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

qbrozen

a running and reliable 528 for $500? I'd have a tough time swallowing that. Was the body completely rotted off?

british_rover

Wasn't the e model the low reving engine model?

qbrozen

yes.

but I haven't seen one priced like that, regardless. I posted a couple here a couple of months back, I believe.

lilengineerboy

Yeah, the e was for eta, it was the economy model. Pretty much dead nuts reliable but eh, not so quick. In college one of my friends had a green one, we called it the Love Turtle.

british_rover

Might have been one of those, "well it isn't running so I will sell it for 500 dollars."

Then of course it turns out the reason it isn't running is because of something stupid like a bad ignition coil or something.

fintail

When I was a kid, my dad bought a "non running" 1960 Ford with that exact problem.

I take it the race-winning Corolla was one of those RWD drifter models?

lilengineerboy

That would be the AE86, preferably the Corolla GTS twin cam version, but unless something very bad happened, that would be well over $500.
The older Corollas, like the earlier 70s and 80s versions were RWD as well.

Mr_Shiftright

These cars were all very rough...all banged up... old BMWs with a few serious dents are easily $500 cars where I live...this car was bought from a donation charity. Greasey old engine, spray painted doors, no interior, trunk lock missing, a few good dents.

You see cars like this all the time on craigslist. They are "track-ready" except for roll bar, window screens, 4 point lap belts and fire extinguisher (which are permitted under the rules and don't count toward the $500). Of course, you'd want to tighten up hoses and make sure you had decent tires (tires also don't count).

The way the track is set up the cars can't go much more than maybe 50 mph anyway, so an automatic would be great for this type of race.

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/pen/car/217885005.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/car/217859782.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/217818807.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/car/217719485.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/217811029.html

And some BMWs for under $500:

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/nby/car/217168267.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/car/216769657.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/sby/car/216530176.html

http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/car/216425683.html

Mr_Shiftright

You can watch a short video clip (sound is rather loud). The screeching you here are the street tires.

It was pretty wild as you can see. I was not inclined to drive at this point in the race as the car offered me didn't have a very good roll bar setup or window netting.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb_Wo1YU6n0

Next year 100 cars!

fintail

Very cool, there's the fintail, dodging all the carnage. It's either an oddball W111 220b, or a W110 car like a 230 or a 200. Small taillights.

What would you have driven in the race?

gsemike

Here in NY, Craig's is the place to find your high mileage car!!
Completely stock with a holley carb? I don't think that carb would be factory, but it looks like a nice car and a nice house

Very nice looking Saab This looks really nice for 4 grand but with those miles, look out

Much less nice for the same money but probably alot less of a headache

Pimpin isn't a good investment too bad that it looks like some nice work went in to this

If you had the engine without the car this body looks good for $500

The hood for $250 is good

3500 dollar car with 7 grand in recent work I'm surprised this car would need this much work by 100k, but it looks decent for the money if it's now running well

How much money can we take off for sidepipes??

Mustangs aren't good investments either This one is offered by an eloquent seller

british_rover

That video is good. I wonder how hard it would be to organize something like that on the east coast some where.

My first thought is that I would love to do it at Lime Rock as I know some of the instructors over there, one of them is even a client and owns a couple of rovers, but they don't turn motors over on sundays and I think that track would be a little too fast for junker action.

Hmhhh gonna have to look into this.

qbrozen

wow. you weren't kidding. I wasn't thinking these were cars that you had to trailer to the event. That right there is where I'd lose out. I'd need to drive the car there. Which means it needs to be street-legal, too.

I like the sound of that 528i for $250.

lilengineerboy

Grassroots Motorsports does a $2006 challenge (last year it was $2005, and before that it was $2004, you get the idea). That isn't quite as low buck and the cars come out being works of art because labor isn't counted in that total.
There is also something called the BABE rally, which as far as I can tell is buying some old POS and taking it on this road trip where you aren't allowed to carry spares.
In the snow belt, there is a beater rally of sorts as the nice cars hibernate for winter there is a competition for the best beater.

