I am considering purchasing this car and after having spent an hour or so on the phone with the owner and looked at a few photos, I am curious what you GURU's think this car is worth.

The only two things on this car that are not original are the wheels (wrong date code) and the carb (de-codes as being off of an automatic)

It is an original Red / black stripe, black vinyl top, bench seat, power steering, cowl hood. It has been stored for about 20 years and is in generally very solid condition. The lower quarters have only a small amount of rust behind the wheels which would require a patch panel, one of the trunk supports and a fairly small portion of the trunk would need to be repaired, all other typical rusty areas would appear to be quite solid and usable. Two build sheets, 100% numbers matching.
Here is the link to the ad. http://www.chevelles.com/classifieds/showproduct.php?product=26431&cat=22
Thanks! Dave

Look like a real nice car David, but I'm no Guru:D

IMHO I think thats a great deal,and I ain't no guru either.

Guy probably lives right around the corner from me, LOL. LOoks like a very nice car, def worth the coin if its all that its cracked up to be!

The decision you will have to make is whether or not the current condition will satisfy you. Most every one here will agree you cannot do just a few things. Every spot you work will make what is next to it look like crap. Then you will find no place to stop.

I am not being critical of this car or the price but an in between car like this can become a financial nightmare. Be honest with yourself as you make a decision.

John,
You are hitting on exactly the gut-check that I am having. I think this car deserves a high level resto. While I think $25K will do it reasonably well, I'm guessing it is a three year project with my time availability to work on it. I can envision myself working on every single piece of the car and reconditioning to new or replacing. When I think about the details of the amount of work and the number of parts, it is a little overwelming particularly when I've not done a resto before. I know that there is a lot that I don't know and that once I start, I must finish.

Thanks for your thoughts guys, keep 'em coming:)

Since it's not restored and the price is "reasonable", in my mind its actual condition would be a cause for concern to me. The original parts might all be there and pics look good but the amount of repair/restoration ($$$) needed may vary widely. I cannot emphasize the following enough: Have someone local look at it for you first to see if it's as advertised. If so then look at it yourself in person before committing to buy it or sending a deposit. I learned the hard way.

If it checks out..it looks like a decent car for the money..is the seller willing to work with you on the price within reason?
Also,if its a real clean car..might be more wise to drive it and enjoy it..and do a "pay as you go" mild resto/detailing...if you want "nicer" car than this one and you have the money...just buy the higher dollar/higher quality car..

any more pictures? Like the ones of the 1/4's and trunk? Under the hood?

David, it looks like a good driver as it is, based on the few pics shown.
Looks like it's worth the price.

You mentioned a high level resto.

Do you want a concourse show car or a driver?

What does the rest of the car look like?

The car is generally in very good condition for it's age. No serious rust / rotted metal to repair except those places that I mentioned. I have a pic of the trunk with the weather stripping removed and the channel that carries the seal is rust free with the exception of a few spots of minor surface rust. I also have a pic of the floor pan, it's solid. The normal places where you would expect to have rust repair issues are solid. This was originally a Penn. car and has been stored for about 20 years. The current owner thinks that it was parked in the winter back in the day.

I'm thinking a high quality resto because I know myself. I know that I would eventually want a car this original with docs to be reasonably close to looking like it just drove off of the show room floor. That being said, I would absolutely not leave it parked in the garage. I would enjoy loading up the wife and kids for a cruise to the ice cream shop or Saturday night cruise-in on the town square.

David,that is a very nice car as far as the money goes on a resto job if your are buying it to restore or not, buy it any way because its only a financial mess if you put money you don't have into it but, if you work and spend money as you go and when you can afford the extra $$ then it's not that much of a load.It's not like a new car when you have a payment every month and have to pay $$ wether you have it or not.Buy it you will regret it later if you don't.

The decision you will have to make is whether or not the current condition will satisfy you. Most every one here will agree you cannot do just a few things. Every spot you work will make what is next to it look like crap. Then you will find no place to stop.


Read that again very closely, you can spend $3000 easily on what could be considered a correct cosmetic engine detailing alone. And once you start, you can indeed find there is no turning back, and no place to stop.

