it and it will never be put up for sale.
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im 16 and i always wonder if i am wasting my money on my truck like everyone tells me but i love working on it and every time i buy more parts it makes me excited to work on it, also it gives me something to do to keep me out of trouble. theres not a whole lot of kids into working on cars or that even know anything about that kind of stuff around me so it keeps me kinda independent from others. money is usually the last thing on my mind lol but i have a decent job so every penny i make goes into the truck. i agree with the whole therapy thing, my parents are in the process of a divorced and its nice to get away sometimes and just relax and work on the truck when things get nasty. i just hope some day my truck will be finished and i can say "ya i built that myself"
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Rest assured, you can always guarantee that there is someone that has spent pathetic amounts of $ on theirs like me. I don't give a crap what I spend on things I love though. You can equate it to money better spent than on a woman you're gonna divorce! :P
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You said you spent a lot of money on it, but you didn't say if it was cheaper to buy a new one or not. Everyone has a different opinion on what's too much, to me if I don't spend as much as a new truck with payments and interest, and have a custom truck that will out last a new one anyway, then I am ahead of the game. Just my thoughts.
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I've spent my entire life buying cars or trucks that I needed. This is one of the very first that I've truly wanted, and if I end up spending more on it than on all the others combined, at the end of the day you'll still find me with a smile on my face.
Rest assured, you're in good company here. :)
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This post here really is great I like how you came, and told your story. We all are going to second guess ourselves on details and money. The thing is it therapy like the kid going through a divorce, I'm proud what he doing, he be smarter for it. The guy that started the post I have depression it came from no where I'm young married and have kids. Old cars, and trucks clear my mind for a bit. My dad rebuilt a 78 Cheyenne in 85 so it's like in my nature to love these. I'm a chevy guy first and for most. My job is to keep older vehicles on the road to not sit but be enjoyed. I got a 64 impala ss also and the older men love it takes them back. I have my 81 regal my 1st car I got when I was 18. I've put money into them there my babys in way but it's a like a addiction and it better than me the way I was. I was crazy and now sober almost 10 years these old vehicles are what gets us through, what we enjoy and that they are not rusting away or being junked. To anyone keeping there old car/ truck right u good with me. You put man hours into something you like you buy something from a dealer it means notta to me..
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I'd rather spend the money on something like these trucks and be able to fix something when it breaks.
If when its all said and done and I've got more into it than a new truck, so be it, this will turn more heads and I'll have that satisfaction that comes with it.
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This thread is so good I don't know where to start.
Playing around with these trucks (or any old vehicle) is like playing the stock market.
You didn't make or loose any money until you sell.
If your in it for the long run you won't regret a dime you put into your truck.
Allot of you guys say you could have bought a new truck for the money you put into your trucks. Keep in mind new trucks don't stay new forever.
Quick example:
I bought 1 new vehicle in my life. A 97 Dodge ram 1500 4x4 short bed sport. Red with grey int 360/auto/ Posi with 3.55's/loaded. A sweet truck that cost me $25,000
to drive off the lot. Sold it 5 years later when it hit the 100,000 mile mark and got $11,000 for it. I loved the truck and enjoyed every minute of owning it, but it still cost $14,000 in depreciation over 5 years. That does not take into account the maintenance/repairs along the way, as all vehicle require that.
In my eyes $14,000 can get you a real nice 73-87. Now I understand some of you guys may be building true show quality vehicles and have spent more, but I think a $14,000 would get you well on the way.
I just enjoy driving old vehicles and as long as I can keep the cost within reason I don't worry about it.
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I very much agree with fritz good post man
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For me working on my truck and the gf's 86 t/a is a way to get out and relax. If I get a lot done so be it, if I get nothing done I don't mind. With in the next year ill have both of them back on the road again. Then its back to my 67 Le mans convertable (frame off restomod) to clear my mind with. Sometimes I have help and others I don't. The 2 Pontiacs I didn't keep track of anything spent on them. Just for the fun of it i decided to with the truck. Although lately I have needed a lot of help with what ever I work on due to a accident at work.
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So, how much money have you spent on it?
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This is a great thread. You know what they say, "it takes all kinds to make up the world". I'm glad there are people out there who are passionate about their trucks, taking the time (and money, which ultimately equates back to their time) to keep them running and represent themselves. I have a lot of respect for guys who can turn nothing into something beautiful, make it look easy, and enjoy doing it.
To the original poster: don't feel bad about spending a lot on your truck. At the same time, the fact that you weren't aware of how much you had spent is a sign that you could maybe manage your project a little more effectively. Try making a list of all the major work you want to do. Then prioritize the list - what do you want to do first, second, third, etc. Estimate time and costs for each improvement. Then pick one, work on it until it's done, and move onto the next one.
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well guys, I got the truck home tonight. I just put the mirrors on and got the grill almost in, front bumper is on, side marker lights few other odds and end on.Let me tell you had all the guys that helped me during this rebuild stop by and everyone of them cant get over how good it looks. Very happy. I will post some pictures after i get a little more done. took some pictures tonight but they didnt tuen out. Next suuny day i will pull it out and show it off. Thanks for all the comments. great feed back.
