Antique trucks

are part of our history...

 

 

 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

An antique truck may be very
expensive... or not!

What is an antique truck? Is it different from an old truck? Or a vintage truck? What about a classic truck? 

To most people there is no difference between old, antique and vintage. The three words mean the same thing, more or less. In the realm of automobiles though, there are important differences.

An antique would be a vehicle that is at least 50 years old. Vintage has a close connection with the wine industry but the word is broader than that. It actually refers to something made in a particular year. We would call vintage any car made during the 1920's. For instance we may say that the Ford Model T is a vintage car.

There are many ways of looking at the word vintage. Some people consider vintage cars the vehicles made between 1919 and 1930. But there are those who put the end of the vintage period at the beginning of World War II.

The word classic may be even more complicated to define. Not all old cars can be considered classics. A classic vehicle is one that has class, excellence and great style. This Ford Model A pickup is a classic, it established itself in a class and is recognized as a classic truck. All cars and trucks made between 1930 and 1940 are considered classics. Ford Model A Pickup

The word antique refers to anything that is old or vintage. An antiquity may be a piece of furniture made 100 or 200 hundred years ago. An antique car or truck would not be as old as that, of course. It would be a vehicle made before the 1950's.

Whichever way you look at these words they take you in one direction: an antique or a vintage truck is an old truck.

A 200 year old piece of furniture is very expensive. The condition of the piece doesn't matter much, as long as it is sound and complete. You can restore an old piece of furniture and make it look beautiful again.

The same thins happens with an antique truck. The condition of the vehicle doesn't matter much as long as it is complete. If the engine is missing, or the transmission or the doors, the price drops considerably. Why? Because it will be very difficult to find an original engine, or transmission or doors for an antique car or truck.

To a lot of people an antique truck has to look as it did when it was made. In other words, it has to be in its original condition, not necessarily new but original in the sense that is has not been modified in any way. It doesn't matter if it is not running or if it is rusty and ugly. All the mechanical parts and the body and the upholstery and the glass can be repaired, restored and brought back to life.

This Woody Ford Model A Station Wagon is a classic example of an antique car. It has been restored to its original condition and it looks like it just came out of the showroom.  A car like this is worth tens of thousands of dollars mostly because it probably cost tens of thousands of dollar to restore it. You may be able to find an automobile like this for much less but you will have to

 Model A Woody

spend a lot of money to make it look like this. Parts are no problem for this model and the parts may not be too expensive. Manpower, though is another story.

A good restorer will make sure the entire vehicle is renewed. If a part is damaged and can be repaired it will be repaired and not replaced. If the part has to be replaced and can't be found maybe it can be fabricated in the shop. And your antique truck will look great but the cost will be great too.

Is it worth it to spend a lot of money restoring an antique truck? Let me put it this way: is it worth to spend over $2 on a cup of coffee? To a lot of people it is. Others would brew their own coffee at home and enjoy it as much.

As it happens with almost anything there are old trucks and old trucks. Some are worth every penny you spend on them. Others may be in such bad shape that it would be better to let them just rust away or take them apart and use their pieces somewhere else. Fortunately most antique trucks for sale today are in good shape and deserve to be treated with great care.