G506 values

[Colonel]

Hey guys,
I'm a long time old car/truck guy now considering adding a G506 to the restoration que. There are two for sale not far from me that are very solid & complete cabs/chassis with old repaints in need of restoration. There is an incorrect dump bed on one & an incomplete pole setting bed on the other. Neither is running & the dump truck has had a synchronized transmission replacement in the past. Both have old/incorrect tires. I know what a period civilian truck would be worth but no idea about the HMV side of the house. What is a fair price for trucks like these? Thanks for the help!

[42cargo]

Welcome to the G and thanks for your post.

It's hard to tell just from your description. Are you in a dry climate or wet? Are the hard to find parts (spare tire carrier, battery box covers, for example) missing? Are the engines original and if not does that matter to you? What kind of restoration would you like to do? Get them back on the road and have fun or go for a factory class?

If you can post photos that would help us give you a more accurate answer. But by way of rough guidance, I'd say anywhere from $1,000 for rough but restorable to $3,000 for something in better shape. One thing to keep in mind, at least from my experience, is you can easily sink more money into these than you'll ever get back. Tires, tubes and flaps alone will be in the neighborhood of $1,300 or so for a complete set.

Looking forward to seeing what you've located.

John

[Colonel]

Thanks! I can't seem to make the file pic small enough to load. The trucks have been in Maryland for 40 years at least. I'm wanting a to do a historically accurate looking driver to have fun with, but don't need to win any contests. The full pressure 235 and synchronized transmission wouldn't bother me at all. You can see a pic of both trucks in the auction section from the original Craigslist ad. Thanks again for the welcome, John.

[gerrykan]

Are these the trucks? https://frederick.craigslist.org/cto/5753097030.html

[Joe Gopan]

The above Craigs List Chevy Dump has a Civilian Cab. Note the lack of the GI style windshield hinges.

[Colonel]

Those are the ones...so far none of the "lack of originality" really affects what I would like to do with the truck, but should I would think factor into my fair offer to the owner. Based on the thread I think I'm looking at $2500 trucks...am I close?

[Joe Gopan]

Too many zeroes.

[forestry4evr]

New guy,

They both look like they could be brought back to running condition. The cabs don't look too bad although there is plenty of rust in the usual places. The biggest real issue with both of them is the unoriginal or mutilated beds. These GI trucks without original beds suffer value-wise. Either way, original bed or not, restoring one of these trucks will cost way more than they can be purchased. Your labor is free. If it something that looks interesting, go for it. They are loads of fun. Money wise they are sort of a rat hole similar to other hobbies. Ever own a boat?

I would try to get both and make one good one. The dumper bed looks similar in vintage but too short...do you have the skills to lengthen it? Parts can be found but you will need a level of patience not commonly found in modern society. Depending on how close they are to running, I would give about $1500-2000 for each but that is just a SWAG. Point of reference, the scrap man would give the seller at least $300 for each.

Paul

[Joe Gopan]

And figure on every moving part being worn out.

[forestry4evr]

And figure on every moving part being worn out.

Yeah totally, it will need lots of refurbishing of almost every part and erasing of ugly "farmer fixes".

[Colonel]

Thanks, guys. That gives me a good reference for my offer to the owner. I'll let you know what I come up with.

[kelley]

Hi Colonel,
Couple of thoughts....
-The Pole setter truck, assuming the winch is reasonably complete and able to function could be made into an absolute killer tow truck, That's the best part of the deal IMO.
-The dump body on the other truck is just some piece of junk, not worth messing around with. Putting one of these things back together is a huge job, 2 of them is nuts and will take you forever, Use one as a parts donor for the other.
As far as value, your +/- $2,500 is about fair, but when has anyone on Craigslist ever played fair? it couldn't hurt to throw half that number at the seller, He may want them gone.
Best of luck and keep us in the loop.

[Colonel]

Just got back from Frederick...
I made a good offer on the solid, but incorrect dump that was in keeping with all of your guidance & had it left on the table while he fished the market some more. The pole truck has serious can condition issues & a later model 235 engine that almost make it a parts truck. There is also a very incomplete parts truck with the deal which really only amounts to some patch panel sheet metal & a frame. The owner said he would "like" to get $7k for everything. Not even close to the reality that I saw today.

[Joe Gopan]

Owners of discarded MV hulks are now jumping on the bandwagon, they want unrealistic prices for totally worn out trucks.

[42cargo]

Maybe the approaching holidays and need for cash will motivate him. Any redundant parts on the trucks (for example the spare tire carrier) that would make it worthwhile to buy them all as a package, collect the parts you need for your project and then sell off the rest to offset some of your original investment?

John