Is this guy crazy?...or is it worth it.

If the frame is as rotten as the rest of the lower body is, I'd p***... unless you were absolutely in love with that body style.
As a fellow New Englander, I can attest that finding an even remotely decent old car that's not TOTALLY fried below the beltline, AND a coupe to boot is damn near impossible... especially for $1000.
If you love it, have the time, tools and talent AND some serious green to make it happen, give the dude his $800. Someone else will.
Relatively straight coupes aren't exactly growing on trees around these here parts.

 

I'd pay 1000$ for it in a heart beat!!

 

Look around a little more, that may or not be a deal; only you can determine that. If you have to pay someone else to fix it, then I might p***; because it will take a lot of work.

 

VIN-TIN...well if you think it's too high. hell man look around. it's not like their making them any more. it's a 47 coupe, and i.ll bet someone else, maby even here would love to have that old hoopy! me personaly, i think that old boy has potential...POP.

 

its only worth what your willing to pay i just sold one in that shape or worse for $300 no ***le and not as complete. the question is what is it worth to you can you find them cheaper yes, I picked up 2 one time for $300 one with ***le and enough parts to make 2 cars.. just gotta be patient and figure out what u wanna spend and what you plan to do with it...

just my two cents

 

I think it is a ok deal if you want it. It needs alot of work but bringing a car any car back to life is way cool in my book,I bought a 46 mercury coupe 15 years ago in near the same shape for 400 bucks took me a while but it is done and driving
The upside cool car the bad side 500 bucks is about 1/20th of what you are gonna be into it [if done well] when its done Good luck

 

It seems that everyone has different opinions about what this car is worth and whether it's cool looking and that's ok because that is what this hobby is all about. Building something that looks cool to YOU. Living on the east coast, cars are gonna be in far worse shape sitting around then ones out west. If i do decide to get it, it's gonna be real cheap. I do love these old coupes, and they are hard to find around here at any cost. But it certainly is gonna take serious dedication to bring it back. I have the tools. Not sure about the talent, but i've always been good at designing and building things. I think i can keep the cost as low as possible by stripping most of the stainless trim and filling the holes. The frame is probably pretty bad so i'd channel the body over a newer ch***is. If i did that it would need a new floor anyway. Everything else is just sheetmetal work. Replacement panels are available through "The Plymouth Doctor", but they are pricey. I haven't found anyone else that sells them. Those lower panels don't look too hard to make yourself.
Not sure what i'm gonna do yet. Stay tuned.

 

If you can have it for 800, buy it.

Since the floor is gone it is easier to channel it and you don't have to cut up a nice original floor

If this car was in Europe i would buy it immediately for that money.

 

The difference I see is that it is a bussiness coupe, not a club coup. Those familiar with mopars know that the bussiness coupe has the smooth flowing rear portion of the roof, to where the club has a crease at the end of the roof. 3 or 4-4x8 sheets of sheet medal will get your floor all back in if you know how to bend and fab. find a stock frame if it's rusted to bad, once again 170.00 for enough 2x4 box tubing to make one. I'd g***er it, use the top portion, build the rest, add your drivetrain, I'd go mopar all the way, 440, 727, 8 3/4 and in the end you will have a cool car and make your money back if need be. Hemi would be nice, but a bank breaker at first, maybe later? If it was closer I'd buy it. Try 400, maybe meet half way and promise the guy a ride when finished.......

 

One born every minute!' It will always be a 47 Plymouth and not worth much more than that! Tell the guy he better call the person who offered him $200 for the ***le and take it!

 

A statement like that is what I call (CMT) closed mind thinking, one way or the highway. Build your belly****on car and see who's get's more attention side by side.

 

not trying to be a smart ***, but it will take a lot of work to turn a plymouth opera coupe into a dodge bidness coupe. great looking coupe though. That is the direction I'm going in with my '47 Dodge Bidness coupe.

I think that is a little high for the price, but if you can get for around $500 that will give you the dough to get the rocker parts from the plyouth doctor.

 

Always someone bought or sold one for $300 ,hard to find one with all parts that are included in the picture.Every thing is rusty and rotten when you buy for a thousand bucks.Thats what its about.I can see a lot of work and cash going into it but I can also see a 47 coupe with a slight rake and a Hemi in it with a ***le and a some what rare build.Any body can find a ford.I got one.If the frame is fair than its worth every dime.Check the price of the gl***,grill,***le,trunk lid,etc A thousand bucks is nothing for a buildable coupe.Find another for $1000.Wont last long once word is out. By the way did you look under the bonnet.

