Hi, new member, joined just to ask this question.

I came across a friend of a co-worker who is selling his 1980 4spd coupe with glass T-tops. I do not NEED a new project, but the price intrigued me so I went to take a look.

THE BAD:

- It has a rotted out passenger floor pan, and it appears someone replaced the driver's side with a riveted in fiberglass patch panel
- There is some surface rust on the birdcage mount behind the driver's side kick panel and a little bit near the vin, but everywhere else appears solid
- It has a Holley with Edelbrock Performer intake, monoleafs front and back
-It clearly sat out in the weather for a long time as virtually every interior trim piece is faded from sun damage
-Windshield cracked
-Brakes are rusted up and owner says they don't work
-It has wire wheels on it

THE GOOD
-After looking through it as carefully as I could I would say it has never been wrecked
- Chassis is in good shape, though all suspension bushings are dry rotted
-It is a complete car
-Back glass and door glass looks good

Odometer shows 11,XXX miles on it, but I would guess it has rolled over at least once.

So, for $1,700 is it worth it, or is it so far gone at this point its a lost cause even if it were free?

Thanks for your input. The amount of work associated with restoring this car does not phase me, I am just trying to get a feel of what the market is for late model C3 projects as all I've been able to find on ebay/autotrader are decent looking cars for $12-20k (no projects).

 

Most will tell you its not worth it if its free but it depends on what you want to do with it. If you're looking to make your own personal unique ride with a non-factory exterior colour and a particular interior colour and non-stock drivetrain its probably worth it. If you're looking to return it to stock it'll probably cost more than its worth to do so.

I bought a super nice 79 for $12000 but have since decided I want non-stock drivetrain, non-factory exterior colour, non-factory interior colour, etc. I'd have been much better off financially to have bought a car like you're looking at to build into what I want than I am having bought a nice car to begin with that's not really what I want.

 

Are you wanting to make this Corvette your OWN and be a 'keeper'??? OR...

Are you actually worrying about its resale value???

VERY IMPORTANT to know what you are thinking.

DUB

 

time, effort, know how, money, persistence, patience, and can go on for years... otherwise move on

 

Welcome. You usually get what you pay for. With that being said you can't go wrong for $1700.

 

Thank you all for your replies. DUB, to your query, I am still trying to figure that out...

I am not sure that it will be a car I want to keep forever, but my plan would be to turn in into a driver, and go from there. If it is something the wife and I fall in love with, it could definitely turn into a keeper. I am not worried about trying to make money on this car if I do sell it, but I also don't want to be upside down to the tune of $15k if I decide to sell it in the future.

I guess it sounds like this is no great investment opportunity, but if I fancy a new project, it is a pretty inexpensive place to start.

Thanks guys, I'll let you know what I do... By the way, here are a couple of pictures.

 

im sure you could part it out ,and come ahead on it the mirror t-tops alone are worth at least $500

 

Do you want the car? Can you spring for the $1700?

FWIW: all original 1980 4 speed cars were L-48s.

 

Being "upside down" in restoring old cars is almost ALWAYS a certainty, no matter what make or model you choose.
(Ask me how I know...see signature line)
Resurrecting an old car should be done only for the pure love of turning a rusted pile of crap back into a beautiful car again.
If I gave ANY thought to "resale"... I`d be in a different hobby.
I also have a bunch of sons.... who all love & help with the old cars, so I know when I`m gone, they will play with & enjoy the cars.

 

Well said

 

Oh, I am acutely aware of that fact. To use your phrase, "Ask me how I know"... I've got a 1987 Trans Am GTA with a 560 HP SBC, T56, Strange Rear End, etc, etc that still needs paint and interior and a litany of little (but expensive) pieces to finish. All told I expect to have $25k in it, and it will be at best a $10,000 car.

My other project, a 1950 Chevy 3 Window Pickup will be much closer to a breakeven proposition because there is a market for those, and that is what I am hoping for with the Vette. I don't mind being upside down, I just don't want another '87 TA kind of a loss if I do decide to sell.

I hope that makes sense. I really appreciate y'alls input.

 

Very happy to see.... "I`m not ALONE"!

 

I don't think you can use the word "investment" when it comes to a project car. It's more like hobby time or entertainment. At a $1700 buy in if you only have to buy parts and don't pay for labor you could end up with a fun driver without sacrificing your retirement account.

 

Why is this in the bad column?

 

If you pass on it let me know, I would love to buy this car for $1,700

 

PERSONAL/PROFESSIONAL FEEDBACK:

For the price of the car...I myself....would get it. AND that is assuming that this car was not sitting in a pile of damp salt for years and the frame is shot. If the frame is rusted to pieces...then I would get it for less and still not worry about it. BUT...I do this for a living and I would not care about originality or any of those issues. I would make it my car and drive it.

DUB

 

Take a look at the frame, wheel kickout areas and door sills. If there is any significant perforation rust, the car is a goner. These arent like normal cars of the era where a little frame rot is no big deal....You cannot easily patch the common rot areas without extensive work.

That being said, if the frame isnt shot, for 1700 bucks, go for it. Realize you are going to dump 3K into it over the next year just to get it roadworthy.

And PLEASE....get rid of those horrible rims.

Good luck.

 

Your 80 is a cream puff compared to what I started with. Im close to twenty deep in this big block car. Everything is new mechanical and interior. Only thing I kept was the wiring and I wish I had changed that now.

 

$1700 is a good deal.

If you want to part it out, like said previously, the T-Tops alone will pay help pay for a good portion of the asking price. Somebody will also want the parts to convert their automatic car to a stick.

Anothor choice is to just get it running, and see what else happens.

 

1700 is not bad at all if the frame is good. i feel i got lucky with mine. 79 with a pretty clean 81 frame for 3k. so far i have 2.5k in just parts for my frame off build. i thought i could do a frame on resto but it was a waste of time trying to fix body mounts and fuel/brake lines, etc with the body on. i would jump on that if i were you, you can part it out if you change your mind later and not lose much