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

explorerx4

Vermont has only 2 seasons, Winter and the 4 of July.
That's kind of a New England expression.

lemmer

About as nice as one you'll find. If it isn't a project car now, drive down the street a couple of times and some stuff should fall off or stop working.

It is amazing to me that the comments are overwhelmingly supportive of this car, with only a few naysayers. It was a slow piece of junk. And I am being generous because I thought they were kind of cool looking when i was seven.

Mr_Shiftright

Well it IS being advertised on a website called "Bring a Trailer" so that tells you something. Perhaps their enthusiasm comes from a place of very low expectations.

lemmer

Yeah, somehow that website went from being interesting project cars that would require a trailer to being a lot of trailer queens.

The Lancia manages to be a bit of both.

Mr_Shiftright

to give you an idea of the great esteem in which this car is held, NONE of my price guides on collector cars even bother to list it. This translates as "basically worthless".

ab348

This car seems underpriced for what it is - next to a convertible, the bodystyle you would want, and a decent resto. Maybe because he left the underside untouched?

1949 Cadillac Fastback

I always liked the '49 Caddy.

Mr_Shiftright

Nope, not too cheap. You are correct---leaving the underside unrestored makes the car a #3, and $21,000 is market correct retail.

Bringing the car to #2 would require at least a complete suspension and steering rebuild + either a very meticulous detailing underneath, or probably a body-lift.

fintail

That car is exactly how I would want one. Nice to look at, not so nice that you don't want to drive it. How old cars should be.

omarman

Just an update on that ebay VW Squareback. Winning bid: US $9,600.00 after 27 bids.

Mr_Shiftright

Well maybe not. If the chassis is totally unrestored the car might not be safe to drive, and could just be "tarted up" to sell.

fintail

Yeah I would want solid suspension etc, but that shouldn't be hard to do, not really a restoration.

Mr_Shiftright

I also saw oil leaks, so maybe driveline work. And we can't really see if there are rust issues in the frame. It's the kind of car you'd want to lift up before you bought it.

texases

Regarding the Caddy's frame - can somebody explain the hole in the left end of the frame here? Is that factory? Looks like somebody took a cutting torch to it.

fintail

I think I'lll just keep my fintail - the devil I know. I know its issues, and they aren't too bad, nothing unsafe. Runs fine, looks decent, reliable, fun enough for me.

It's in the shop right now, can't wait to see the final cost.

lemko

...to take on this project?



1970 Plymouth Superbird sans engine at Carlisle Chrysler show last Saturday. It looks a LOT WORSE in person. The entire trunk floor was rotted away exposing the differential and rear suspension.

oregonboy

What's a Superbird VIN tag worth?

ab348

That's not all that different from the Charger that was totally redone last year on "Chop Cut & Rebuild" on speed. It can be done.

lemko

I learned a few things about Superbirds by seeing this wreck. I always assumed the tapered front end was fiberglass, but it's actually metal. As the top was completely rotted away, you could see how they fitted the Dodge rear window on the Plymouth roof.

qbrozen

Cute car. Too bad its an auto.

fintail

I wonder what the life expectancy is for that slushbox

Mr_Shiftright

Depends on the asking price.

Shiftright Sez: "With classic cars, the profit is *always* in the buy, not the sell"

ab348

That takes me back. In '69 "Road Test" magazine, which presented itself as unbiased because it took no advertising, but which in retrospect always seemed to have favorite cars that defied logic, was all ga-ga over the 2000TC. I was a subscriber and took their glowing reports at face value. My folks were predisposed to British cars - my older brother had several, and they themselves had just bought an Austin 1100 as a second car - so they went to the British car showroom where one was on display. They liked it, but as I recall it was fairly pricey, and I think in the back of their minds was a concern about whether this thing really was any good. They passed.

As it turned out they were very problematic, with serious rust issues and lots of other problems. No surprise really given the state of the British car industry at the time. The dealer disappeared a few years later. Road Test Magazine was gone around the same time, both deservedly so.

