Appreciate all the insight as usual folks.

the deal we've struck leaves me with a nice out should the local mechanic see anything that concerns him - as we all know its hard to tell from pictures.

The deposit I gave the current owner is less than what a weekend and 16 hour round trip drive w/ a rented trailer would have cost me - plus its clear that I still don't know what I'm looking at so I'd need a local expert anyway. At least this way I don't have to take off work or lose a weekend.

Bertha - curious where you see patches on the frame so I can learn what to look for. Again, pictures arn't great, but it looked better to me than many I've seen in person recently.

At the end of the day, if Sean feels good about the frame and engine then I have to decide what I think about the rest of the criticisms here. The deal was for a price I felt good about so it may stand.

I've looked at trucks that are supposedly in good mechanical shape and running well but that need a body overhaul - even for the difference in cash, I had to ask myself I were up to the job. Without a garage and spraying tools, I decide that a good paint job was worth something to me - so long as its not masking serious issues (again, something I decided I was willing to pay a professional to help me diagnose).

anyway...guess I'll see what pans out