I have a customer brings me a 57 safari now to be honest its rusty . The other thing is its complete missing nothing . Now they only made 1300 of these compare to nomads 28000 produced . Now her is where my customer is on the fence do we bring it back 100 percent stock , or resto mod it . Its sole purpose is to be sold when done . Not enough of them to compair to sales wise . I wanting your thoughts
Production of the 57 nomad was 6103. Stock seems to be selling better than modified lately. That being said, paying someone to build a rusty car from the ground up in the hopes of making profit, has got to be one of the worst business plans I've heard of.
So this is this guys way of makeing money? He should check the values, even the auctions, and compare it to what you will need to complete the job as you need to make a profit to stay in business. I wish you and him good luck....
I saw one for sale locally a few years ago, nice older restoration. Pretty sure it was '57 but might have been '56. The guy was asking $25K. He later told me he took $16K. I don't know him well enough to verify, but he had no reason to mislead me.
It will cost a small fortune to do the car either way. Probably at least $10-15,000 in chrome plating and stainless polishing. Engine and hydramatic rebuild another $8-10,000. Interior was all leather on the Safari more $$$$$$. Your charges ? When all is said and done, I don't see a money maker! I have had a '57 2 door Hardtop for many years and I know the cost of parts for these cars. Good Luck, KK
For what it's worth , there are 2 on Hemmings ....one asking $120 K and the other $150 K .!! Getting and asking aren't necessarily the same
I have two 55 Safari's & have found out that most of the parts are unique to the Pontiac (not shared w Chevy) &/or 1 year only items. That can make these cars a bit pricey to restore. My point is, that whichever direction you choose, if you merely hold true to the theme you select (restored, old school custom, restorod) it will be worth the effort to someone Singlefinger Speed Shop, still lurking around Detroit
Always liked the 57 Safari best out of all three years. Don't think you can go wrong with a restoration or restomod as long as you don't mess with the style. Restomod would probably sell better, think I would try to keep it all Pontiac.
Not knowing you or your customer, I venture to say you may be both embarking on a high likelihood of potential dissatisfaction. He needs to be a good customer with deep pockets to finish this project. Did you project a cost to complete? Sent from my SM-T377V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
This would be my 3rd full restore for him . I told him either way would be about 75k but need to know what he wants to do so i can get going on fabrication and parts ordering . Hes on the fence i want to all pontiac but resto mod it . But not mess with external changes .
There is a nice modified '57 Safari on eBay right now; it looks to be a quality build. I love the looks of a '57 Safari. Can't go wrong whatever your customer decides to do.
If he likes it a lot.. and does not have an unlimited budget...just fix it up to be a nice driver.. Later on, he surely can get his money back from someone who wants to (and has the budget for) taking it back all the way
My .02 cents says go restomod. I would go with a Pontiac Mill. To me a lowered 57 safari with the right wheels says Sexy in a way very few cars can. I saw one in red 30 years ago, and still remember it well.
If it were me, I would talk to him about getting it running and driving, fix the major body work and punt it. Let someone else take the risk. That car is gonna take $$$ to rebuild and no guarantee to get his ROI. Sent from my iPhone using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
1957 to 1957 - not all years 1957 was the lowest production for the Chevy at 6103 and the 1957 Safari production was below 3000...rarer but do as the customer wishes as long as the checks clear.....
Thats the issue isnt money . Or the work .would people still have as much interest in it stock all stock or resto mod . To me its a catch 22 its rare but history at auctions the get from 51k to 90k stock and yet to see a sale on a resto one . There for sale but have been for a while .
I think there's your answer .......... If your client is truly doing this to flip and hopefully make some money, in my opinion this is the wrong car. It looks rough! I had a '55 Nomad in similar shape and I was going to do the majority of the work myself. It made no sense so I let it go down the road.
A few years back, I had the opportunity to purchase a nut and bolt, frame-off 57 Safari. It was a resto-mod. It had a Chevy 350 crate engine and a W/C T-5. Vintage A/C, PS, PB. But it looked bone stock on the outside. It was PERFECT! Black and chrome. Gary spent $22000 having all the chrome plated! The interior was redone with NOS material and it was spot-on. Lots and lots of attention to detail. It was simply fantastic. In the end, it sold for $55000. That was not enough, but that is what the market would pay. Like many, I should have kept it. Use this information as a gauge.
The Jalopy Journal
