Looked at a '77 earlier. 350/th350 car.

Needs complete interior and carpet, including seats.

Has spider cracks in a few spots on the fiberglass. Car is in primer, needs to be sanded, long boarded, and prayed.

Runs/drives, but needs exhaust, brakes, and some minor mechanical stuff.

$2500

I have not done a C3 before, I'm used to C4's. I have a pretty good idea on the paint work although the spider cracking is a little new to me.

Thoughts?

-- Joe

 

Even without pictures I'd say it's not worth it.

To me that's the kind of car that even if you got it for free you'd lose money on it once it was done.

Unless of course it was a rare car that would be valuable when done, which a 77 is not.

Also, if you enjoy the challenge and can do and enjoy a lot of the work yourself, then the car might be right for you.

From a strictly financial point, it's better to buy one that is already done.

 

You might break even if you can do the paint yourself and the labor for the rest of the car is free. What is the condition of the frame and birdcage?

 

Joe,

You being in the north...and I am from the north...and ...I know that northern cars can rust in areas that the southern cars I generally work on do not rust. I can tell instantly when a northern car has been driven in the salt has been 'transplanted' and brought down with someone who has moved into the area. It is CLEARLY EVIDENT....so...as mentioned....$2500 may seem like a deal...but the cars frame and birdcage can be rusted so badly in critical areas and the car is only good for parts to those who need them. Do not just go by the body and paint and how it drives....this car has a foundation that MUST be structurally sound. If it is not good and solid...the car is a parts car because putting it back to its fine glory...I hate to 'say' is not cost effective at this time for that year model. It all depends on its condition...and that...we do not know.

DUB

 

Wouldnt come near it, if you thought C4s were expensive to fix up...

 

I went about C4's the wrong way, and had unrealistic expectations. That was my fault.


Thank you for the responses guys. Frame/birdcage seems fine. Interior missing/shot. Looks like about $3500 for a repro interior.

Body has a number of issues. The spider cracking looks like it needs to be all sanded to glass, ground out, repaired, etc. Probably a couple hundred hours of body work.

I guess I'll move on and try to find one that just needs interior or just needs body work.

Thanks again.

-- Joe

 

Good general rule of thumb is to buy as much Corvette as you can afford.
Good Hunting!

 

If I bought a 100% complete cad I'd be bored with it. I want a project, but I don't want to be too upside down.

I'd love a '75 and earlier convertible but form what I understand they didn't sell too well and not many are around.

-- Joe

 

Joe....
You can see what I emphasized and brought to your attention in what you previously wrote. THAT says it ALL.

If being 'upside down' is a concern....well good luck. And I mean that sincerely.

DUB

 

These "is it worth it" threads bug me in that so many end with any project c3 that doesn't belong to the cat replying is not worth a penny and should be trashed.

Are some c3's too far gone from bird cage and or frame rust to be candidates to restore even as a resto mod?...of course there are even though several cats here have or are restoring some cars that "everyone" said run away from.... DG Oldgto and many others come to mind.

Perhaps for me the question "is this car worth it" would be better if "is this car worth it...to me?"

Some people are blessed in that $$$ is something they can just freely toss at things to make it happen those people have all the answers how the rest of us should buy our car and build it and just love to criticize.

In 09 I paid about 6500 for a convertible 69 delivered to my door in fl from Ohio,
Not only was it within my budget it happened to be just the year and model etc I desired.

I drove it while I tinkered and decided to be right it needed to be restored, now in 2015 before years end it will be running and driving the car "I" wanted I will have about 12-13K invested in a car as good or better than it was in 69 a lot of people would have said all along my 69 wasn't "worth it" or still isn't well...it was worth it to me.

Isn't what a car is worth to the builder the really important question?

 

Surprised by the replies. Good investment? Very few of these cars are a good investment. Most likely you are not going to get what you put in on most of the project cars.

That seems like a reasonable price if does not have rust problems. That $3,500 number to redo the interior on a 77 seems really high. Is it missing the seats? Are you including labor?

I know I am not going to get all the money back I am putting into my 77, but that is not my goal. I love the car and enjoy working on it.

 

Well said.

 

When would you like the prayers to start?

 

Was looking for opinions form guys that do these cars. I'm pretty familiar with C4 pricing. C3's I'm not as familiar with.

The only thing inside the car was the dash and I think some of that was missing too. No door panels, headliner, carpet, console, or seats. Did some searching around and found that basically the entire interior is between 3k and $3500 shipped and including seats.

I'm not trying to flip a car. I don't mind investing $15k into a car that's worth $10k. I don't want to invest $20k into a car that's worth $5k..

I'm trying to get a feel for the pricing on these things. It seems like most 75-80 C3's in "driver" condition are going for between $4k and 6k on craigslist. Most of the cars in primer are under $3k.

-- Joe

 

Now would be a good time. Keep them coming too

 

Given that the interior will cost you around $3k and at least another $5 k for paint, you can see why people are warning you against taking on this project.

 

Yep, that is why I bailed on the car on 7/18 after reading the first responses

Paint actually would be a bit more than that. I'm estimating around 100 hours plus materials. I bill out at $110/hr.

I'll keep looking. Thank you folks for your wisdom!

-- Joe

 

Wise decision!