Projects The long process of finding a project car and adventures of the new guy.

neat car, looks like it probably was never "built", it was just worked on over the years. Make sure it's actually driveable....by test driving it...look for smoke out the tail pipe, listen for strange sounds, make sure things actually work. Do a thorough rust check underneath. If you won't have any money to spend on it, you'll need to make sure you can do something with it, without spending money, eh?

 

alright will do. i'm mainly trying to secure a 58 that i can work on over time since they are hard to come by around here but i'll look it over. owner says it runs and drives so hopefully its not just a yard car

 

That car is exactly what you are looking for, if he drops it below $3k ( I think you said that's where your budget is at right now), the paperwork is in order, the frame isn't shot, it is a good deal, not clapped out like that '57. Consider buying this car like going to school for " working on cars ". Even if it's running and driving now, everything will need rebuilding soon, every seal and piece of rubber is probably 30+ years old, even if it had been changed at one point, so as you start driving any old car this stuff tends to start failing. But that's a great thing because it's fun to figure out how it all works and fix everything, the only way for a regular person to learn to do this stuff is to dive in. There is serious satisfaction in rebuilding an engine or transmission yourself. Because you are obsessed with '58 Chevys you will be motivated to tackle all these things.

Let us know when you buy it!

 

Congratulations on your 58 Chevy find, hope it turns out to be the car of your dreams. I noticed that car has power steering and power brakes, that's a nice addition to an old Delray. Good luck.

 

Power breaks, power steering, but a 3 on the tree. Go figure


What'cha got in there, kid?

 

This car looks like a good starting point for you.

 

I'm betting there is a lot of Bondo at the top of the headlights. this is a common rust area in all cars with this fender design.

 

Well unfortunately someone else had 3500 in hand and got over there faster than i could and bought that 58. Oh well back to looking


What'cha got in there, kid?

 

Crap! That sucks.

Hey, 58 Yeoman is in Central IL, he is almost giving his car away. Not exactly what you wanted, but here's a screen grab. The other info is in the sitting and rotting thread.

But, there's other '58's out there, you might just have to wait and travel.

 

i've still got my eyes on that 57 210 hardtop. My new plan is to get that car, throw a 283/glide in it and maybe some glass and then sell it.

 

Is this tranny a glide?


What'cha got in there, kid?

 

Sounds like it should be fun to fix up a 57. There will be a lot of good advice here.

1950 to 1963 had cast iron case, 63 to 73 were alum (with some exceptions) It looks to me like a later version, if you need to rebuild it you will have to find #'s on the castings. (A lot cheaper than rebuilding an engine, parts will only be a few hundred $). The alum one is more desirable.

I definitely am not an expert, I barely have opposable thumbs, so you might want to make a "please id this motor/trans", within seconds someone here will nail it exacty.

This pic is from a 63 Vette, looks the same.

 

alright thanks. the seller says it was pulled out of a running impala a few years ago and a family member died so they are selling off all the car stuff. might be an interesting place

 

Great start to a project... Good luck!

 

Best of luck in your search.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

 

Struck out on the 57. After almost a month of the guy telling me it has a clean title i get a text from him the day before i was going to make the drive asking if i still want it without title... He also said some other guy really wants it. I'll let him have it because i dont want to deal with title issues. Back to my search


What'cha got in there, kid?

 

Be really nice if you pass on the whereabouts of this car to one of us that doesn't have the same issues about titles that you have. Try the private mail function that Ryan has set up.

 

Something about that 57 HT seemed too good to be true.

 

You already know the 57 is a RARER 210 hardtop. Any SBC will bolt in, car or truck. BTW, the bellhousing in the trunk is actually a truck bellhousing, and will not work very well in a passenger car; there are plenty of passenger car bellhousings out there, so don't mess around with a truck bellhousing trying to make it work. Lots of old body damage, bondo repair, no glass, and the floors are pretty much shot, but, everything is available to repair them right if you have the $$$. The more complete the car, the less work you will have. Take your time, and look, look, look, before you buy someones POS project. There are better cars out there. Personally, I'd pass on that 57, unless you plan on becoming a welder/bodyman. Tri-Five frames tend to have more front bumper frame horn damage than anything else; rust is't usually a big problem, unless they salt the roads where you live. I advise you to keep looking, unless the guy will take half his asking price; even that's a stretch from my perspective. I am Butch/56sedandelivery.

