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

Mr_Shiftright

gsemike said:

https://newyork.craigslist.org/que/ctd/6206955249.html

2016 Charger. If it's clean, can I trust Chrysler? I am a keep my cars for 10 years guy

Seems optimistic, but as I always say, with enough time and money you can keep any car going forever. I'd be inclined to move away from this (fun) car after warranty or at best after 80K miles.

fintail

What would be under that big rectangular "Vega" (delete?) plate on the dash?

Mr_Shiftright

omarman said:

This project comes with its own big red Please Do Not Touch placard.

I think every new Vega owner got that placard!

ab348

fintail said:

What would be under that big rectangular "Vega" (delete?) plate on the dash?

That was where the AC vents went if you were rich.

fintail

Ah that makes sense. I am sure the AC take rate on Vegas was something like 5%.

ab348 said:

That was where the AC vents went if you were rich.

fintail

I was browsing some old listings, and came across this - I can't find where the bidding ended, I would be curious to know. The car needs to lose the too-wide whitewalls and those fender skirts, but otherwise, pretty cool.

It brings back a flood of memories about my dad's 60 Country Sedan. This one has optional reverse lights, which my dad's lacked, but it looks like the same engine, and I vividly recall the old fashioned radiator overflow tank. I also remember the unique rear gate handle, the action of raising the rear window, the dash and door panels with the silver upholstery. My dad's had a different upholstery pattern, red and white, with the white being the border, and the red being a kind of plaid insert. I like the blue interior in this car, I think Ford had a similar blue paint, which would work well on this.

The car should have tires like on this one from Dennis the Menace (I remember the episode). I can imagine this car is two tone blue:

imidazol97

fintail said:

I was browsing some old listings, and came across this - I can't find where the bidding ended, I would be curious to know. The car needs to lose the too-wide whitewalls and those fender skirts, but otherwise, pretty cool.

One place on the net says it sold for $12,300 on January 16, 2017 with 57 bids.
http://usedcarsfsbo.com/asp/Item.asp?soldid=304736&make=Ford&theday=1/16/2017

Now it's being offered in Phoenix and Grand Isle, AZ and NE respectively, for $21,500 and $21,995 respectively both with 99,775 miles.

http://kenscarsofnebraska.com/1960-Ford-CountrySquire/Used-ClassicCar/GrandIsland-NE/9253396/Details.aspx

http://usedfromus.com/ford-ads/360554-1960-ford-galaxie-country-sedan.html

Mr_Shiftright

It sold for about the right price. Remember, your asking price is guaranteed under your First Amendment Rights.

fintail

Nice detective work imid, thanks!

I have to agree about the prices - 12K seems fine, but 20K+, nope. It looks nice, but not quite that nice.

I sometimes think what I would want if I got another old car (which would be crazy as the current one isn't without needs). I'd love to find my dad's 60 Ford, but it must have either been exported, or met an unfortunate end. I've found zero similar cars on many online searches, and something that unusual would exist in pics if it was ever taken outside. It was sold over 20 years ago, and I don't think my mom has any data about the buyer.

imidazol97 said:

One place on the net says it sold for $12,300 on January 16, 2017 with 57 bids.
http://usedcarsfsbo.com/asp/Item.asp?soldid=304736&make=Ford&theday=1/16/2017

Now it's being offered in Phoenix and Grand Isle, AZ and NE respectively, for $21,500 and $21,995 respectively both with 99,775 miles.

http://kenscarsofnebraska.com/1960-Ford-CountrySquire/Used-ClassicCar/GrandIsland-NE/9253396/Details.aspx

http://usedfromus.com/ford-ads/360554-1960-ford-galaxie-country-sedan.html

imidazol97

fintail said:

It was sold over 20 years ago, and I don't think my mom has any data about the buyer.

The only hope for a trace would be if you could find the VIN number from an insurance paper or purchase papers for the car you used to have. Or when it was traded in to purchase a replacement car. Any chance the insurance office still exists and might have old records?