Mr_Shiftright

Well at the time the Rover TC was one of the very few 'sport sedans' being made in the world. Think of it as a precursor to the BMW 3-series. It was attractive (for its day), had all kinds of nifty gadgets on it, and good handling and braking. It was fun to drive, had leather and wood---all the British stuff Americans liked.

qbrozen

NOW he has the right idea!

Mr_Shiftright

Well he's gutsy to go NO RESERVE on it. Let us know what it brings.

oregonboy

When these were new, I thought that they were the coolest thing ever. Alas, I don't fit.

Ebay Europa

qbrozen

I think he's hoping it will get back up over $15k like it did before. Don't know why he just didn't lower the reserve the first time around.

fintail

I always thought those were bizarre, even a toy one I had was weird. I bet they aren't exactly well protected against fall-apart either, and you'll be blacklisted at AAA.

Mr_Shiftright

EUROPA -- alas, very few people fit. It's an extremely tight cockpit. If you're over 5' 8" you can forget it.

"new/old" MINI--- He should be able to get $15K---these re-VINed MINIS are popular here.

lemmer

How long are you going to hold on to your MINI? My recollection might be poor but it seems like once you give a car the dreaded vote of confidence it is gone within a few months.

Mr_Shiftright

No, no, I've had the MINI already for 17 months and 17,000 miles, and in fact I'm buying new tires for it on Monday. Now THAT'S commitment. I'll hold onto it because it has a noise in the clutch so nobody would buy it. It's called in MINI circles the "Chewbacca" sound and it comes from glazing on the dual mass flywheel. It doesn't affect clutch operation and it goes away after 15 minutes warm-up, but it sounds like hell. It could run for 100K like that. The problem? Clutch job on a MINI could run you $2,000 bucks.

I did see a nice Porsche Boxster S for sale but I'm not so keen on convertibles any more. I also saw a '98 VW Beetle TDI diesel for $1300 and it's not bad looking---very high miles, hard starting, probably needs $40,000 worth of work, knowing those cars. And it's white...ugy...I was thinkin' of it as a second car but that makes no sense. I should buy a truck or a "classic" for #2. Or a classic truck would be nice. I always wanted a tomato red Chevy or GMC 50s pickup.

qbrozen

Shifty would know better, but I have a hard time imagining coming out right on this one at that current bid.

This one, in comparison, seems like a better starting point to me.

lemmer

I have convertibles out of my system and I think I have Porsches out of my system as well.

It is probably time to punch out on my Lexus GS400 daily driver. It has 224K on it now. I have driven it for over two years and only done oil changes and a fresh set of tires. Everything on it still works, even the electronics, and the V8 still pulls hard but I am surely tempting fate.

Mr_Shiftright

It's a risky thing with high mileage cars, because if something lets go, and its a major item, you've gone from a nice ride to a parts car in 30 seconds...it's very hard to sell a high mileage broken car for any worthwhile price.

JAGUAR E-TYPE --- yikes, I don't know. In theory a Series I coupe can bring big bucks, but a) it's a long hard road and b) the E-Type market is going a bit soft, after the period of inflated prices and the increased costs of restoration. It might make a great parts car, though, at that bid. I suppose if you did ALL the work yourself you might take on a job like this---but it's going to be years of your life, and real labor of love. These are are *tough* to restore---many challenges beyond the skills of the average '67 Chevy restorer.

xwesx

It is very hard to sell a high-mileage working car for any worthwhile price!

If it were mine, I wouldn't be considering its resale value at that mileage; I would just use it until I was ready for something else, and let it go for what ever residual it fetches. Sure, it will fetch more if it is running well, but it still isn't likely to fetch much.

Mr_Shiftright

good point and good attitude. After a certain time, a car "owes you nothing".

benjaminh

where are ya? If you're willing, I need your amazing knowledge of car history and stats over in the "future of manuals" area....Thanks in advance, Ben

lemmer

I sold my Miata yesterday. I had it for almost exactly one year and put around 2000 miles on it. I changed the oil once and did nothing else. I sold it for $900 less than I paid for it. I bought it from a dealer and sold it to a family member, so it was kind of a buy-high sell-low kind of deal.

