I have owned my 70 chevelle for 11 years now and never had it on the road, to many other things along with marriage and kid thats gotten in the way. I had a guy call me out of the blue today and wanted to come look at it cause he was interested in buying it. I went ahead and said sure come look at it. He never asked a price or anything. It is a 70 Malibu numbers matching 350/ 4speed car with buckets and console. It had a 12 bolt in it originally but i wasnt able to buy it when i bought the car. When i bought it the previous owner had a nasty big block in it and it ripped the frame in half. He had begun to turn the car into a pro/street car and had located another frame and was about to begin cutting when i got it. The car now has a different running 355/automatic in it.( I have the numbers matching motor and 4speed for it). It needs body bushings (which i have), the intereior needs put back in it, just seats and carpet, console and shifter, the gas tank needs hooked up as well as some wiring under the hood. The interior except headliner looks like brand new. The body looks really good from 100 ft. Its had rear lower quarters put on it. It needs a couple small places, fixed in the floor and the trunck floor is not the greatest but very much usuable. I dont want to turn this into a forsale post,(so please dont rip on me for that), just wanting some opinions, wether you think i should keep it and get it going or go ahead and part with it and put that money towards one thats all drivable and ready to go. I had in mind somewhere in the $6000 range with the original drivetran and maybe an additional $500-$750 with the drivetrain thats in it now. Dont make fun of the messy garage and dirty car...lol.

http://www.chevelles.com/showroom/chevelless502/chevy12.jpg

Thanks
Andy

Dont make fun of the messy garage

Hey that Barbie PowerWheels jeep looks mint! Sorry... :)

I paid $3,500. for my SS in running condition, a 396, 12 bolt with 4:11 gears and posi, good frame and the body/interior was probably in better shape than yours. Yes it was a few years ago but I don't think project cars have gone up that much.

Sell all the crap in the garage,once its gone and you can get too the car. Fix it and drive it.

Sorry I couldnt help myself :)

It all depends on wether you want to fix it or not. There is nothing more enjoyable than, IMO, than restoring the car yourself. If I were you I would keep it, but thats me. It is also nice to have something you can work on while driving it, so it's kinda what you have the time/money and you want to do it.

If its sitting there rotting away its time to lose it...

I disagree with redrum. Project cars HAVE gone up in value. I still wouldn't sell it unless you need the money for more important things. It'll cost you more later to replace it.

Personally I'd keep it, too.

I paid $3000 for mine in Jan---ran perfect when I got it, the only thing it needs is what I want to do to it. Better engine, tranny, etc...I do see some cars that are selling high, though..

Ill give you $20 for the BFgoodrich banner. Ive been on kind of a shopping spree after going to Jeff's house.

I've never heard of a big block ripping the frame in half in one of these cars. Could you explain this in more detail please?

Clean out the garage then throw a cover over it and don't worry about it . When I was thinking about selling my Camaro when it was a basket case my brother said "if you sell it you'll never be able to afford another one like it" and he was right. Good Luck.

Keep it, and fix it up. You got a great car there, just work at it. I wouldn't sell it unless it was really neccesary.

Fix it up, one thing at a time, like I've been doing since 1998. I've gone through a job change and a major cut in pay, but I'm still picking away at it.

I've never heard of a big block ripping the frame in half in one of these cars. Could you explain this in more detail please?

The frame was weak on it from rust just ahead of the rear tires. He was out on a black top road and did a burn out getting the tires really hot. He then launched it and it hooked and when it did it ripped the frame where it was weak.

Andy

is this one of those projects that got pulled in and never touched? I dragged home a 70 frame and shell, basically firewall back in Feb of this year, since then I installed a 454 turbo 400 3 different dashes in 1 month, 12 bolt rear, 2 different front clips, 72 then a 70, carpet, doorpanels, rims and tires, wiring harness, 2 gas tanks 3 steering columns, doors, and actually drove it in May, the point is all you have to do is go out and do 1 thing to it every night, be it a bolt or hooking up a wire, installing a interior part, take 11 years and multiply that by 365 you could have replaced every piece on the car 1 day at a time, I don't think I would get rid of it, if you haven't worked on the car in 11 years, you probably won't go out and buy a car after selling this one because the kids braces, or new counter top for the kitchen or something else will come up, at least this thing is paid for and you just need some motivation, Jim

When I was in high school there were several really cool cars around town that were just sitting, including a 1965 Buick Grand Sport (well, my buddy told me it was a Grand Sport, maybe it wasn't. That was 20 years ago.... It was a darn cool car though) near my house. I asked them repeatedly if I could buy it, and each time they got testier. I suspect they had a lot of people trying to buy it - it was sitting in the driveway on a major street. They absolutely would not sell it (we're gonna fix it up for the grandson of the original owner!) The rust holes got larger and larger, and the mice were chewing up the interior. Finally, the city towed it away as a nuisance. Well, they went and got it back, and put it back in the driveway. 8 years ago I went back for a visit, and it was gone. I went to my favorite junkyard from high school to see if they had any parts for my 69, and I found that car, by now too far gone to do anything with, sitting in the weeds.

If you're REALLY gonna fix it up, keep it. But if you're just fooling yourself into THINKING you are, sell it to someone who will put it on the road. I finally sold my 66 when I admitted to myself there was no way I was ever going to get to it (a 66 is better than a 69, but a convertible trumps everything! :-) )

Andy

You aren't that far away, why give up now? What you need is some inspiration. Here's a pic of my car, just last year:

http://memimage.cardomain.net/member_images/7/web/403000-403999/403065_13_full.jpg

It should be finished this summer. I have owned the car for almost 5 years.

Well the guys came an looked at it last night. All of you had some good point for me to think about it. I decided that if i was going to sell it i was going to ask plenty half hopping to scare them off but yet thinking if they wanted to pay the price, i would let it go. I priced it with original motor and tranny back in it other wise just how it sets for $7000, neither guy even batted and eye. When they left they may have said wow is this guy nuts or what, but the main guy doing the buying said several times how he really liked it and was really thinking bout it. Now after reading some of the posts here, it makes me rethink if i really want to let it go or not but then i am also looking at getting very good money out of it just the way it sets too. Makes it a tough call.

Andy

So when the frame let go did the body get twisted?