Brenda Lee — the boat that gave me years of great memories, good friends, and unforgettable days on the Gulf of Mexico.
Hi, this is Joe or Joey depending on how long you may have known me. It started earlier this year, when I made a decision I knew was eventually coming. After many years of offshore fishing, it was time to let our boat, Brenda Lee, go. I had spent many days on the Gulf of Mexico with family and friends, bringing home some great catches and making even better memories. But as the years went by, I had to admit that running offshore was becoming increasingly more difficult to handle physically.
Some of the best days weren’t measured by the number of fish we brought home, but by the adventures and the people who were there to share them.
But now it’s time to move on.
So it seems to be the right time to begin a project I have wanted to do for a long time. I am looking for a 30s or 40s era pickup truck to modernize and put back on the road. My favorite is the 1936 or 1937 Ford F100. I love those long flowing fenders and bug-eye headlights. But first I had to move Dads 1940 Ford out the door.
Dad’s first car was a green 1940 Ford just like this one. This isn’t the original car he owned, but it is the same make, model, and color. He and Mom spent many miles in that old Ford, driving the backroads of Central Texas.
I learned a lot about the true value of old vintage vehicles through the process of selling Dads 40 Ford. I had no real idea of what the value of the car might be. I think that Dad paid about $17,000 for it back in 2001. I went with him and Mom to pick it up from a gentleman in central Texas. There is an entry in my journal dated November 18, 2001 entitled “Trip to Bountiful,” describing that trip. When Dad purchased the car it was in an unrestored original condition except it had a nice paint job as you can tell from the photo. But the years since then had faded the paint and the interior was beginning to show some normal wear and tare.
Condition of the car when I sold it in 2026
However the car was in good running and driving condition. There was only some surface rust and the interior was in very good shape for an original vehicle. Certainly not concours but good. So I put it on Face Book for $22,500. I was thinking the car should be worth around $18,000. But you will quickly learn that most of these old cars are just not worth as much as you might think. So after doing some more in depth research it became evident that the value was more like $12,000 at the upper range. Of course there are vehicles in similar condition that command a much higher value by virtue of their rarity. A 1940 Ford however is not that rare. Henry made a bunch of them. So I put it on Face Book for $12,000. I immediately had offers of $8,000 and $10,000. At this point I had already put quite a bit of money and effort into keeping the car up. I had replaced the rubber on the running boards,( a big job), sent the entire fuel, ignition, and carb to a guy in New York for correct tuning, Replaced all of the glass, $5000 alone in glass and labor. My point is that you can spend a lot of money on these old cars and there is almost no way of ever getting it back. So I ended up selling the old Ford for $10,500. I may have been able to find someone who would give me $12,000 for it but it may have taken a long time.
Now I am looking for that truck project that has not been modified or rusted out. It is now amusing to me to see the ads that are asking $20,000 for a car in no better shape or often worse shape than my 1940 Ford. I am quickly learning what to look for to determine if a vehicle is a likely candidate for my purposes. My idea is to find a truck in approximately the same condition as the 1940 Ford. That way I can use the body as is. I plan to remove the body from the chasis, box and reinforce the frame, install a Mustang 2 front end, replace rear axel with Ford 9″ or equivalent, install modern engine with 5 speed manual transmission.
So the biggest problem to finding the right project vehicle is the fact that most people think their vehicle is worth much more than it really is. I know that was true with me and the 1940 Ford. But you have to be a little patient and look in all of the right places. So I started with the auction houses. Hagerty, Bring a Trailer, Ebay etc. I found this 1936 Dodge half ton pickup for auction on Hagerty which was just the style I was looking for. It ended up selling for more than twice what I was willing to pay for it. It was mostly original and had been restored over a 40 year period. I am quite sure that the seller got considerably less than what had been put into the repairs over the years. But even at that it was too high of a starting point for the kind of project I want to pursue. I need to start at about 8 to $10,000. Since I sold the 40 Ford for $10,000 in a real world setting, then I figure I should be able to find a good rust free body in that range. That way I can use the body as is and rebuild the drivetrain from scratch. That 36 Dodge sold for just north of $21,000. I’m sure it will be a good original truck for someone who doesn’t mind futzing with the old cranky technology of that era. That is no longer me. I appreciate electronic ignition, fuel injection, modern disc brakes, power steering, air conditioning, well you get the picture. So my quest is to come up with some good straight mostly rust free bones for the 8 to 10 thousand range. I think I just found something that would work nicely. It’s a 1947 Dodge pickup. But as usual, they are asking far more than it is worth.
