https://seattle.craigslist.org/see/p...079036487.html

Found this on CL a few days ago. He started at 1500, now it’s down to a grand. I know there is no money to be made here. A new interior would bust the budget. What about a junk yard dog build.? In other words, Camaro seats, swap meet interior or maybe someone has parts left over from a previous build. Maybe a crate SB or a truck engine. I refuse to believe this car is worthless. What’s the bottom dollar, bare minimum to put this back on the road.?

 

Headlights $500 hood $150 rally wheels $2-400 depending on tires. Nose maybe 2-300. Rear maybe 150 to 500. Back on the road? Never. Anything can be repaired-restored. This one is no way worth the effort.

 

if you have the time, space, tools & inclination ... it's worth parting out ... But ...
... kinda like Dolly said ... Most wives'll change you from a rooster to hen if you even start a junkyard in her domain.

 

drift car or drag racer...good place to start

 

Tow it to a field and let a tree grow up thru the engine bay and weeds all around, maybe a few flower pots on the roof. Add a sign that says R.I.P.
Not everything can, or should, be saved.

 

Money pit

 

yes fire back in the day was a beautiful thing.

 

Dragon...I agree. As a parts car it's worth around $1000. One interesting tid-bit is the frame on a 77 is the 'thick' 0.110" wall-thickness frame....so worthy of projects and repairs.
Not that the 80-82 frame is useless...at 0.090"....but less of a high horsepower build is possible.

I look for this stuff constantly....if you lived in PNW and you have the room (and the zoning!) to slug this in your back yard....it'd be hard to get up-side -down at say $800.

It is the sum of it's parts!

Unkahal

 

Strip the chassis for parts, and sell the bare frame, too. Put the body on a truck or Jeep frame and turn it into a C3 4x4.

 

beach buggy!!!!

 

My opinion is if you received the car for free, you would still spend more money making it right than it would be worth.

DC

 

Even parting that car out will cost you more time and effort than its worth. Unless you have a lot of storage space, a lot of patience and a lot of free time....Id run away from this car. It is NOT a viable candidate for restoration. The fire melted everything, you'd be scraping and prying bits of melted junk out of every nook and cranny. You say you refuse to believe its worthless....Its only value is a parts car. Maybe some suspension parts, drive parts, etc. Most of those parts dont sell real fast so you wouldnt even get a return on your investment very quickly.

 

All great ideas and advice. Even the yard ornament is a cool idea.

 

Nothing here to save...let it go

 

OK, most say "NO WAY, crush it!" and I understand, but I'll play along.

I'm in SoCal, 77 would need to be smogged, so that lets this one out, but say it's a 74-75 (no smog) and all other things are the same.

1 - Is it non-opped AND titled in the sellers name? If not can be ugly fees and issues with a floated title that CA DMV doesn't like to deal with. If non-op and titled go on...
2 - How bad is the structural damage. Firewall probably damaged or gone, do you need or want a working heater and wipers? If solid except for fine cosmetics(!) go on...
3 - Door latch mechs work ok inside and out? Need those to work but forget about putting door windows back in it, leave the shells hollow. if they don't work I'm out, if ok go on...
4 - Auto of stick car? If Auto, find a cheap (free?) complete mid late 70s Chevy full size truck, pull the motor trans and wiring and put it into the Vette. Most of the harness can be used as is, if you want to put proper gages in you'll have to possibly modify the ends at the truck cluster. Or use the truck cluster. Maybe column/steering wheel. Complete truck cost? $500 to $1000, depending on condition? Stick is similar, unless the requisite parts in the Vette are heat damaged.
5 - Won't do a dash or interior, so savings there. if the truck have buckets you could use them, or Camaro seats as was said. $100- $200 for decent seats?
6 - You'll have stay away from true Vette stuff for most of it, but will have to get brakes and cooling that works right with the car. Say $700 - $1000 for brakes and cooling? Used?
7 - And a correct windshield, what's that, $250 installed?
8 - It'll still be ugly, but will be running, and with a little more labor and tricks, running good. so what're we at, max?
$1000 car
$1000 parts truck
$1000 brakes and cooling
$200 seats
$250 windshield

$3500? Worth it? Maybe not, especially if you're looking for a return on investment. Not for me as I have too many projects now! Can some things be done cheaper? I'm sure they could. I have spare motors, transmissions, generic GM wiring harnesses and seats, so can eliminate those costs, and a couple of Vette radiators, so would be able to bypass that too. Would get me down to about $2000 all in. I'm sure others here have more Vette specific spares than I do.

Yes there would be other costs (tons of little things, gaskets, fluids, that would add $$$), but if you're clever and inventive you could get it and get it running for not a lot. And I don't know what your insurance would say. Or do all this and use it as a road course car. Then you could go with the 77!

Would still be ugly. But would also be a fun project if you didn't have something else going on. Just not for me.

Best regards,
Tom

 

If you need a rolling chassis $500-$800 and throw the rest away!

 

If it was located close to me in the frozen tundra (Ontario) I'd buy it for the rolling chassis / frame for the $950. I know of a few cars worth fixing if you have a rust free chassis ready to go.

 

I couldn't post a photo before, but yes, exactly! It beats crushing a singed body with a clean title.

 

Needs a surf board rack!!!

 

It's not just a singed body. He says see pictures for damage. But he shows no pictures of the actual roof panel. But the heat damage on the top of the fenders and the top of the doors tells you what you're gonna see if you look at the roof. This body is not salvageable. And taking the Vin number off is not legal. It's a parts car. Tell him you'll take it out of his yard for free and you're still paying a little too much. He got it for free figuring he was going to flip it and make money on it.