new guy, old truck ('51 3100 Deluxe Panel)

[keithcorcoran]

After searching far and wide for a panel that didn't look like a heap and wouldn't break the bank I came across this on Craigslist about 30 minutes from my house. Called the guy and set up a deal. Paid a small deposit and committed to buying it in a few months.

After quite a few marital 'discussions' regarding currently open home improvement projects and the fact I lost my job about a month before seeing the post for sale, this guy was super-great enough to hold it in his garage for almost a year. His reasoning... "it's been there since 1977 so what is another year?"

Picked it up for $2700. Clean title.

Hasn't been run or started since at least '77. He originally purchased it as a project for he and his son who went off to the Marines and so it sat.

Looks like it originally belonged to a well drilling company in Ohio.

Truck has been hastily repainted. Plan on seeing what the original color was. Also, you can see some hand lettering on the rear panels (which is where I made out the 'well drilling' company info).

It needs floor work but the rest is surprisingly solid for a rust belt vehicle.

Aside from what looks like a non-stock radiator (the top of the radiator support/shroud is weld-cut off) it appears to be otherwise unmolested.

I haven't done anything to it yet but tow it home and push it into the garage.

In looking at the wires from the terminal block on the driver's fender it looks like there are quite a few bare wires from deteriorated insulation.

Also he said he started a brake wheel cylinder rebuild that was never completed so that will need to be done.

In all honesty, not entirely sure where to start except for trying to turn it over and get it running while I work on the brakes.

Not necessarily in this order I would like to...
- get it running
- do the brakes
- do patch panels
- drive it
- lower the stance
- work on the exterior cosmetics
- work on the interior
- adjust the barn doors so they don't touch and I don't have to slam them

Not setting out to totally restore it yet. I want to get intimately familiar with it first a little at a time (though for such a large vehicle there doesn't seem to be much there)

Lastly, it came with a spare 6cyl and 3spd tranny which he picked up at a city auction many years ago that I haven't picked up yet.





This has been the truck I've been looking at since I decided to get a panel a couple of years ago so this is likely what I will be aiming for at least initially.



I know that means bagging the truck but if the frame, etc is solid.. I really don't want to hack up the truck.

I saw someone mention in another post that original frames have been bagged but haven't seen ANY posts or info about doing it so for now I'll likely go with whatever non-extreme lowering I can get away with on the cheap.

On the other hand.. if it turns out to be solid/original... maybe I clean it up nice enough to sell and pick up another one that's more along the lines of a street rodded truck. All speculation at this point so we'll see.

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Lastly... since my wife has the '05 Yukon Denali all whited out (aka the Stormtrooper).. I think I'm going to call this one Vader.