Projects Is this 61 worth the money?

Seller is dreaming. Looks like a full on rust bucket that someone hit real quick with a rattle can.

 

I never liked the looks of a 61 chevy. The 60 and 62 where great looking. find a 62 with a 327 and you have a better car. And I don't think the quarter panels are available for the 61 cars. Its likely not a builder only a parts car. If your going to try and fix that much rust find a rusty Tri 5 chevy. All of the sheet metal is available new. And when your done you have a car that has a great sale value. So I wouldn't give more than $500 for that car.

 

That '61 belonging to Moriarity is a beauty.
That paint, interior, dash, grille certainly take me back to the custom days of the '60's.

 

When buying a project, think of the transaction with a two step method.
1. What is the car worth to me and make that your offer, if the seller does not accept, walk away.
2. Think that you are the only person that is showing a real interest in the project, that way there the seller will bite the bullet and sell you the project, if your offer is reasonable. If there is another party showing interested and outbids you, hey, it is not the last 1961 Chevy on earth that is for sale. You know, there is one sitting in someone's backyard, behind the garage, barn, or outhouse, just waiting for you with 5, one hundred bills.

 

I just sold a no engine Belair version for 1/2 that. Some repairs were already done, doors, hood, deck, zero rust or damage, needed a full floor rework to do right ($850+ frieght for the parts including mounts). I also included $5k worth of new interior and parts including a big proper radiator. This example is complete, but know that it's a full body off project. Upgrade parts will add up like suspension and brakes. Probably needs a full harness too. A full interior today the same quality that I had (CARS) is close to $5K now. That's no labor, that's seat covers, door n qtr panels, carpet, seat foam, headliner. How's the side trim? That's a G just to restore and re-anodize. At my shop rate that restoration would push $65-70K. At the end of the day he's twice what it's worth to someone who can do a lot of it themselves. The only upside to doing that car is you'll know exactly what you have when it's done, know it wasn't patched with tar and pop rivets, know it didn't "go to mud" before the body got paint.
Finally, I don't give a fat rat's *** who says it's wrong, that ****er is indeed a bubble top. The same gl***, trim, roof as used across the board on all but the Cadillac line in 61, a leftover for a 62 Belair.

 

Way too much rust and at that price .walk away from it .You can find better.Bruce.

 

The seller is dreamin' on that one. Not uncommon in our hobby. A '62, OTOH, might fetch near that though, in same condition. Highlander is right on the money in his post. 70K to do something that might bring 50K on a good day. The math ain't that hard. Not surprisingly, people do it a lot, then piss & moan when they can't recoup 2/3s of the cost. Choose wisely.

 

Here is a running, driving W motor car on ebay. It is at 11,200 with reserve not yet met, but at the end of the day it is a big head start above the one originally posted.


http://www.ebay.com/itm/Chevrolet-I...a757ac3c:g:B5MAAOSwzvlW9dx3&item=281980415036

 

Spend your money up front a better car. I want one of those bad, but I don't want a bad one of those. At least half of what he's he asking seems a good starting place. But you haven't even started spending money until after you buy the car.

 

The problem is, most of us are old enough to remember when one of these in this condition would be $300.00,if that, unfortunately that ship has sailed.
They are sought after, and worthy project cars are not that common (if this is a worthy project car, rust issues will determine that).
Even with that said, the price is way too high..
I don't see him selling it any time soon at that asking price..so you have plenty of time to ***ess its condition.

 

Try the red one on tulsa craigslist

 

What you can see is bad enough. No telling how bad the underside is. There's not enough there to come close to what they are asking. $1350 might be too much to pay. I'd p*** on it.

Gary

 

Thanks guys. I knew it was overpriced, but not by how much. I think I'll p*** on it!

 

Looks like a candidate for the "Sitting & Rotting" thread. And at that price it probably will be.

 

He has been watching Barret Jackson on TV and thinks he has a gold mine......he's wrong

 

- go look to get it out of your system -but, if you look closely at picture of drivers side and see larger rust areas all along the bottom of body. ad even lists some of the obvious repairs needed - another current thread here is about buying a over priced '57 Chevy that needs it's roof replaced & more - take a good magnet with you & ice pic - looks like at some type of car graveyard

 

I'd see where that epay auction goes as a good benchmark. From what I've seen, clean/mint/done cars are asking $34-45k.

This is not a clean and done car but it may not be a heap. For what's being asked though, I'd expect a driver at least. One that's not going to fall in half anytime soon.

I'd be very intent on seeing the uderside of that car and taking a magnet all around the body panels.

But if it checks out as a reasonably solid and complete car, I'd probably cut him off below the knees and above the ankles on the opening offer. $3500 to $4000 to start but I certainly wouldn't pay more than six for something that might end up needing a parts car to get on the road all nice & shiny.

EDIT:
Actually, for $6000 I'd just go buy this 61 Skylark in Manchester and drive it all Summer:
http://nh.craigslist.org/cto/5508470855.html

 

What i really need to do is finish the car I'm already working on before thinking of buying another!

 

- Yes - that is the right answer

 

Now that right there is the real fact of the matter!

You and me both!

 

I think you would have been removing most of the car with a Shop-vac, More so than a plasma cutter!

 

Like we say here in East T.N. He must be PROUD of his ****!!!!! lol.Bruce.

 

That hastily applied light color primer is a fine disguise tool for bubbles, rust and horrible body work.
Buyer be very aware. You're swimming with the sharks.

 

I figure it this way, if what you can see is that bad, what you CAN'T see is at best 2X worse than that. Those old x-frame cars were notorious rust buckets. Almost impossible to find a good native one in the north east.

 

Small chance the frame is in any better condition than the sheetmetal. JMHO

 

For that number, plan on keeping it a long, long, time.

 

I can hear that thing rusting from here.

 

Not me man. 13.5K? Not only no, but.................

 

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