I bought my 1994 Chevy C1500 for $1500 about two years ago. It was a one-owner vehicle with 115,000 miles on it. It was not a very attractive truck to start with. The whole passenger’s side had a large dent along the bottom of the truck. The bed on the driver’s side had a large dent, not to mention small dents and door dings all over body, hood and tailgate. Although the interior of the truck was in great shape, with working power seats, power windows and cold A/C.

At first I had planned on using it as just a work truck, but as I started using it as a daily driver, I began to have more faith in the old truck. I gave the truck a complete tune-up to make sure it was reliable. My commute to work was a two-hour round trip, and the more I drove it the more I wanted to fix it up.

One day I couldn’t stand looking at the dents anymore and committed to restoring the truck. I started pulling dents, laying down fiberglass and body filler. Then I sanded….sanded….and sanded some more. I brought the truck to my dad’s house, and we made a makeshift paint booth out of his shop addition. I primed the entire truck, wet sanded and brought it back to dad’s to be painted. We painted it ourselves using a cheap spray gun, and it came out pretty sweet. I ordered new bumpers, grille, trim, body side molding, mirrors, headlights/tail lights, mud guards, new rims and tires.

Then I decided to fix the suspension, so I replaced all the shocks, rebuilt the entire front end and added a 4-inch spindle lift on front and a 3-inch lift on the back. My truck has come a long way from the old beat-up looking farm truck that it used to be. It’s nice to get compliments when going to the lumberyard or just running errands, and when I tell people I paid $1500 for it they can’t believe it!

Now I enjoy driving around town in it and my wife is no longer embarrassed to be seen in it, lol. It just goes to show you, if you’re dedicated and spend some time, you can make any vehicle feel like new again. The best thing is the truck is paid for. I do not have a monthly note. Thanks, Dad, for the help, and to my wife and kids for helping me through the project.