In the process of looking to buy an 81-87

[stavendirtbike]

Just an update. I haven't had the chance to see the truck in person yet. My father thinks it's fishy that it has no carpet, just bare floorboards. He thinks it's a sign of some possible floorpan/cab area work, but who knows how well the work was done. He thinks the price is somewhat steep for an 83 truck. He doesn't like the fact either that it's alittle over 3 hours away from us, if and when we drive up and find it has issues, that's about 400 miles and 6 hours of time wasted. Tough to plan on buying something this expensive 3 hours away. I'm asking alot here but any fellow 73-87 members near the Somersworth dealer area in New Hampshire? If you have any spare time, just take a brief overall look!

[VileZambonie]

Why would you be suspicious if it has no carpet? You can see the floor with the carpet removed. Have them take pix of the floor if you think they might be rotted out.

[Blazin]

If I was closer I would check it out for ya. I am about an hour / hour & fifteen minutes from Somersworth. Does the AC work? I see the rain gutters & tailgate handle have been shaved. Someone put faggy looking mirrors on it. I don't see any tail pipes. Where does th exhaust exit? The dash has billit on it but the door end pulls are broken? The bottom edge of the fender, rocker, cab corner, and bed side line up good. If the floors were done by the same guy that did the rest of the work I would bet they are not to shabby. If they will ask them to give you a shot of the floor looking up from underneath, from inside the cab,the inner rockers, the floor supports from underneath, the joint between the rocker and cab corner, the inside of the cab corner from underneath, the bed supports from underneath, under the bed mat. All their pics focus on the shiny side of the truck, paint, seats, etc.

[stavendirtbike]

Those are all things I will be asking. Also, you mention the a/c. It looks like it has a/c controls but that's a reason I would like them to take a pic of the engine compartment, engines could have been swapped and the a/c equipment gutted. Not a huge deal to me but a/c certainly would be nice for the price. Also, I'm sure it does but I'm going to ask if it has a stereo, you can't see a headunit from the pics.

[Blazin]

Another spot I have found that rusts up here in the northeast is in the cowl area and where the cowl and fire wall meet.

[stavendirtbike]

They sent pics of the requested photos. I notice the ac system looks to be all there. The inner door jams and rockers look solid. The floor looks solid although I notice what looks like surface rust on the passenger area. The only thing I really don't like is the look of the wiring mess under the hood.

[VileZambonie]

It's a fixer upper but go look at it man...it's not that bad a drive and while you're up there buy some CT illegal fireworks

[Blazin]

Surface rust on floor doesn't look bad. The bubble beside the door gasket looks like it would be a hole with some encouragement from a screwdriver. The floors look original or whoever replaced them did a great job.

[stavendirtbike]

Yes, it seems pretty good but I'm still even a bit hesitant on a price of $4000 for an 83 truck. For that price, that engine better run strong and the mechanics of the truck must be superb. Obviously, that is tough to find with anything over 20 years old. Take my 78 f150 I had for example, great truck even when I bought it at $3000 but I dumped almost $1000 into it to make it a reliable daily driver. If no one has overhauled that engine before, I'm sure it has racked up plenty of miles, transmission, who knows if it's been refurbished. My father would like to see me get away from carb'd stuff. Hopefully this one doesn't have the cold-blooded issues my Ford had. Bottom line is I really just have to drive up myself soon. I don't mind paying $4000 tops IF it is in superb shape. Otherwise, I would probably offer 3 at the most.

[VileZambonie]

Well you're not gonna find a nice cherry for $3-$4K. If $ is your main concern buy something cheaper and do it up yourself. If you want a rust free one of these trucks expect to pay at least $8,000 or more.

[yttaf]

too bad you are waaay too far from me. There is an 84 short box all fixed up, no rust with a built motor here in Iowa for $4000 obo.

If I had the cash & didn't have my truck I would have bought it already.

[Stewart G Griffin]

I don't know if you're still looking but:

1) As far as the driving thing, that's just part of the game when looking for a used vehicle.  And there will be some "wasted trips."  That's just the game.  And you MUST look at it before you buy (ex. ebay etc.).

2) The fact that there is no carpet should not be cause for alarm;  My 83 did not come with carpet from the factory (although i plan to put one in)

3)Your father may be paranoid;  If anything carbs are cheaper and simplier than fuel injection.  This usually means less $$$.  Much less.

I got lucky on ebay;  The c-10 i found for $1500 was in the next town over so i got to see it before bidding and i was able to ride my bike over to pick it up after i had won.  ( For some reason, i was the only person to bid on it???) The only things it needed to pass state inspection were a lower ball joint, and a marker light bulb.  It also needed a $12 vacuum modulator to stop smoking.
The point is you MUST look at any car before buying or bidding for it.  I almost got burned, but got lucky (see other posts).

You being in New England just makes the game much tougher---because of the rust thing.    But hey, who asked you to live in New Hampshire?  You'll have to deal with it.

And one other thing.  If you do end up with a 73-87 which i hope you will, definitely Rhino Line the underneath to prevent ANY rusting.