Hey guys, long time lurker but didn't have much to say till now. I've come across a running and driving '55 ragtop that needs basically everything. The car is a 292, automatic car here in Hawaii and I'm really interested in this one but really gotta research it well. Being in Hawaii nothing is cheap so I need to be smart about this. You can see the car on Craigslist Hawaii. If anyone has tips, info, what to look for, parts sources or whatever I'd be most appreciative. This is a "blue collar worker" type project so costs are a major concern but if its feasible I'd really like to take this one on. I'm open to buying a solid 2 or 4 door '55 body for parts as the ragtop needs hood, fenders, left rear quarter, rockers, deck lid and floor pan and probably more. A donor car from west Texas, New Mexico or Arizona would probably be prime for this project. Gl***, trim etc is not that important but if its there it can't hurt. Thanks for any info you can provide, Eli P.S. I also do Photoshop work, so if you need something done just PM me.
As long as all of the convertible specific parts are there, I say go for it. the rest of the parts aren't that hard to find. I'm building my '55 convertible out of a 2 door hardtop using all of the convertible bits from several donor cars.
Looks like a good start. The body doesn't look that bad. I paid nearly as much for my 56 two door hardtop and had to have body & paint work done to the tune of $14,000. I'd say, get it. Here's a link to the listing on Craigslist. http://honolulu.craigslist.org/big/cto/3260735197.html
Stig, I'm with you on it being a good start. I've sure seen worse! And being a convertible makes it even better.
"it needs about $10,000 in parts and of course, the labor" Personally I find this a VERRY consertive number. Not being negative, but you really must be prepaired unless you have unlimited funds. It is worth saving being a rag top... Gerry
I just checked out the Craigslist ad and it doesn't look like its that bad. I would straighten the rear quarters, and not replace them, I think it would be less work, patch panels are available for the rest of the car. He's a little overpriced, check out the link to a price guide; http://www.buycl***iccars.com/offsite.asp?site=http://collectorcarmarket.com/menus/makes.html
Mark T, thanks for the info. I was wondering if there were other websites besides NADA cl***ic. This is a #5 car for sure. Where could I find patch panels? Thanks to all who commented, I'm waiting on more pictures of the body mounts and may end up flying over to the Big Island for a look see. At less than $300 round trip it might be a good idea if I can ever get a day off from work. One other thing; I'm considering completely rewiring the car and converting to 12 volt with a negative ground. I know that I'll need to change the starter and generator and convert everything over, voltage dropping resistor for the gauges etc, being a marine electrician thats really the easy part for me. However I'm wondering if this change might hurt the value of the car. Does anyone know if it will?
The 6v starter will love 12v. It won't hurt the value at all. Probably make it higher. Everything else though, as you already know, won't like twelve volts all that much.
Patch panels are available from a few different venders, the nicest ones in my opinion are made by EMS. They sell floor pans, floor supports, rocker panels and a really nice tailpan for under the trunklid. If your plan is to restore this car than reproduction wire harnesses are available, if your going to modify it than your own harness will be fine. A full restoration using original or reproduction parts will keep the cars value at its highest.
You could always just find a cloth '56 harness if you wanted 12 volts but wanted the same 4 fuse technology that ford issued in these cars. But before arguing the value implications of a 12 volt change, I'd be more concerned with how bad the car really is and how much money and time it would take to make it right
I suggest you check the frame before you buy. Body panels can be replaced or repaired but a rusted out frame is a major problem. If you are an electrician then you know that rewiring is very wise. Make sure you use a gauge of wire that could support 12 volt or 6 volt just in case a future buyer wishes to revert back to 6 volt (some collectors want the car as original as possible for judging). Check that the engine and transmission are not toast. I also agree that $10K is way under what you will spend. A major expense nowadays is getting the car painted. The cost of the paint alone will shock you. Re-chroming is another major expense and greatly affected by the environmental controls where you live. If you do get a donor car then I would recommend you get something as close to a convertible as possible so you can scavenge parts. A hardtop would be the closest, short of another convertible. Quite frankly the car only has measurable value when it is a condition where it can be driven. A Project Car is only as valuable as the parts it has: in this case a not too badly gone convertible. The real question is what it will take to get it to a where you want it (repaired, drivable and painted, at least) and what would it be worth then. (Very few people make money on this equation BTW.) You may experience “perfection creep”: the desire to make it more perfect each time you find a NOS part or you have just had something re-chromed and the rest of the chrome looks not-as-good. I would wager you spend at least $25K (and up depending on how well you resist “perfection creep”). It is a convertible from a desirable era and it will be hard to resist making it as flawless as possible. The only really bad thing you might do to the car is to take any one-way streets with changes. Do not make any changes that cannot be reversed. If you ever want to sell the car for its maximum value, it would attract collectors that would want to take it to a judging (concours) level and that means as original as possible.
