Project Cars--You Get to Vote on "Hold 'em or Fold 'em"

fintail

"Classic"

benjaminh

This one is in better shape. They are pretty rare, but are they really worth that much? Probably so...

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1957-Cadillac-Eldorado-Brougham-On-Air-Mint-NO-RE- SERVE_W0QQitemZ160033796932QQihZ006QQcategoryZ6147QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

andre1969

with most homeowner's associations, but I think that '47 Caddy almost has an artistic look to it, sitting out in the field like that. Probably best not to disturb it, because you'd probably make a groundhog and a couple squirrels homeless, and possibly irritate a colony or two of wasps!

If that '87 Cutlass Supreme had the 307 V-8 I wouldn't mind having it if I needed a car. I always wondered why Olds held onto that 4-door RWD Cutlass for so long? I doubt if they sold more than 40-50,000 of them that last year. Pontiac ditched the Bonneville after '86, while Buick ditched the 4-door Regal after '84 and Chevy the Malibu after '83. The Cutlass sedan did sell well for a couple years though, and maybe by 1986-87, they had amortized everything to the point that there was a lot of profit in them?

One of my friends, who now has an '04 Crown Vic, used to have an '82 Cutlass sedan in white that looked almost like that one. It had a blue interior though. Also had an Olds 260 V-8. I think it had about 160,000 miles on it when he traded it on a used '95 Grand Marquis. Then, within a year, he saw it dead and abandoned along the road!

fintail

Lots of money, but the car looks excellent and those Broughams are beautiful cars. They are worth a lot, how much, I don't know.

benjaminh

Orange with "ghost flames." At $48k. Reserve not met:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1961-Cadillac-Custom-Coupe-DeVille-Amazing-Must-S- ee_W0QQitemZ230031917920QQihZ013QQcategoryZ6152QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

andre1969

the '61-62 Cadillac style. I wonder how much it would cost to put that one back to original specs?

fintail

Probably about 4x what it is worth. I hate those trendy custom steering wheels, too. Another customizer who doesn't understand he needs to multiply costs by .3 to get a real market price. And labor might not be able to be included.

A good original shouldn't be terribly hard to find, and should be a lot cheaper.

xwesx

I like that green '79. I think because it reminds me of my dad's '79 F150 (seats, dash) I find it utterly pointless to own a usable car and drive it less than 500 miles a year. :sick:

xwesx

A reserve price?! Why? Does he want to cushion another tree's fall at some point? Get rid of it and take the buyer to dinner to say thanks!

fintail

Realistically, they are all parts cars

Not cheap, but looks nice

stevedebi

"This one is in better shape. They are pretty rare, but are they really worth that much? Probably so... "

Reading the details, the owners have installed non-original equipment in the car. Wouldn't it be more valuable exactly as it was delivered? It seems a bit pricey for non-stock.

lilengineerboy

So I am thinking about trying to find an E36 M3 for a daily driver/project car. Edmunds prices are wayyyy different from asking prices though. It looks like trade in on a E36 M3/4 ('97-97 4 door) stick runs about $10, and the ads (from privates) are more like $15, and retail more like 18k. Of course some of those ads have been sitting there a while.
I'm not expecting to get rich off it obviously, just having some fun getting to work and back. Any suggestions?

fintail

I checked my local CL...a few 95-97 2 doors for 13K ish, nothing less.

Maybe play Russian roulette and find a car with a less than perfect title?

fintail

Make it a beater race car like on Top Gear

benjaminh

421 HO engine, 4 on the floor manual trans, and even a tach. I had no idea such a thing even existed:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1966-Pontiac-Bonneville-421HO-4-spd_W0QQitemZ2900- 31612734QQihZ019QQcategoryZ6417QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Mr_Shiftright

Yep, the "WJ" engine code-- 421 cid, 3X2 carbs and manual transmission, rated at 376HP with 10.75:1 compression.

andre1969

I think that engine might have been a bit more common in the Catalina 2+2, but I think you could get it across the board with full-sized cars.

BTW, why did they call the thing a 2+2? Normally "2+2" means that it's really a 2-seater with a token back seat, but in something big like this I'd expect it to mean bucket seats, both front and rear. I think they still just had a bench seat in the back, didn't they?

Mr_Shiftright

American automakers basically screwed up the historical nomenclature and confused everybody forever regarding body types.