Mr_Shiftright

I could have driven a beater Toyota coupe but it was pretty slow and I really didn't like the roll bar installation--no tie-in to the front of the car at all. You know, the 25 year olds on the track are immortal but we somewhat older geezers sort of care about having our faces re-arranged. In many ways the event was very lucky, and dodged a few bullets.

That's right, keeping the speed down with the proper track configuration made all the difference between fun and tragedy.

There's also a debate as to whether race tires should be allowed or not. Those cars with race tires did so much better.

qbrozen

does it matter, though? I mean, the idea is longevity, right? not speed. so, ideally, wouldn't runflats be the way to go?

w9cw

We also had a 1960 Ford with an inline 6 when I was in high school. Believe it or not, the iginition coil was a BIG problem with those engines at the time. Replacement was often, and almost universal.

Mr_Shiftright

Well with race tires you got around corners a lot faster, so you could accrue more laps more easily.

I think it's a credit to modern cars though that 23 of them survived this punishment. I don't think 23 cars from the 40s--60s would have been able to do that.

andre1969

I had to go to the junkyard today, because late last night someone ripped off the left front tire from my Intrepid in a parking garage in Annapolis. And damn if they didn't take EVERYTHING, hubcap and lug nuts too, so the spare was useless! :mad:

Well, this morning I went to one of the local junkyards, which specializes in Mopars, and luckily found an Intrepid that still had one rim with an inflated tire on it. Well, two cars down was this 1982 Mirada CONVERTIBLE! At first I thought it was just one of those CMX models with the fake convertible top, but then I noticed that this one didn't have rear quarter windows. I went over to look at it. It was midnight blue with kind of an off-white leather interior. The interior was pretty trashy, but the body looked surprisingly solid. No rust or bodywork that I could tell. The top looked good, too. Only bad thing I could see on the outside was one flat tire and the plastic rear quarter extensions were smashed. It had a 318 and had "good engine" and "good transmission" written on the windshield. Oh, and the gas tank had been ripped off and was sitting in the trunk, something I think the environmental dept makes them do.

I'm kinda tempted to call them back and ask them how much they'd want for the whole car. I'm surprised that it was in there in the first place, as solid as it looked, and with a good drivetrain. But, I guess if it's in the junkyard, it's in there for a reason, right?

Just outta curiosity, what would something like this go for if it was in nice shape? I know an '82 Mirada's not high on the collectors' lists, although they do have a bit of a cult following in the Mopar crowd. But would a convertible conversion be worth much?

I did drive a car like this back in 1993 that I saw for sale at a lot. I remember the body shake was horrible, but man did it look good with the top down! They're open until 5 today. I'm tempted to call them up and see if they'd sell the whole thing. Somebody talk me out of it.

xwesx

So, looking at this site that discusses the 4 years of the Mirada, it makes no mention of a factory option convertible. Interesting to find out how much the yard wants for it, but you'd have to be willing to commit to the fixing!

Strange story about the Intrepid. That just goes to show that everything has value to somebody!

fintail

Buy it and park it out behind your garage to save it from the crusher. You know you want to...

gsemike

It's worth about as much as the LeBaron convertibles of the early 90s. Don't bother.

Unloved new... unloved old.

Mr_Shiftright

It would be worth the price of an old used Mirada, that is virtually worthless I'm afraid.

Nobody cared then, nobody cares now.

Maybe all fixed up $1,200??

gsemike

You pull 57 Chevies out of junkyards, not Dodge Miradas

andre1969

You pull 57 Chevies out of junkyards, not Dodge Miradas

Yeah, but any '57 Chevy worth pulling out of the junkyard has probably been pulled by now. Besides, a '57 Chevy really doesn't do anything for me. Sickeningly enough, a Dodge Mirada does! :P

I know I'd be better off just finding one that's in good shape to begin with. I see Miradas and 2nd gen Cordobas occasionally in pretty good shape at Carlisle, and usually they're not asking ridiculous prices.

