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

ab348 · March 2018

The '70/'71 was a bigger, heavier car than the '68/'69, which to me seemed more like an upsized Falcon. They got even bigger and heavier for '72 and up, though the '72 had a great-looking front clip.

gsemike · March 2018

ab348 said:
The '70/'71 was a bigger, heavier car than the '68/'69, which to me seemed more like an upsized Falcon. They got even bigger and heavier for '72 and up, though the '72 had a great-looking front clip.

No offense, but those 72s always looked puffy to me. 70/1 with the hide away headlights looked mean, but that is just my opinion

berri · March 2018

I liked the fastback version of that 72 and thought the front clip went well with it. But it wouldn't be design without different opinions.

gsemike · March 2018

andres3 · March 2018

fintail said:
25 year rule here, most diesels and 2010+ models are also exempt.

Mr_Shiftright said:
RE: '79 Honda---do they have any smog testing in the Seattle area? That car couldn't be registered in CA.

That's a better law, as time moves on, so should the law with it! There must be some other rule in CA with a shorter time frame on importing foreign cars once they are a certain age, like old Skyline's from Nissan. Maybe it was just the military folk talking as they have the ability to avoid registering cars in CA.

andres3 · March 2018

A diesel conversion project on a Honda Civic.... hmmmm.... wonder if Cuba has any already?

ab348 · March 2018

I'm pretty sure there wasn't a SS option for the El Camino in '66. You could get a 396 engine and buckets/console as standalone items.

That Dodge pickup is... unusual. Lots of changes, which seem nicely done, but good luck finding a buyer.

qbrozen · March 2018

gsemike said:
I guess we're never having Spring on Long Island but...

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/vw-89-vanagon/6507232664.html Does VW Bus mania apply to these?

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/1969-jaguar-type/6533425974.html I know very little about Jags but this one looks stretched out and has an A/T so I guess the price is optimistic

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/must-sell-now-1984-corvette/6508969029.html Parts car Vette

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/1966-el-camino-ss/6514273630.html Should the grill have an SS badge?

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/1987-turbo-coupe-5speed-stock/6539430499.html Stock and orginal T Bird turbo coupe. Don't know about the price, but I like this

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/1973-dodge-pick-up/6539282327.html 1973 Dodge D100 Adventurer Pick up Nicest one left? Priced about a grand per foot

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/1971-toyota-land-cruiser-fj40/6539285323.html I know these go for big money but I don't get them

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/1986-corvette-4500-miles/6510181675.html Super nice, but why preserve an 86 automatic Vette?

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/1978-alfa-romeo-spider-low/6539007462.html Nice style for the price, but scary at the same time

Alfa would be kind of tempting. If no major rust (rare), it is a bargain. Put some elbow grease in buffing it and cleaning the engine bay and flip it for double.

Mr_Shiftright · March 2018

gsemike said:
I guess we're never having Spring on Long Island but...

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/vw-89-vanagon/6507232664.html Does VW Bus mania apply to these?

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/1969-jaguar-type/6533425974.html I know very little about Jags but this one looks stretched out and has an A/T so I guess the price is optimistic

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/must-sell-now-1984-corvette/6508969029.html Parts car Vette

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/1966-el-camino-ss/6514273630.html Should the grill have an SS badge?

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/1987-turbo-coupe-5speed-stock/6539430499.html Stock and orginal T Bird turbo coupe. Don't know about the price, but I like this

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/1973-dodge-pick-up/6539282327.html 1973 Dodge D100 Adventurer Pick up Nicest one left? Priced about a grand per foot

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/1971-toyota-land-cruiser-fj40/6539285323.html I know these go for big money but I don't get them

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/1986-corvette-4500-miles/6510181675.html Super nice, but why preserve an 86 automatic Vette?

https://longisland.craigslist.org/cto/d/1978-alfa-romeo-spider-low/6539007462.html Nice style for the price, but scary at the same time

89 Vanagon -- yes, the VW van cult loves these, and often stuffs a Jetta or Subaru engine into them, along with all kinds of other improvements. I've seen people pour $50K into one of these. Once equipped, they travel in caravans on camping expeditions. It's like a social club.

84 Vette--worst year for the C4, The seller is just clueless on the price here. Nobody wants this year. Not for any money. Not ever.