There is no real way to assess the quality of that car from those photos, you'll have to inspect it yourself, or have someone inspect it for you. Are the Shock mounts rotted? Frame solid? Pan replacement? Shoddy Body work?

$50,000 easily is the going rate for a high caliber show car whether you do it yourself, or buy it complete.

Often times, $60K+ can be reached when you under estimate restoration costs. (which 90% of us do, including myself)

Many of us have been down this road before with Mild cosmetic restorations turning into $50K-$60K investments and being upside down on the specific cars current value.

As John Says, you have to determine what level of quality you'll be happy with.

If you're anal, or competitive on the show field and want a top notch car, buy one that's already done and somebody else has spent too much money on, but has to settle for what the market will bear.

I say this, wishing I'd take my own advice as I also just recently bought a $25K car and have it torn down to the bare body on frame.

On the other hand, sometimes it's the journey, and not the destination.

If you have the money to burn, restoration can be a daunting, hair pulling, overwhelming, yet a fantastic sense of accomplishment and pride when done.

I highly recommend it, but forewarn you it's not for everyone.

You mention a wife and kids, the time involved in a restoration can be overwhelming. You could easily be several years in it's completion depending on how far you go.

What's your time alone worth?

A lot to think about. It's an obsessive labor of love where cost and time are irrelivant.

A bonding of Man and Machine that few can truly understand.

Make sure you know what your getting into, because once you start, there's no turning back without a significant financial loss.

Looks like a very nice car and a good candidate for a restoration. No matter what we think, it is what you think. There are folks out there that will "look" a car over for a fee. If you can't do it, I suggest this. Avoid the horror stories, do your homework and you will be good to go. Again, that is a very nice looking car.

I say this, wishing I'd take my own advice as I also just recently bought a $25K car and have it torn down to the bare body on frame.

On the other hand, sometimes it's the journey, and not the destination.

If you have the money to burn, restoration can be a daunting, hair pulling, overwhelming, yet a fantastic sense of accomplishment and pride when done.

I highly recommend it, but forewarn you it's not for everyone.



You guys rock! You have obviously had first hand experience with the same decision that I am trying to make.

The part about the journey is spot-on. I have a nice insulated shop to work in, and would rather be working in it than sitting on my butt watching TV. So, when I think what the hell, I should just buy one that is already done and skip the risk of having too much money in a car, then I ask myself, "What am I going to do with my time"? I also know that I would get temendous amount of satisfaction from building my own special car. Even if it took three years...

I did the same thing your thinking of doing .What I did was enjoyed the cars as a survivior for a few years and than do a frame off resto.My car has all the parts and is very strait and would be a easy resto.If I was in the market I would be interested in it.I know It nice to buy a car already done but were is the fun in that.If you build a car from scratch you know what you got.

Dave,
We can all justify the need for cars like this in our little brains. You say I would be rather working in the garage. Hope you are a very ambitious person with a lot of extra time on your hands. There are alot of 1/2 done projects sitting in garages for years not completed because someone lost interest. It takes a special person to spend every extra minute in the garage. Once you start the trip, theres no turning back !!. Not trying to scare you, you just need to be honest with yourself with the full blown resto stuff. Maybe some of the other guys can chime in and tell you how many years it took them for a frame off job. If you can pull it together you will have a great car and many will be extremly jealous of it. Good Luck

I'm half way through mine (conplete frame off) and it's my first and enjoying every minute!.I take a week off now and then then i get back on it when i get the money to buy more parts,do it and don't look back it's worth every precious minute.

John,
You are hitting on exactly the gut-check that I am having. I think this car deserves a high level resto. While I think $25K will do it reasonably well, I'm guessing it is a three year project with my time availability to work on it. I can envision myself working on every single piece of the car and reconditioning to new or replacing. When I think about the details of the amount of work and the number of parts, it is a little overwelming particularly when I've not done a resto before. I know that there is a lot that I don't know and that once I start, I must finish.

