Been doing some metal work little by little. A couple of "after" shots below to go with the "before" shown above.
I've been on Craigslist and FB marketplace the last few days looking for a decent low buck truck. Hard to find. Most of the low priced stuff is eat up with tinworm and anything nice is beyond my budget. I finally ran across a 2003 Ford F150 XLT I picked up for $2500 that should work. It has a little rust but they covered most of it with wheel flares. Biggest issue is that the driver door is sprung from being whipped open in a 60mph wind. It folded all the way into the front fender and is now hard to close. The drivetrain (5.4L V8 / auto trans) is solid and the interior is nice. I can fix the damage for about $300 in parts. Already have a fender and hinges on the way.
Decided it was just too expensive to keep renting trucks to haul parts around the countryside. When the wagon is finished, I'll put the truck up for sale and maybe wind up ahead in the cost department. If I do, it will be a first, but hope springs eternal.