The VIN was how I found info about this one. The odd thing is that "Chinese" was mentioned as to the format.

isellhondas

I'll never understand why anyone would want to ruin the looks of a car by putting on fender skirts or worse yet, a continental kit?

fintail

I suspect my mom didn't keep any of that, but, she still lives in the same smallish town, and I am pretty sure the insurance agency is still in the same hands. That might be a way. It'd be cool to know the car at least still exists. When my dad had it, it was fully roadworthy and photogenic, but far from perfect.

Maybe in modern VIN layouts, a letter or combination on the old car serial number coincides with Chinese manufacture on a modern VIN. Apparently, "L" is the prefix for China - not sure how they got that based on the published data from the white 60.

imidazol97 said:

The only hope for a trace would be if you could find the VIN number from an insurance paper or purchase papers for the car you used to have. Or when it was traded in to purchase a replacement car. Any chance the insurance office still exists and might have old records?

The VIN was how I found info about this one. The odd thing is that "Chinese" was mentioned as to the format.

bhill2

imidazol97 said:

fintail said:

I was browsing some old listings, and came across this - I can't find where the bidding ended, I would be curious to know. The car needs to lose the too-wide whitewalls and those fender skirts, but otherwise, pretty cool.

One place on the net says it sold for $12,300 on January 16, 2017 with 57 bids.
http://usedcarsfsbo.com/asp/Item.asp?soldid=304736&make=Ford&theday=1/16/2017

Now it's being offered in Phoenix and Grand Isle, AZ and NE respectively, for $21,500 and $21,995 respectively both with 99,775 miles.

http://kenscarsofnebraska.com/1960-Ford-CountrySquire/Used-ClassicCar/GrandIsland-NE/9253396/Details.aspx

http://usedfromus.com/ford-ads/360554-1960-ford-galaxie-country-sedan.html

Just a note regarding the listing from Ken's cars. It may just be me, but I would not feel confident about buying a car from a place that gets the model wrong. The Country Squire had that beautiful and tasteful fake wood slathered down both sides.

fintail

Had the project car out today - it goes into the shop a week from tomorrow, for the annual service and look-over. The front brakes are squeaky sometimes, and quite old, I think they might need replacement. I give the shop a budget with a list of things that have caught my eye - it usually comes in under budget. If I chased after every little need that the car has, I would go broke. I went to a car wash and hosed off the engine, as it gets gunky via just a little blow by. That rewarded me with some belt chatter, but it started right up and ran fine. I am always a little worried when introducing water to the engine area.

Gratuitous pic - the stains on the pavement are not from me

stickguy

speaking of older cars, it is amazing how much taller cars are today. Was walking through a parking lot yesterday, and a 1990s vintage Mazda protege was parked next to a newer Corolla, The Corolla looked liked a jacked up F150 parked next to a slammed low rider. But dang, the Mazda have way better visibility!

sda

fintail said:

Had the project car out today - it goes into the shop a week from tomorrow, for the annual service and look-over. The front brakes are squeaky sometimes, and quite old, I think they might need replacement. I give the shop a budget with a list of things that have caught my eye - it usually comes in under budget. If I chased after every little need that the car has, I would go broke. I went to a car wash and hosed off the engine, as it gets gunky via just a little blow by. That rewarded me with some belt chatter, but it started right up and ran fine. I am always a little worried when introducing water to the engine area.

Gratuitous pic - the stains on the pavement are not from me

What do you use to keep your whitewall so clean? As a rule I used Brillo or SOS soaped pads to keep them clean. I hate dingy whitewall tires.

That's odd, I didn't include that pic of dad's '77 Grand Marquis on this post, not sure how that happened.

tjc78

When I had whitewalls, that is what I used.

fintail

I wipe them down every time I drive the car, and every few months use a whitewall cleaner and scrubber. The car is garaged and very rarely sees rain, so that helps a lot. I've had them for 4 years now, and they have actually mellowed a bit, which I like - when I first got them, they were really bright, and I thought a little too flashy.

sda said:

What do you use to keep your whitewall so clean? As a rule I used Brillo or SOS soaped pads to keep them clean. I hate dingy whitewall tires.

