One of the great joys of being a writer is dealing with the fact that I will probably never make money. Is it worth it? Sure, I mean I get to write for awesome truck magazines and get paid for it, writing and learning about my greatest passion in life. So in order to still be able to build trucks on a limited income, I have become best friends with one of the greatest resources any car guy can have: Craigslist.com.
Ever since gracing the pages of this amazing site for the first time several years ago, I have been a fanatic Craigslist scrounger, scouring every city within a two hour radius of my home for any parts or trucks that I can possible use or even potentially make a profit on. Since moving on from my s10 project, mainly due to a lack of funds, I have become obsessed with 61-66 Ford trucks. Their simplicity and flowing body lines just draw me to them, especially the delightful way the rear fenders tuck almost the entire wheel when laid out. Besides the s10, which I still own due to a deadbeat buyer, I now own two and a half of these 61-66 Fords (I have enough extra parts to consider it being a half), and I recently just purchased a 71 Ford F100 Ranger XLT for 300 bucks, complete with an interior that looks like it just rolled off the factory line.
As these old trucks continue to age, nothing but rust and other such damages are sure to follow in its path, making them not only harder to find, but their price rise as well. That being said, if you need a bedside for a 63 Ford F100 along with a few miscellaneous parts, you may have to spend upwards of a thousand dollars or more for new reproduction parts. However, with a couple of clicks of the mouse and quick search of Craigslist, you can find whole trucks for $500 dollars or less, not only giving you the parts you want but potentially making your money back by selling the leftover parts.
Now living in an apartment myself, making these sorts of transactions can be very tricky, but luckily I have very understanding parents and friends who are willing to lend a hand or rather some space. Even if you don’t have room for whole trucks, sites such as Craigslist.com or the classified sections on various automotive forums, such as the one on Street Source, are still treasure troves full of used or even new parts, sometimes at huge discounts. Just because you have the money for new parts doesn’t mean it won’t hurt to look around for awhile to see what’s out there, especially in this economy.
 Beyond the satisfaction of finding a great deal on a long sought after part, I feel like I am doing a service to the automotive community by rescuing these soon-to- be classics from a far worse fate, such as rusting away in someone’s field or ending up in the scrap yard. Although not every part is salvageable (I’m sorry but Ford did a terrible job designing these trucks), usually there is more than enough to consider any old car or truck worthy of saving, especially if you can find it for under $500 bucks. Despite all of this global warming nonsense, I think the world would be a better place if we had more classics cruising the streets: really low, chopped to hell and back classics.
Plus, consider this: If you buy a classic for $500 bucks, put another $1000 into it to get it drivable and street legal, you’ll have a reliable vehicle that not only looks cool, but will be cheap on insurance and only go up in value as opposed to a new car or truck. Sure, you’ll have maintenance from time to time, but this will pale in comparison to the cost of full coverage for a new car or truck plus the car payment itself. Granted, this sort of thing is clearly not for everyone as not everyone has the knowledge nor the place to do such a restoration, but if you do have these and a little bit of perseverance, you can have yourself one nice daily.
In short, although being poor sucks, there are still ways to build a ride without breaking the bank. It may take a little bit of work and perseverance, but the results are more than worth the effort.
Until next time, keep your heads held high and your rides low,
Justin