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

qbrozen

I actually wouldn't mind the exterior if it weren't for the extra crap they painted on. Like shifty said, you have to shovel out that interior though. I seriously think, in this case, it might pull more money if you gutted it.

i know these aren't popular, but I like it. It looks so damned comfy inside. Shifty, what do you think a fair number is on this, assuming the underside isn't rusted out:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1966-Thunderbird-Landau-/121097413819?ViewItem=&s- - - sPageName=ADME:B:WNA:US:3160&item=121097413819&forcev4exp=true

andre1969

I'm not a huge Thunderbird fan, but the '66 is probably one of my favorites. However, I really don't like that Landau style with the extra thick C-pillar and no roll-down window in back. I'd actually prefer the cheaper hardtop model Or, a convertible!

The main downsides I've heard about those T-birds is that they handle like crap, are slow despite all that power, and because of the unitized construction, you do have to watch out for rust.

I LOVE the way the back seat wraps around on those!

Mr_Shiftright

Looks like about a "low #3" car, has color change, possible mild rust issues, some mickey mouse parts, manifold leak that could be a big pain----so I'm thinking around $6000 is all the money here--presuming it drives well, shifts well, etc.

It needs sorting and you could easily spend $1K-$2K working that out.

fintail

I remember when I was a kid, someone who lived a couple blocks away had a pristine dark blue 66 Landau like that. Sometimes they'd park it on the street, and I would gawk at the interior - I remember that seat, too.

Thirsty 428 (likely) and a propensity for front end wear IIRC might not make the most fun driving experience.

bhill2

"I've never been able to grasp the "shorty" concept, always looks weird and wrong."

Especially when the shorty concept has been applied to the engine as well. It is described in two places as having a four cylinder engine.

Oh yeah; where are the formatting buttons?

xwesx

they handle like crap, are slow despite all that power

So, the retro T-Bird offered for a couple years a decade or so ago really was faithful to its heritage! :P

fintail

5 minutes on Craigslist, another pile of...stuff.

Never seen one of these before

Expensive parts

Come on, the name is spelled right on the car

So what doesn't it need? It is very rare anyway.

"Sportswagon"

Optimism

Most of these have dissolved

This vehicle is equipped with a General Motors engine produced in a General Motors plant operated by the Cadillac Motor Car Division

Shark

Quirky

The 80s

What old cars were really like

Rare turbo

There's the hilarious speedometer font again

tjc78

Is that Toyota pickup really worth 6600?

Eldo is overpriced.

I've never seen a turbo Monte Carlo

andre1969

I've heard of the Turbo Monte Carlo, but only because of my Consumer Guide auto encyclopedia. According to it, they were offered in 1980 and 1981, and had 170 hp.

Years ago, I talked with the owner of a 1980's Grand Prix that had a turbo. He said he put it in himself though, to turn it into a Pontiac rendition of the Grand National.

andre1969

Of that bunch, for some odd reason that Datsun 200SX is actually catching my eye. You'd think I'd gravitate towards the Cordova (bet the guy owned an Edsall or Desota once upon a time, too), but I always preferred model with the more rakish front that was essentially a Mirada with a crosshair grille.

I always thought the 200SX (and the Corolla notchback coupe) made for neat little hardtops. And interestingly, they have similar rooflines to the Cordoba/Mirada, so maybe that's why I like 'em? Kind of a sham though, that those little things were true hardtops with roll-down windows in back, where the much bigger Mopars were fake-me-outs.

explorerx4

I've seen a few of those turbo Monte's. Not sure the black paint on the hood bulge is original.

fintail

I remember the 200SX, my uncle had one for a short time. Same person who had a Datsun 810 wagon and an Omni fastback among other period cars, now drives an older LeSabre. I also had a Tomica Pocket Cars model of it, like this:



I would prefer the more aggressive Mirada styling for those Mopars, too. I remember another Turbo Monte Carlo in town when I was a teen - it sat outside on a busy street for years, which didn't help it. I suspect it wasn't a runner.

fintail

Maybe not "worth" 6600 per se, but around here, Toyota 4x4s of that era have a big cult around them. Might not be a bad starting for negotiations. Knock it down to around 5K and it would sell relatively quick, I bet.

Eldo probably needs to be 50% off. I like the window sticker anyway.

Mr_Shiftright

Greenbrier Sportwagon -- Rule #6: never take a photo of the car you're going to sell in such a way that it looks like it has been abandoned on the side of the road.

1980 Cadillac Biarritz -- Ask $5500, take $5000 and run, after hugging the seller's ankles while weeping for joy. He wants $8500 AND he won't wash it? Well....

72 Saab....it's a great car that only needs an interior, a rear seat, new tires, a new radiator, body work and it doesn't run right. I'd buy it for $750 bucks.

lemko

A guy I knew I college had one of those 200-SXs in that approximate color.

lemko

Greenbrier Sportwagon -- Rule #6: never take a photo of the car you're going to sell in such a way that it looks like it has been abandoned on the side of the road.



That van should be photographed "DOWN BY THE RIVER!"

