The bed of my son's "new" 1974 truck is rusted through, and has damage
 to the sides and the front edges are crinkled and wadded up and can not
 be properly straitened.

 So, we decided that a replacement should be found. I have spent several
 hours on the internet searching for a used one. No Joy.

 A couple of days ago, March 10th, I went to the post office to mail a
 letter, but they were closed for another 20 minutes. So I just drove
 around the area, on back streets That I normally don't travel.

 On one back street, I spotted a back yard full of old trucks. When I
 passed the front of the house a guy was in the yard, so, I stopped and
 we talked a bit. turns out he owns the trucks.

  When I asked about it, he offered me the 1974 truck bed for $350.00. It
 has no rust and no dents. The tail light lenses are not broken, and the
 tailgate is strait and true.

 It is only about a mile from here. I told him I would get back to him
 soon.

 Sound like a good deal to y'all ?

 Nick

 Nick,
     You've seen it, verified its condition, it's what you need, it's close so you can go get it today and have it on your kids truck tomorrow...  I'd go for it.  $350 is not that bad for a complete bed in good order.  Who knows what you'd get off eBay...

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A you pull it yard sells truck boxes for 100.00 and the tailgate for 40.00 near
me.  My guess would be the guy would take less than his first offer - it's a great time to
let your kid do a little 'dealing'  with prices.  My guess would be 175 to 200.
Lets us know.

The bed of my son's "new" 1974 truck is rusted through, and has damage
to the sides and the front edges are crinkled and wadded up and can not
be properly straitened.

So, we decided that a replacement should be found. I have spent several
hours on the internet searching for a used one. No Joy.

A couple of days ago, March 10th, I went to the post office to mail a
letter, but they were closed for another 20 minutes. So I just drove
around the area, on back streets That I normally don't travel.

On one back street, I spotted a back yard full of old trucks. When I
passed the front of the house a guy was in the yard, so, I stopped and
we talked a bit. turns out he owns the trucks.

When I asked about it, he offered me the 1974 truck bed for $350.00. It
has no rust and no dents. The tail light lenses are not broken, and the
tailgate is strait and true.

It is only about a mile from here. I told him I would get back to him
soon.

Sound like a good deal to y'all ?

Nick

If you're in a rust belt area, absolutely.  10 years ago I saw good truck
beds in a rust prone area for about 700 each.  I'd think the scarcity-factor
of finding a rust free, straight, '74 model bed would be pretty high and
command even more than your guy is asking.

CJB