Still, with this one being a convertible, I thought it was kinda intriguing. Kind of a sad fate for a car that someone probably spent an extra $10K or more when it was new to get it converted, and here it is, sitting in the junkyard. But then, I guess that's the ultimate fate of most cars, no matter how much they cost when new.

I wonder how many of these things were made into convertibles? I've only see two in my lifetime that I can recollect. Both of 'em were "Nightwatch", a midnight blue, so at first I thought maybe this one could've been the same one I drove years ago. But then I remembered the other one had a midnight blue interior and little slits in the sides of the convertible top, in a vain attempt to improve visibility.

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah but people loved '57 Chevys the moment they saw one. With a Mirada, there is nothing of merit worth preserving. You might as well restore an old shovel...in fact, a nicelyh restored old shovel might bring MORE $$.

Of course it's your money, but if you are expecting anyone to encourage you or pay attention to your vehicle, you can forget it.

There is sunken treasure and then there is just old junk.

qbrozen

is there a time limit, too?

I mean, race tires have short lives, correct? Unless there is a time limit, I'm looking for longevity, not the best grip.

Mr_Shiftright

I didn't notice much tire failure, probably because the speed weren't high and because it wasn't particularly hot on the track that day. Also the cars quit after 12 hours and rest for the next day's 12 hours.

fintail

Why bother?

Mr_Shiftright

aye, aye aye......

kapbot

Andre, just thought I'd let you know you aren't the only nut out there. I used to own an '80 Cordoba with a built 360. By built, I mean the thing would barely idle, the cam was so lumpy!
Anyway, the car surrounding the engine was junk, but I tried in vain to find a good Mirada donor. I think that a ragtop version would have made a really handsome auto.
I bought 2 Cordoba's from a work friend. He was attempting a pro-street conversion, and only got as far as the motor before his wife pulled the plug for him. Of course, the downside was the 2.25 sure grip rear! Absolutely no bottom end, but you could drop it into low at almost any legal highway speed and take off like no-ones business.
I know that the Mirada you found would ultimately just be a waste of your money, but I definitely can understand where you are coming from. Even considering what a piece of crap the Cordoba was, it remains absolutely the funnest car I have ever owned.

andre1969

About two years ago, I found a 1980 Cordoba LS that was for sale locally. It looked pretty good in the pictures. It was a dark red with a white vinyl interior, bucket seats and a floor shift. Originally it was just a slant six car, but this one had a built-up 318 from a 1975 Dart, and a Torqueflite 727 and a 3:23 Suregrip 8 3/4 rear from a '68-70 Charger.

Unfortunately, in person it didn't look nearly so good. The body was rusting in the rear quarters in that part where they tuck under and are almost parallel to the ground. Oddly, it seems like Chrysler was the only manufacturer I can think of that made cars like that. The '74-78 C-bodies had that same tuck-under, as did the '79-81 R-body and the 1980-83 J. Oldsmobiles had something kind of similar, with those skegs or whatever you'd call them which were a nice place for mud to accumulate, and facilitate the rusting process.

This Cordoba was also rusting underneath, especially a bracket that ran underneath the car, connecting the two rear quarters. It also looked like it had gotten to the rear subframe, and the bumper was held together mostly by the chrome plating.

To its credit the car sounded wonderful when he started it up. It had no brakes though...although he did say he'd deliver it to my house for free!

I do still want one of these cars one day, but looking back I'm glad I didn't get this one. If I had, I know it would've been a money pit if I really wanted to get it looking nice. Plus, less than a year later I found a 1976 Grand LeMans coupe that I fell in love with and bought, which was in a lot better shape than the Cordoba was! If I had bought that Cordoba, chances are I wouldn't have bought the LeMans.

I'm tempted to go back to the junkyard though and check this '82 Mirada convertible a bit more closely, and make sure it isn't all rusted out underneath. These cars aren't all that common anymore (or when new) to begin with, and it's really rare to find a junked one with this much good sheetmetal on it.

