Just joined the forum. Have been lurking for a few weeks. Great stuff! Hopefully I will have something to contribute soon...
Which brings me to my dilemma. I have owned quite a few project vehicles over the years. Last spring I bought a 1980 C10 4.7 long bed for $400 and brought it back to life to use as a shop truck for a cabin project. When the cabin was done I was able to flip it for $2400. I really didn't have much in it and nothing that I didn't do myself. It was a great work truck and i absolutely loved it. As a project it had run its course and it was time to move it on. Now that spring is in the air and I'd like something to work on I discovered the first gen blazer and am sold but I don't want someone else's resto dream. I want a solid K5 that I can drive and work on and something that won't just burn money on (don't ask about the X5 I just had rebuilt only to have it still be undriveable). I need something I can work on myself. The C10 was great for that but I'd really like more seats. Thought about a suburban 67-72 but like the open sky. So I've been pounding Craigslist for a few weeks and seen some decent $4-8k 1st gens. Then I went to a local car show and found the one guy with a blazer. It was pretty nice but while I'm talking to the guy he tells me he's got a '71 4x4 that runs but has been camo painted and been sitting for a few years with the top off. This guy is a wheeler dealer so I could trade a few things I've got lying around and drive away for very little $$$. Now it has been sitting with no top in the elements so I'm almost certain it will have tons of rust problems. I know it wouldn't be a resto candidate or at least I understand that going in. My question is, do I buy it to snag my first K5 locally and bring it back and potentially flip it as a rat rod if it is a rust bucket but runs and then use the experience and cash to buy a more solid K5? What would you do? I hate to pass a deal especially locally for low buy-in but I also don't have enough K5 experience to guide my expectations of just how bad a '71 K5 in the Southeast USA could rust out with the top off. Thoughts?
Which brings me to my dilemma. I have owned quite a few project vehicles over the years. Last spring I bought a 1980 C10 4.7 long bed for $400 and brought it back to life to use as a shop truck for a cabin project. When the cabin was done I was able to flip it for $2400. I really didn't have much in it and nothing that I didn't do myself. It was a great work truck and i absolutely loved it. As a project it had run its course and it was time to move it on. Now that spring is in the air and I'd like something to work on I discovered the first gen blazer and am sold but I don't want someone else's resto dream. I want a solid K5 that I can drive and work on and something that won't just burn money on (don't ask about the X5 I just had rebuilt only to have it still be undriveable). I need something I can work on myself. The C10 was great for that but I'd really like more seats. Thought about a suburban 67-72 but like the open sky. So I've been pounding Craigslist for a few weeks and seen some decent $4-8k 1st gens. Then I went to a local car show and found the one guy with a blazer. It was pretty nice but while I'm talking to the guy he tells me he's got a '71 4x4 that runs but has been camo painted and been sitting for a few years with the top off. This guy is a wheeler dealer so I could trade a few things I've got lying around and drive away for very little $$$. Now it has been sitting with no top in the elements so I'm almost certain it will have tons of rust problems. I know it wouldn't be a resto candidate or at least I understand that going in. My question is, do I buy it to snag my first K5 locally and bring it back and potentially flip it as a rat rod if it is a rust bucket but runs and then use the experience and cash to buy a more solid K5? What would you do? I hate to pass a deal especially locally for low buy-in but I also don't have enough K5 experience to guide my expectations of just how bad a '71 K5 in the Southeast USA could rust out with the top off. Thoughts?
