1936 pickup

G

Gi_30 pu

New member
Hello all,

I'm looking at picking up a 36 pickup that NEEDS a rebuild. I'm talking bottom up rebuild.

Screenshot_20240724-202848_Facebook.jpg

I know it's a big... correction, HUGE undertaking. So my main question. What site or store do you guys use to source most parts?


Any help is appreciated.
 
Before you step off the deep end look around they're s lots of finished trucks for much less than a complete restoration costs these days.
 
I'm at a loss for words (and that's saying something, coming from me). Ok, here's a couple. That's a very poor candidate for a restoration, even for someone such as myself that loves nothing more than a good beater ford truck. Run. Save your money for a driving fixer upper.
 
Not sure where you are located, but if you read down a few threads there is a guy in Seattle thinking about selling a beautiful 1936 pickup. Look it up. Maybe you can make a deal & not have to do anything but put in gas & enjoy it.
 
Lots of open ended questions here. First - what is your intentions with the truck? Concours correct? Nice Driver original, Nice Driver don't care about originality?? Second - What is your skill level as a mechanic/body paint/Fabrication?? Third - There is no ONE place that will be able to supply what you need. There are several businesses out there that are good resources AS well as several individual's here on the barn that can provide products and services you need AGAIN depending on your idea of direction??? The majority focus here on this format is "Stock/Original". My first bit of advice for you is be honest with your self about the reality of a project like this!! You really need to post more pictures of the truck to get an "accurate" assessment of it, there are several here on the barn who are truck guys who know there "stuff" and can advise you better.
 
Rockfla makes some good points and I will add what is your age? I would guess that a restoration on that truck would easily consume 5 years of your life. Also keep in mind that some jobs you will not be able to do and you will have to pay someone to do it. That truck appears to be a "money pit". The advice to look around and find one that is in better condition or and older restoration will save you a lot of money in the long run.
 
The responses in this thread are disappointing. I am shocked so many commenting here and advising the OP to just buy one already restored. Sure, financially it probably makes sense, but there is also no guarantee that a "restored" option is going to be properly restored, and if it is, it will certainly not be cheap. Besides, when did we start discouraging fellow car enthusiasts from restoring old vehicles that have been sitting in a field for who knows how long? The pickup in the picture looks like it is mostly there. Of course it is rough, it's nearly 90 years old. Some people want to do the work themselves. Either because they are able to do the work, or because they want to learn, or maybe they just want to know everything about the vehicle once it's finished. Some people spend 10 years or more restoring their vintage car or pickup, and this allows them the time to do the work as well as save for any parts or labor they will need to purchase. I say go for it, especially at $2K, and if you change your mind, please let me know and I will be more than happy to buy it. Also, just so you know... this forum is a great resource and most of the members here do not shy away from hard work. Good Luck!
 
OldGold360 said:
The responses in this thread are disappointing. I am shocked so many commenting here and advising the OP to just buy one already restored. Sure, financially it probably makes sense, but there is also no guarantee that a "restored" option is going to be properly restored, and if it is, it will certainly not be cheap. Besides, when did we start discouraging fellow car enthusiasts from restoring old vehicles that have been sitting in a field for who knows how long? The pickup in the picture looks like it is mostly there. Of course it is rough, it's nearly 90 years old. Some people want to do the work themselves. Either because they are able to do the work, or because they want to learn, or maybe they just want to know everything about the vehicle once it's finished. Some people spend 10 years or more restoring their vintage car or pickup, and this allows them the time to do the work as well as save for any parts or labor they will need to purchase. I say go for it, especially at $2K, and if you change your mind, please let me know and I will be more than happy to buy it. Also, just so you know... this forum is a great resource and most of the members here do not shy away from hard work. Good Luck!
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OldGold
I did not advise him to "stay away"....I don't know him, his ability or his intentions for this truck SO all I can do is work from my experience....I think its great for the hobby that he is even considering this project......BUT there are somethings posted here that had been told to me long ago "might" have changed my path and thinking.....Believe me, I have 11 of these projects in various conditions that my Dad "thought" he could do what the OP is looking at doing....I have been in control of those 11 "projects" now for the past 4 years AND my "progress" has been very very slow at best. ADD to that paying people who appeared capable & qualified only to find out otherwise hasn't helped the progress. I think my "MAIN" advice is to be brutally honest with yourself about what you can and cannot do AND the funds you "actually" have to throw at this project and really consider how much time you will really be able to throw at this project and what your age is and do the math!!!! THEN, IF you are completely honest about your situation.....THEN the decision's will be quite clear on which path to choose.
 
