Yep agreed. Thats pretty standard for back in the day. Sure today we see whats wrong with it but back in the '50-60's that was standard. I've seen so many channeled cars from the day that they just hacked the floor with the torch and then welded the body right to the frame. Yeah the whole seam welded to the frame. It was the way. Now this guy paying $20k today for it...........well thats whats wrong, but honestly thought its shit work its not unchangeable.
Everyone here has bought stuff that was junk. he saw this thing through rose colored glasses. I know i am guilty of this. Think of what your wife or girlfriend says to her friends every time you drag a new piece of shit home! you see the potential, they see junk. This guy just did it on a monumental scale.
What was that Fred, dragged a new wife or girlfriend home after looking at the POS through rose tinted glasses? Yup, been there. Doc. PS, I first read this as $20000 handjob!
FWIW, that trans cross member looks just like the one out of a mid 80's full size Ford car. It's probably not exhaust tubing, but a modified unit from a crown vic.
Total guess..... Judging by the diamond tuck interior, maybe this is an old build. Looks like an early 70's high school kid's attempt at a hot street car. Check it out, is that an NSRA approval sticker in the quarter window?
The crossmember looks like a typical GM mid 60s-70s type, not exhaust tubing. Interesting that it has to hold up the floor since the frame got hacked up. Seems about 5-10% of old cars are really hacked up, you really do have to inspect carefully before buying, or have someone who knows how do it for you.
That's one reason it is a good idea to take someone with you when you buy a car. Two or three heads are better than one (That's what she said) There are pre-purchase inspectors out there who can for a fee, tell you the bad stuff. Paying $300-400 buck for an objective viewpoint may save you a huge monetary mistake. Mikey www.mikeyspinstriping.com www.hotrodconsulting.com
Yea, I bought my pickup off the net, actually right here on the HAMB. I must have gotten 50 pix from the seller and thought all my bases were covered. My crossmember looks nearly as bad as that one, but for the price I paid a very fair deal. 20,000? Damn, he has to take a lot of the blame for buying it. I am sorry though. Like you said anything can be fixed. I'd dig in and get something done quick and start feeling better about the car. Good luck...
Say---didn't I see that car in "Old Schoolz or Rebals Rod" Ya----thats it. If ya buy stuff like this and are surprise, then you belong on the otherside. Shiny paint gets them every time.
I'm pleased someone else brought this up! I took a few liberties and enhanced part of your statement.
There's a local butcher that does work very similar to that, AND charges a small fortune. Those guys are out there, so beware!
i reckon it was bought cheap then the sob story and then you end up doing the job for peanuts ,your mate then sells it at a profit . a bloke at work nearly had the same thing done to him by his own daughter , she got a mgb that was rusty , he sorted it all out onthe road she then said she was selling and buying another one for him to do but he was wise to her . make sure he pays for the work , it is not your fault he bought the car.vin
Amazing. What keeps sticking what me though, is I think you said your buddy actually drove this from Wyoming to San Jose!! Holy chit! If anyione deserved the name Lucky- he does. Y
looks like a great excuse to rebuild the sick 36. Those are bad ass cars and even though your friend may have been on the short end of the stick, f&^k it and build it the way he wants it now........DONT PUT IT ON A GODDAMNED S-10 FRAME!
I don't know, one makes a mess, the other one came as a mess already. This is the kind of thing that wouldn't happen if everyone built their own, or started from a builder and had someone good do it for them and checked it out each step of the way. But too many people see shiny paint and spend their money, and the same people see rust and primer and think it's unsalvagable junk and sometimes the only difference is that coat of paint. I can't say I spend much time feeling sorry for them. The stuff I have for sale may look like shit, but you're not going to find hackjob nasty surprises after the fact. Unless of course it's an old stock car, but with those, ugly or hack work is usually a given, there's usually a reason they stopped racing the car.
Is it just the pictures or are the two legs of what's left of the wishbones 4+ inches diferent length. Just about pooped my pants when I saw the ends welded in with 'filler bolts'. Your friend needs to take his next 20K and give it to his church. Cause somebody was lookin' out for him.
You said he bought it off of EGAY, dont they have rules about what you post and how you describe the car??? I would like to see the origional EBAY ad?? At least you can post comments about the transaction on there... Every "Hot Rod" was built by someone other than the factory, so your friend really should have let you help him out if he didnt know what he was looking at...some real obvious stuff going on there......nobody likes to get burnned...but at least the car is in your shop and nobody will drive that car the way it was ever again...Tell your buddy that he saved a kids life!! The kid who would have bought it if he didnt.....
So my Question is how much is you buddy giving you to put it back together correctly This time...after spending 20 grand on it already?
What I meant was, I would have felt better buying it on an S-10 frame with the original unmolested one to go with it. Then you could put it back any way you want it by someone who knows what to do. I am not an advocate of the S-10 swap, but its better than that hacked up job and is probably more reversible.
Well, I talked to my friend and he wants me to rebuild the whole thing, thank god! I want to put a stock replacement frame under it and go from there, but he is thinking about using a Corvette frame with four wheel independent suspension and customizing it to fit. I don't really like the Corvette frame idea but any thing is better than what he has now. Besides it's his car and he is paying for it, so if I can't talk him into a stock frame than at least he'll have a good handling car. Let's hope he goes for a stock frame.
Wow. Yeah, that's why I never go alone to check out my projects, and neither do my friends. Does it look like the previous owner did all of that crap, or that it's an older screwup? If you can reasonably say that it was the previous owner, I'd go shake him down for about 5k worth.
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