help me make up my mind on these two old musclecars

[temp guest]

the first one is a 67 chevelle rolling chassis, for $1500 with title.
its rough, driver door does not open, and there is some bad rust under the car.
if you look at the pics of the back of the car,
there are two pieces of metal welded on that my friend says are to hold the rear
in place. i dont really know because I dont know much about these things.

the second car is a 68 mercury cougar that the seller wants $800 for.
as you can see, its quite ugly but all the rust is purely superficial.
its also a rolling chassis but everything else is there including
headlights and instrument gauges. my friend thinks this is the better car.

problems are:
1. I prefer the chevelle styling. matter of fact, it is my FAVORITE
styling of all muscle cars.
2. my budget to get a body rust free and primered is only $4000,
including the price of the car.

which would you get for a project car

1. chevelle,
2. cougar
3. neither of the above.

ive looked at chevelles and they go for a lot more than $1500.
but Im afraid I'll run out of money before I get a chance to
get it in rust free condition. maybe I should cut my coat according to my size.

finally, does anyone know anyone in dallas who can sand it and primer
it for a decent price. Im not trying to be cheap, but I dont want to
spend $3k either on such a job. I live in an apartment so I cant do it myself.

please help

[Michelle Allmon]

its rough, driver door does not open, and there is some bad rust under the car.

that makes it a no, esp. for that price. it'll sit in a garage for years until your wife or girlfriend gets tired of looking at it.

[Terrancelee]

If you want a chevy, get a chevy. What is the end result that you are looking for? Street racer, back to original showroom condition, or somewhere in between? Personally, I don't think 4 grand is enough to cover either of these cars. Although, that cougar probably has a 9" rear. Hard call to make without seeing interiors, under the hood, etc ..

[temp guest]

Originally Posted by Terrancelee

If you want a chevy, get a chevy. What is the end result that you are looking for? Street racer, back to original showroom condition, or somewhere in between? Personally, I don't think 4 grand is enough to cover either of these cars. Although, that cougar probably has a 9" rear. Hard call to make without seeing interiors, under the hood, etc ..

thanks guys.

Im looking for something I can get primered, drop a big block and nice tranny and beefed up rear end in, and drive on the weekends.

[temp guest]

I think Ive pretty much ruled out the cougar. I want a chevy. so now the question is, if I buy that chevy for $1500 and decide its too much work do you guys think I can put it on ebau and get my $1500 back?

thanks

[CobyPhoto]

Keep Looking...you want to enjoy your project, not have it sitting in a garage wainting to get done. Chevelle needs too much work and Cougar just isn't what you want.

CJ

[markfh]

Personally what you want for the money you're budgeting just isn't going to happen unless you really, and I mean really, get lucky.

Before you start spending money do more research on what it is you want, what is most likely available to work with, what it will take to get the car where you want it. This is something that really requires a well thought out and researched plan.

Put together a spread sheet and start adding up the real cost of the project including all the little things that people normally don't take into consideration when starting a project like was said here in this post "will sit in the garage waiting to be completed."

Join a car club and start mingling with the members that have done what you want to do. Most of they are more than willing to help you. You could also find other forums on the Internet to get information just like you do here.

All the little things that go into putting a car together can be very expensive and your choices are buying remanufactured parts or wandering through junk yards. Especially when you start with an originally small block car and "slap" a big block in it. It isn't cheap.

It's real easy to get discouraged with a project that starts eating more money than you originally planned on spending.

[Demonic]

Seen this situation a million times, my dad has done paint / body work since b/4 i was born, owned his own shop when i was growing up.. and i was trusted free labor :0(

Rust could not be very bad, replacement sections for the floor boards or rockers will not cost a whole lot, but will cost a bit to have put in.

The biggest problem is finding out what is under that paint :0\ that is where you can run into alot of material and labor... atleast with the rust you know what your dealing with. But i have seen cars that look to be in better shape than that painted, and be falling apart under the bondo and paint.

Keep an eye out for bubbles in the paint, or wavy looking places, maybe not bent metal but poorly worked bondo, or bondo thats releasing. $4k including a car is a bit of a stretch but good luck!

[temp guest]

ok guys, youve talked me out of it.

the same guy selling the cougar is selling a darn good condition 67 firebird, with 350 motor(but not running) for $3500. I think thats the one Im getting.

can a 454 be put in that bad boy?

[djroga]

Keep looking, greater bargains exist

[FlyingR6]

Originally Posted by temp guest

can a 454 be put in that bad boy?

Well, with enough money, any motor can be put in any car.

If you are handy, and plan on spending quite a bit of time in the shop with your car, then i would say buy a little cheaper car and throw some money and elbow grease into it and enjoy it. On the other hand, if you aren't as handy as you might like, I would suggest spending a little more and not have a car thats in such bad condition. Just my two cents though.

[MT Stringer]

I had a 427 in my Chevelle. Bolted right up using stock motor mounts for a 396. Looks like a lot of work, but being a Chevy guy, there wouldn't be a decision to make for me. Lots of parts available to restore that ride.

Oh, BTW, my '67 from the factory cost $3250. For that I got a 2 door hardtop with bench seats and a radio and heater. Also, it came with a 325hp 327 Turbo Fire V-8 which was in fact, the 350 horsepower motor they put in the Corvette. It ran real good, especially since it came with a Muncie close ration 4 speed. A set of headers and a 4:10 gear and I went hunting Roadrunners, Mustangs and just about anything else that got in the way! It was a lot of fun.

Good luck on your project.
Mike

[fivegrand]

The Cougar is the better investment. There aren't a lot of nice cougs around, but everyone and their dog has a Chevelle. Thus, the coug will have more curb appeal, especially if it's done up nicely.

You'll spend more overall on the Cougar in restovating it, but it will be worth it in resale.

[jerrykr]

make your final estimate of what you think it will cost you to restore this or any car to the condition you have in your mind/dreams. estimate high.

triple it.

if you are lucky, that MIGHT cover the final cost.

Fixing stuff on an old restored car is a never ending process, just to keep it on the street and taking you to work everyday. If you are going to hop it up and stress it out every week-end racing from red lights, things will break, and you will be fixing them for weeks afterward. (say nothing of the traffic tickets).

restoring a car is not for the feint of heart or the empty pocketbook. there are way more parts to buy, and services to purchase than you want to admit.

For example: Say you want to get a final paint coat sprayed on all of your own body work/primer. (months of work, $$ of spray cans of primer and sandpaper from Pep Boys -- it's ready to paint). what do you think it will cost? go get some estimates. It will be an eye opener. that's just the tip of the iceberg.

don't ask me how I know, (and I restored a "cheap" car, no rat motor).

Get a KIA Spectra with 100K bumper to bumper and watch the racing on Speed Channel.

Dang, I'm getting old and practical. Go get the Chevelle and figure it out the hard way, like most of us did. Ignore me the old crotchety, my buddy and I were talking about this very subject over coffee this week-end, and all the dumb things we did. We did have fun tho...........................

[iCe]

Neither car looked good to me. The Chevelle has been painted before. Who knows what's under the paint. $4k to restore the body and paint???? you better start with a clean body unless your planning on a Krylon paint job...