Classic car/hot rod/restore folks, I have a question

[achiro]

I have one of these sitting in my driveway
http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/1/web/2113000-2113999/2113516_1_full.jpg
It's a 1961 Chevy Apache, step side. Mine has a cut out on the wheel well for the spare. I bought it for $300 from my neighbor a few months ago. It barely runs, has the straight 6 with "three in the tree" , no brakes, no rear mirror, needs new tail lights etc just to make it street legal. I was going to do a frame up on it but just not too sure of the value when it gets done. I mean a step side hot rod???

Anyway, my aunt has one of these and I have always liked it. She Told me the other day that she was wanting to sell it and if I wanted it(I told her years ago I was first on the list if she wanted to sell) that she would sell it to me for $1500.
http://www.oldride.com/imgitem/15713011278500_tmp_org.jpg
It the unibody style 1962 Ford. It has a new 302 in it, new rear end and is her daily driver now.
Both will need work, the chevy will need more body/rust repair. I really don't care about the Ford v Chevy thing, I like the lines on both but again, I wonder about a step side hot rod. I do like the wood beds of the old Chevys better than the metal but thats workable. I have searched the net and found a few restores on that style Chevy but nothing "cool" like on the unibody. These pics show one lowered and done similar to what I would want except I have a more extravagant paint job in mind.

http://www.carnut.com/show/99/ark/ark094.jpg
http://www.carnut.com/show/01/ark/ark043.jpg

[yermom]

what was the question??

[achiro]

heh, :O

Should I sell the chevy (I can make $300 profit on it today) and buy the Ford? You know, cause I really don't need 2 old trucks in my driveway for the next ten years waiting to be restored.:D

[yermom]

well, i like Chevy :D

actually, i think the lines of the Ford are pretty cool

is the condition difference worth $900? would you just leave the 302? the straight 6?

[frankensooner]

I had a 66 Ford that ran forever. It is still running, but my pops has it now.

[rufnek05]

sell the chevy and restore the Ford. There are more 60's chevy's on the road than fords.

[olevetonahill]

You wanting original ? Or Like the Pics you are showing of the Ford
Ford Didnt Make the 302 till around 68 , Prior to that it was the 289 .
Does your Chevy have a Factory Tach in the Dash ?
Sounds To me Like you just Gots to Go with your heart !

[Rogue]

Man, I think the stepside is hawt.

[12]

I had a 66 Ford that ran forever. It is still running, but my pops has it now.

Heh. I had a 66 Chevy that ran forever. It is still running, but my pops has it now. :D

It was 3 on the tree, too, but we made it 4 on the floor and dropped a rebuilt V8 in it. In the words of my dad, it "runs like a strip-ed-assed ape."

Not sure about the hot rod thing. We just wanted a truck that looked neat and was a true "service" vehicle. To rod one out, I suppose you could look up hot rodded prices on the two and see which is a more solid investment. That's one of those deals where it may end up being which one YOU like better because you may not get a huge return if you are wanting to turn it around.

[OUinFLA]

Heh. I had a 66 Chevy that ran forever. It is still running, but my pops has it now. :D

It was 3 on the tree, too, but we made it 4 on the floor and dropped a rebuilt V8 in it. In the words of my dad, it "runs like a strip-ed-assed ape."

Not sure about the hot rod thing. We just wanted a truck that looked neat and was a true "service" vehicle. To rod one out, I suppose you could look up hot rodded prices on the two and see which is a more solid investment. That's one of those deals where it may end up being which one YOU like better because you may not get a huge return if you are wanting to turn it around.

I have rebuilt a 57 T bird, put 32K in it, sold it for 19K.
Had a 57 Chev in near original condition, paid 13K for it, put 3 K in it, sold it for 14K
Still have a 57 Chevy I have totally rodded up and so far have about 33K in it and am having difficulty selling it for 24K.
I also have a 36 street rod with about 24K in it and no intention of selling it.

If you think there is such a thing as a "solid investment" in old cars, you are in for a surprise. Best advice I ever got, (which I failed to follow), is buy an old car you like that is completely done, drive it, enjoy it, and sell it for whatever you can get for it when you get tired of it. Take your loss and mark it up to buying a toy that you got tired of.

Other than that, I did enjoy getting the T-Bird restored (sorta) and enjoyed driving it. Wish I had kept that one an sold the Chevy before I put so much money into it.

Oh, and .......... old car parts are NOT cheap.

Good luck.
btw, I like the Chevy over the Ford. Step-side rawks.

[BudSooner]

I dunno, as much as I love mid 60's Chevy's....the unibody is ultra cool and is super popular among enthusiasts these days.
What sort of running gear are you considering for the Ford? Perhaps a donor from a mid to late 90's Mustang complete with transmission?
5.4/4.6 liter? That would be cool, there is a guy on another site who used the 5.4 and added some knockoff 427 "cammer" valve covers.....the psuedo Ford Hemi.

Or, on the other hand.....doing something weird with the Chevy would be awesome, perhaps a hair dryed small block linked to a 700R4 with an external overdrive.
Best of both worlds, great horsepower and mpg that wouldn't be too shabby for a 42yr old truck.

Screw it, get a small block Ford, add a Paxton supercharger and enjoy. :D

[Tulsa_Fireman]

Go with the Chevy.

And be sure to install this.

http://blog.omnux.com/wp-content/uploads/2006/10/92_1.JPG

[bluedogok]

The Unibody Ford has a bit more collector value even as a Street Rod modification. Neither have tremendous collector value compared to what you see on Barrett-Jackson, but I think you stand a little better chance of getting your money out of the uni....if you ever decided to sell it.

[Boarder]

You see lots of '62-72 but not that many '61. I'm not totally sure but doesn't the '61 have the torsion bar front suspension? That's a real pain when redoing the front. For me personally it's no contest, the Chevy. Engine/Trans options are endless, easy, and readily available.

I'm not a Ford fan so that does play into my opinion. And, the uniqueness of the '61 front end makes it cool.

IF I were going to have a Ford, that one is kind of neat.

[olevetonahill]

Boarder
The Only prob with the Old Ford front ends
Ya just had to use a comealong
To pull the arm back enoughe to replace the Bushings !

[Frozen Sooner]

That's nothing a good subluxation adjustment won't fix.

[Boarder]

I meant the Chevy fronts in that year. My buddy had a '62 and had the hardest time ever finding bushings, ball joints, etc for the front end. He just drove it around clunking forever.

[olevetonahill]

I meant the Chevy fronts in that year. My buddy had a '62 and had the hardest time ever finding bushings, ball joints, etc for the front end. He just drove it around clunking forever.
Do we Got a Trade ?
When Ya want that engine Installed ?:cool:
Bro I can get the Old stuff
If I dont have it ,;)

[Sooner_Havok]

Really don't want to start a new thread, you guys can if you want but:

Boyd Coddington, Hot Rod King, Dead At Age 63 (http://jalopnik.com/361391/boyd-coddington-hot-rod-king-dead-at-age-63)

[Sooner_Havok]

Huh. I really thought there would be some hod rod people out there bummed about this.

[TheBobbyTrain]

It shocked me. I'm a car guy and loved American Hot Rod. He really did make some beautiful cars.