What to look for in a '49?

So, many of you know I live overseas. I am moving back to North America though on Monday. I have been looking for a car however online for a while now. I finally found my dream car. I called the guy and we will be meeting on Tuesday.

Car is a 1949 Chevrolet Fastback with a Malibu front clip, 350 SBC, disk brakes (aftermarket for Malibu), Edelbrock camshaft, Edelbrock carburator, Edelbrock heads, Automatic (Not sure which kind) transmission, new paint, new body work, 3.43 possi rear, headers, etc.

I just want to know what to look for. I have the cash ready for this deal but I will be backing down if there is something wrong with the car.

My mother and I will be doing a road trip across North America from Saskatchewan to California so I need something reliable and safe.

Thanks guys!

 

Looks like a clean car in the photos, but approach it with a critical eye and lots of questions. Usually, the at***ude of the owner is the first tell tale sign. If he/she will answer your questions and let you give the car a long look, that's a good start. If they beat around the bush, get snotty, or just seem to be making things up, something is not right.
Look the car over good, then look it over again, and then again. Start it up from a cold start, if you go to check it out a couple times and it has already been warmed up, something could be fishy. Let it idle awhile while you look it over. You should be able to find a gauge that measures the thickness of the paint at a body shop, it can also tell you if there is bondo on the car. Do all of the panels line up? Drive it, a few times if you can; neighborhood, highway, stop and go, get on it a little. Keep a keen look for any weird sounds, smells, vibrations. Crawl in, under, and around it. Look at the fab work for the front clip if you can. Poor fab work - say so long. Check out all of the wiring, engine compartment, under dash everywhere; should be clean and well laid out. Check all the fluids of course.
Are there any HAMBers in the area that would be willing to help look over the car? Another person on your side who knows old cars is always an ***et.
I just rambled a bit here. There's hundreds of things really from the smallest detail such as if the door knobs match to how good of shape the drive line and ch***is are.
Keep us updated and I hope you find a sweet ride. Safe travels and welcome back.

Ask to see receipts. Were quality parts used or cheep junk? Who did the work? Obviously the work was not done in the garage where the pictures were taken. Call or go to see the shops who did the work if you can too.

 

Thank you so much! Any idea how much it would cost for one of those gauges to tell how thick the paint is?

 

Found this http://www.autobodytoolmart.com/progauge-magnetic-paint-thickness-gauge-p-10805.aspx
Also, you can use a fridge magnet as an ultra cheep way to test body work. Make sure you put some tape over it first so as not to scratch any paint. But if it sticks it's steel, if it don't then it's plastic or?
Look especially at the lower wheel openings, rocker panels, lower quarter panels, panel below trunk lid for bondo work.

 

You should look for a set of bumpers.

 

Thanks, I always bring magnets when looking at cars. I remember about four years ago when I went to look at a '66 or '67 Charger the owner said the body was perfect well I couldn't get the magnets to stick at all on the rear quarter panels by the rear wheels. I also looked at a '56 Chevy 4 door same thing. Only on the '56 the magnets wouldn't stick anywhere.

 

Thanks! I was actually going to move out to California shortly. Is it a problem to not have bumpers on a car there? I was thinking about that.

 

No you shouldn't have any legal problems...It just needs them.

 

not being able to drive it first might bring some dissapointment later. be smart and wait until you get back to purchase a ride you will be glad you did.

 

Dont rush it mate. I know that will be hard to do, especially with the $ in your pocket. As for driving an old car cross country, esp one new to you, thats a whole set of risks. It could be the best time of your life or a nightmare, esp hitchhiking with ya mom.

Does the guy have any pics of the repairs to the body?

As much as it can be frowned upon here for good reason perhaps post what he is asking for it.

 

where is the car located? No I dont want to buy it out from under you just to get an idea on usual rust as different areas of the world have different rust issues.

 

You said it has a malibu front clip. Check out those welds and make sure they arent cracking and everything appears straight. Id say the car looks great and the paint looks new. I didnt notice there where no bumpers at first till it was mentioned. Id be worried about that. Rules are different in every state and it might fail certain state inspections. How much is the asking price? Im no expert but from the pics id say its in the 6k to 10k range.

 

You may be able to have a HAMBer check out the car for you before you get here just to see if it's even worth it..

 

I like the style ...

 

Well thanks guys. I am leaving tomorrow and I have arranged to meet with this guy on Tuesday. I will be checking over everything. I am not going to be posting the price because that is between me and the seller. I will ask him if he has the bumpers for it and if he can throw them in with the deal. When I spoke with him the only problems he could report was that there was a header leak you could notice at about 1,700 RPM. Other than that he said everything was fine but I will be the judge of that. Hopefully I can post some pictures of me driving it home on Tuesday.

 

Also look for sagging doors, rust under the floor mats and around "A" pillars. Is it possible for you to put it on a lift to inspect the bottom before buying it? Look under the dash to check out the wiring.

