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A friend of mine just picked up this '83 SR5. He polished out the paint and looks pretty good. Question: Keep the original paint and the accompanied patina or do
a full re-paint?
It really depends on how many compliments you want to get on it. The paint scheme is spectacular, but patina means dilapidated in person and up close. High quality modern paint in that classic style will turn heads for a solid decade.
The guy who purchased the above truck has restored about four of these trucks in the past few years. Usually the trucks he buys are in pretty rough condition but rust free(ish). He tears them down and rebuilds everything mechanical, does his own paint and body work and even his own headliners and upholstery. When the blue/white came up for sale, the price he paid for it was way higher than he usually pays, but the truck was in such good shape he decided it would be worth it. I think he is going to fix the bare areas where there is no paint but leave the rest alone. The truck has chrome gutter mouldings which I have never seen "in the wild" but have seen in photos. It also has a "duraliner" bed liner and had a topper/shell from 1983 so the bed has never seen water at least from the inside. The previous owner had it for 39 years.
Here are some photos of his work on a previous truck.
$700 non runner tear it down build it up show it off
Well, yeah, if the final goal is a return on investment then just get after restoring it. The rest of us, mostly, just have the one truck that we drive and use every day. So the rust and patina and Texas sun-tans are au naturale.
If the plan is to tear them down, spend an arm and a leg finding every little factory fresh bolt and piece of plastic, and then send it along to the highest bidder...
Thanks for showing us these awesome trucks though! It's always good to see what could be when the wallet is flush.
The guy does all of his own work except for the engine rebuilding. Disassembly, cleaning, sanding, painting and reassembly, a "One man show" in his garage.
Apr 5, 2022 | 05:01 AM