It was a great car to drive with the top down and miserable with the top up. Despite what all the afficianados will tell you, they are a really tight fit for tall and/or big guys.

Now I have nothing in my extra garage spot but oil stains from my old Porsches (stains at the front from my 944 and stains at the rear from my 911).

xwesx

Sounds like a good place to be, lemmer. After all, at least half the fun is in the looking, right?!

Mr_Shiftright

Those oil stains are only because your Porsches were glad to see you. :P

andre1969

Hey Ben, sorry, I just saw this message now. Dunno much about manual transmissions...but I'll help if I can!

Mr_Shiftright

You may all remember my various laments about my friends 1998 BMW 750iL, V-12, and what a wonderful devil of a car it turned out to be.

When we last saw Satan's Chariot, it had been shoved into a corner, dead dead dead, with the rear passenger area flooded in 4 inches of water, and fused power distribution block completely flooded and corroded because BMW bolted it to the floor of the car (thanks, German engineering). As a consequence, the car lost many of its electronics, will not run, etc.

So as a favor I'm going to try and extricate the junction box, which is now all rusted and corroded. I may try to install a junction block from a power boat, as you can readily buy these, or scour the world looking for a used power distribution block for a 750iL. Then I'll need wiring diagrams, etc., a new battery, blah blah.

Fortunately, the water is fresh, not salt. When salt water enters a wiring harness, it is *amazing* to see how far up the wire the corrosion can proceed; not only that, you cannot even solder wires that have been exposed to sale water. Everything needs to be stripped out.

Even getting the box requires removal of carpeting, rear seat, all the sill and door trim, and somehow getting the power seat to move all the way up, or removing it as well.

It's worth a shot. The car is total junk as it sits, maybe worth $600 at a wrecker.

fintail

Why are you doing this? Owner save your life once or something? :shades:

Car wouldn't be worth much more if running.

Mr_Shiftright

Yeah, it is kinda like that. Dear friend. He *loves* this car. He insists, that when it is running, it drives better and faster than his two year old Lexus. It is wonderful to drive on long trips, I gotta say. Even if there's no instruments working on the dash, all the warning lights are on, and you get messages in Spanish on the computer. :P

One time, he told me that the car had been a bit rough at idle for the past few weeks, and seemed sluggish. Turns out he was running on only one bank of cylinders! This engine has plenty to spare, and is faster than his 2009 Lexus.

fintail

Maybe he ought to just find another 1998 750, but a pristine low mileage one with no needs? Would be cheaper than fixing up his heap...and he could still keep it as a parts car if there is a sentimental attachment.

No doubt it drives better than any non-F series Lexus - that's why high maintenance German cars sell, they drive nice.

qbrozen

another 1998 750, but a pristine low mileage one with no needs

My take shifty a while to catch his breath from laughing so hard at the thought of a '98 750 with no needs.

We could look for bigfoot and nessie at the same time and kill 3 birds with 1 stone.

Mr_Shiftright

GEEZ, now I read that the 750iL has "pyrotechnically triggered seat belts"--- :surprise:

I'm not so sure I want to remove the front seats after all...gulp...

I'm getting a lot of second hand info from friends on what's ailing this car...I'm wonderin' if people are sending me on a wild goose chase here.

lemmer

I can only imagine the reply you would give any of us if we chose such an endeavor...

lemmer

And come to think of it, I honestly do know a guy that has a Maserati Biturbo in a storage unit. He claims it ran before he completely disassembled the car, including the engine. He was going to restore it.

I bet he'd sell it to you cheap.

fintail

Well, for cars like that, "no needs" is relative :shades: Running and driving pretty much does the trick

Regarding the Biturbo, scrap metal is pretty hot right now.