Posted by Chris Davis [172.68.141.13] on Monday, February 11, 2019 at 23:22:44 :
I've been away from the forum since I sold my WC51 about a decade ago. Work and garage constraints had me sidelined, but it looks like I'm going to jump back in with a B1-PW project.
The truck is partially disassembled, but all the major bits seem to be there, with minimal rust and nothing too scary in the body work area. Good bed and tailgate, good fenders, solid cab (with some roof dents to sort out). Original 230 engine has been removed, but is complete. Diagnosis is broken crankshaft, but I've not looked at it to confirm.
Seller is including a Cummins 4BTA engine with 5 speed overdrive already attached to it. (I believe it's a nv4500, but I need to confirm that.)
Understanding it will be my truck and I can do whatever I want with it... what's the best investment route? I'm putting more money into this than any of my previous restorations (I've stayed in the WWII era WC and MB/GPW world mostly, and the project trucks tend to cost less to acquire than the Power Wagon.)
Is a nicely restored truck with a good 4BT Cummins (OD Transmission, 4.89 gears, front disc brakes) worth more, less, or the same as a nicely restored stock truck? Might just depend on the buyer, but I know in the WWII jeep world, an engine swap would only detract from the value, no matter how much more functional it made the jeep.
Personally, I like the 4BT option, but I don't want to put all the time and engineering into it to end up devaluing what's going to be a significant investment for me.
What do you guys think? (And it's good to be back.)
Chris in Utah
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