To sell or slowly restore?

[Banshee365]

Hey fellas! Long time no post.

The family and I sold the farm and are moving in town for the benefit of my little boy starting school and living the family/parenting life and such. It has forced me to get the Deuce back up and going so I can move it to a family members property. The fuel tank got contaminated with algae and subsequently rotted out and the brake wheel cylinders leaked all of the brake fluid out. I'm in the middle of replacing the fuel tank, fuel filters, and wheel cylinders to get it drivable.

My plan was to sell the truck. I haven't messed with it much and I'm afraid it has degraded in condition a little because of that. It's not a junker by any means but it will need a little work to get to show truck status. Life has gotten in the way of spending time working on the truck and keeping it up and running. I had thought about selling as perhaps someone else is at a point in their life where they can put the time and money required into it to get it back to it's former glory from decades past.

As I've been wrenching on the truck it's brought back a lot of the reasons why I bought it in the first place. It's just a lot of fun to work on. I am tempted to keep the truck and slowly restore it now. It mainly needs a new windshield frame and windshields as well as a new passenger door window. It's got a couple of spot of rust in the floor of the cab and inside the fenders but otherwise it's pretty solid. I feel like with a total going-through of the mechanical systems and a mixture of full sand blasting and painting over would put the truck to a very nice condition. The main mechanical bits are in good working condition. I've got a gallon of surplus dot 5 and 6 NOS wheel cylinders so the braking system will be partially restored after that.

I wanted to throw the discussion out there regarding selling or slowly restoring. My boy is almost 5 and this may be a perfect vehicle to teach him mechanics on over the years and to work on together. This truck has gone by the wayside in my life for the past 10 years or so but maybe now is the time to put it back on the front burner again.

Thoughts?

 

[fpchief]

In my opinion, you have already answered the reasons to keep it....the memories of why you got it in the first place and as something to share with your son....Keep It!!! Doesnt have to be on front burner, just a little at a time as with my M109. Was in very bad condition but I am winning the war...one small battle at a time.

 

[glcaines]

Keep it!

 

[montaillou]

Certainly you have a good reason to work on it now, but I think you should look at the reasons prior to this that have kept you from working on it and the likelihood that those reasons will crop up again. Weigh, also, do you need the money, or can you afford the space and the loss of any value should you not get to it to the point it does become a junker?
Almost everyone here will tell you to keep it, and why not, that's why we're here. These trucks aren't exactly rare, if you're leaning one way you could always sell it, and buy another one later.

 

[dmetalmiki]

A guy dropped by today, Just to ask if we could show his son around "The army stuff",
He drove his first truck aged.......7!..He has a farm, He has land, He has a trucking transport and recovery business way out in the sticks near here.
The were (Both) well impressed.
After they left, one of my friends said, That kid (then 12 now 13 went to the D,O,T, Testing depot with his dad one time, And as they waited in queue, A NEW 40 foot semi outfit swung into to the tight approach to the bays.
It struck a bollard!, And stuck there.
(Long story short the testers were familiar and friendly with the father, (The ONLY reason the kid was even allowed on the site.))
I was not told why but, The embarrassed drive went to get a jack for some reason.
The truck and trailer was of course, now blocking the entrance to the testing bays.
The kid was told "Shift it" (By some 'Well Knowing' (And) 'In the know' Instructors and Testers),
Up climbs this boy, Starts it, Shifts gear, And, VERY carefully 'Jogged' that whole unit off that bollard! And then proceeded, A). To back it up into a straight line, B) Drive it forward again, Negotiating the bollard and into a testing bay.
Re- Enter stage left a VERY embarrassed driver who had witnessed all this. And had to "Run the Gauntlet", of an amassed and greatly amused group of Professionals.
The point of this story?.
Well, That young boy is (Now) Well capable of driving and handling most 'Things',
Helps around the mechanics at his fathers place gaining experiences that will carry him through the rest of his life choices.
Perhaps his father should have moved?
Or, Should he have stayed, And let his son have the 'Education' He has thus, so far received.
They actually showed me videos of the kids various driving skills around the property.

HA!, But..Ya' should have seen him back up when the Diamond T With that huge Detriot started and revved up!.

He also expressed that he so wished he could come with his mate (Also interested in things mechanical) And help us around our trucks and stuff with the two Cadets that help us out at times, . And perhaps go to events as well.

Are we going to "Turn them away"!?...................................................Nope!.

Watch out for a new (Very young) member on Steel Soldiers.

 

[SCM35A2]

100% keep it!

 

[71DeuceAK]

Keep her. You'll regret it if you don't. Yes, time and money get in the way, but each and every one of these trucks is like their own living person.

 

[FloridaAKM]

Keep it, by all means!

 

[Banshee365]

Thanks for the input fellas. I'm leaning towards keeping it at this point. It has always lived outside but I may be working on getting it in a pole barn to at least give it some shelter if I want any hope in restoring it slowly to show condition.

While these trucks aren't rare, mine has a nice condition winch. I don't seem to see a whole lot of winch trucks out there for sale anymore. I'm changing the last of the 6 wheel cylinders tomorrow. Everyone single one was leaking. This is something that pretty much has to be done to every deuce and a half at some point. If I sell and buy another later on I'll be doing this sort of thing all over again. The NOS wheel cylinders aren't exactly cheap either.