Old pickups are like baseball. How could you not be romantic about ’em? I’m not even a truck guy, per se, but show me a classic Chevy and I’m sold. They also make great project vehicles because old beater workhorses are inexpensive compared to sports cars from the same period, easy to work on, and endlessly customizable.
If the idea of an antique project truck intrigues you, then I have good news. Van Der Brink Auctions is going to Sanger, Texas, with around 80 GM trucks from the 1940s and ’50s to sell on June 16.
Every truck in this auction is either a Chevy or GMC, most of which are pickups but there are some Suburbans peppered throughout the field. There are even a couple of rolling pickup chassis and separate beds. All of them are in desperate need of repair, however. They’re pretty weathered, some with just some nice patina while others have rusted holes in their bodies and chassis.
Don’t let that stop you, though. These antique trucks are simple machines that are easy to wrench on and have loads of available parts, both from GM and from the aftermarket community. For example, if the truck you’re looking at needs a new powertrain, you can snag a V8 crate engine directly from Chevy and drop it into your vintage truck. Need a bench seat, since most of these are rotten? No problem. You can find replacement benches anywhere. There are body parts, mechanical components, and interior bits all readily available, making life easy when restoring and upgrading one of these classic trucks.
Some of these trucks will need more love than others to get back on the road. However, they all seem to be in similarly rough shape. If you want to buy one, you have to arrange the pickup and shipping of the truck on your own so just be prepared for some logistical work.
If you’re an antique truck enthusiast, one of these could be the perfect summer project. Like I said before, I’m not much of a truck guy but I’d even be down to restore one of these.
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