YVRNJB

Any ideas?

I'd like to start a new project and my neighbor has a '71 454 that has been sitting in his driveway for about 20 years. It hasn't been touched since it was parked. A tarp was put over it when it was parked and it has since disintegrated to almost nothing.

I'm just where I should start with my initial offer.

Thanks.

Mick71

Pics pics pics

BBCorv70

If it has disintegrated to almost nothing it may not be worth fixing.
Depends largely on rust and body condition. Rust repair and repainting are the biggest expenses.

Are you planning to restore for show? NCRS flight judging? Gets expensive.

Best guess on what to offer would be to consider what a restored 71 454 Corvette sells for on average, then subtract your estimate for repairs. It's pure guess work without knowing the extent of damage which needs to be addressed.

Photos may help us assist you with estimating it's value.

milo30

Posts some pics so we can see how bad it is. I assume that it's going to need everything....paint, interior,tires,motor work, etc. Any rust issues? Just from your description so far, I would think just a couple thousand. It's going to cost a fortune to bring it back. Is it the original drive train?

I'm assuming you are in Canada due to the waving flag. A tarp cover outside with all that snow sounds bad. That's how my frame got rusty.

Alan 71

Hi y,
With a car that has been sitting outside for 20 years, my thought would be that it'll take more money and thousands of hours of your free labor, than it'll EVER be worth if you need to sell it.
He'd really have to give you about $10,000 to take it, and to get you started if you're going to end up on the plus side.
Please consider what you're getting your self into.
Regards,
Alan

eastltd

Is it the tarp or the car that has disintegrated?

BBCorv70

Assumed he meant the car but probably was referring to the tarp.
If it was sitting under a tarp for 20 years, the car may not be in much better shape...

YVRNJB

It's the tarp I was talking about.

I'm on the West coast so we see a couple days of snow a year at the most. We barely salt the roads either so rust out here really isn't a problem. I'll try to get a picture tomorrow.

I wasn't planning on restoring it to show winning quality. but I would like it to be on the nicer side. I just walked up to it, the interior looks intact with a little mold. there is water on the passenger floor, I'm sure the roof seals are probably gone.

What does a restored 454 go for? Is it a Stingray if its a 454?

Forgive my ignorance, I don't know much about C3 Vettes although I have a fairly extensive automotive background.The only parts of the restoration that I wouldn't be able to take care of myself would be bodywork/paint.

PS I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow.

T Rush

1976 was the last year for the "Stingray" badge on the side of the car...so yes that `71(no matter which engine it came with) is a Stingray


any car that has sat non running/driving for even a few years is going to need a bunch of work to get it started and safely on the road again, even if it was kept inside...just that much time alone even with a drivable car and a lot of rubber, plastic, vinyl, paint, etc, 'soft materials' would deteriorate ....sitting in one spot also allows water to settle and stay in areas that can rust badly, if you say the interior of the car is wet, I would also guess that the body mounts, windshield, and frame have some water that was sitting in them(worse when held in with dirt that collects in those areas) and you are going to have serious damage after that long


to be fair, at max, I wouldn't pay any more for a non-running car like that(in the most hopeful condition, with nearly all the parts at least 'there') than what it originally was bought for when new
http://www.100megsfree4.com/corvette/1970/vet71.htm (< there are lots of sites like that which show all the options per the different years, colors, number of cars manufactured and original sale price)

seems like the rule of thumb around here is to start with the most expensive and complete car that needs the lest amount of work when doing any sort of "project"(I've seen clean original stock cars people bought just to completely have torn apart to do a full mod or racer using little of the perfectly good car they bought)...in a kinda pay up front, or pay (more?) later...and many people wouldn't touch a car like that, basically to avoid paying more than its worth in restoring it than they could sell it for
...but then your standards of what you might want could be very different than someone else's, and you might not need to "replace everything on it with NOS to have it be acceptable" nor might you have a large amount of money to ever start the perfect project

to me it sounds like fun, even if over years you spend $20k on parts and your time, to fix up a $3k car to the state that you could only sell for $12k... that might not be a concern if you aren't fixing it up to sell it, and just want a project to create your own car, for yourself

joewill

if you have 'restore old car' on your bucket list and you have the disposable money, then it doesn't matter what you pay for the car or what it is worth initially. the question is do you want to take on a 2000+ hours project and be down for 3 years away in your garage and away from your friends and family. do you want to tackle the hassle of using services that often turn out crappy, and shipping prices, and trips to the store to buy just one bolt, hundreds of hours in front of the computer browsing EBAY for parts, etc....

do you have a 3 car garage? you will need it. Do you have all the equipment and tools? what is your definition of total restoration? every nut and bolt? is this the car you want? or do you really want a 69 convertible?