87 Alfa--looks like a bit of a rat to me. I think you'd be better off with these cars to spend a bit more and get a nicer one. $7500 for a clean driver is certainly possible. If you want a '91-94, you'll pay considerably more for the newer body style sans ducktail. These cars are fun and can be quite reliable, but they aren't fast at all. A Miata will slap you silly.

'86 Corvette C4 Coupe--of all things to preserve! Well, if it's as nice as he says, someone might want to buy it, but he's going to have to work hard to get that price. You'd think he'd put in more info into the ad. Being automatic doesn't hurt a C4, mostly an older guy's car anyway.

'87 T-Bird coupe---that's an interesting car. Shifty flashes the "BUY" sign on this one.

Toyota FJ40 ---well, it's the jeepy, outdoorsy, how cool am I? look at my fur boots kind of thing. You get Wrangler ride and comfort, but at Mercedes prices. You know how it is---the supply and demand equation dictates the price. He'll probably sell it at close to that, but it would be better if he marketed it in Boulder, the Hamptons, or Jackson Hole WYO.

qbrozen · March 2018

Shifty, you know that is a '78 Alfa, not '87, right?
I'd agree with you on an S3 car but pretty sure nice S2s are worth quite a bit more.

Mr_Shiftright · March 2018

Yes, that's true, kinda sorta, but not by a lot. A '78 might bring $2K more than an '84, for instance, but an 85-86 should bring more than a '78 or about the same.

It's the 70 to '74 Spider 2000s that are conspicuously more valuable, and the 68-60 rountails even more valuable than those.

It's a pretty complicated pecking order once you dig into Alfa values.

None of the above are really "hot" collectibles, although the roundtails are approaching that (finally!).

These are good little cars, and I would recommend them if you have some place locally to service them.

omarman · March 2018

VW T3. Some have a real crush on those things.

Mr_Shiftright · March 2018

Man, even the crash test dummy bailed on that one.

ab348 · March 2018

In a head-on collision, the driver is first on the scene.

fintail · March 2018

That was loaded up with weight in the bed, right?

texases · March 2018

I think that was run at very high speed, this got talked about years ago on some forum.

omarman · March 2018

Mr_Shiftright said:
Man, even the crash test dummy bailed on that one.

Ha!

Yes they didn't rig that truck for actual crash testing so it appears to be a "test" of their facility resources.
"Wonder if our wall can really take a hit?"

ab348 · March 2018

I have never seen a vehicle fold up like that, ever.

Mr_Shiftright · March 2018

I remember once seeing an Audi broken completely in half on a Colorado highway, near Aspen (Hwy 12). I have no idea what hit it, but it musta been BIG.

ab348 · March 2018

I think I posted these pics here at the time but this was a wreck in St. John's Newfoundland a couple of winters ago. Talk about a car being destroyed!

The most amazing thing was that when police arrived there was no driver found. They did a search of the surrounding area thinking a body was thrown out of the car. They eventually found the guy in a nearby cafe or bar IIRC, unhurt.

andres3 · March 2018

ab348 said:
I think I posted these pics here at the time but this was a wreck in St. John's Newfoundland a couple of winters ago. Talk about a car being destroyed!

The most amazing thing was that when police arrived there was no driver found. They did a search of the surrounding area thinking a body was thrown out of the car. They eventually found the guy in a nearby cafe or bar IIRC, unhurt.

Well, the drivers area seems the most protected from those pictures, so that makes sense.

A few spot welds, some bondo, touch up paint, and the car should be as good as new!

No Diminished Value here

isellhondas · March 2018

fintail said:
I'm persnickety. Assuming the car would make it that far, I would want it done right - correct material and textures. Maybe not possible in an old fashioned tuck and roll job.

Really, I will just patch it up and call it "patina" - restoring the car in such a way would be a slippery slope. Do the upholstery, you'll want to do the wood and the rest of the interior. Then paint and body. Chrome, engine, suspension. Then 50K is gone.

You had to really watch them in Tijuana with the Tuck and Roll jobs. They would stuff the pleats with "something" other than foam if you weren't there to watch.

