What's it worth?

[Blue18]

The truck is a 1970 longbed that has many options supposedly it's all original and even ac works.its a 4 speed. Looks good has nice clear coat patina. Now here's the kicker it's been cut. He's asking 10k. But the cut makes me think it acually lost value at this point. Very interested in everyone's opinion.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by Blue18

The truck is a 1970 longbed that has many options supposedly it's all original and even ac works.its a 4 speed. Looks good has nice clear coat patina. Now here's the kicker it's been cut. He's asking 10k. But the cut makes me think it acually lost value at this point. Very interested in everyone's opinion.

As far as I'm concerned if it is done right it really doesn't affect value. Some people don't agree with this and that's fine. As long as it is welded by a competent professional welder it will be just as good as a factory SB frame. It also depends on the quality of work if the original bed was shortened and/or if the bed was replaced with a decent original short bed.

LockDoc

[Blue18]

As far as to who welded it..who knows. But the bed was cut and not replaced.
Thanks for moving this to the right forum

[Lanman1972]

I agree with Lockdoc, it is up to each individual as far as value. I would be more concerned with rust, power train and water leaks from window seals. I'm currently working on a '71 Cheyenne that I shortened, I left the original SPID in the glove box. All depends on your future plans.

[notsolo]

Looks strait can't speak of value, California truck, rust free cab, Have you seen it in person? Do you like it? How does it run and drive? What can you get that's better for the money?

[Boog]

Out in Cali I guess 10K might be reasonable for the truck in that condition. Back in our part of the country it would not.
I sure do like those aluminum slots and lettered BFGs on it.

[Southpaw69]

I saw that one a while back on Craigslist. I think it looks and sits great. If it's mechanically sound and rust free 10k might not be bad these days. You need to go check it out though, because California doesn't automatically mean rust free at all. When I saw the ad a while back I got the impression that they just lowered it, shined it up and put the new slots on. Definitely check it out thoroughly before you commit.

[Grumpy old man]

What makes it worth 10 K ? Is it all the shiny dents ? The cracked steering wheel ? The cheap seat cover ? The missing clutch pedal pad ? Or the slot wheels ? If you want a short bed buy a real one , Once they cut the frame it becomes just what the door logo says . Genuine Chevrolet Parts . That's my Grumpy old opinion .

[67_C-30]

The cold hard truth is that people shorten LWB's to make the value go up, not down.

There are some guys that a LWB fans and other guys are purists that disagree, but after driving, building, and watching the values of these trucks for over 20 years, I can tell you that cutting a LWB never hurts its value.

Now the argument can be made that a true SWB may have more value than a cut LWB, but its really not that much these days.

[ShortHaul]

This one has been kicking around Craigslist a looooooong time. 6 months or more. I recall it was listed for 12,500 back in January, when I was selling my 70 SWB. I had wondered too why it didn't sell, it has the "cool patina" look, and its lowered nicely with good rolling stock...

In California dollars, I'd say around 10k is still a bit high. Anywhere else its wayy over. But here in CA you might get away with it.

To assess "worth" I have to speak in terms of resale. If you like it and want to keep it forever then who cares what its worth... buy it! However most of us want to know we could re-coup or even increase our investment down the road when the time comes.

Couple things you have to take into account for resale value though.

1. "patina" or even "fake patina" in this case, is not everybody's cup of tea. Especially the clearcoat over patina look. May stay cool for a while, may fade out?
2. The door logo. Same as above, some probably dig it, for some its a definite no.
3. Cut down LWB. Now here's where I hesitate. In my experience a cut down Longbed can retain approximately the same value as a full long bed- In the case of THIS truck. I don't think that applies to highly optioned, 4x4, all original, or rare and well kept long beds.

However it is my experience that it will retain considerably less value than an original SWB. Even though the cut jobs are more and more common, and becoming more accepted, it's always something you have to disclose, and may turn a lot of buyers away. No matter how well the cut job was done, there's a percentage (I'd even say a majority) of buyers that would pass on a cut truck entirely.

While not as damaging as a salvage/rebuilt title, it's something you will always have to explain to a potential buyer. And like a salvage title, you can tell someone all day how it was "just a minor front end collision and insurance totaled it out" but they're still going to be skeptical. "It's a cut down longbed but the fabrication was done really well". Ok, how do you know? did you do it yourself? do you have pictures of the process? welds tested? etc. etc.

4. Manual trans. Not everyone's cup of tea. I love em, but I know it weeds out a few buyers.

All these factors will narrow your range of potential buyers. Which will make resale more challenging. However, at 10K (or less) I think you stand a fair chance of making your money back if you did hope to sell it down the road.

*All this is considering it runs well, drives well etc and isn't a total mess.*


My opinion would be pass on it. There's a million of them out there. And if a cut long bed is ok with you then score a deal on a clean LWB and cut it down yourself!

[Blue18]

After taking everything into consideration I'm beginning to understand it's more about personal preference. I think since I'm worried about poor welds on the frame I'm going to pass. I can find a shortbed from 4 to10 depending on condition.

[89AKurt]

IMHO.... my two dollars worth (cost of inflation).
FAKE short bed, FAKE protected patina. As Grumpy pointed out, I also see missing arm rest, rusty drip rail over windshield, generic seat upholstery.
I do love the shiny new slotted mags.

If enough people chop up Long Beds, then they will become more rare, and then more valuable. I like my real patina, zero maintenance, and I prolly paid too much for mine.