That's odd, I didn't include that pic of dad's '77 Grand Marquis on this post, not sure how that happened.

isellhondas

I can't recall the whitewall cleaner I used to use but it may have been called Bleach-White of something like that. It came in a plastic red and white bottle with a sprayer on top. Once it was sprayed on, it took very little effort to make them sparkle!

texases

Yeah, "Bleche-Wite" works great, but it's STRONG stuff. Here are some of the warnings: "Corrosive. Can cause burns to skin and eyes. Harmful if swallowed. Contains sodium metasilicate. Precautionary Measures: Do not get on skin or clothing. Rubber gloves recommended. Avoid contact with eyes, safety glasses recommended. Avoid breathing vapor and mist."

ab348

Bleche-Wite was what I found worked best when I had cars with whitewalls. That's been about 15 years now, and by the end of that time you couldn't buy it here any more. Not sure if that was due to falling demand or what was in it.

explorerx4

Bleche-White is now sold under the Black Magic brand instead of Westley's.

andres3

What's your favorite tail-pipe exhaust cleaner? I found a woolly material metal polish worked best; forget the name; came in a can.

fintail

I use spray detailer on the fintail's chrome exhaust tip, maybe the metal cleaner (I use "Nevr Dull") during its yearly detail.

isellhondas

Attn: Studebaker Fans....Take a look at THIS!

https://seattle.craigslist.org/est/cto/d/studebaker-president/6226339596.html

" Transmission needs sorting"...Hmm..." Hey, can you "sort" my transmission?

I have to assume it needs a total top to bottom rebuild but...still...what a car!

Mr_Shiftright

There are pretty sturdy cars. I owned the President hardtop, which is basically the same car but without a few of the fancy options. Mine was a 3-speed manual with overdrive, which came with a lower rear end ratio, so it could move right along 0-60. Handling was better than say a Buick---more like a '55 Chevy perhaps.

Hardtops of that era rattled like a car full of castanets. Easy to work on, nothing high-tech here.

Price seems more than fair. You won't see many of these at your local Show n' Shine, that's for sure.

explorerx4

How about that Mark II in the last picture?

ab348

That sure is pretty if you are OK with the guppy-mouth front end.

Mr_Shiftright

Those rather odd fog lights exaggerate it.

texases

I'd be a lot more interested in '54 or older, much more 'modern' looking to me. Doesn't hurt that this was the first car I remember seeing, we had one kinda like this:

berri

I like that blue

Mr_Shiftright

Those would make a great resto-mod, tastefully done.

fintail

That 54 pic is vintage in itself, newest thing there is the Achieva or Crown Vic - pic is probably over 20 years old and could be 25 years old.

isellhondas

explorerx4 said:

Bleche-White is now sold under the Black Magic brand instead of Westley's.

Yep, that was the name! Westley's Bleche White! Good to know about the change although I don't see a car with whitewalls in the near future!

explorerx4

I use on all my tires. It's cheaper than the stuff that cleans wheels and tires, so I just that that stuff for the wheels.
My truck does have white letter tires.

xwesx

Not sure if this is priced correctly or not, but this ratty VW Westfalia is parked at the shop next door to my office, with a sign in the window for $15K. Yikes...!

texases

Prices are so nuts for Westies they might get it. Somehow I doubt this non-running 928 will sell for the bargain price of $4k:

https://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/d/porsche-wide-body/6230277183.html

xwesx

texases said:

https://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/d/porsche-wide-body/6230277183.html

"please dreamers don't waste my time add is self explanatory,"

Wait, wasn't this guy himself the "dreamer" of which he speaks? Hypocrisy....

stickguy

And the capper. No title, and he can't be bothered to get one. What a fog of a money put. Part that baby out.

Mr_Shiftright

xwesx said:

Not sure if this is priced correctly or not, but this ratty VW Westfalia is parked at the shop next door to my office, with a sign in the window for $15K. Yikes...!

