Here is a reprint from my Chevy Corner column in Truckin' Magazine from 1995, it pretty much calls True today almost 30 years later. I wrote for Truckin’ magazine for 18 years.
HUNTING FOR A '55 - '59 THAT WORKS OUT FINE
If you are in the market for a clean 1955 through 1959 pickup to restore, you may feel like you've been looking for a needle in a haystack.
There is and always will be the high dollar clean trucks of all years and conditions. But if you're looking for a clean starter truck, here are some guidelines that might help you out.
First, is the truck complete? Small parts are usually no problem, although it's a good idea to go through a pickups parts catalog and see how much the missing parts add up to in cost. This could be the very reason that the seller is not finishing his project.
The first place I look for problems is underneath the floormat. If there is more than just surface rust on the floorboards, then I say pass! Check out right above the front windshield. No rust - keep looking. Only if the rest of the truck is perfect (I mean perfect) would I consider restoring a truck that needs a new cab. The reason? Good cabs are hard to find. Also, many times it's hard to make all your parts fit the way you would like them to fit when you use a new cab. Even though '55-59 cabs are for the most part interchangeable, the difference in factory assembly plants as well as years can make the cab tolerances intolerable!
The cab door hinge area is also a bad place to try to fix rust or damage. Stay away from trucks with this symptom. If at all possible. Doors and fenders can be replaced without much pain. Just remember the cost.
Any accessories like front bumper guards, radios, radio antenna, heater, rear bumper, mirrors, etc. that are on the truck that you would purchase during the restoration would be a real plus. Besides being expensive, they can also be hard to find.
Dents on the top of the bed, top of the fenders and the rear of the cab are very normal. Only a handful of original trucks that I've ever seen had clean bedsides, rear fenders and straight rear cabs.
A rule of thumb is that anything that is bolted on to a truck is easy to replace. All it takes is money.
The other day I saw a pretty clean cameo that had a very badly rusted frame that was not only unrestorable but also unsafe. It's very unusual to find a truck that looks OK on the top but the frame is badly rusted. Don't be fooled, look everywhere: behind the seat, under the seat, under the bed, under the cab, under the fenders and under the windshield inner-rubber lip.
Some things that usually aren't a problem are bed wood, bed strips, rubber parts, lenses or lights.
If you have any questions about a truck that you would like to buy or restore, feel free to drop me a line sethhpp@yahoo.com. Happy Hunting!
Seth Doulton
Quality Classic Parts
805.896.1548
sethhpp@yahoo.com