SS, Lip stick red, show chrome and 17" inch billet wheels you must be kidding. I think I'm going too be sick................Think low down, WWW and '57 Caddy caps now that's real............. Cruiser
Totally! With the right chop. I've seen some early bel-air chops gone wrong, but when they're right...they're RIGHT!
What do you want to do with the car until you sell it? When you finish your work will you say: I can't wait till I sell this barge? or I don't ever wanna sell this baby? Think about that. In the past I've seen nicely modified cars sell for much more than stock restorations. And I'm NOT talking about Barrett-Jackson Hemi auctions. Those are anomalies. Tracy
Cruiser, like I said, can't help it what the mind's eye sees. Thankfully it only sees a couple bodystyles that way
You gotta love the guys with half finished pieces of sh*t goose-stepping their way around the board calling out people for attempting to have an intelligent dialogue. Yeah, I knew the dude's question was goof bait, but here's a flash tough guys... Some of the people who support this board own more than one car. Some of the people who support this board don't have time to pose as a "real" rockabilly, tat covered, James Dean wanna-be. Not that there's anything wrong with that I guess.
I'm still trying to fugure out why a guy that's not a HOT RODDER is even registered on this board. I think the first time you hear the word/term "investment" you KNOW the individual is in the wrong place. . IMO, this is a total waste of time. NEXT!!! Frank
not too far of a reach to answer this question, how about the guy that buys the old dodge for 600, and asks what should i do on the cheap to turn this car so i can get funds for my big project,, or buying a frame,axles ,builder project, that just needs to be put together and sell it off the next week, for a big profit,,, it happens on the HAMB many times a week, done it myself, "investment"can mean other things,, true when you read his posts he wants a " vehicle to be a good investment" it is half a step from the insurance post ,about not being insured enough or what you put in it to what you got paid for a wreck,, it is part of the same, if it didnt matter that is was worth so much ,just insure it for the least amount you can, looks like 3 sides to this question a question like fab32 says ,,, NEXT
-350 swap is cheaper and generally would be a quicker way to go... But, there are a lot of people (many who are here...) who are turned off to 350's in old cars. It's too generic. And you would probably have a hard time selling it to them... I also know HAMB'ers who have done this conversion, with the reasons being that they drive their cars long distances and need a car where they can get parts on a Sunday, in Minnesota if need-be. That person would be more inclined to buy it with a 350. Most of the members here are really passionate about their cars, and it truly is a life and a lifestyle. To ask questions regarding how to make the most money out of a car, may not be an unreasonable question...just the wrong one to ask in this forum...
There are a lot of good points here. And a lot of it depends on what you want, and not what someone else wants. Also how much is left of the "original" car. If it's been bastardized here and there, then it's going to be that much harder to restore. Is the drive train etcetra still the original, or were parts of it swapped out to keep the thing alive at some point in time? My father always reminded me that a car is the worst investment in the world. And that is probably true if you consider the dollar value of your time added to all of the other things that you need to supply this particular project, or any other one for that matter. That said, my guess is that if you are planning to keep it until Hell freezes over, a damned good restoration would probably be worth more, even if the buyer decides that he or she wants to hack it up and do whatever. We all would like to find good complete cars to play around with, rather than something half baked and half missing in action. What you want to ask yourself too is do you plan on driving it much, and if so, can you find parts for it if it expires someplace? And most importantly do you enjoy working on it to get it to the point that you see it in your mind? Only you can answer these questions, not the rest of us. Good luck with whatever you do.
I also think this is a good question. The time it takes to restore a car correctly will be overwhelming. Make sure it is your dream car. You will never make money by restoring a car, unless your charging someone else by the hour to do it. I have built several from the frame up stockers and rods, and it takes years, a lot of years if you are doing it part time. I course don't sell the stuff so now they all need to be redone to have that fresh look and I can't bring myself to do them over, so when the time comes I will sell them and have made no money, but you need a way to spend time so if your like me and would rather be in the shop than at the bar, do it you will learn alot and have some gratification and pride when things go right, you will also want to burn it to the ground times as well. In the end it's your decision do what you want but if you plan to make money on it I would flip it now.
1 ) they don't make them anymore - drive it 2 ) the market is a better place for investing - drive it 3 ) Drive it !
Im not gonna rag on the guy..but i am going to say this..anyone can restore a car..it takes a real man to cut one up.
Cruiser some of these, shall we say uninformed, folks just don't get "TRADITIONAL" and the H.A.M.B. What you say is true.
I have never made money selling a car. If I bought cars to fix and resell for a profit it would be to much like a job, I like cars to be my hobby. I sometimes think when buying a car "could I resell it and get my money back if I had to" but never can I make bank with it..
well. i appreciate all of the comment, both positive and negative. however, i should have said to restore or hot rod...... the belair is box stock. my fleetline is my rod 350/325 with 50hp no2, 700r4, 3.08 posi. i am doing the body and going to lower it. i have chopped before but not a 4 door. i am thinking about an vette irs for it some time. i just picked up a 70 dodge dart slant 6 2 door hard top and i have a 440 and 727, i think that will fit just fine......... that will scare the pants off 'ya. i think i might leave the script on it and sleeperize it... so do i rod i have for over 35 years... i am thinking about what to do and i value other peoples opinions..... i belong to some restoration boards and there are some interesting comments there too. thanks to all.....
Sadly, that's probably the only way to come out ahead. Chopping and ebaying the parts will net the most I bet. Someone said a 51 Chevy is the wrong car to start with and I'd have to to agree. I don't know what you paid for it but I think you'll lose either way putting more money in it.
Investment?........... I've found the only way you get your money out of a car........ is drive it out. Snipe
I disagree. A 51 is not the best looking car by a long shot BUT if ya chop it 3-4 inches or maybe even 5 and lean the back glass forward, drop it down and give it a one piece steel tilt nose, they look fuckin great
a 51 2 door Belair is NOT, repeat NOT an investment, it's an old car...one of a zillion made just like it with little residual value...do an ebay search for crissakes. try this link for pricing info www.collectorcarmarket.com #1 condition is only $14,000 and you'll spend double that getting it to that condition. Old cars are a labor of love. Some might be investments though you have better ops for investment other places.
I didn't mean to say that a 51 Chevy is not a good looking car or worth customizing. What I mean to say is the in the collector market, it's not one people are clamoring over. There's lots of really great old cars that just haven't gotten much notice from "investor collectors". That's a good thing if you ask me.
If it was a Henway..I'd probably restore it. Otherwise, the big money is in parade floats. The 350/700r4 is the perfect parade float setup and you can confidently travel from town to town hosting your own parades for a small fee. I can hook you up with some Shriners that can give you the inside scoop on the "hot" towns; that pay out up to $35 for a decent float.
well, i for one am glad to see the HAMB of old back in action, the intertainment feature is coming back, i mean there are threads on here about "bad ass VW's" and "show me your motorcycles", WTF? there are even people on here defending jap bikes. i remember the day when that shit wouldn't fly and i am waiting for its return. this politcally correctness makes me want to puke.
Hahaha...right on......you forgot about the dog posts...WTF!?!?! Anyone BUILDING a rod or custom????? Tech week is LONG overdue........
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