I bought a 71 Malibu 307 2 door with factory AC. The car is complete and everything works (even the AM radio).

It needs a set of fenders, rear floor pan, and a little work under the rear window and behind rar tires (very easy).

The problem is the frame. Someone has welded a plate on the passengers side bottom behind the front tire as the frame was getting weak. It did not break. They did a very professional job. It only goes from the bottom of the arch to the cross member. The patch is only on the bottom and outside. The rest of the frame is good.

The car runs great, the interior is perfect and it supposedly only has 14K miles on although I can't prove it. By looking at the interior condition I would believe it to be true. Plus the fact everything is still there including the boas spare and bumper jack.

I am estimating I would have $6000 in it all restored to original.

Is it worth it? Does the frame patch totally ruin the value of the car? I realize it certainly detracts some. It is a NY car.

Any opinions would be appreciated. I can probably get my money back out of it now as I have not touched it at all.

Thanks.

>Is it worth it?

yes

Originally posted by kngslb:

I am estimating I would have $6000 in it all restored to original.

Is it worth it? Thanks. I will have about 15K in my MALIBU and thats with me doing ALL the labor. yes I would say its worth it. would you get your money back when you decide to sell? probably not.on a side note, not sure how experienced you are in estimating cost to restore, but usually when you decide on an amount....double it and your close. I first estimated 9K in the coupe (including cost of car) and have put 6k more than that into it.

If the frame repair is the one I think it is, it is somewhat common. Some of the frames on these cars develop metal fatigue cracks around the control arm attach points, and this is a common fix. If possible, post some pictures so it can be confirmed.

You come on a Chevelle site and ask if a Chevelle is worth saving? Were Chevelle nuts here and all Chevelles are worth saving. Unfortunately, a lot of them you probably would be crazy for saving, cost wise that is.
Sounds like you have an excellent candiate to work with and I wouldn't worry about it if it was done right.
Have fun dreaming, acquiring, building, and driving it any way you want.

You have to define one thing:
Is this an investment? or
Is this a hobby?

If this is a financial investment, you will lose $. It costs much more to restore than you will estimate.
If it's a hobby, you will obtain knowledge and understanding. You will also obtain a sense of accomplishment like no other.
Good luck!

Thanks for all of the input. I was looking to keep the car for a long time. If I needed to sell it I was hoping to get some money back out of it.
I didn't want to sink a bunch of money and time into a car that wasn't worth anything when I got done. Primarily I am looking at it as a hobby.


Just to clarify, the frame is pathced between the cross member underneath the floor board to the bottom of the arch behind the fron tire. It is about a 8" piece welded on the bottom and outside of frame. The job looks very good and the passenger door opens and closes as good as my 2003 Silverado. I don't notice any sagging in the front either. Structurally I think it will last forever providing I rustproof the rest of the frame to prevent any futher rot.