I looked at an unfinished fancy billet, Hiedt IFS w/airbags, chiny wheels, flaming valve covers on SBC, gold chain, all steel 34 Ford 3 window with nice bodywork..for 15,000..I squint my eyes and it is the 34 Ford I've always wanted..I open them wider and see it for what it is..all the stuff I would have to strip off of it and try and sell to get it where I want it..a clean, mean, plain traditional hotrod..what is the better, cheaper, less frustrating build? to start at this end, stripping down someones unfinished 90s billet big buck "streetrod" to where I want to be (he says he can show $40,000 worth of stuff) or start at the other end with a frame and a body and build up? some good ol HAMBrs advice?
How much is your time worth? If the body work is done, then the rest of it should just be cosmetic, right? And, if it already runs and drives, then there is some instant gratification there. I'd rather upgrade or change some simple things than have to start from scratch - unless that is exactly what you're wanting to do. If it were me, and I could swing the $15K, and it was pretty much everything I've always wanted, I'd jump at it. Think about it this way. If you bought a NEW car/truck, would you leave it exactly the way it is when you drove it off the lot, or would you change something to make it more of something representing who you are?
Can you make 10 grand selling the unwanted items? It would be cool to start with something mechanically sound and change it, as opposed to starting at ground-zero... The IFS could be a problem, but I bet you could sell it... Hard call, what do you expect to pay for a "starter" 34'? Probably close to the same price.
Seems to me that any all steel '34 3 window is worth 15K, even in backyard-under-a-tarp condition. So buy it, take off all the stuff you're not going to use, sell it all on eBay no reserve, and go from there. The asking price seems incredibly low for an all steel car with properly done bodywork. Especially if it has a ***le.
Squablow is right. Before long I bet you'll see a lot of guys buying billet mobiles and turning them back into hot rods. Clark
If the body is halfway nice, it's gotta be worth 15K. Sell the ch***is whole, and find another stock frame to slip under it. You might be into that car for real cheap. Is the IFS ch***is set up nice? Will it look good on Ebay?
a three window for 15k....is this a joke? Why are you wasting time talking? Sell what you don't want!
Seriously, If you decide not to buy this car. Please PM me. I think this is the only way I'll be able to afford one. I'll just tear it apart and start from scratch. PJ
There are lots of cars out there that someone has dialed up parts for, gotten financially buried in, and need to get out of. Ususally they have a rotten body and find out the reality of bodywork expense after they have bought too many billet parts. This sounds like a great opportunity at $15K because, when it comes right down to it, the sheet metal is what you shoud be paying for, and this one is nice. The running gear is easy-buy the best body you can get and go from there, and the body is worth the $15K.
From personal experience I say BUY IT!! I bought a car similar (34 5 window), it was a mustang 2'd street rod kinda thing as well. But mine was in pieces already, and got a lot of boxes of parts with it. The price was right and I had it drivable and almost to my standards in about 7 months or so. Not a regret, but there are a lot of things I want to revisit and change... but I think that is the name of the game! Hell of a deal for a steel 3 win'der!! Kick yourself in the *** now not later!!
You snooze........ you lose If you can swing the $$, drag it home NOW! All that chainer BS will bring something to offset the cost of a new traditional frame and suspension. Keep(?) the SBC, just do it your way. Is it worth it? IMHO...Hell yeah. I've gotten two offers in that range for my 33 5W pile-o-parts (pristine body), but turned them down, cuz I know it would take a lot of luck to find another one. Hey, buy it and I'll trade you and save you the trouble of all that parts swapping. This kind of deal surely won't happen again any time soon for you. Better get going on it. Let us know and get some pics.
a 3 window 33 body and frame just sold for 23,000 on here , that needed all the patches sound`s like a cheap start to me rick.
My Thoughts exactly. One at the San Diego Big Three a few months ago sold for 35K and needed everything tho be any kind of Rod. At 15K, PM me his phone number if you dont want it. I already got one, but you can never really have Too many three windows. Drew
$15,000 for body can't be too bad of a mistake. Fenders, grill, etc. are almost as expensive as '32 stuff if you are getting that stuff... Frame sounds like it would best be replaced--nearly terminally modified. Look in streetrodder and see what a new roller with all that stuff sells for, and then go try to get a significant fraction of that from someone who wants to be a goldchainer but can't quite swing it... Doing another ch***is right sounds much easier and cheaper to me than starting with a rough and incomplete body. You have to turn into a full-time scrounger to deal with missing '32-4 body parts nowadays.
Thanks guys, you all are pretty convincing..I'll go back over there and swing it, he is also the guy that had the 57 Eldorado with the fins cut off that I talked about..I'll see if I can get him to throw that in too..he also has 41 Ford two-door sedan and 81 Riviera convertable for sale....
Damn, almost makes you wonder if these cars are hot? Anyway, if you want a traditional 3W, I have one ready to go I will trade you right now for that car. The only catch is that it has a Gibbon body. Nice, but gl***. the ****ster
The only question I have that hasn't been volunteered so far in this thread is: "has the car been smootheyized?".... hidden hinges, glue in windshield and all that other Boyd-wannabe **** that was so popular 10-15 years ago. But I agree, $15K sounds good..... even though I bought a decent '33 3w body in '85 for $450 (and sold it the next day at a swap for $2K) and have trouble getting my head around current values.
I would sell off the junk I didn't want and put that towards parts for the build. I am currently building a 75 Landcruiser and the parts I am pulling off of it are actually paying for the entire project. By my estimates I will only be out about 1k not counting vehicle purchase for what I want to do to it.
It did have a well done sensible chop, it looked like they were getting ready to glue in a windshield, I remember the doors still suicide, but can't remember handles..didn't see any fenders or bumpers, he might have em stashed..one of those $700 billet grilles, nice shell..those bags allowed that shell to sit right on the ground making me kinda nervous.....
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