Possible purchases what to look for?

[Matthew M.]

I have found 2 possible cars, but with my prior experiance limited to tire kicking and drowling, I would like to just some basics to look for. The first car I found is a 1954 that the seller classes as a project car. From the pics he sent me it looks fine very dirty and dull but complete, almost to the point where a guy could just clean it add new plugs wires fresh gas and drive the car. The second is a 1966 roadster this is a definite project car, comes with some of the int, non #'s 327 and 4 speed, and a new one piece front end. Seller claims to have brought the car up from the south. I realize this is a rather broad question and I hope it is not considered abuse of the forum. Thanks for any help. Again I am just relying of photos that have been sent to me but figure there is no point driving great distances to look if you dont know what to look for.

[Joel F.]

Re: Possible purchases what to look for?

Matthew,

Honestly you have come to the right place to ask questions. It seems that you are pretty open to what year(s) of car to buy, etc.

My advice to you is to narrow your search a bit better, then enlist the help of folks here to help you evaluate potential cars.

Also, it sounds like you are looking for a project car. If I were in your shoes I'd consider something in the "driver" category. A car like that would provide you with many smaller projects you could perform, but would still let you enjoy the car on the road. Later, as you gain experience and knowledge, maybe a project car could be added to the stable.

One thing in your favor is that the collector car market is much more affordable than it was just a year or two back!

Welcome to the NCRS.

Joel

[Rich G.]

Re: Possible purchases what to look for?

My OPINION is, you're starting from the wrong place. First, decide what you want, then look for it. What I mean is you should decide if you want an early C1 or a late C2 or what ever. Then get the TM&JG for that year(s) and read a lot.

When I got into this several years ago, I was sure I wanted a 62. I now have a 66, 68 and 2007. But no 62.

I understand where you are at. The best advice I can give is to slow down. You could spend a year reading everything there is about 1954 corvettes for example and still be a novice.

You also have to decide what you want the car for, ultimately. Do you want to win awards?, Do you want a nice driver to go to cruise night and you won't care when some expert points out that you have the wrong screws holding your gas pedal ? Or, do you enjoy working on a car more than driving it?

Answers to these questions and more will be of great use to you in your search. People here will have their answers to these questions, but only you can answer them for you.

Rich

[Steven G.]

Re: Possible purchases what to look for?

Matthew, Ask myself, do I want an investment car or driver and then figure what would work for you. One of each works for me. Steve

[Matthew M.]

Re: Possible purchases what to look for?

Thanks for the input I guess to put it in perspective what I want is a 65-67 coupe or roadster makes no differance. What is a good referance to start reading? I guess the reason for looking at projects as opposed to drivers is that I love doing the research and love the work. End product something that people at local shows and cruise nights think is perfect. But an expert would pick at for any number of reasons. 65-67 also makes sense because my dad has 2 67's and stock piled parts in basement many of which are still down there. In fact last summer I bumped into the fellow that bought his old coupe and gave him a nice gift, all the original paperwork for the car, and the original 3 speed transmission.

[Joe R.]

Re: Possible purchases what to look for?

Matthew,

Please enlist the help of a knowledgeable person BEFORE you make a mistake!

Find an NCRS person in your area or the area of the Corvette you are interested in and pay them to evaluate the Corvette and give you a written report. And don't PAY anyone to fly anywhere!

Just my two cents but I want people to be happy down the road with their purchases.

JR

[Mark P.]

Re: Possible purchases what to look for?

Matthew,

That was nice of you to give the original paperwork and transmission. Some try to sell that for fairly high prices. I wish I had the original paper work for my 1960.

I bought my first Corvette 14 months ago and knew very little about them. It has been a steep learning curve. This TDB has been great to help navigate all the gotchas out there. I now realize buying a restored car would have been cheaper and easier than the route I did but I have enjoyed the process.

Here are a few tips I wish I would have known:
1. buy the Judging Manual for the car you want and read it carefully
2. the C1 or C2 restoration book from Noland Adams have been very helpful
3. get to a chapter and regional meet and watch the judging process and talk to owners
4. drive good examples of the cars you think you want before buying a project. After buying my car I was surprised how hard it was to drive after driving modern cars for 20 years. I have grown to really enjoy it but it took months to feel comfortable
5. I wish I would have bought a more complete car even though it is a nice driver. It has been very expensive to buy the correct parts. Not all cars should be brought back to original. Get an idea what original parts cost so you can factor that into your budget. I never expected to spend $3,000 for a set of restored carburetors, $600 for seat belts, $100 for NOS window cranks, etc. I never knew that a numbers matching car meant having correct dates, casting numbers and stamps on 100's of parts.


Good Luck !

[Gary C.]

Re: Possible purchases what to look for?

Mathew, welcome to NCRS. Best to join your local Chapter. There are several in Canada. Check the "contacts" tab page down to get to the Chapters listing. Hope one is close to you. Select the year model you're going after and get involved with Judging and reading the afore mentioned Judging Manuals and restoration guides all of which are available from the NCRS store on this web site. Thank you for participating on the TDB. Gary....

[Joel T.]

Re: Possible purchases what to look for?

Matthew;

I agree with Rich (I believe) who said decide what you want first and then do the research.

If you go onto the core NCRS site you will find links to all the judging guides which you will need to understand what is good and bad about the cars you may be considering. Read them cover to cover, multiple times!

I picked up a 1963 SWC a few years back because that was what I had my heart set on. I searched and found the best car I could afford but still had much to do by way of restoration to get it to the point where I was satisfied with it. You need to consider the kinds of things you need to repair or replace as well as the potential cost to get this work done. Things like paint and body work will be more expensive than most mechanicals. Try to itemize what you want to accomplish and figure out what your "total cost of ownership" will be ; i.e. the cost of the car plus the cost to get it the way you want it!!

I would enlist someone to help as was suggested. You need to make sure that the basics are there; straight solid frame with any body repairs having been done correctly, solid bird cage, etc. Keep in mind one last thing.. no matter how much you check you will not catch everything before you get into doing your work.... surprises come all the time... you just try to make sure that they are small (and relatively cheap!).

Best of luck and welcome aboard!!

Joel

[James G.]

Re: Possible purchases what to look for?

Hi Mathew,
You also need to establish a budget. A good friend here in Southern California found a 66 silver / black powerglide automatic convertible in dry storage since 1983. He bought the car for $25000.

The car had right front body damage repaired in the early 70's, split seats, 100% original driveline (327/300hp engine with K-19 SMOG) soft top only that was junk, and power windows and power steering.

Over the next three months, he spent $1900 getting it running and cleaned up. He fixed the brakes, rebuilt the carb, new battery and scrubbed the car clean. I drove it around the block and it ran well, but we had no current tags so did not take it far.

He resold this dirty old car for $32500. The new owner, has it all apart and expects to pay over $25000 to restore every piece plus his sweat equity.

That $57500 in today's lousy market.......and for a silver / black automatic car. He feels that because he needs no parts, that the restoration will be easy and less expensive, and the expensive stuff like paint he can get done for less than 2006 hig prices. We will see, ...SO, PLAN AHEAD.