Lots of horses in Tijuana!

isellhondas · March 2018

Mr_Shiftright said:
RE: '79 Honda---do they have any smog testing in the Seattle area? That car couldn't be registered in CA.

Oh yeah, there is smog testing in the Seattle area but not in the outlining areas. There is a cutoff when a car becomes exempt. Not sure what year that is but a 1979 would be exempt.

I remember in California when I was a kid, 1955's and newer had to be smog tested and they left it that way for many YEARS. Is that still the same?

Remember in the 70's when all cars had to have those Mickey Mouse add on devises installed? On the better ones you had to cut the radiator hose and install it there. Hoses would go down to the vacuum advance and they were temperature activated. Or you could go the cheap route and just install caps that ELIMINATED your vacuum advance. How many of those does anyone suppose stayed on the cars once they had been inspected?

isellhondas · March 2018

Mr_Shiftright said:
I remember once seeing an Audi broken completely in half on a Colorado highway, near Aspen (Hwy 12). I have no idea what hit it, but it musta been BIG.

The worst I ever saw was the remains of a Fiat X-19 hanging from the sling on a wrecker. It mad me sick then and even now when I think about it. At first, I thought it was the remains of a motorcycle. A father and daughter were both killed. There was nothing left of it.

isellhondas · March 2018

fintail · March 2018

Funny thing, MB did it that way for a long time, so that'd actually be correct!

https://www.germanautotops.com/mercedes-benz-w123-1977-1985-200-d-220-d-230e-t-te-240d-250-td-280e-te-300d-td-sedan-wagon-rubberized-horsehair-seat-pad-front-cushion

isellhondas said:

You had to really watch them in Tijuana with the Tuck and Roll jobs. They would stuff the pleats with "something" other than foam if you weren't there to watch.

Lots of horses in Tijuana!

berri · March 2018

Accident physics can be so weird. I recall some years back where a Corolla and Monte Carlo hit head on. The Monte driver died instantly and the Corolla driver walked away with a few scratches. What are the odds of that???

isellhondas · March 2018

fintail said:
Funny thing, MB did it that way for a long time, so that'd actually be correct!

https://www.germanautotops.com/mercedes-benz-w123-1977-1985-200-d-220-d-230e-t-te-240d-250-td-280e-te-300d-td-sedan-wagon-rubberized-horsehair-seat-pad-front-cushion

isellhondas said:

You had to really watch them in Tijuana with the Tuck and Roll jobs. They would stuff the pleats with "something" other than foam if you weren't there to watch.

Lots of horses in Tijuana!

Ah....it wasn't horsehair that they would use!

omarman · March 2018

There are 2 kinds of people in the world: fintail did not have a pony!

fintail · March 2018

Ah, a product of a certain end of the horse I assume

texases · March 2018

BMW did the horsehair padding, too.

Mr_Shiftright · March 2018

Did you ever notice that many German cars from the 1980s smell funny? No seriously, especially VW, Audi and BMW, have a very distinct odor--almost "electrical burning" kind of acrid smell.

fintail · March 2018

With a VAG product, I would guess any electrical smell comes from electrical issues

My 1989 W126 smelled like leather.

isellhondas · March 2018

fintail said:
Ah, a product of a certain end of the horse I assume

Your assumption is correct and you wouldn't know it either until years later when a small rip would happen and this strange "powder" would come out! Hey, the pleats were filled and there was no odor!

isellhondas · March 2018

Mr_Shiftright said:
Did you ever notice that many German cars from the 1980s smell funny? No seriously, especially VW, Audi and BMW, have a very distinct odor--almost "electrical burning" kind of acrid smell.

I know that smell exactly especially in the BMW's we've owned. Just like an electrical small of sorts.

Mr_Shiftright · March 2018

Some older Mercedes, too, had that feint odor--kind of pungent, acrid.

And the old Mercedes diesels, they just outright stunk. But you get used to it.

Old Jaguar XJ6s always (usually) smell of gasoline.

70s Domestics are all vinyl-ly smelling.

fintail · March 2018

No smell, no harm no foul right?

Probably less risky than some of the manmade chemical-based material in later cars.

isellhondas said:

Your assumption is correct and you wouldn't know it either until years later when a small rip would happen and this strange "powder" would come out! Hey, the pleats were filled and there was no odor!

ab348 · March 2018

Mr_Shiftright said:
Some older Mercedes, too, had that feint odor--kind of pungent, acrid.