rockfla said:
OldGold
I did not advise him to "stay away"....I don't know him, his ability or his intentions for this truck SO all I can do is work from my experience....I think it’s great for the hobby that he is even considering this project......BUT there are somethings posted here that had been told to me long ago "might" have changed my path and thinking.....Believe me, I have 11 of these projects in various conditions that my Dad "thought" he could do what the OP is looking at doing....I have been in control of those 11 "projects" now for the past 4 years AND my "progress" has been very very slow at best. ADD to that paying people who appeared capable & qualified only to find out otherwise hasn't helped the progress. I think my "MAIN" advice is to be brutally honest with yourself about what you can and cannot do AND the funds you "actually" have to throw at this project and really consider how much time you will really be able to throw at this project and what your age is and do the math!!!! THEN, IF you are completely honest about your situation.....THEN the decision's will be quite clear on which path to choose.
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I agree and totally understand where you are coming from. I think most of us have spent more on a project than it’s worth, but I bet most of us would do it again. However, the OP seems to know how “huge” a project it is and was simply looking for recommendations for suppliers. Rather than what seems like an attempt to steer the OP away from the project he already understands is a “huge” undertaking, I feel we should give the OP the benefit of the doubt and do our best to provide them with the information they're looking for. I wasn’t trying to criticize anybody’s responses. I was just surprised by so many responses that seemed to discourage the OP from even considering this project because it needs a lot of work. Some people are ok with this and some are not. I honestly don’t think it looks that bad. I would expect rust in all the usual places, maybe more than typical, but these pickups are getting harder to find and good parts are scarce. Believe me, I’ve looked extensively. My current 36 pickup that I’m restoring had a cab I wish I could’ve replaced, and I tried. It’s perfect now and I’m happy I put in the work to make it as nice as it is. Obviously we all want to start out with as nice of a project as possible, but this is not always an option. Besides, if this pickup had less rust in it, it wouldn’t be $2K. Slightly rotted cab corners take just about as much time to replace as completely rotted out cab corners, so excessive rust isn’t as big of a deal as it seems to guys that know how to do the work. Of course, it’s always a bonus when replacement panels are available. It would be nice to hear more from the OP regarding the pickup, his metalshaping abilities, experience, etc. but even if this is his first restoration, at $2k, I don’t feel he can go wrong.
 
Good advice from these guys for sure.

I would just add that some of this stuff is getting VERY hard to find. And when you do find it, it is very pricey. I know this 'cause I'm in the midst of getting my '35 pickup back on the road. I love doing the work but it ain't cheap. A couple of examples just for the body:

Fenders - they look really rough. You MAY be able to fix them if you are a good metal worker. Last time I checked a set of repaired front fenders will run you about $4000. Rears are probably about the same, maybe a bit less.

Running boards - not sure anyone is making these any more.

Front grille - see fenders above. A good repaired one will run north of $1200.

Bed - I'm sure it is really rough. A replacement is about $5000.

And that is before any paint or final body work. And on and on it goes.

I'm certainly not saying don't do it, but you may want to do a check on the availability of some of the obvious stuff you're going to need. Just go into it with your eyes wide open.

Heard
 
Oh boy , what a large expensive undertaking. Years and thousands of dollars, just to make a beater . Tens of thousands for a frame off . Especially if the op can not do all the mechanical , body work , electrical etc . With the price of crappy off shore products now made as compared to 15-20 yrs ago , it is much better to get a more complete truck .
I don’t see much that would survive a media blasting . Just tooling alone would cost thousands if the op does decide to tackle it himself . Bead roller , english wheel , sand blaster , hammer dollies , welders , torches etc .
Many better options especially if the op thinks 2,000 is a steal .
Just my $.02
 
I can understand a complete rebuild, it is expensive to rebuild, and time consuming. Having done it I would recommend finding a better example, but if you like working on a project for self-satisfaction, go for it.
 
Another BIG question for the OP......Is there a motor in it??? IF so is it turning free at least?? Still no guarantee.......BUT you'll tie up a good bit of money in a motor rebuild and obviously MORE IF you have to replace the motor. SO a lot of components to factor in here!!!!
 
Gi_30 pu said:
Hello all,

I'm looking at picking up a 36 pickup that NEEDS a rebuild. I'm talking bottom up rebuild.

View attachment 547505

I know it's a big... correction, HUGE undertaking. So my main question. What site or store do you guys use to source most parts?


Any help is appreciated.
Click to expand...


To answer your question..... there isn't any one store that will have everything you need so you need to shop around. Maybe some others could start a list of suppliers that we like to use.
 
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