Her'e's a t-shirt that even depicts a Greenbrier van in such a scenario:

qbrozen

That 635 looks really sharp, but that's a buttload of miles for the money. It is a strange coincidence that just about every 635 I see for sale has pics of the interior through the windows. Its like they don't actually own the cars. OR none of the windows work in them!

Near me...
"A REAL z-28"...except without the original engine or paint and i've hacked the hell out of it.

Description turns me off. But just looking at the pics has me actually interested in it.

tjc78

The Z is kind of a mess, IMO

The 46 looks pretty cool. The wiring inside looks a bit hacked, but probably easily fixed.

ab348

I actually like that '69 Ford. It seems to be in remarkable condition.

Mr_Shiftright

Z-28: you have to tear the car completely apart and restore it, and then you're bottom's up on it.

andre1969

In general, the '68 and '69-70 full-sized Fords have always left me cold. But, we saw a really nice hardtop coupe at Carlisle this past weekend in a really pale greenish/goldish/creamish color. IIRC it was reasonably priced, but I can't remember what they were asking. I gotta say, seeing one in really nice condition like that did give me an appreciation for it.

I can't put my finger on why I don't care for them, exactly. Part of it may be that I like the '65-67 style so much, so the later ones just seemed like a letdown. But then, I like the '71-72 models, with the "poke through" center section grille.

lemko

My cousin Steve had one of these wagons way back in the day:



When I was a kid, an obnoxious neighbor who had three equally obnoxious and snooty daughters had the upscale Country Squire wagon almost identical to this one:



Shame that guy and his kids were so nasty because his wife was a really sweet lady who was nice to my brother and I. Sad that she passed away some time ago. I saw that guy a couple years ago when I was in a restaurant with my best friend. I had to sit on my hands so I didn't take a swing at him. He was almost 70 years ago and still a jerk.

andre1969

Actually, with the hidden headlights, I think it dresses those cars up considerably and really improves the looks. With the exposed headlights, I think the car is just too nondescript, I guess. And something about the styling just makes them look small to me...maybe because it bears a resemblance to the midsized Fairlane?

I'm sure that they were all comparably sized, but somehow, a '69 Fury or Impala just seems like a bigger car, with more presence.

hpmctorque

I don't even know him but I dislike him.

lemko

Here's a 1969 Chevrolet Caprice with hidden headlamps. 1968 and 1969 were the only years Chevrolet did this with their fullsize cars:

tjc78

Did Chevy do what Ford did and make them operate via engine vacuum? I hated those on my 79 Continental. The vacuum motors leaked and the lights would open up after the car shut off.

fintail

Ha, the Squire is like the Harry and the Hendersons car. Oops, stuck in the 80s.

My dad took the rear end out of a 70-71 (I think) Squire for his 60 Country Sedan - nowadays both cars are never seen.

lemko

This one's a dead ringer for my Dad's 1972 Ford LTD Country Squire. I have very few fond memories of this car.



Martin Scorcese should've been nearby to write parts of his movie scripts when my Dad was working on this heap! Dad was saying things that would make Joe Pesci blush.

fintail

It's not the worst looking thing, for a barge. The GM clamshell wagons were a definite step cooler, though.

I know Fords of that era also rusted with a vengeance.

andre1969

There was a guy at work years ago, who had both a 1972 LTD wagon, brown with a 400, and a 1969 Catalina 4-door sedan with the Ventura package. Both were in pretty good shape as I recall.

He retired years ago, and for all I know, could have passed on by now. I think the last time I saw him was in 2008 or 2009. He remembered me, and that i was into old Pontiacs, so he called me up one day at work (this was after he retired) and said he was cleaning out a bunch of old stuff, and had a bunch of old Pontiac enthusiast magazines he wanted to give me. But, when he met me in the parking lot to give me the stuff, he was driving an '86-88 style Honda Accord sedan.

I hadn't thought about that guy in years...but that LTD wagon jogged my memory!

toomanyfumes

First thing that tan wagon made me think of was Hawaii Five-O. They had a sedan, of course. I never liked those hidden headlights, either. My friend's '71 Charger had them, usually only one opened when you switched on the lights, or the would partially open for that sleepy look. He eventually disabled them so they would stay open.

ab348

The '68 Chevy with hidden headlamps looked really good. I just can't warm up to the '69 in any way though. Inferior in styling, interior design, chassis - the tread looks way too narrow for that body. A step backwards in my opinion.

I liked the '69-'70 Ford for its "Swept Away" dash, though in practice it didn't work all that well. But it looked way cool. I remember too that Road Test magazine did a review of the '69 and just fell over themselves praising it. I suspect they were paid to do it.

Our '69 Impala was a terrible car, so I doubt the '69 Ford could be any worse. My folks came close to buying a '71 LTD new, but ended up with a Dodge Monaco, which I loved. Given the rust issues Ford began having around that time it was probably a good thing.

andre1969

In general, I think the '69 Chevy is my least fave of the 60's Chevies, although I do like it with hidden headlights. But, I'm just not that crazy about the loop bumper, don't like the taillight pattern in the rear bumper, and I don't like the bulges around the wheel openings. But, I think it really cleaned up beautifully for 1970. Even though it was the same basic car, it just seemed much more tasteful, and upscale.

