Looking at 71 Coupe 350 270 HP AT, AC. Engine is numbers matching. Please point out all of the things that are incorrect on the car. Obviously the hood is not correct and cowl appears to be missing. Alan, I know you can help with this one. The owner is asking $11k. Maybe one of you has looked at the car.

 

Does the seller have the wiper door and trim?

Looks like a nice 71 with an LT-1/big block hood.

 

Same year and equipment as mine; even same as my original color.

You've noted the hood and missing cowl grille, but it's also missing the windshield-door; check whether the mechanism is in there, as I do see the vacuum-actuator in place. Also, the side-vent grilles are not body-color as they should be.

A/C belt is missing, and it has headers, but the rest of the hoses seem to be intact, which is not always the case, and it also has the original-style rubber oil-filler cap. Engine-paint has recently been touched up without any masking; wonder who did that, and why. You'll want to replace that air-cleaner lid, or get it rechromed, but at least the base is in place. The fact that it and the headers are rusty, however, would lead me to CAREFULLY examine the frame and birdcage for rust, which would be a deal-killer, as you can get a rust-free '71 for much less than the cost of buying and repairing this one if it's rusty.

 

The parts on the car appear to nearly all be there. But, except for the exterior and engine repaint, the car appears to have been neglected for a long time. My main concerns would be on the issue of rust. Since the seller has gone to the trouble of painting the body & engine to make it look decent, the rust conditions have likely be hidden with paint, also. Be very careful. This looks like a piece that someone bought cheap, 'purtied' up, and is trying to "flip" for a profit.

Check frame and birdcage thoroughly. Also check the operation of engine, trans, brakes, steering and suspension thoroughly. Try out all of the accessories (A/C, radio, lights, wipers, etc.) to make sure they all work and operate adequately.

With a quick paint job like that (might be MAACO), you don't know how well the car was prepped or what paint was used. Looks "iffy" to me.

 

A couple little things from the pictures - ignition shields missing, wrong fuel line and water pump. Nothing serious and real easy to fix if you want to bother.
I would be a lot more concerned with the bird cage and frame. Would the owner let you take off the inspection doors to check out the mounts? I know I would ask before I bought the car but only if I was definitely interested.

 

Are these inspection doors the kick panels in the right and left floorboard area?

 

Yes those are two but there are also two access plates in front of the rear wheels on the inner fender. You will need a 5/16 to take them off (could be 1/4?). Take a flashlight and you will see what the rear mounts look like, my experience is they are usually worse than the front unless the front area has been leaking. Also check the rear mounts behind the rear wheel - it is in plain sight and often has been messed with to cover up how bad they are. If, as someone has suggested, they are covering things up these may show it. Try and take a look at a car that you know is good to compare with if you are not familiar with how they should look. The rivets on the top part of the body mount sometimes pull away and the metal part of the mount will rust around where the bolt goes into it. Also check the end caps on the frame, right below the inspection doors and where the frame kicks up.

Ideally you should pull the window post and windshield pieces to check around the windshield. They may not let you go there so at least be sure to check where the windshield posts attach back to the main part of the birdcage.

I have a 72 that I had to do rust work on and just the birdcage fix was around $5k. I have owned the car for a long time so it was worth it to me but I would not buy a car with these problems.