Posted by Paul (in NY) [173.245.52.82] on Wednesday, February 06, 2019 at 12:03:47 :
In Reply to: Re: 1962 Dodge WM300 Power Wagon $24,500 [CA] posted by Jerry in Idaho [162.158.106.117] on Wednesday, February 06, 2019 at 00:39:30 :
We will see more of this in the future, as the demand for restorable PW continues and the supply of restorable PW’s decrease.
I have commented about this in the past. From 1968 to 2000, 32 years, my hobby was collection and restoration of Pre War Chris Craft runabouts. In 2000, burned out in boating, I sold my fleet of 10 Chris’s. From when I got into Chris Crafts and up thru the 70’s-early 80’s restorable Chris Crafts were almost given away. Dirt cheap, you want it, get it out of here.
I remember a for sale ad in Antique Boating, back in the 70’s, for (2) 1929 raised deck 24 foot Chris’s in restorable condition for $500 for both. Now days for the same boats, you into the high 5 figure money each, unrestored.
With the collectors and regular people loving the look and ride of a Mahogany Runabout, supply of
decent restorable boats dried up. Then the Gray Boats were sought after. Gray Boat…Ah,
Gray Boat= Hulk that has been sitting outside, varnish and stain is long gone..old gray wood, lots of rot, probably missing most if not all the hardware, chrome, windshield frames and engine. Many bought/still buy them to totally take apart and use as pattern pieces for new construction. If you have the Data Plate (model and VIN), put it one the new replica and its called restoration. Now days prices on Gray Boats, Chris, Gar, Hacker are crazy. Try pricing out a large trailer load of 5 quarter Philippine or Honduras Mahogany, you will have a stroke. Run those planks thru a planner to get the dimension
lumber you need for restoration and watch your huge money end up as dust and chips off the planner
end on the floor. Try pricing thousands of screws….yes thousands. Try buying hardware, chrome, windshield frames. Another stroke.
This is where Power Wagons are heading now an long into the future. Fifty years from now Gray
Power Wagon will still be bought for restoration at crazy prices, and worse.
As Larry Potterfield at MidwayUSA says “ And Thats The Way It Is”
Paul