Worth 600 bucks?

[tonka man]

ok so this came up for sale this week do you guys think its worth it. the cab doesnt look to be original to the truck, there is obviously no bed, there is a hood for it but it has not been on it for like ten years or more. same with the air cleaner, it has been removed for a long long time, so iam going to assume the motor is stuck. he said the drive train is all original and the frame is still stock. oh and there is no title, just a bill of sale. he thinks its a 41 dodge WC but isnt sure.

[tonka man]

[Gordon Maney]

Are all the drive train components on it?

I am not disagreeing, but ask; how do you conclude it is not the original cab? By the windshield opening mechanism, or presence or absence of filler neck hole? Paint remnants?

What is the condition of the sheet metal?

How long has it been sitting there, three years or twenty years? Is condensation an issue in your part of the country? If so, that may have damaged many drive train parts internally. There may be very few parts on that of any real value. The $600 figure could be high.

Let's look at it a different way. Knowing only your interest and your values, what is it worth to you? Could you feel good about getting it for $600. Do you want to own a truck like this, and would you find value in having this one as a parts truck?

I don't mean to evade your question. Under the circumstances, it is a difficult question.

Look at it hard and see if you can determine how many parts on it you would be willing to buy for your project truck. I think your answer will be found in some of what I mention above.

If someone chimes in and says, no, it's not worth it, don't buy it, but where is it?..... you've got a more focused answer.

Do you want something for yourself, or are you trying to make money on parts? It is more likely worth something to you if you want it for yourself, than if you want to sell parts, because your ratio of husks and stalks to corn there may not be very good.

[BigSmoke]

I just recently acquired my first FFPW.

I had looked for roughly 10+ years before I found a truck that I was happy with and could afford.

So far, all I get to do is open up the shop door a gawk at it. The engine cranks over and I can drive around the ranch.

Not a lot of extra money to through at er' just yet but I'm completely satisfied with my purchase.

Hope this helps.

[MoparFreak69]

Just my $.02 here but even if it was free I dont think I would drag that thing home. There just doesnt look like there is much to base a restoration project off of. As Gordon mentioned if condensation and high amounts of precipitation are common in your part of the country then you can pretty much sign off hopes of reviving the motor. Sitting in a field like that I can imagine the rest of the drivetrain is going to need some serious amounts of penetrating fluid and heat just to get apart, before you can even tell what you have.
Not having a title isnt a big deal. They can be acquired for something that old quite readily so if you are heartset on the truck dont let that be a major factor. Sure it will have a few hoops that need jumping through but in the end its not bad at all.

[olgraybeard]

what shape is the doors, windshield frame, cab floor, radiato,r is the cab dented. For whats is worth I sold one just like it or a little worse (floor rusted through, dented running boards and fenders) for $600 and the guy was glad to get it he was ready to pay $300 for the windshield frame and fittings

[Gordon Maney]

what shape is the doors, windshield frame, cab floor, radiato,r is the cab dented. For whats is worth I sold one just like it or a little worse (floor rusted through, dented running boards and fenders) for $600 and the guy was glad to get it he was ready to pay $300 for the windshield frame and fittings

A useful point, thank you for covering that. I was not thinking. Just the windshield frame alone is valuable.

Good job.....

[Cheyenne Dave]

....and yes, that appears to be the original cab. I'd take it for free in a minute! I am working on a WC Ambulance right now and I see several parts that would make it worth $600...just my .02

C.D.

[Kevin in Ohio]

One strike against it being a military cab is the fact of the cowl lights. Militarys "weren't" supposed to come with those. As others have said, windshield opening method, rear window indents for screen, gas filler hole in floor/side of cab, radiator sup[port rod bracket angle will all give you clues. Kevin

[Bruce]

600.00, free either one would work for me!

[Gordon(Scotland)]

Half ton WC

It's an open cab military pickup or Command that someone has put a civilian cab on. The military did use those cabs, but only on WC3x or WC 4x series 4 x 2 half tons.

There could well be $600 of parts there.

The other Gordon

[Blisters]

Hi:

I started with a truck almost exactly like this one (it had the hood).

It took me 4 years and over 500 hours and over $18,000 for a decent WC-43 (replica) truck not finished (still needs some details and the headliner); that's with me paying for only a little shop time and doing the majority of the work myself.

It is very likely a military 1/2 ton with civilian cowl lights (possibly added late) with a probable civilian cab. If the cab is civilian, then the hood will not lay flat at the cowl like it's supposed to because the military nose was lowered by the military requirement for better driver visibility and the cowl will have the wrong matching angle. Note the cab has no trace of green olive drab paint showing but the green paint shows through everywhere else.

Having been down this road, I would not do this again because of the cost in money and time. Yes, I have a unique and useful WWII Dodge military truck, but I could have saved about half starting with a complete, running truck.

If you want to restore it to its military glory, I would discourage you from it. If you want a beater to putt around in then it may be OK for that. As a parts truck for selling or for another military 1/2 ton truck, it would be great to have! Note that the running gear doesn't seem to sell for much these days- a transfer case on epay has been for sale for $100 with no takers, and I got a pair of axles with rims and decent tires for $150 two months ago.

The windshield frame is worth several hundred dollars if not rotten, but you won't know until you remove the glass and start sandblasting the rust out. I would guess this particular truck's windshield frame is not in good condition. These things are very difficult to save if truly rusted-out.

I would take this truck for $300 but as a parts truck and not to restore or even get in running condition (if I had millions of dollars I would restore every truck I could find!!!).

Not to be negative, just posting my experience of one similar truck and thoughts about today's market.

Good Luck!

-Ken J

[Norselander]

I agree, it looks like at least $600 in parts. A solid windshield frame should fetch a considerable amount of that purchase price. :)


So... did you acquire it, Tonka Man?

[FordGP]

Its worth $500 in scrap metal. If you want to keep it from becoming a Toyota, I would suggest spending the $.