Posted by john k. seidts on January 03, 2000 at 21:02:40:
In Reply to: 49 b1 military pick-up posted by Dwight on January 03, 2000 at 20:02:06:
I have been collecting vehicles for 20 years. Original whatever always brings more money than non-original. I would hazard a guess that you have the only one around, and that if you restore it as a military vehicle, you will wind up with a better investment than if you paint it as a civilian one. Case in point- right now I am helping a gentleman who restored a 1946 Chevrolet truck. It was originally an army truck. He has gone through several potential buyers (seven), four of whom expressed strong interest once they found the truck was former military. Once they saw the standard red and black paint job on it, they lost interest. Apparently, the military bought very few of this year of Chevrolet, and only one other example of it was known, and had brought big money at an auction.
Of course, saying that, I am sorely tempted to paint my Carryall Forest Green, because I know it would look so great. But my preservation instincts are just too strong. So Olive Drab it goes. Actually, some of the paint schemes used on militarized civilian trucks look good. Check out Fred Crimson's book on US Army Wheeled Vehicles.