 

See if he has build pictures so that you can see what all was done. Looks like the license plate is just sorta stuck on there and it doesn't look like it has a light. That is a good way to get pulled over at night.

 

Get under it and look around. Also, a lot of bodywork and paint down low on a car is poorly done-too much effort to bend over, I guess. Look down low, back off and look down the sides-it's a black car, and black won't lie-if its not good, you'll see it pretty quick. Looks like a nice car, but as was said DON'T BE IN TOO BIG OF A HURRY. Best of luck.

 

The front clip would be a main concern. The car seems to sit high, and the trend is to try to get a car lower, so there's a good chance that it's sitting high because the front clip is too wide and you can't steer it if you lower it. If you like the way it sits, and have no plans to lower it, it may be fine, you'll have to decide.
Could be that's why it has no front bumper as well, they can be a little tricky to install with some clips. And, as someone else mentioned, check the clip carefully, make sure it's strong and the welds look good, and measure it to be sure it's installed straight. Believe it or not, I bought a 39 Pontiac once at a bargain price because the guy welded the clip in crooked, there was a 2" difference in wheelbase on one side!
I don't know what you're paying, but I'd keep an open mind, and keep looking around, at least try to line up some options if this one turns out to be a polished turd. Good luck

 

From what I can see this car is not a 6 to 10 thousand car. It surely would be more. In 1988 I bought a 41 Chevy coupe that had a 350/350 Nova rear end original front with disk brakes, rack and pinion steering. The car would run all day at 160 New paint original interior which need to be re done. I drove the car cross Country 1000 miles to Wyoming to take a cl*** on interior, I drove the car 3 months later home and the only problems were the 160 thermostat had to be changed to a 195 so I could have better heat in October, November and December weather. The other problem was the setting of the carburetor for the higher al***ude. I paid $6k and sold it with new interior in June of the following year for $10,500

I would like to see the car lowered with skirts.
<O</O
If I’m wrong let me know, I know the economy is bad but I cannot see that car going for $10,000. Unless it was filled with bondo and shoddy work then I would definitely be wrong.

From what I see the car looks good, new paint, tires, the small block Chevy, more then likely 350 trans, later rear end and gauges. Let us know if we are close to be over $10,000. If it's $6,000 and you don't want it send me the location with a number and I'll go get it.<O</O

 

one of my concerns beyond what has been posted here is with the wipers....I can see the pivots under the windshield BUT is there any linkage, is it still vacuum motor(does it work, and does he have the arms and blades.?....all difficult stuff to purchase quickly if needed for your road trip...also noticed the drivers door mirror changing from on pic to another, what's with that? No big deal, but just wondering.... Car LOOKS terrific and hope the best for you in this deal..GOOD LUCK

 

Wow, I hate the stance I wanted to lower it for sure. What should I look for to see if it can be lowered?

 

Thanks I also noticed the above. Does Rain-X really work because I may have to use that. Thanks!

 

At least for me, on anything that has been clipped I would be really suspect of the work done. That car looks like a decent car. I would hope that someone wouldn't spend the time to make a car nice if the clip was not installed properly. I would get that thing on a lift for an inspection and maybe to a frame shop to see if everything is straight. That being said. Looks like a nice ride and welcome back to the land of hot rods. I know you've been dieing for one for while now. Just don't let that cloud your judgment. And if you happen through Seattle and need any help, don't hesitate to look me up. Sounds like a really fun trip you have planned.

 

Thank you everyone I am getting the magnets and compression tester ready now. I will let you know how everything goes. This will be my first pre '64 if everything works out. Wish me luck my life could change today!

 

I used to bring a strong magnet and a piece of cheesecloth with me when I had my doubts about the body work. The cloth keeps the finish from getting scratched by the magnet. Tape would work, but use something thin, not duct tape.

Try to arrange seeing the car on a lift or on jackstands. I like to do the "follow me" test on inspecting clipped cars. You drive behind the clipped car to see if it crabs to one side revealing a crooked clip installation.

Bumpers are a good idea, it keeps the car from getting dinged up when you have to park it somewhere. The front can be adapted to the Chevelle clip with a little fabrication.

Bob

 

Sorry I am new to this and still learning. Is the Malibu clip bad? Why is a Chevelle clip better? Thanks!

 

Cool car. You should swing it north to the cl***y town of PA!

 

what year Malibu clip does it have?

 

Well, I just got back from meeting with the guy. I am not sure what to do now. I really really want this car but it has some issues.

1.) The guy said it had a header leak. After checking it out it was a ****ed wrist pin. When my uncle said that you could see the look in the guys face "oh ****".

2.) Guy seemed a little dishonest.

3.) Craftsmanship was total **** on it.

4.) Car does not have locks for the door and I will be driving to California

All in all the car is my dream car so I don't know what to do. The guy wants $9,500 but I think he may bite at $8,500 but he will for sure not go below $8,500.

I need advice I really want this thing but don't know what to do.

This is Saskatchewan and there is nothing else here. NOTHING!