I want thru the same logic 4 years ago. I spent a couple of months tearing the car down and then slowly came to the point that I quit working on it. I sold it as a disassembled car and then turned around and found another car I really wanted that was nearly totally completed..



doesn't matter if the cost is 5K, 10K, or even 15K to initially buy the car.. it is really not that much when you factor in the total cost and labor to get it back on the road.

the main question is, do you want to do the project?, the initial cost is peanuts.. if you do want to do the project, don't lose the car haggleing over a couple of grand initial cost.


or......

go find you a really good shape 71 454 that needs nothing for 30 grand and be on the road immediately, save you 20K total as a minimum, and save you 2000 hours labor and all that time in front of the computer browsing ebay...

it is amazing that people think that leaving a car outside with a tarp on it for 20 years in the elements makes their car value appreciate, when it only just rots away.... maybe that is why buyers pay so much for barn finds..

1970Stingray

I Know where a 71 convertible is that has been sitting for 20 years under a tarp. Same scenario. 454, 365hp, 4 spd, ac, & loaded with options. War bonnet yellow & low miles. Spun rod bearing. The owner won't take less than $13 thousand.

crf311

You will pay more than what the vette is worth unless you are doing almost ALL of the work yourself.

Faster Rat

It is really sad to see any of these wonderful old cars abandoned. I doubt if 20 years in a barn with rodents and pigeon crap do wonders for a car either. Finding a collectible high value car in a barn, one that is documented with it's original drivetrain, is probably quite rare...maybe even closer to being a fairy tale.

LancePearson

I bought a cosmetically and reasonably functional attractive 76 for $10,000 locally last fall and getting it ready to run safely on a track, change to true duals, modernize some other things and make it reasonably good shape overall...and I don't do heavy wrenching anymore myself....I now have $19,000 in the car with new substantial exhaust, bushings, tires, brakes, etc. many of these expenses should last ten or more years but to be safe on the track I did them all plus new fluids, etc., replacing a broken half shaft axle on both sides when one broke unexpectedly, etc.

Could never sell it for that right now but it looks great, works terrifically and gets lots of comments. Call me in ten years and I'll see if i want to sell it then but in the meantime it's worth every penny. If your car has sat for 20 years I'd bet you'll have to put way more in it than I have. These guys talking about 2,000 hours and labor and bills know what they are talking about. It's possible but what you are talking about is a major effort possibly without photos compared to what I've gone through and am happy with. The world of fixing 35 year old cars up isn't a cheap one.

lance

milo30

I don't agree that initial cost doesn't matter. It wouldn't be not letting a couple of thousand get in the wayof buying it, it would be a couple of hundred that would make the difference to me.
You are starting on the listing end in trends of value of the final product. Every dollar you save now is work that can be done to the car.

I do agree that unless you really have a strong desire to just buy out as a hobby to work on for years, just bit one on better shape.

Greg1209

Yvrnjb:
Sorry to sidetrack post - was that you I was talking with Sunday at CrappyTire? I had the Factory Five Cobra. Anyways, good luck with your purchase. If you would like another set of eyes (inexperienced) to look it over, I'm happy to help.

Greg

Easy Mike

Does your neighbor want to sell? No sense worrying over a possible offer if he/she has no desire to sell.

mikejpss

Water on floorboard? ??

Run Forest, run !!!!

YVRNJB

No it wasn't me but I wish it was. I've also been thinking seriously about building a factory 5.

A beautiful blue one drove by me on 152nd in Surrey the other day. Would that have been you?

srs244

chances are the birdcage has sustained some serious rust damage in addition to other parts of the car. assuming you continue to pursue this project, before you even think about a price, pull off the kick panels and take a really good look there. chances are you will find a completely deteriorated lower cage structure and nothing but lots of headaches.

do you know if it is even a real "numbers matching" 427?? there were a lot of conversions along the way on just about all the older chevy muscle cars. i was at hot august nights last year in reno and i would bet you dollars to doughnuts there were more big block chevelles, corvettes, impalas, el caminos and novas there than ever rolled off the line at GM, lol.

you will never get what you put into a decent restoration out of the car even if you do all the work yourself. if you want a complete project that you may wind up looking at all over your garage for a long time before it takes shape, not to mention is able to be safely driven on the street, that's one thing. if you are thinking it won't take much to get it "in shape" you are mistaken based upon your initial descriptions. pictures would sure help out at this point.