How to find/choose the right chopped 53/54 Chevy?

Hi All,
Long story short, I had a chopped 53 chevy (sort of sold it like a fool in 2019 but the fact it was a 4 door kept bugging me). I had a nice 50 Ford chopped but eventually the flat sides bugged me too much and sold it in April this year. What I learned is I'm damn picky. I want a chopped/bagged 53/54 Chevy without the wrap around window.

I'm looking at two cars but my instinct tells me it's more than I can take on:

1. This one has paint issues. The owner said just needs the top repainted because the bondo didn't set before it was painted but it looks like the entire car needs to be repainted since the blue area is probably hard to fix/blend in small areas. I take it $15k to repaint and another $12k for a shop to redo the rear window to a non-wrap around and a new headliner. Does that seem right?










2. This one below was chopped, has a new motor/trans, and was bagged with 4-link and mustang 2 front end. I have no metal working skills but imagine I can learn to weld and finish seams and grind smooth and make custom bumper brackets/grill pieces. I can wire install airbag tank/controller etc. I'm guessing $20k for a shop to do body and paint after I weld seams and smooth them, $10k for interior, $3k for glass. It seems in the mean-time I can spray with rattle can and drive it while I work on certain things before it goes to a body shop. The wheel cutout shape looks modified so I may have to find a shop that can make custom fender skirts and getting the rear wheels off is going to be a pain! Does that seem right?








Should I pass on these, and perhaps even wait until I feel like spending $50k or more to find something closer to what I want that's finished and hammer on price? It seems every car I'm potentially interested in will get me north of $50k to redo and/or make it look the way I want when I add up what they need. At the same time, the more I spend, the less likely I'm going to drive it based on my previous experience.

 

I like both. At least with the first you can do repairs in the areas needed and look at a full respray later. I'd just hate to see what's under all that filler.

 

I like the first one but would strip all the glass, trim and interior and media blast for sure.. You need to see what’s really there. You’re definitely right on the rear window. Your probably looking at 25-30 plus buy in…..it is worth that to you? Is the question.

 

Thanks, so the blue one (first one) is priced in at $37k as it. Yikes! Adding in another $25k to $30k and while I have the cash to burn (easily) right now, I don't want to out of principle. I won't touch the car if I'm in at over $50k because of the stress and living in a city where parking/traffic is starting to be a pain and density is on the increase fast.

Do you think to finish the second car I'm looking at $20k for body and paint and $10k for interior assuming as a beginner I can learn to weld and finish up the seams and grind them smooth and maybe do a little bit of body work here and there? That might put me at about the $50k mark when I factor in other miscellaneous stuff (side/rear glass, air tank/compressor bumper pieces/polishing). I suppose I could just keep waiting and maybe something will come up for sale near $50k. There is one in gold for $50k that looks great in the photos and is finished but I don't like the big rear wrap around window on it after the chop, nor the lake pipes on the side, nor supreme wheels and it doesn't have fender skirts. There would be no budget to change any of that.

 

Thanks, my intuition says to just stay away from the blue one because I can't easily survey the root issue and I'm not experienced enough to examine what's going on (plus like the other commentor said it probably needs to be sandblasted).

 

Thanks, that's what worries me, I can't tell what would be the cause with my limited experience/level. The repairs might look ugly without the respray and for $37k current asking price I might feel I spent a lot of money and will be frustrated at the cost of a full respray.

The second car, I wonder if I could learn to weld and finish up the seams and grind smooth and do a little bit of filler work little by little and just spray the entire car myself in some type of color (maybe beige primer) or even roller brush it with a satin color while I work on it and get to drive it soon. I did my 66 C-10 with rustoleum with a foam brush in a gloss color and spend just $50. I meticulously mixed a green/blue color and everyone compliments me on the truck and I'm just laughing internally because its a rust bucket but I love how stress free it is and love throwing my surfboards in the back to go surf sometimes. Perhaps with the second car I can get an ok enough look to drive and show it at some car meetups and not be embarrassed and also not stress out until I eventually feel like spending on good body/paint work at a shop. As is, it seems to be a decent enough deal given I don't have to do any structural work or any work to the chop and it has airbags/4-link and new motor/trans.

 

The only way to learn body work is by doing. You learn nothing by not doing. Pick one and go learn. At the end you will be a whole lot smarter no matter how it goes.

 

There is no such thing as the perfect project car. They all hold some kind of surprise just waiting for you to find it.