And the old Mercedes diesels, they just outright stunk. But you get used to it.

Old Jaguar XJ6s always (usually) smell of gasoline.

70s Domestics are all vinyl-ly smelling.

This is an interesting topic. My Cutlass always had a distinctive smell in the interior, can't really describe it because it is unique. Never thought anything of it until I got to know some other people with similar cars and they all, without prompting, commented on it having to have an original interior because they could smell that too.

Mr_Shiftright · March 2018

When I was really into sailing, I could smell dry rot in a wooden boat.

When I inspect "classic cars", I can sometimes smell mildew and then of course I look for water stains and rust.

fintail · March 2018

The fintail also has a distinct smell - I suspect from the wood, and maybe the seat stuffing. I treat the wood with lemon oil once a year, which adds to the smell. It's a sweet old smell. I remember my dad's 60 Ford also had a very distinct smell inside, I suspect from interior materials.

texases · March 2018

I've noticed a number of cars get a 'smell' once they're 10 years old or so. My '96 ES300 picked it up.

isellhondas · March 2018

Old Cadillacs have a very distinctive interior odor to them especially the 1959-1960's You could blindfold me and put me in one and I would instantly know what I was sitting in. I had my back to one at a car show last summer. It's windows were down and I caught the scent and I knew exactly what it was. Not a "bad" smell per se but very distinctive. My parents had a heater core fail in their 1966 Skylark that resulted in a lot of mold or mildew. The shop replaced the core and did their best to clean everything up. They ended up spraying some sort of perfume or something into the air intake. Ten years later when you turned on the A/C you would get a blast of that stuff. It wasn't "bad" but not wonderful either!

isellhondas · March 2018

We used to get trade ins that reeked of cigarette smoke or (much worse) DOGS! Nothing could get that smell out! On hot days it would be back with a vengeance. We had to wholesale some very nice trades because of dog odor. I took in the nicest Civic Wagon once a 4WD that was (still is) in high demand! She carted her two Bassett Hounds around in it. it was HORRIBLE to even sit in. The detailers only made it worse!

Mr_Shiftright · March 2018

Only real solution is to pull the entire interior out of a wreck.

xwesx · March 2018

isellhondas said:
We used to get trade ins that reeked of cigarette smoke or (much worse) DOGS! Nothing could get that smell out! On hot days it would be back with a vengeance. We had to wholesale some very nice trades because of dog odor. I took in the nicest Civic Wagon once a 4WD that was (still is) in high demand! She carted her two Bassett Hounds around in it. it was HORRIBLE to even sit in. The detailers only made it worse!

Ugh. Doggy-fied. I hate that smell, too. Both the old Escort I had and my '08 Forester were used as dog houses by their previous owners. The detailings they received soon after I bought them took care of much of the issue, but, as you say, a nice hot day will still bring out some stink. For the prices I paid for each of them, it was a price I was willing to pay.

And, my two cents.... cigarettes are still worse. So much worse.

explorerx4 · March 2018

So exactly what is going on here?
https://westernmass.craigslist.org/cto/d/1985-ford-thunderbird-turbo/6543720078.html

Mr_Shiftright · March 2018

Hard to say--apparently it's been rotting in someone's garage for quite some time, had the brain of a corpse placed it in, and then it was raised to the roof where a lightning bolt hit it and rejuvenated it.

Whatever the story, I hope the car is REAL cheap. Those 70,000 miles might have to be calculated in dog miles.

xwesx · March 2018

Poor punctuation on that text, but I think I managed to decipher it:

one owner no accident never Good running for sale

One owner = Sat in the same garage it's whole life!
No accident = All dents and dings are due to piling stuff on it and trying to get around it in the garage.
Never Good Running = No matter what I do, this thing never would run correctly!
For Sale (no price listed) = Please , PLEASE take this car out of my life before I die!

explorerx4 · March 2018

If only it was Brown.
https://newlondon.craigslist.org/cto/d/1987-volvo-240-wagon-with/6545770651.html

stickguy · March 2018

I would take it in red. if cheap enough. Right now, they are not cheap enough.

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

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