Posted by Keith in Washington [162.158.146.187] on Tuesday, February 12, 2019 at 21:46:43 :
In Reply to: Is There Any Way To Install A 4bt Without Hanging Pedals? posted by Marty [108.162.246.20] on Tuesday, February 12, 2019 at 17:27:27 :
Marty.
The cost of the truck was $450 when I got it. I spent many many hours doing body work and mechanical rebuilding. There are thousands of my hours in it. The body was badly stress fractured and had to be aligned and welded up. There was $3,000 in paint supplies just as an example. That was in 1999. I have 100 hours in high build primer and wet sanding on the body alone. Then talk about an engine rebuild along with the axles, transmission, transfer case and etc. Then wiring it with all the radios, alarm systems and other upgraded electronics. Think about the cost of just labor at today’s rate which is about $100 per hour in my area.
Then think about breaking it in and things not working as well as expected. I had cooling issues, weak vacuum boosted brakes requiring a hydoboost upgrade, clutch cylinder failures (never use Wildwood again), carburetor issues, ignition issues that all had to be worked out. All were fixed but it took time and some redesign and different parts.
It is not cheap to build a truck like that if you can’t do the work yourself. Even then, you better have a large wheel barrow to carry the money you will need. It will be much cheaper to buy a very good truck that someone has already done or a pristine original.
Could I sell it for big bucks? Yes! Will I ? Heck no, it will stay in the family for a long time.
Marty it’s a 327 under the hood.
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