If nothing else, I'll post it in the Mopar Mailing List I'm a member of and see if anyone there would be interested. There are a couple guys in there with '80-83 J-bodies.

I always thought it was a bit odd that the Cordoba/Mirada were so bad in the rust and fit/finish department, while the Diplomat/LeBaron platform they were based on were actually pretty solid for that time. I guess it's just a sign of the cash-strapped time in which they were introduced, 1980. When the Diplomat/LeBaron were launched in mid-1977, Chrysler probably had a bit more money to put the effort into them. That was also about the time that they got similar Aspen/Volare more or less right.

qbrozen

that's sweeeeettt...

i'm sure the SoCo bottle in the back seat is a real conversation piece with the po-po.

andre1969

I'd take the car for a dollar! I need a drink

michaellno

Questions:

1) why is he taking the pictures at night?

2) why is he taking pictures at what looks to be a self storage facility?

At least he didn't furnish the interior with pink fur...

qbrozen

repainted a few years ago??? Its certainly different ... I'm not sure I like this particular fin design.

andre1969

Its certainly different ... I'm not sure I like this particular fin design.

Yeah, the fins do start a little too far forward on these cars, IMO. I don't care for this particular two-toning attempt; I think it draws TOO much attention to the fins. These cars don't look too bad in a monotone color, or with just a roof contrast (a total roof contrast, not the insert that this thing has)

Also, this car should have a 361 Wedge standard if it's a Newport, not a 318.

fintail

Unusual body for this car

andre1969

I always thought it was kinda interesting that Olds and Buick, and Mercury, offered 2-door sedans for as long as they did. Once hardtops came out, the 2-door sedan was considered mainly a low-line car. DeSoto and Chrysler stopped making them after 1954. And IIRC, the Dodge Custom 880 didn't offer a 2-door sedan either.

What year did Old and Buick finally quit making big 2-door sedans? Was 1964 the last? I know I've seen Catalina 2-door sedans up through at least 1968, but Buick/Olds may have dropped them earlier. At least, until those padded landau styles started making the scene in the 70's.

fintail

I think 1964 might have been the last, as they were the last of the older bodies before those all-new 65 cars. Two door sedan does indeed have a lowline image. I think they kept the midsize ones through the end of the 60s though.

qbrozen

whaddya think, fintail. isn't that terribly cheap if its really in the condition they claim?

fintail

I don't buy the mileage claim...likely 72K or 107K...but the car looks pretty decent. Priced about right, if it is genuinely nice and isn't rusty or hasn't had rust repaired poorly. Sedans just aren't worth the big money.

Mr_Shiftright

Kinda cheap for a "restored" car.

Also is that an electric clutch I see? What was that called---Hydrak?

That's not good.

It smells on the face of it, but could be a great buy if it were really restored and was a standard clutch car with no rust or running issues.

Should sell for about $9,500.

fintail

Yeah, Hydraks are a pain unless they are sorted out and the operator knows how to use them (AFAIK, be sure not to use the gas (be sure to lift the accelerator) while shifting).

Might be a renovated car, but that chrome certainly doesn't look restored.

qbrozen

yer right. that bumper is far from "fully restored"

andre1969

that bumper looks like it was "fully restored" with Rustoleum!

qbrozen

Here's either a rally car for british-rover or an entry for shifty in next year's beater race:
$250 Subaru

lilengineerboy

That Subie doesn't look sooo bad. Good winter beater.

andre1969

I really need to stay off of eBay! I'm a little tight in the play money department right now (have to save up for some work on the house that I've been putting off for way too long), so maybe that's a blessing in disguise?

andre1969

I really need to stay off the internet! Yeah, I know, I'm about the only person in the world who's going to get excited over it, but I'm just astounded to see a '79 Newport in this kind of shape! And I love that shade of green. I think they called it teal frost.