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Perfect Panel Patina: 1958 GMC Panel Truck

1958 GMC Panel

Talk about patina, this one has a panel truck full of it, literally. This 1958 GMC Panel Truck listed here on craigslist in San Miguel, New Mexico has weathered to the point of looking like a two-year art school student final project. For an asking price of $1,900, is it worth saving or is it past its prime?

Panel Patina

One would think that being in New Mexico would save a vehicle from the ravages of rust, and admittedly this truck would be in much worse condition if it was from the Midwest, but there will still be some welding and cutting to do on this project before it’s primped for Pebble Beach.

No Drivetrain

There is no drivetrain what so ever included here, not even a transfer case. So you’re free to add one of your choice; preferably something powerful enough to haul around this hefty vehicle in style, especially if you’ve loaded the back of it with shag carpeting, paneling, and red lights for those trips to the Drive-In. The owner does say that it has the “original frame”, but other than that, and a somewhat complete looking dash and steering wheel, there isn’t much else included with this truck – it’s a blank canvas. Oh yeah, a blank canvas without a title.

Barn Doors

If the title issue can be sorted out and the new owner has a spare drivetrain lying around, along with six months of time and a shop and tools and a lot of ambition, this might be a good one to nab up. Is the perfect panel patina enough reason to save this one, or is it past the point of preserving?

Comments

  1. Avatar G.P. Member

    Hundred Dollars and free shipping?

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  2. Avatar Chebby

    Chico, don’t be discouraged…..

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  3. Avatar AMC STEVE

    Could be a cool truck

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  4. Avatar Ed P

    For this price, the seller better get the title issue cleared up. Otherwise, I like the panel truck, but nothing comes with it. No motor, no transmission, no this, no that. No Thanks.

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  5. Avatar JW

    As much as I love old panel trucks I would have to leave this one to the younger guys who have more time on the planet than me. It’s no more than a shell that still needs work and no title, now if you have a 70’s GM donor chassis and drivetrain laying around it would speed things up but not for his asking price. He’s just looking for some cash to get some yard art removed from his property IMO.

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  6. Avatar andrew marshall

    never mind the 58 whats the one in the pic that he is keeping I bet the 58 is finiancing it.

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  7. Avatar Tyler

    “Patina” is a nice way to put it.

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  8. HoA Howard A Member

    Well, it sure is “full of it”. whatever “it” is. Patina is one thing, but that term has become the standard saying for rusty hulks, of which this is. This looks like one step up from the “yard shed” out back. Not to say, a ’58 Jimmy panel isn’t rare, it is, very rare, in fact, as these generally had a rough life. I think it would be better to ditch the 4 wheel drive, and just have a clean ’58 GMC panel truck. This however, is going to take a lot of work, and I realize, you have to start somewhere. Just not sure this is it. I’d probably pass on this.

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  9. Avatar Mark P

    The body looks solid, maybe find a Yukon or Suburban chassis to put it on.

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  10. Avatar Robert White

    Without a clear title and all paperwork in order the truck is worth nothing whatsoever because no individual will entertain the thought of buying it.
    Moreover, if someone really wants a 58 Panel truck all they need do is wait for one with a clear title and straightforward paperwork. Lawyers fees to clear the title, and get the paperwork, are costly, and prohibitively expensive to bother with when all is said and done. Picking old vehicles up is difficult enough IMHO Without a clear title the whole thing makes no sense.

    Bob

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    • Avatar Jason Houston

      You succinctly summed it all up in one sentence!

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      • Avatar Tyler

        Unless one lives in a state that doesn’t require a title on old vehicles, like Vermont!

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    • Avatar Dave Wright

      Titles are not difficult to obtain in most states. In California, it costs a couple of hundred dollars paid to a Lein sale service. Most other states have similar programs.so…….leave all the lost title vehicles to the rest of us…………..less competition for anyone that knows what they are doing.

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  11. Avatar geomechs Member

    The sad part is that this hardly meets parts truck standards. The original front end wasn’t worth showing so someone stuck on a set of fenders off a ’58 Chevy, which are mostly the same anyways. Instruments are definitely GMC. Where I can be forever optimistic, this one is parts only.

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  12. Avatar Roadstir

    Is it past its prime? Seriously? Uh yes. It is way past its prime (and its primer)

    KC

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  13. Avatar Jim

    She’s a beauty, it’s worth 250, that’s what the complete front ends sell for. It’s not even a good parts truck, there’s only the nose and maybe doors, rockers have long since succumbed to tin worm and every body panel needs work. That’s the good, now even with a receipt, you’ve got to do a lot of homework and the cheapest papers to be had(that I know of) is from GA or Ala and with the right documents and about $6-800 you can get a tag to transfer in your state. I think he’s digging for gold at $1900, good luck.

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  14. Avatar tut

    I’d piss off the bowtie crowd, and put it on Ford running gear!

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    • Avatar geomechs

      Hi tut. That would definitely get the bowtie’s ire raised. It’s interesting that for years, it’s been (almost) acceptable to drop a Chevy in a Ford but it’s a major crime to reverse the roles.

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      • Avatar Jim

        You hit the nail on the head, put a 350 into anything and it’s ok, put a nice 351w into anything but a Ford product people would question you’d sanity. I miss seeing the older generation of hot rods, Caddy, Oldsmobile, flatheads of every background(mostly Ford), Lincoln , Mercury, even Hudson and Packard engines showed up in anything. Guys made them fit and run and they were cool! Showed a lot of ingenuity. Building a car out of the Summit catalog doesn’t impress me. I know, I’m showing my age. It’s ok, I’m still twenty in my heart.

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  15. Avatar Jim

    There’s quite a few Cummins diesels in Ford and GM trucks and I’ve seen Jeeps with every conceivable swap why not? The 7.3 and newer Ford diesels are too wide to fit without some surgery, but the gas engines will fit! Go for it.

    Like 0
  16. Avatar Dustin

    After a thorough restoration, this truck would look good as a plumber’s/electrician’s truck.

    Like 0

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