I guess technically if you had two MOLDED rear seats that would count as a 2 + 2. It's supposed to me 4 passengers, a coupe, and a high speed touring car rather than sports car per se.

fintail

I suppose this could have some kind of use

"HOT ROD"

Drift?

andre1969

I kinda like that LTD police car. Ford offered those things to the public in limited doses as well. In 1984-85 it was called the LTD LX, and had the 302 and some blackout trim.

I think the 302 was hopped up just a bit from the regular 302 that went in the T-bird and Crown Vic. Instead of 140 hp I want to say it had 165. So it was nowhere near as powerful as the Mustang 302 or the Mark VII LSC 302, but in something lightweight like the LTD, I think it was good for 0-60 in about 9 seconds. Just for comparison, my 1985 Consumer Guide tested an LTD with the 120 hp 3.8 V-6, and 0-60 was a tame 11.9 seconds.

I'll have to dig out my copcar book and see if they have a test of the copcar LTD. The copcar tests that the Michigan State police do almost always come up a few seconds slower than what MT or C&D would pull off, because the MSP just puts two fat cops in the car and has them take off normal. Now manual shifting, power-braking, etc.

qbrozen

i wonder what kind of condition its in.
http://newjersey.craigslist.org/car/212900219.html

a bit too soon for me. My wife recently mentioned that if I complete work on the Alfa, we can talk about another project car.

bumpy

Believe it or not, there is a minor trend of taking late-80s manual Cressidas and outfitting them as luxo-drifters.

fintail

I kind of like that idea, in a bizarre way. I wonder if a manual MB sedan could be made into one...

Seems cheap, but there could be surprises lurking

jlflemmons

In addition to the rust problems, many of the V8 models suffered from metal fatigue in the front suspension supports. That pull to the right the seller mentions may not be brakes! :surprise:

bumpy

I wonder if a manual MB sedan could be made into one...

Maybe, but everything larger than an old C-class is too heavy to be a good drift machine, plus you'd have to find a manual Benz first. A supercharger on a Cosworth 190E 2.5 is probably as close as one could get.

Mr_Shiftright

I'd prefer to call a shabby Sunbeam Alpine a "rhinestone in the rough".

Fix up an MGB and be happy is my advice.

boomchek

Hi guys, I'm back on Edmunds and its good to see familiar names still around.
Went to work at a different dealer, then came back; my dad had leukemia, which he beat for now, and I got engaged to my sweetie (which I met when she bought a car from me). Plus...
My parents picked up a 1977 Mercedes Benz 300D, with 77k miles, one old lady owner, very good shape for a couple grand. What a tank!

qbrozen

but the sunbeam is so much purdier.

Mr_Shiftright

well let's just call that a matter of opinion The public has spoken on this matter, and they said: "We'll give you 50% of the price of an MGB for an Alpine".

fintail

I was thinking, find a manual 190 and drop a M103 inline 6 (like out of a 300E) in it, it's a very easy conversion. Or maybe even use an early 300E and do a manual conversion...I can't imagine it being much heavier than a Cressida. A Mercedes drift car...hmmm

fintail

Welcome back

What color is that tank? Sounds good...

These have depreciated into oblivion, I've seen several in this price range

Survivor, future lowrider

qbrozen

I'm not sure why. MGBs seem to be a dime a dozen.
Is there anything different in a Tiger besides the drivetrain? Would a Tiger clone still be worth less than an MGB?

Mr_Shiftright

Oh a Tiger is not the same as an Alpine...I mean, it IS the same car basically but a "genuine" one will command a much higher price. The original Tigers have modifications to squeeze the engine in there but basically is the same car. It sounds like it would be fun to drive but unless you really work it over with your own modifications, it's not very much fun to spend a lot of time in one. The driver is cramped pretty badly, and you steer the car with the gas pedal, as the chassis is way overpowered. Also, engine heat is formidable. But many of these shortcomings are fixable.

You'll find that most Tigers are modified.

A Tiger clone would be priced somewhere in between an Alpine and a real Tiger I would think. So a Tiger clone and a well done MGB would be about the same. It rather depends on how well thought out the conversion is. I've seen them done well and badly...sometimes people just hammer the firewall back with a sledgehammer (nice).

The MGB has plenty of room for the driver and doesn't blast engine heat at you, so it's more pleasant in there.

