1995 Nissan HB pickup. Should I?

[koda6966]

I've been looking for something cheap for the longest time to replace my Ranger. But now I realize I've always had something cheap sitting around.

It's my brothers 1995 Nissan HB pickup. It's got the 2400 engine and a 5speed. Only about 50,000 miles too. 4x4, tow hooks, and a pretty clean interior.

Here's the bad, it needs a new hood, fenders, doors, exhaust, and bed. The frame is welded. It needs new brake lines and brakes. It also needs another alternator.

I can get the parts to fix is as follows at the JY.
Fender. $30
Doors. $30 ea.
Bed. $100
Tailgate. $100
Alternator. $18

Not that bad of prices. I can go to the JY when they have sales and get the parts like the Fender and Doors on days they have them half off. For the bed I could just go with a wooden bed for a while. I only NEED one door. The other just has cosmetic issues with a fist sized rust hole.

I don't know if I should put the time and effort into fixing it. I know my father would just take it to drive to work and get it all dirty and nasty with quarry dirt in the interior. That, or he'd ask for the Ranger. I can't let that happen.

It would be nice to have a back up vehicle. And maybe I could convince him NOT to get it all dirty, although that would be hard to do.

I keep wondering what I'm going to do about college if my Ranger breaks down. I won't have the money to buy another vehicle and I can't miss alot of classes. The ranger's transmissions been sketchy since I bought it and the hole in the oil pan just seems to be getting worse unfortunately. I can't deal with significant down time. I need to get better spending habits. I just dropped 20 dollars of needed cash on a toolbox for the Ranger.

Pics.
Where it sits.

Engine bay.

Here's why I need a new bed. It's no longer attached. I thought the frame was broke but it's just the bed.

Fender, hood, and door damage.

Oh, and if your wondering what's on the roof it's a pair of bear heads. I'm letting mother nature (maggots) clean them for me.

 

[Ranger Sport Honduras]

tough decission .... i would rather make a list of the ranger stuf to repair and the nissan's, so u know how much u will really spent, the nissan engine looks good, but even those have their issues, and the ranger body wont give u that much of rust problems, if i were u i fix the ranger and stuff those bear heads in the dash i see u live in a forest kind of??

 

[mentalbreakdown00]

personally if a nissan fell in my lap i'd drive it, but wouldn't worry about the body work unless you have to. I do not like nissans operating stratagies and the fact with my bigger arms I damn near gotta pull the tire off to get the oil filter, and parts for them are expensive.

 

[ozziemo27]

Need or want those new parts? (alternator aside)

 

[koda6966]

Well, the fenders and hood and stuff I can get cheap at the local JY. We just haven't had time to go up and get them.

I'm going to fab up a wooden bed with a lip edge so we can put the cap on the truck, the bed is going to be a few inches shorter than normal so the cap lines up properly with the roof of the truck.

Since my father can't haul stone with his fullsize dodge, I think I'll fix it for him. It just kind of bothers me that the truck is going to go from a spotless interior, to a horrible stone dust covered one.