To Purchase or not

[rbmead]

Hello,
I found a 1972 Ford F100 Custom 4x4 short wheel base, inline 6, strait shift. The rust..the rust i mention isn't surface rust. it is holes. Passenger side inner fender. big hole where the battery sits. the hood has rust in the inner lip part where it closes. the bed floor of course. but what scares me is the inner rocker panel in the door opening,in the bend. under the dash side. and the drip rails have small holes. the guy wants $2600. with the amount of rust is it worth saving? I have been looking for a SWB 4x4 for SO long. but i don't want to get something that is not worth fixing. trying to keep my emotions out of this.
Thanks for your opinions.

[Ranchero50]

Short box 4x4's are long gone in my area. That truck would sell at that price for it's frame and running gear. If the bed sides are decent that's a huge plus. Excessive drip rail rust typically kills cabs. Mine has some on the front corners and I need to deal with it but it means taking the cab completely apart to fix it.

Without knowing your location it's impossible to guess if it's worth buying. If you could find a decent straight V8 2wd donor for under $1500 it's well worth doing.

[rbmead]

Thanks for the reply.
updated my location.
I'm just a little on the fence about it. I was thinking the inner door rockers. so your saying that the drip rails are more what i should be worried about?

[Ranchero50]

Drip rails rust from the inside due to moisture condensing inside the roof, which is a sign the truck had moisture problems for a while. Typically when the drip rails get really bad, the rest of the pinch seams are close behind. Mine has a couple pencil sized spots that are rusting through from the inside. They've come through the paint the past two years.

A real killer is rust in the cowl or the firewall pinch weld to the floor. Is the cowl rusting through above the fender on the outside? If so dig deeper. Cab mounts and floors are pretty simple to replace. The A pillar is a PITA to layer up and fit small patch panels.

Post up some pics if you get a chance. Photobucket works pretty well for forums. Might simplify a lot of questions.

[rbmead]

here are a few pictures. I dont remember seeing any rust in the cowl area. with the rust everywhere else, i would expect it.

[rbmead]

last one

[Lone Ranger]

I think all these trucks are worth saving! I got inner fenders that were galvanized for my truck and they bolted right up no issue, and they should never rust. My hood had rust in the same spot yours does and I ran with it till I could find a new hood. Mine also has holes in the door frame but I'm gonna weld them up once the snow falls. I've never seen a SWB here in michigan so they are getting harder to find. Maybe you can talk the price down a bit

[Lone Ranger]

It looks like he's got a bunch of those trucks there so maybe you can rob parts off them or even a cab swap

[Wilfred of Ivanhoe]

It's not my money I'm talking about, so saying I would buy it is probably not the most helpful. I would consider that a more special truck from our bumps, both because it's a short box and for the 4x4. I say it is worth the $$$ despite the rust. People who buy our trucks know that there will almost always be at least some rust. I honestly believe that you would have no trouble selling it if you ever need the $$$ back. I have had several offers on my trucks, and they are not even for sale, advertised, or even around high traffic areas. Just my .

[rbmead]

Thanks to everyone's responses.
I took the leap and bought the truck.
Happy with my purchase!

[Subzero]

Congrats on the recent purchase looks like a pretty good truck for $2600. In my area you never find 4wds at all and most 2wds have moderate rust even then.

[rbmead]

Got him down to $2400
Rebuilding the front drum brakes this weekend.

[SeapineF37]

yeah congrats! can't go wrong at that price

[tsherry]

Good for you.

[jzjames]

A nice truck to restore and sink some money into. You could even source a newer better cab!