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Project Cars--You Get to Vote on "Hold 'em or Fold 'em"

25635 messages,  Last post on May 19, 2013 at 5:13 PM

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What is this discussion about? Classic Cars

Messages Page 2515 of 2564

#25138 of 25635 Re: I"m thinkin' about it [Mr_Shiftright] by xwesx

Feb 15, 2013 (3:22 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 15, 2013 1:56 pm)
I took that gamble back in 1997 on a truck that had sat for 23 years (paid $500). It has paid off in spades for me! The big difference is that the interior was spotless (under that 1/2" of dust), so everything I needed to do was either exterior or mechanical, and it turned out that it needed very little of either.
 
S-C-O-R-E for me, but still a gamble.

#25139 of 25635 Re: I"m thinkin' about it [tjc78] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Feb 15, 2013 (3:44 pm)

Replying to: tjc78 (Feb 15, 2013 2:12 pm)
I'd just get it safe and running tcj, and use it for hauling stuff to the dump, or garden work, etc. Of course, "safe and running" could be a big deal in itself!
 
But I've found that once an old heap actually runs, and can be driven around the block, however badly, that this greatly improves its value to a "dreamer".
 
50s pickups, to their credit, are generally much easier to restore than equivalent era cars.

#25140 of 25635 Re: CL deals today [andre1969] by stkntraffic

Feb 15, 2013 (4:13 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Feb 15, 2013 11:44 am)
Wow, funny how a picture can bring back a rush of childhood memories, thanks for that. I remember many a Saturday afternoon washing that thing. As a little kid next to such a big car, I felt like I was cleaning a battleship.

#25141 of 25635 Re: I"m thinkin' about it [Mr_Shiftright] by hpmctorque

Feb 15, 2013 (5:48 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 15, 2013 3:44 pm)
It doesn't sound as though it would be worth buying it for its utility, since you could rent a truck for the occasional times you need to haul something to the dump, etc. If you would enjoy owning it, or see profit potential in restoring it, or just bringing it back to life, then it could well be worth the investment.

#25142 of 25635 Re: I"m thinkin' about it [hpmctorque] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Feb 16, 2013 (8:19 am)

Replying to: hpmctorque (Feb 15, 2013 5:48 pm)
Yeah, it would be kind of a hobby car. I have no interest whatsoever in an authentic or correct restoration, but I wouldn't chop anything or discard anything original on it. Maybe I'll just drive it through a Starbuck's some night on my way to the nursing home.

#25143 of 25635 Re: I"m thinkin' about it [Mr_Shiftright] by andre1969

Feb 16, 2013 (12:46 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 16, 2013 8:19 am)
I always thought GMC's were good looking trucks back in that era. Even though trucks were viewed as mainly utilitarian things back then, with very little prestige, I always thought the GMC looked like a nice step up from a Chevy.
 
When I was a kid, one of my grandparents' neighbors had a '53 GMC, but it was a fairly large, medium duty truck. By the time I can remember it, it was junk. Just a cab and chassis, with the rear axle pulled off so the rear of it was resting on the ground. It might have been a flatbed truck or something similar at one time, but whatever bed it had was stripped off.
 
I used to like sitting up in it as a little kid and playing truck driver.

#25144 of 25635 Re: I"m thinkin' about it [Mr_Shiftright] by hpmctorque

Feb 16, 2013 (1:54 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 16, 2013 8:19 am)
Well, if that's the ride that turns you on for transportation to the nursing home, by all means go for it. Just go light on the caffeine at Starbucks, though.

#25145 of 25635 . by fintail

Feb 16, 2013 (7:50 pm)

Project car fintail brought surprising bids, given the condition
 
Irks me that the dash pad looks great, where mine is cracked

#25146 of 25635 Re: . [fintail] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Feb 17, 2013 (11:21 am)

Replying to: fintail (Feb 16, 2013 7:50 pm)
Seems like about $1000 over market for the condition but being an SE, and kept original, and an automatic, and with zero rust (if that is to be believed) then I can see this bid being "reasonable".
 
Any good restoration is off to a great start if the project has "good bones". If you don't have "good bones" on which to build, you got all kinda problems facing you.
 
I could make that car look 2X as good in a week with soap, water, some varnish, upholstery cleaner and new carpets via UPS.
 
The seats are problematic, but that's the next stage.

#25147 of 25635 Re: . [Mr_Shiftright] by fintail

Feb 17, 2013 (6:39 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Feb 17, 2013 11:21 am)
Yeah, a 100% rust free fintail, I'd like to see that. Maybe if the dents could be popped out, it would be less hard on the eyes.
 
Sometimes bones don't matter too much when you're going to sink 40K into something and get 15K back, as this car could manage.

Messages Page 2515 of 2564

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