Well Alaska prices + camper - unusual market influences.

People in the lower 48 pour enormous amounts of money into Westies, mostly to restore, convert and update them. I routinely see investments of $40K-$75K into them.

The appeal of course is that they are small campers and you can take them to areas where bigger RVs either can't go or are not permitted to camp/park, in the parks system. Many are converted to VW Jetta gas, Jetta diesel, or Subaru gas engines.

Mr_Shiftright

xwesx said:

texases said:

https://newjersey.craigslist.org/cto/d/porsche-wide-body/6230277183.html

"please dreamers don't waste my time add is self explanatory,"

Wait, wasn't this guy himself the "dreamer" of which he speaks? Hypocrisy....

Hopeless. With freaky repair costs even on a stock model, there's not a Porsche shop that I know that would even touch this car. LS1 conversions require a great deal of skill and money, even if you buy a conversion kit from...I think the company is called, appropriately enough...Rampage.

fintail

Ooh widebody 928. I wonder who did the kit - Strosek maybe, it doesn't look like a Koenig or DP. I had a model of a widebody 928 when I was a kid, that one kind of pushes my buttons.

xwesx

fintail said:

Ooh widebody 928. I wonder who did the kit - Strosek maybe, it doesn't look like a Koenig or DP. I had a model of a widebody 928 when I was a kid, that one kind of pushes my buttons.

Okay, okay. Move along, Dreamer!

xwesx

Mr_Shiftright said:

Well Alaska prices + camper - unusual market influences.

People in the lower 48 pour enormous amounts of money into Westies, mostly to restore, convert and update them. I routinely see investments of $40K-$75K into them.

The appeal of course is that they are small campers and you can take them to areas where bigger RVs either can't go or are not permitted to camp/park, in the parks system. Many are converted to VW Jetta gas, Jetta diesel, or Subaru gas engines.

I was thinking that it might fetch $75K completely tarted up. The good on this is that it looks straight and no rust. However, the interior looks, uh, well used! If that condition can be extended to the lift roof, then I suspect a full restoration is going to be expensive. I don't know what kind of dollars these cost to get to $75K condition, but one would need a rather conservative budget/approach to do that kind of work and keep it under the $60K margin.

Mr_Shiftright

Depends how far you want to go. The engine conversions are, of course, expensive. Then there's the disc brake and suspension mods, the thermostatically controlled heating system, AC, NAV, sound system, roof ladder, bike rack, awning, LED interior lighting, exterior lighting upgrades, new fridge/stove, window shades, transmission oil cooler, skid plates, custom cabinetry, body and paint work, custom bumpers, tints, underdash instrumentation, solar charging, inverter, fresh water tank, blah blah..it never ends.

xwesx

Mr_Shiftright said:

Depends how far you want to go. The engine conversions are, of course, expensive. Then there's the disc brake and suspension mods, the thermostatically controlled heating system, AC, NAV, sound system, roof ladder, bike rack, awning, LED interior lighting, exterior lighting upgrades, new fridge/stove, window shades, transmission oil cooler, skid plates, custom cabinetry, body and paint work, custom bumpers, tints, underdash instrumentation, solar charging, inverter, fresh water tank, blah blah..it never ends.

See?! That's what I'm talking about! LOL

andres3

4 wheels, a chassis, a tent, and 4 horses and a whip is all I need.

isellhondas

xwesx said:

Not sure if this is priced correctly or not, but this ratty VW Westfalia is parked at the shop next door to my office, with a sign in the window for $15K. Yikes...!

Those Westies bring CRAZY money for some reason I can't fathom! That sounds cheap for one!

Mr_Shiftright

The ol' supply and demand equation at work!

There are more people who want them and don't have them than people who have them and don't want them.

This is why a car/truck can be rare and not valuable at the same time, and why another car/truck can be quite common and quite valuable.

toomanyfumes

Lotus Europa for sale down the road. All there, looks a little rough, I think it was sitting in his back yard awhile. I'll try to get a pic.