There's no way to tell a real Tiger from a fake with the VIN.

lilengineerboy

You could get a 300E with a 5 speed in '86. Might be a needle in the haystack though.

fintail

I bet a manual US spec 300E is really rare. I think the unit out of a 190E will mate up pretty easily too. Of course, those are also very uncommon in manual form. Maybe just contact some Euro junkyards and ship some over.

Hmmm has to be useful for something

benjaminh

fintail--you're right about those Lincoln Mark VIIIs--they seem to have no resale value. Probably pretty good cars, even if they are souped up tbirds.

These were impressive cars (I wonder how high this one will go):

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1956-Lincoln-Continental-Mark-ll_W0QQitemZ2800328- 86724QQihZ018QQcategoryZ6305QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

benjaminh

Pretty rare:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Comes-with-many-spare-parts_W0QQitemZ170033625922- QQihZ007QQcategoryZ6305QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

benjaminh

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/69-Mark-III-Garaged-Mint-Condition_W0QQitemZ16003- - 3583472QQihZ006QQcategoryZ6305QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

xwesx

Um.... okay, so where does the turtle come in? Is that a comparision photo?! :P

benjaminh

Good photos:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1975-LINCOLN-MARK-IV-CONTINENTAL-86K-ORIGINAL-MIL- ES_W0QQitemZ220031440550QQihZ012QQcategoryZ6305QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

benjaminh

Is that 56 really a Mark II? Was Mark I the pre WW2 Model? I'm confused...

Depending on how high the bidding goes, this Mark VIII with 10k mi might be a good deal. A daily driver with some looks and performance. Original list must have been over 30k.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110037807222&fromM- akeTrack=true

british_rover

Yeah there have been plenty of cressidas converted in to basicly four door supras by dropping the drivetrain of the turbo supra into them.

Just strip as much of the weight as possible out of the cressida.

fintail

The turtle is faster if the car is a diesel

Ooh that 75 Mark has the same gauges as a new Navigator. Nice.

Yeah, a 56 is a Mark II, the Mark I was the 40-48 model.

kapbot

The '75 reminds me too much of the '77 Mercury Monarch that I "inherited" from an aunt. Just about the same color and instrument panel. Those gauges look almost the same in the Monarch and the '79 Ford F150 my Dad owned. Minus the plood, of course.
I really like the older & newer versions though.
If I had more money than I knew what to do with, the '66 Bonneville would be mine in a heartbeat if it is what it seems to be.

fintail

I don't know about it being a "piece of automotive history", but I suppose it could be practical

hahahahahahaha

qbrozen

thanks for the info.

I guess I'll stick with my longtime dream of building a kit Cobra.

(Here's some philosiphizin' for ya ... is a Cobra still a Cobra without a big v8? If not a Cobra, then just what would it be? Maybe I could call it a Cornsnake or something else less intimidating.)

fintail

Audible cowl shake I am sure

Mr_Shiftright

Kit Cobras are great. It's the only kit that makes sense because basically that's all that Shelby did in the first place---took an AC body and used off the shelf Ford parts.

Well, the original AC Ace, upon which the Cobra is copied, had a big 6 cylinder in there, and I've driven one of them----very nice car. And by no means would it be a bad idea to build a Cobra with a big inline six (I'd suggest a BMW). You'd have a modern Austin Healey. I'd suggest mating it to a 5 speed of course. You could call it a Cobrette I suppose, or a Cobrina. Nice idea. I really don't like the sounds of belching V8s in small sports cars--it's like a baby with a baritone voice. Too weird.

eBAY -- I see the Fall Glut of mint Lincoln Continental from dead guys in Florida and Palm Desert is upon us once again. The sellers are stretching into the $12,000 market but I'm still seeing $8,500 tops on these bids---but we'll see, the market is always changing. I could see $12,500 for a nice 60s Toronado but for a wheezy floaty-boaty baroque mid 70s Conti--NAH.

qbrozen

Actually, my thought has always been to put a Toyota 3 liter I6 in there. Maybe even with the twin turbo.

Heck, with that engine, you could make it even more unweildy than one with a big-block V8.

british_rover

I was thinking the same thing. A 1,000 horsepower is very doable out of that engine. Get a 2JZ-GTE and do the single turbo conversion and you can get wicked horsepower. Probably too much for any vehicle you plan to drive on the street though.

400 bhp would be a nice round number to have and shouldn't cost too much money..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2JZ-GTE#2JZ-GTE