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Posted by Clint Dixon [74.206.62.94] on Monday, December 20, 2010 at 19:04:07 :
In Reply to: what to do? posted by Dave in Ohio [98.28.98.41] on Monday, December 20, 2010 at 13:14:33 :
I would wait. Unless you are in your 90's, time is probably on your side. Now that you have one truck, chances are that you will soon find another. When you do, you might find that the next one is a better candidate for modifying. The last thing you want is to rush into something and later wish you had taken a different route.
Wait at least a year before you change anything. Go to as many Power-Wagon rallies as you can next summer and look at what other people have done with their trucks. I bet you will get some new ideas. During that one year, go ahead and fix stuff that by doing so does not alter the value of the truck in a negative way. If you put on new brakes, that is never a bad thing. Even if you decide to go to fancy disc brakes later, you can always sell the new parts you install during the first year and most likely not loose any money on the parts. Parts are only going up in price. (Don't count your time. No one gets reimbursed for the time they spend on a project like a Power-Wagon). Slightly used, mostly new, parts are worth something to someone, even if it is in trade for that fuel injection you think you need next year.
I bought my first Power-Wagon in 1980. I did not have any spare money to put into it for the next several years, so I put off making those drastic changes to the truck that I was dreaming about. After about the fifth year of looking at it and thinking about what I wanted to do to it, I finally started working on it. Even at that, I look back now and wish I had left some things alone, not drilled those holes where I did, or thrown those bolts away just because I was changing a part and had the opportunity to use new hardware.
Originality may not be what you want after spending at least a year thinking about it. But when the time comes, remember this: once you destroy whatever originality remains, you can never go back. That might mean the difference between your heirs making a quick sale at a reasonable profit years from now as opposed to them sitting on a truck for years because it was built to what you wanted and not to what has any value to any other collectors.
I know a local guy who recently bought a 1958 W200 with low miles and original paint. It looks like it is only about a five year old truck. He has no interest in all of the rare equipment it has like the wheels, the PTO, and the Braden winch. He has already taken off the winch and is on his way to putting a Hemi engine and automatic transmission in it. I know guys here who would have given him twice what he paid for it just to assure that the truck stayed original. He will probably get tired of the truck a few months and a couple of rod and custom shows after he has it finished. I fully expect him to sell it to fund his next project. I wish him luck. He will never have something as valuable as what he started with. Some kid with a father with deep pockets will probably buy it and wrap it around a tree.
Something to think about.
Junior
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