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Who is going to fix it?

50 messages,  Last post on Jun 08, 2010 at 8:19 AM

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What is this discussion about? Coupe, Convertible, Truck, Sedan, Wagon

Messages Page 3 of 5

#21 of 50 Re: Who is going to fix it? [Mr_Shiftright] by isellhondas

Mar 31, 2010 (12:10 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Mar 31, 2010 9:51 am)
A couple of years ago, a guy I know bought his dream car.
 
A 1967 Lincoln Sedan.
 
It wasn't in that bad condition but it had been sitting for a few years. It started up and ran but it needed a lot of work. The buyer was well aware of that and he was prepared to spend whatever it took to make it a nice car. He had wanted one of these for years.
 
As I recall, the A/C didn't work, it needed front end work and (of course) it had vacuum problems and a few other problems.
 
The body was straight as can be, the chrome was nice and the leather interior looked great.
 
No local shop woul touch it! He even offered to pay in advance if they were worried.
 
Nope, they told him they had no interest in taking it on. When he called the Lincoln Dealer they basically laughed at him.
 
Finally he found a small shop that was willing to take it on. They were flakes!
 
The Lincoln was taken apart, the shop went out of business and now, he has a "basket case" that NOBODY will even talk to him about!
 
I think he pays 150.00 a month just to store it while it's condition declines.

#22 of 50 Re: Who is going to fix it? [Mr_Shiftright] by isellhondas

Mar 31, 2010 (1:39 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Mar 31, 2010 12:04 pm)
Very good. 1960 Valiant it was!
 
That 1960 Valiant competed against the Corvair and the Falcons and it was SO much better of a car! Slant six and that tough little Torqueflight.
 
Andre you are right too and this was a tricky one.
 
The Impalas with Airconditioning came with alternators if they had the 327 or 409 engines. I'm almost sure the 283's still had generators.
 
A one year only design that are near impossible to find now along with the voltage regulators. In 1963, they all had alternators with the regulators built in.
 
I don't think Ford went to alternators until 1965.

#23 of 50 Re: Who is going to fix it? [isellhondas] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Mar 31, 2010 (1:41 pm)

Replying to: isellhondas (Mar 31, 2010 12:10 pm)
Such stories in the collectible car world are all too common. To run a restoration shop, or even an "old car repair shop" you have to be a *very* astute business person. Aside from parts supply problems and storage issues, you need a pretty impressive reference library as well as the tools and machines that can speak to old cars.
 
Also you are battling rust, poor aftermarket quality control and cheapskate owners.
 
F'rinstance---I know a guy who just bought a 59 Cadillac 4-door sedan. Brakes are shot, completely gone all around, including the master cylinder. Now you know that by the time the shop is done repairing this problem, at $135 an hour + parts, the bill is going to be about 25% the value of the car---and it will still LOOK exactly the same as when he brought it in -- tired old paint, rust spots, balding tires, ripped upholstery. So you know there's potential for bad feelings, from the get-go.

#24 of 50 Re: Who is going to fix it? [Mr_Shiftright] by isellhondas

Mar 31, 2010 (1:50 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Mar 31, 2010 1:41 pm)
This is why a person is ALWAYS better off buying a car that is already "done".
 
In another forum I told about a friend who has a restoration shop about halfway through a frame off total restoration on his 1953 Mercury Convertable. It will be a two year project.
 
It's a pay as you go thing (as it should be). Every month he get's a bill for anywhere between 1500.00 and 5000.00! he told me what the chrome alone cost and I couldn't believe it!
 
When it's done, I doubt if he would be able to sell it for anything close to what he will have in it. he knows this but he doesn't care.

#25 of 50 Re: Who is going to fix it? [isellhondas] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Mar 31, 2010 (2:08 pm)

Replying to: isellhondas (Mar 31, 2010 1:50 pm)
Well at least when he's done he'll have a car worth considerable money, maybe $50K. The person with the '59 Caddy 4-door will never see a fraction of his restoration costs returning back to him, should he be so foolish as to restore it.

#26 of 50 Re: Who is going to fix it? [Mr_Shiftright] by andre1969

Mar 31, 2010 (2:33 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Mar 31, 2010 2:08 pm)
I'm sure I'm going to be buried in my '57 DeSoto by the time it comes back from the mechanic. I'm not THAT worried about it, as I have no intention of ever selling the car, but I'm sure I would've been better off if I just sold mine and went and found one that was already done.
 
Just out of curiosity, what would a really nice #2 '57 DeSoto Firedome hardtop coupe go for these days, anyway?

#27 of 50 Re: Who is going to fix it? [andre1969] by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Mar 31, 2010 (3:25 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Mar 31, 2010 2:33 pm)
I'd guess low $20Ks if it were really a sharp car--#2 being local show quality. If it were a "clean driver" with shiny paint, tidy engine but you know, a little wear and tear, maybe $15K is the active range for good-lookers.
 

#28 of 50 Re: Who is going to fix it? [Mr_Shiftright] by andre1969

Mar 31, 2010 (5:59 pm)

Replying to: Mr_Shiftright (Mar 31, 2010 3:25 pm)
Oh yeah, I'm pretty buried then. I am having some body work done, and he's going to do enough stuff underneath that the thing will probably be more rust-resistant than most modern cars. But it's still going to have 53 year old paint. It does shine up fairly well, so it looks great at a distance, but get close and it'll be showing its age.
 
One thing that really ran my price up though was that I let him talk me into getting the seats and door panels re-done. Just the door panels are something like $1200 for the pair. And I would LOVE to know where he found a place that could replicate a 1957 DeSoto Firedome door panel. That's not really an everyday piece, y'know!
 
And having the thing converted to disc brakes up front and a more modern drum setup in the back ran some big bucks. Would've been cheaper to just have the brakes re-built to their original spec. Although those OEM brakes usually needed to be adjusted pretty often, so this is probably a change for the better. And a dual master cylinder will be nice. I've driven this car with no brakes before. It ain't fun.

#29 of 50 Re: Who is going to fix it? by otto8

Mar 31, 2010 (8:06 pm)

Replying to: andre1969 (Mar 31, 2010 5:59 pm)
The name Alternator is/was the Chrysler Corps. trade name for a Generator.
 
GM had a better idea with the internal regulator on its line of Delcotron
generators.

#30 of 50 Re: Who is going to fix it? [isellhondas] by lemko

Apr 01, 2010 (6:37 am)

Replying to: isellhondas (Mar 31, 2010 12:10 pm)
This is why you join a club so you can network with others to locate specialists who are willing and able to work on your old car.

Messages Page 3 of 5

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