Okay guys, I'm flying over to Hilo after I get off work at noon on Sunday. The owner told me the crossmember needs to be replaced, are there any other areas particular to this car that I need to check out? The body condition is the biggest question, so all advice is greatly appreciated. I'll be carrying a digital camera and will take lots of pictures. Eli
Well I checked out the car today, got the tag info etc. I'm having trouble finding a site that can decode the info. As for the car itself, most of the body supports need to be replaced along with all the floor pans and inner and outer rockers but the trans tunnel looks pretty good. The trunk looks pretty good overall but the spare tire well is rusted out. Rear area (tailpan?) is also rusted thru in a couple of places. The normal spots like lower fenders, wheelwell (skirt area) are rusty but the inner wheelwells themselves look pretty good. There are other rust spots and I'm kinda concerned with what I saw. Didn't make an offer, but saw things I did like. The car apparently has potential but really needs a good solid donor car to fix it properly. Patch panels won't cut it. The good news is it runs nice and doesn't smoke, goes into gear nicely. The aluminum? pieces on the convertible top frame are busted on both sides, and something weird is going on up front on the convertible top but couldn't tell from all the goo and sealer. I really need to decode this car and if anyone has info to on where to look I'd appreciate it. Bottom line, the car is rough as hell but I think its fixable.
You're looking at approx 20K in labor and at least 8K in parts and material between the body, ch***is and top work. Then you'll need engine updates and minor repairs, interior, and misc. Unless you have deep pockets or an affinity for financial pain and frustration, run, don't walk, away from it and wait to find something more solid. I may sound like a cr*** SOB for writing this, but I'd hate to see you get in a cluster on this deal. JMHO.
Just put the info up and I (or someone else) can decode it for you. Or, here is a site that will start you on the way to decode: http://www.vanpeltsales.com/FH_web/flathead_serialno_49-59VINdecode.htm If the body is not a 76B then it is a chopped car and quite frankly only worth something in parts. (Creative people sometimes fabricate convertibles out of other cars.) If the front cross-member and the spare wheel well are rusted out then you will find much more rust. It will be a full rebuild. It will cost a lot.
Got most of the info decoded, its U5RC 129190 U 272 v8, spec says its a 2bbl but the motor has a "Teapot" Holley 4000 on it. 5 1955 ( like I need to tell you that ) R built in San Jose, CA C convertible Body 76B convertible Color VA black and Goldenrod Yellow aka Bumble Bee Trim 21 Production code C2702 Looks like its an original "Bumble Bee" car; saw traces of yellow and black under the dash and under the fender trim. Based on a conversation with a hotrodder friend who owns a body shop, this car will require $8,000-$12,000 just to get the body right for someone like me, not counting the donor car that will be required. Based on this info and despite the fact that its a "Bumble Bee" car I've decided to p*** on it. I just can't afford it in the time frame I have in mind. Maybe one of you can pick it up and bring it back to its full glory and value. You body & fender guys could save a bunch by doing it on your own as long as you have a solid donor car. I can really see this car lowered a little with gl*** packs, Torque Thrusts and big & littles. I have a few pictures that I took before my camera batteries died. Just pm me with any questions you might have and I'll send 'em to you . Eli BTW, the odometer says 18,000+ miles, don't know if its original or rolled over. (the owner said he was told it sat for 30+ years) The 272 runs pretty good, original oil bath air cleaner, no smoke at idle and the car is drivable but the auto trans leaks. Owner replaced the fuel tank and pump, master cylinder, wheel cylinders, hoses and some lines. He said the only line not replaced was the main line from front to rear. It has factory power steering, power seats (don't work and springs are shot) and power windows, of which the two front windows still work.(two p***enger switches missing) Car is still 6 volt positive ground. The factory windshield washer gl*** bottle is intact but missing the suction tube. The car also has the heater delete which leads me to believe it is an original "Hawaii ordered" or dealer car. The dash looks real nice and most gauges work. It also has a sticker from the University of Hawaii on the window, along with a maintenance sticker from an Oahu shop. Also, the frame looks real good with the exception of the front crossmember and the X member looks real good. (Beefy SOB for sure! lol) It kills me to have to p*** on this car and I'll probably kick myself like I did after trading my 1970 SS Chevelle so many years ago but it'd be cool as hell if a fellow HAMBer picked it up.
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