When I was younger, I hated the fuselage era Mopars, but I've warmed up to them as I've grown older. I think my favorite is the 1969 Dodge, which somehow comes off as appearing much less fat than the other versions, and almost has a muscular look to it. I think part of it is the rear wheel opening, which is larger and less skirted-looking than the Plymouths, Chryslers, and Imperials.

qbrozen

Base model javelin

I like the period exterior, but the blue interior was a poor choice to go along with it. I dig the toggle switches. I wonder how bad the rust really is. No matter what, I think he's dreaming at $5k.

ab348

Yes, good luck to him on the price, but it is a pretty rare car I would think - though as our host would point out, that has nothing to do with its value. Aside from the body rust there is some strange discoloration on the vinyl on the passenger seat. I don't mind the blue interior at all though. And it comes with 8-tracks!

qbrozen

I might be interested at $3500, personally. That is, if the rust is superficial.

explorerx4

It looks like a lot of bondo was used along the lower left side of the car.

toomanyfumes

I really liked those Javelins when I was a kid. They rusted pretty fiercely, though, along with the Gremlin's and Hornets.

qbrozen

I bet those skinny all season tires help put that power down.

I think I need a few more pics of this "stunning" car.

At first I thought "ugly car." But as I looked closer, I kind of like it.

Just plain cool.

I'd have to agree this is probably the best one out there.

I'm a sucker for old bimmers.

Doesn't look too bad.

Just how is this a "running" project? Only if I'm "running" while pushing it.

andre1969

Of that bunch, I think I like the T-bird and Power Wagon the best. The '66 is probably one of my favorite T-birds, but I like the later ones too. At least, until they started putting those beaks on them.

And, for some strange reason, I've always kinda liked those Peugeots.

fintail

Nice 504, they have a cult behind them, someone will want it. The Mazda is project car hell, have fun with that. First T-Bird bids reflect the pics, second one is seldom seen anymore.

Mr_Shiftright

RX7/BMW --- why does someone go through all that trouble to put a complex engine conversion into a rusty car???

Dodge Power Wagon---real shame about the dorky steering wheel.

Peugeot 504 -- these are very good cars but their value is limited. I'll put it on my watch list. I can't see bids much over $6000, no matter how nice it is.

74 BMW 2002 --- not the best year but ok. Also someone should ask the seller if the heater motor is kaput--it's a royal pain to replace. I like these cars. First thing to do would be the hideous wheels. Rust in the strut mounts is a serious issue.

fintail

A few minutes on Craigslist:

Most of these are gone

The first Sunbird

Brand equity killer

This didn't help either

Low values

Probably exist only on the west coast now

"hasn't affected the way the car drives" - I bet

Grandpa's truck

Late run W123

The 80s

Kill it with fire

Kind of want

Funny top

" Car is in excellent contion" - other than that one pic

Greg Brady knocking over an egg

berri

That 54 Caddy got me to thinking that green seemed to be popular in the mid 50's, mid 60's and then early to mid 70's. Kind of a once a decade thing I guess. My dad had a 54 DeSoto in the reverse green two tone. The early 50's seemed more maroon or blue.

Mr_Shiftright

63 Nova Wagon---soon to be a hot collectible. Buy one now if you want one.

68 Corvair ---price is fair enough

'79 Celica ---"Worth more than I am asking. " ER........no.

300C --26" wheels will definitely affect your acceleration and braking. The laws of physics are not suspended by craigslist.

1980 F150 -- that's a good buy.

'74 Caprice Convertible --- not bad for $7K

54 Cadillac 4D --- $22,500? Dream on, buddy. Try half that. And who tossed a grenade in the front seat? Don't do that!

77MGB --somehow, it all went horribly wrong.

300SDL -- unless that puppy has a factory replacement engine, this person has made a bad trade-off.

stickguy

I am strangely attracted to the RX-7, because I always like the originals. And darn it, it looks fun! But the interior color is not attractive.

I am also really curious as to what exactly the trans in that baby is. How did he manage to hook in a clutchless manual on top of everything else?

And talk about an expensive engine to use, but being a BMW dealer mechanic explains that (can you say "Fell off truck"?

lemko

Here are some interesting projects!

Dwarf Classic Cars

hpmctorque

That '63 Nova wagon is truly unique since it's the got the world's only 3-speed Powerglide. The mega millions of others produced had only 2-speeds.

lemko

That 1969 T-Bird would look infinitely better w/o the letter tires mounted on Cragars. They make it look too much like what the 2nd owner, who was a greasy kid back in the late 1970s or early 1980s, did to his Dad's old ride.

lemko

Per the Coupe DeVille: I hated those first C-body FWD cars and truly feared that I'd have nothing to look forward to when I graduated from college. If Cadillac kept going in this direction, you'd see me in a Lexus or Mercedes today. I doubt Cadillac would've even survived the 1990s.

The Seville is a lot more interesting.

Shame about the front seat of that 1954 Cadillac, but a COMPETENT upholsterer should be able to fix that. I hate when I see classic cars with modern "mousefur" upholstery.