Taking a project down a new path?

I have a 1991 dodge ram 250 I was working on. I saw was because the project has stalled. I shortened it from a long bed to short, did some body work, and have a new cab to replace the rusted out one.

While looking at the local classifieds I found a 65 gmc c10 with an owner considering trades, the trade being my 98 gmc 1500 4x4 diesel.

The thought being take the 12v cummins from the dodge and put it in the gmc and make something really cool. The downside is all the time and money I spent so far goes to waste, unless I part out the dodge to get some of my $$ back.

Other issue is I dont have space in the garage for two trucks, so I'd have to get rid of most of the dodge before working on the gmc.

Good news is the gmc runs and drives as is. Plus the 65, while not being a high point in classic styling, is still a lot cooler looking than a 91 ram.

Any advice?

Can you drive a 65 gmc comfortably? I cant. That is old enough that it doesnt really fit a normal person comfortably anymore.

from my experience, a 91 Dodge will be about as ergonomic as a 65 Chevy, and the Chevy will probably ride and handle better.

i say ditch the Dodge and make the Chevy into something cool.

Go for the Chevy, I like both options but I'd say in the long term the Chevy will be way cooler/fun to drive.

Actually I really like mid 60's GM trucks. Go for it.

if it was a step side I'd rock it

fasted58 wrote: if it was a step side I'd rock it

i'm the opposite- the only benefit of a stepside box is that it looks cool while giving up a good chunk of the cargo capacity that makes a truck useful.

Yeah, and owning a 50 yr old truck because it's useful makes sense right up until you realize it breaks 10X as much as a new one. You dont drive 50 y/o vehicles because you need their utility.

Really it would've been a 50 y/o body with 20 y/o drivetrain, and it was a step side, but he traded it to someone else for a toyota pickup, so no more decision to make.

Kind of glad actually, the logistics of it were getting more and more complex the more I thought about it. If I had a garage able to fit both in a once it would've made more sense.

Vigo wrote: Yeah, and owning a 50 yr old truck because it's useful makes sense right up until you realize it breaks 10X as much as a new one. You dont drive 50 y/o vehicles because you need their utility.

i might fix up a 47 Chev 1.5 ton truck with a dump box well enough to use it to haul scrap iron or whatever from time to time... it spent the first 55 years of it's existence hauling grain and corn 20,000 pounds at a time without any real issues before getting parked, so the occasional load of scrap iron shouldn't be an issue..

novaderrik wrote:

Vigo wrote: Yeah, and owning a 50 yr old truck because it's useful makes sense right up until you realize it breaks 10X as much as a new one. You dont drive 50 y/o vehicles because you need their utility.

i might fix up a 47 Chev 1.5 ton truck with a dump box well enough to use it to haul scrap iron or whatever from time to time... it spent the first 55 years of it's existence hauling grain and corn 20,000 pounds at a time without any real issues before getting parked, so the occasional load of scrap iron shouldn't be an issue..

Agreed, Im fixing up my 53 Studebaker 1.5 ton to put it back to work not to be a showpiece. It will provide plenty of utility and even if it did break 10x as much (not likely) its 100x simpler to fix :)

Vigo wrote: Yeah, and owning a 50 yr old truck because it's useful makes sense right up until you realize it breaks 10X as much as a new one. You dont drive 50 y/o vehicles because you need their utility.

Only if you don't actually replace worn parts. I've driven old vehicles daily and their maintenance requirements are pretty low if you go through them right after purchase. They definitely don't break 10x as much. Again, as long as you actually fix what's wrong rather than just patch something up.