 

i know the difference but it was the only pic i had to reference to the body as i only have 4door pics i love 4 doors but i love the front clip of this one it gives my a woodie

 

Some of these replies are funny.

The car's worth $200 just as s**** metal all day long.

It's not going to break in half. Trust me, when it comes to moving cars that have sat in the mud for 40+ years, I'm as close to a professional as they come. Just make sure to jack it up out of the dirt, fill the ruts, and stick some rollers on it and it will be fine even if the frame has weak spots in it.

I sold just the freaking deck lid for a '40-'41 Plymouth coupe for $150 and it was both bent and rotty at the bottom, unless you knew what it was you'd have thought it was junk, guy drove 5 hours to pick it up too.


Now it's a complete car, it's a coupe, and it has a ***le. That alone should be worth $500 whether it's a Ford, Chevy, Plymouth, Nash, or a Douchemobile.


As far as fixing it goes? Buy yourself a less than pretty 46-48 Mopar sedan with good floors and that will give you 90% of what you need. No one wants the sedans, they're barely worth s**** price in running condition. And they're dirt common. Most of the gl*** is flat gl***, easy/cheap to get replaced. The only rough spot is the front end is tough to upgrade in them without a clip or kit of some sort. Although a Volare might work under there, not like anyone's going to see underneath very often, and keep it all Mopar.


And seems to me these fit on an S10 frame fairly easily too if you want to go that route. Make your own floors and it would probably be pretty cheap, just your time and material to fab it together.


If it was mine, cleaned up a little, I'd have $1500 on it and be willing to take about half depending on where I got it from and what money I had in it.


So I'd say if you can get it for less than $750, it's reasonable, try shooting for $500 and see how it goes.

 

I was thinking these P15 coupes may also fit on a Dakota frame. Older model.

That is the "Deluxe" (cheaper) model......no horn ring, the solid metal in middle of
the dash instead of the chrome radio grille. Business coupe (one seat). Better model
was called "Special Deluxe". Not much difference in the body.....just the trim stuff
inside. I personally like to see the stainless left on the outside of these cars....just too
tubby and plain without trim. The grilles are hard to improve upon. The $500 type
price would seem about right to me based on the rough condition. I personally would
not mess with it, but then I'm not a body work person. Have seen cars that bad or
worse end up looking fantastic. Just my 2 centavos.

 

1947 Plymouth Business coupe : Looks waay cooler than a same year Ford (imho)
Mostly Complete/undented & 4sale ( with ***le no less) ! $800 seems like a bargain to me .
Sure wish "niceprice" cars like that could be found over here in Europe .

Klaz

 

I see a lot of cars like that, looking at stuff for customers.
I tell them " if the car was FREE, it's too expensive!"

Yes, technically, the car is probably save-able. But it will never be worth the time or money you sink into it. And YEAH, I know, if he likes the car, be different...blah, blah, blah...but the absolute truth is, how many of you actually keep the cars you try to, or succeed in fixing up.....VERY FEW!
Through the years here, I see it all the time, young guys getting encouraged to build up either a rotted out piece of junk, or an unwanted orphan car. they get about 1/2 way thorugh and have to sell it, cause it's too much work, time and money. But no one wants to buy it.
And yes, it's true about 95% of the time. AND I have to give the guys who actually finish a project like that a LOT of credit, but they are in the minority!
Really, you can probably buy a Plymouth/Dodge/maybe Chrysler running and driving for about 3 times that price. Save your money and do that. It will be more fun, and you can drive'er while you do your custom/hotord touches on it.
Besides....if you dont' have the money to buy a better car now, how you gonna build it?????
Do you have basic tools????
Do you have a compressor? a welder? Electric tools, grinders, Sawzall, etc?
Body and paint equipment?
If no, you'll need to pay folks your hard earned money to even get this project off the ground. Even if friends help out, materials, kicking in for electric/beer/lunch is going to cost you a bundle!
Look around some more, and save your money for something better, unless you've got a fully equipt shop, lots of time, and money.

 

I'd be concerned about the frame sitting in the dirt all these years especially in Pennsylvania.

