i was pondering the idea, my truck cost me about 20,000ish, now if 3 or 4 years when im ready to buy a new on (or i hit the lotto) not really including time, is it cheeper to rebuild the truck or buy a new one. i was just looking at 302 blocks and what not, and i like my truck, i like they body style and everything, just wondering if it was cost effective, thinking if you bought everything new or really well rebuilt.
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rebuild vs buying new
- Thread starter 4x4fun
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Well, my 302 with all the machining, port and polish, aluminum heads, mustang intake system, Power steering pump, injectors,etc. cost me $6,500 or so in work and parts.
Now you can buy virtually the same thing from summit racing for $5,500 with a warrenty. I wish I had gone that route, but you learn from your mistakes.
And on buying a new one.... Now drivetrain wise, you save a bunch of money if you replaced everything with brandnew components, it may cost $9,000-$10,000 or more.
But it doesn't include a renewed warranty, fresh, rustless sheet metal, new rubber mounts, brakelines, better stereo, stress cracks, endless things that wear out over time.
I've always wanted to buy an early 70's ford truck for $1,000 and put $25,000 worth of work into it. So it'll be brand new, better than factory, but less the modern technology.
It could be done, I guess. But you would have to think and plan long and hard before you would go through with it.
Now you can buy virtually the same thing from summit racing for $5,500 with a warrenty. I wish I had gone that route, but you learn from your mistakes.
And on buying a new one.... Now drivetrain wise, you save a bunch of money if you replaced everything with brandnew components, it may cost $9,000-$10,000 or more.
But it doesn't include a renewed warranty, fresh, rustless sheet metal, new rubber mounts, brakelines, better stereo, stress cracks, endless things that wear out over time.
I've always wanted to buy an early 70's ford truck for $1,000 and put $25,000 worth of work into it. So it'll be brand new, better than factory, but less the modern technology.
It could be done, I guess. But you would have to think and plan long and hard before you would go through with it.
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my '97 will be going through a somewhat similar thing.
Tear down to the frame and basically a restoration, only 4wd instead of 2wd. Fix all the sheet metal, an unheard of amount of bedliner (since I'm in Michigan), and maybe a few handy mods here and there, but nothing major. It's amazingly rust free as it is. Worse case scenario, it'll end up being the same cost as a new truck, but covered in protective bedliner and also with the little details added that I feel the truck should have had at the factory, or that would make things that much more convenient for me.
I'm happy with the truck exactly the way it is except for just a few things, and I still can't get those on a new truck, so it's up to me to get them
You could do some seriously sick mods for $20,000 worth of parts.
Tear down to the frame and basically a restoration, only 4wd instead of 2wd. Fix all the sheet metal, an unheard of amount of bedliner (since I'm in Michigan), and maybe a few handy mods here and there, but nothing major. It's amazingly rust free as it is. Worse case scenario, it'll end up being the same cost as a new truck, but covered in protective bedliner and also with the little details added that I feel the truck should have had at the factory, or that would make things that much more convenient for me.
I'm happy with the truck exactly the way it is except for just a few things, and I still can't get those on a new truck, so it's up to me to get them
You could do some seriously sick mods for $20,000 worth of parts.
I'm happy with the truck exactly the way it is except for just a few things, and I still can't get those on a new truck, so it's up to me to get them
You could do some seriously sick mods for $20,000 worth of parts.
thats kinda what i was thinking, since we normally mod our ttucks any way, wiht bumpers and what not, buy the time i am ready to buy a new one the only thing that woundlt have been replaced by then is the drive line. and i dont think ford will ever make a 302 4 door ranger but i want one, soo the 4.0l 4 door is 25ooo ish lets say 11,000 into a new motor tranny combo, even on a bad day could there really be 14000 bucks of bad rubber bushing and seals and what not.
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A well maintainted 6 or 7 year old truck shouldn't need rebuilt... tinker on it as you want to but you shouldn't HAVE to do much to it.
Keep in mind if something happens to it or you decide to sell your creation for other reasons you will be losing a lot of money.
Keep in mind if something happens to it or you decide to sell your creation for other reasons you will be losing a lot of money.
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