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Glad to hear, better to see. Bring on the pics!
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All the money I had spent on mine bugged me... Until I got the truck back from the body shop and started installing all those new or restored parts on it. Since then It doesnt bother me one bit. I just don't tell people what I spent so they won't look at me like I'm nuts... except my best friend... but he knows I'm nuts.
And I'm not done yet... Still have to get a bedliner, E-fan, Engine, Tranny put in. I Just havent done the engine and trans yet because they still work well. but the smoke cloud on start up is getting irritating...
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That engine and tranny thing can get expensive.
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This is such a good thread. Didnt know there was others that felt like I do. Im sorta like 79chevykid im 17 and been working on my truck for over a year and just recently actually got it on the road and driving it just makes me feel so good having people stop to look at me drive past or talk to me about my truck feels awesome knowing I did everything on the truck and spend all my hard earned cash on it. I almost quit on it 2 times over the last year but im so glad that I didnt. Even with everyone telling me its a POS and a waste of money and its never going to run right and stuff. It seams like therapy to me too, through everything its always there to work on and clear my head and just focus on that its sorta like escaping reality. Sometimes I will even just sit outside in my yard with my truck and have a drink and sit looking at it lol and at school I always eat my lunch on my tailgate :) even in the hail storm the other day hahaha
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discot315, ironically im in the same boat. Bought the truck when I was 16 for 300 in march 2010, not running, rebuilt the engine and resealed the tranny and some other odds and ends. I was in the hole 2300 when I got it running in mid august, a little over a week before my 17th birthday. Ive got about 3500 into her now to get her reliable. Ive worked for every penny ive got into my truck. I love it. I get a lot of compliments from random people. My girlfriend finds it attractive that I built it, and that my family brags about me to everyone. Im real proud. Theres no other feeling like it.
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Yeah exactly there is no other feeling like it. I just feel so proud driving my truck. lol I bought my truck when I was 16 too but for $1250 and insured it a few months later when I got my licence and had it on the road for 5 days and the motor blew, I didnt realize about how much blue smoke would actually come out of the pipes at the time but I learned my lesson pretty good. Oil is pretty important hahah. Put it in the shop put a new motor in and been working on it ever since. I worked and saved up to buy the truck then been working ever since and put all of my money into it, sometimes I think its too much money but its totally worth it in the end.
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Ive been reading the board and man i agree to me having the classics working are the best. i don't know what is it but to me i love the older trucks. I'm 18 and my first and only vehicle so far is my 1980 c-30 4-door 1-ton truck and man its the best ride even compared to the new vehicles. one reason ill never get rid of the truck is i have blood and sweat in the truck. Ive had to replace the motor by selling the boat i got for one of my birthdays. just cause i didn't want to get rid of the truck. to me the cost is not so much as to what the reaction i get showing up and people looking. in my town Ive seen the newer versions of 81-87 trucks of mine but none like mine. the feeling i get driving it is so good cause as i know the motor i put in is was getting it down the road. thanks to my dad and friends that helped me to get it back running are great. to me a nice old Chevy can make anyone come together to get them working again. it might not be the most fuel efficient vehicle with 9mpg but hey i don't care i work for the money to get it to roll down the road and its better than it being lost in the timeline of rust or scrap. thanks guys it was good to see people like me that love the old trucks from when they were really trucks
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This is why I'm loving this forum. Everyone says these trucks are money pits, fall apart blah blah blah
My wife wasn't to happy when I got my truck although I traded my old Camaro with 274k for it. But when I got it home she instantly fell in love also my Father in law said it was a pos but my truck starts first turn EVERYTIME I love my truck and I will never get rid of it no matter how much rust or what things need fixed it's mine!
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One thing about those old carbs... If they're setup right they start a lot faster than ANY EFI. But I have to retune it for summer and winter.. :D I enjoys doing that too though and it means everything gets a good going over at least twice a year if not more.
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My wife was skeptical of the old Chevy when I first brought it home. But 3 days later, she drove a little to far up the driveway, and the front tires of her Civic went over the edge and into the soggy grass. She was stuck! With a tow rope and about 3 minutes the truck easily pulled her car back onto the driveway. That was enough for her - she now refers to the truck endearingly as "Scotty" (due to the Scottsdale badge on the fender) and compares him favorably to our Infiniti FX45, which required $2500 of electrical work within 2 months of buying it. She says the FX is like a high-maintenance girlfriend, and "Scotty" just wants to get dirty and work. Her father thinks I'm nuts for buying it. Bottom line, people who know what these trucks are capable of and how long they can last will always appreciate them for what they are.
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My Grandpas marine business is running a 77 k10 400/350 the truck is bullet proof after 34 years of some pretty heavy hauling of boats, blocking, stands. the box rotted off about 10 years ago and the cab has some decent size holes in the floor of the cab haha. the rockers have pretty well disappeared, but that truck sat from December till 2 weeks ago and "old gray" fired up instantly. the old truck will take anything you throw at it. the motor is starting to get week and the t case leaks a little but takes a beating for a don't fix it till its broke truck.