I got the truck home and spent the better part of a couple days cleaning and tinkering before I came to the unfortunate conclusion it was just too far gone ..check that...it was officially "Too Rusty to Save".
The body is completely missing. Most of the cab is rotted away. The motor is seized and I broke three head bolts trying to open it up. Both axles are wrong. The frame has been repaired in a couple spots and needs help in a couple more.
I would like a truck project but this is not the one to start with. It is just way too rough to be even a remotely practical starting point.
It is indeed a sad moment when you switch from "How can I at least get this old champ running again" to "How fast can I gut the parts from the carcass so I can sell everything off"...but that's where I'm at. Parting it out was the go-to "Plan B" safety net when I bought it anyways so I'm OK with that, but it's still not a fun decision.
I have most of easy stuff pulled off and tonight removed the non-original bucket seats which I have determined began life in a 1967 Pontiac GTO. I should be able to recover all of my purchase price with the sale of the seats alone. Along with the truck came two pick-up truck loads of spare parts so overall it was a good haul.
If anyone needs any trinkets for a '57 Willys Truck project (or a '67 GTO�
) you know where to find me.