 

looks from the pics that it's mostly there. you don't see a lot of that body style. it's probably work 1k, but nobody gets full price, offer him less-negotiate with cash.

 

Buy it IF a 46-48 Plymouth is YOUR dream car. There are lots of these cars around and this one has a lot of parts that would set you back a grand if you had to scrounge them up later...plus paperwork which is practically priceless.

The car is a 3-p***enger coupe.

 

here's a comparison ,,this is a clean 48 coupe..All original .. going for $3500 so...

 

Who is Joel? I've been wondering for 5 pages..

Much better deal...

 

hi im joel (raising hand in the back of cl*** )
i would say check my project page link it will explain everything lol
but i have just exceeded the bandwidth so i guess im going to have to pay so my pics can show again (im accepting donation's lol)

 

ive been reading the posts here..some of you can see a car under all the rust ..others cant..but with todays prices i think 800.00 with a clean ***le would make me bring it home.. i have spent alot more money for way less..... also alot less money for way more.. thats why i have several hundred out back now..plus the fact i was a crusher for years..but drag it home clean it up..if it scares ya too much part it out and recoup your investment or a good part of it..s**** the rest and go on with life..but if you see a jewel after you have the cash to build it your ahead of the game.....a cool car will get you thru times of no money better than money will get you thru times of no cool cars ...ha ha ha ha ha

 

WR, several hundred cars out back? You got it worse than most!
I figure that the original poster isn't as familiar with such projects. Most all of us can see the car through rose tinted gl***es and what a beauty it COULD be, but I still say that he would be better off with the example shown at 3500. He'll easily spend 3500 in the first one and be no further along than where the second one sits. I've also made junk into something nice, starting out with what I could afford (cheap junk), and I learned the lesson I'm trying to share; buy the best possible car you can. For most of us, this does not mean the perfectly restored show winner, but something that is complete and does not require hundreds of hours of rust repair.

I didn't want to discourage the guy, but I also want him to succeed in this great hobby, not have another sitting out back, half apart.

 

yea you're right..after a closer inspection of the pictures.. that car is a parts car..would be better off spending a little more and get something more restorable....but for the money i dont see going wrong just for the parts i can see on it..if you could score a close relative of that car in better shape get them both ....boy i may have the bug real bad i guess and always see the best in a pile of rust....plus having all the room i need to keep whatever pile of **** i can drag home makes me a little prejudice....here is a link to my back yard now..plus what is at the shop..the front yard ..and even some i still havent picked up yet..ha ha ha
http://s202.photobucket.com/albums/aa84/rcplumley/ebay store page/

 

I didn't read every reply because the first few just blew me away. get real people. First, if you like the car, stay in the conversation. If you don't, No, it won't be worth any amount to you.

Now lets say you have that car in the garage, but you need a grille. You'd pop $200 in a hurry for the grille. How much more for a good door? Not a rust free door, a decent one that maybe needs a patch at the bottom. He's got two. Hood ornament? bumpers? x2? If you have a problem with $800, you don't like the car enough. Throw him another offer or move on.

You guys amaze me. You ***** because the hulk in the woods is more than $200 and then you ***** because noone wants to give you a grand for the project in your garage.

The proper way to value something is to decide what a finished car is worth, then begin subtracting the costs of what's missing, then make an offer, counter offer and deal or walk. It's that simple. If you don't have two people, a buyer and a seller, that agree on a price, you have no value, just a prospect.

Real men don't ask "what's it worth?" They look around and see what's happening in the world and then they throw their own hat in the ring. Sometimes it gets stepped on. Sometimes they win.

 

ha ha ha great reply..i like the way you put that...ive guess ive gone thru life thinking all old cars are the same i have no likes or dislikes..they all ran at one time and will run again with work..now the amount of work is different for each car case by case..if your buying cars as a investment go to barrett-jackson..if you want to build one then you look thru back-yards...rake a few leaves.. kick a few tires.. make up your own mind and shoot a offer that you can live with and seller might go for...but in this case alot depends on your abilty and pocketbook...there are better deals out there but thats out there and that car is here...so to the original question of weather that seller is crazy..id have to say ..NO!!!.....but we all know the value of opinions

 

Son of a *****, that is the best 'Is it worth it' answer I have ever read.

Doc.