 

well, if anyone is interested i'll give you the guy's details through private message but keep in mind he told me someone else is really interested in it as well.

 

That's an old trick, probably not true. If it's still there and not hauled off on a trailer already, "someone" isn't that interested. He lied about the title, so that's a huge red flag. A lot of the guys here live in places where titles aren't necessary/know people/don't come down from the Appalachians that often (have you seen Deliverance?) give them the info via pm if they are really interested, let them $&"£€ with it. Keep looking for a 58.

 

well... that 58 is back on craigslist... with a set of hubcaps and floor mats... but it's $6500.

Also found a beat up but complete and mostly solid 4 door with 283 and the guy wants 700. perfect to build a 2 door.

 

Youve got me thinking about the 4 door for 700 and if you dont care to rock a 4 door and your money situation and uh................???
I sure do admire your "want too".....

 

well if i can get there before someone else does, i'll have a car. I just had a birthday this week that allows me to sign titles now so i don't have to drag someone else along with me which takes time

 

Of course i missed out again. Damn i wish life would get out of the way sometimes


What'cha got in there, kid?

 

Happy birthday. It pays to be patient. Your car will find you.

 

thank you and i agree i'm not in a rush.

 

Here is a few tips from someone who has made most of the mistakes at least twice:
1. The old saying "don't marry your first piece" is true regarding cars too. You should NOT rush to buy any car you find.....I finally learned what chevy57dude said about "your car will find you"
2. Dance with lots of girls, look at lots of cars. Soon, you will have a feel for what is trash and what is a hidden gem. Cars with lots of missing parts, missing title, bad interior, non-running motor, etc are BIG money sinks. Even if you bought one of them for $5, you couldn't come out ahead.
3. Assess your skills and buy accordingly. Are you a (A) mechanic? Can you disassemble an engine and put it back together? Don't use the "I will learn" BS...you can either do it or you need to learn how first? Are you a (B) body man? If you have never welded patches, spread bondo, etc. don't buy a rust bucket project until AFTER you learn. Are you a (C) interior man? Have JUKI tattoo'd on your butt? IF you have never sewn, if you don't have hog ring pliers, don't buy a car with no interior. The headliner alone will send you to the funny farm. Are you a (D) painter? Do you have the equipment and skill to paint? Not everyone does. Good/correct paint makes or breaks a car. I would assume that you want people to admire your work, not laugh at it.
4. Looking at your car considerations, it is apparent you have no defined idea of what your goal is. Looking at a Buick 4 door is considerably different than looking at a 57 Chevy. You need to sit down and define what your goal is...write it down. Write down all the detail of a end product that you want. Write down every part you want to add. After looking at lots of cars, you will develop at taste that suits you.....
5. Don't buy parts for any car until you define what it is you are doing. People get too excited about buying stuff that they will never use....especially wheels and tires. When I was young and inexperienced, I bought a set of lifters for a 283....but I didn't have a 283 yet.

Time, take time.... when I bought my 39, I started a spreadsheet of potential cars.....I eventually had
26 cars (all 39 Fords) on the list. I narrowed the list to 10 and then to 3 before I chose the one. Some dropped off, some were added over the year that I took to find the right car. IF I had jumped on the first one (or even the fifth one), I would regret it today.
Mike

 

Got an email from a guy on craigslist today. Kind of interesting:

"Just a little bit of nostalgia here. My dad use to deliver the 1958 Chevys to the dealerships for General Motors. He use to tell me how that none of the truck drivers liked delivering it.
When they would chain them down for delivery, the frames would bend/warp. They would roll them down the ramp at the dealership and park them. When they looked back at them, they were sitting like the tires were low on air on one side. The dealers were pissed cause they had to send them out to have the frames straightened! This is not a joke. First year for the X frame configuration. Even today you have to be careful about how you jack them up.... Done..."


What'cha got in there, kid?

 

This one's kind of near you, project car, road trippable...
http://racine.craigslist.org/cto/5709871970.html