Thanks for your thoughts guys, keep 'em coming:)

Hey Dave, here's my take on your expectations. I don't think unless you have every tool, skill and your own spray booth, you can do a full blown quality frame-off for 25K. I've spent between 25/30K doing frame ons and I can pretty much do everything myself besides bodywork and paint. As a couple of previous posters have advised, you need to know what you are looking for and will be happy with. If it's a top notch show quality car, in this day and age your better off buying one done. If it's a project you can get into and do most of the work yourself, make sure you have at least another 30/40/50K, that's disposable, because it goes fast. Just my .02 Good luck!!!:thumbsup:

I really appreciate everyones comments. I have an agreement on this car which inlcludes an inspection before I make a trip to pick it up and send any deposit $ (thanks Von, central IN). Spending 5k-10K more on a resto won't break the bank, I want to know that I built my car when it is done and know that it was done correctly with nothing hiding behind pretty paint.

I will post some pics once moved in to the shop.

Good luck on your car. Please keep all records as most of us would like to learn how to do a $5-10K resto.

Interesting responses. I spent more on a clone LS6 than this guy is asking for his original 396 car....BUT, after doing the math and seeing what parts cost, I think this guy who did all the work actually must have LOST money on the thing.

It's amazing how expensive it can get. I have done some things here and there and have probably spent $2500 in the past few weeks since I bought it. And here I am wanting to make the engine compartment look like an original now, right down to the hoses and clamps. This is on a clone, too. These guys are right. There is no end. But then again, that's where I derive my enjoyment. I would buy that car if it were me, but I'm not too constrained by a budget and I plan on keeping my car forever.

To each his own. Good luck!

RMX

Von's a good guy to have assess the car.

This is the reality of it, just so you know.

Assuming your extremely tenacious, and have an additional 25K-30K minimum to additionally spend on the car, your final result may be 3 years of hard labor to end up with a car that you have $15k-$20K more into it than it's worth.

That's assuming your workmanship and attention to correct detail is excellant, if not, maybe more.

That's the reality of it.

If your looking at investment, forget it. Now is the time to buy a done car. The market is fantastic to buy finished cars.

So if it's purley a labor of love, than go for it. It is for me.

Von will be able to lay out the reality of what the car needs for you pretty well.

Heed his advice.

I always look for cars with perfect bodies and frames as this is the foundation to an excellent car. If you have rust repair, which you already say you do, and can't do your own panel replacement, body work and paint, it's most often a loosing proposition.

Dave

Here is my 2 cents. I just bought a 1968 Chevelle Convert. 138 car. I am still evaluating the car. I don't have every tool, and my skill level is average and I don't own a spray booth, but I can paint and weld. It just paint and metal, if I mess I will cut it out and paint it over. You will need to decide, what do you want to have a show car or nice drive when you are complete. Additionally, I how much time you want to take to do it. When I bought my rusty 1968, I read a lot of post that said, I was better off buying one complete. I agree there is a lot of uncompleted projects, but don't let that stop you. My car needs a total restoration. I have a budget of 10K to work with. I will do as much as I can. I will have to contract out somethings, but if you take you time and resist the thought of what to drive the car right now! I think you will be please and proud of the results. If it done not work out, you sell it take, take your lose as a learning experience. My largest challenge is making the time to do the work. Also you expect to waste atleast 1 hours on a 2 hour, but it will be done right and to your satisfaction. I will give you an example. I got a bodyman who will restore my car. He will do the bodywork including paint for 10K. I will have to buy the parts and paint. However, he wants to overlap where I want him to butt weld. I am not say the overlap will not look as nice. However, I want the car to look as original as possible. I think your budget will have to be much higher. I think my 10K will be more like 25K before, I am done.

Good luck and the information on this site is great!!

Good luck on your car. Please keep all records as most of us would like to learn how to do a $5-10K resto.

My initial guess at resto cost is 25K. If I exceed that by 5-10K, it won't break the bank. I also expect to spend at least three years. For me, it is a labor of love. I just wouldn't have the same level of satisfaction buying a car that was already done.

Plus, coupled with the fact that if you take a perfect car, and start driving it, it quickly becomes a #2 car. If it were me, I'd buy something that needs some detailing, and drive the wheels off of it.
Will you do the body/paint yourself??

Will you do the body/paint yourself??

I have local source that will likely do the qtr panel and trunk repair. I will farm out the stripping and priming of the body, under carriage and frame. I have good sources for these things at good prices. I will do the block sanding myself and farm out the base/clear. I expect to be able to do most other things myself including rebuilding the engine and tranny.