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Rolling chassis or keep Gertrude?

K

Kats66Pny

Active Member
My plan was to remove the whole cowl myself, and then take it to classicdoug (Classic Collision & Restoration) and have them weld in a new assembly. To cut down cost, I was going to supply the whole cowl (upper & lower) and do as much prep work as I can. It's still going to cost about $1000 give or take for that (parts, labor, etc), and who knows what else will be found under the paint and bondo on Gertrude later on when I strip her down to bare metal. I already know of several areas that are rusted and need fixed (package tray area, trunk floor around the gas tank).

I was thinking maybe the money would be better spent on buying a rolling chassis that's already been sandblasted and body work done instead of spending the money on replacing the cowl (and fix the rust holes around the window). :shrug
I remembered not long ago a 66 shell was on here for only $800. Too bad it's sold but I'm sure there's others out there somewhere if I looked. I brought it up with my husband and he said it had crossed his mind a few times since tearing apart Gertrude. The only thing though, my husband said if I went that route, I couldn't be as picky on the year. I'd have to open myself up to any 65-73 year. Which I guess I could deal with that.

I don't know. Which do ya'll think would make more sense?
 
Well, I think you could find a 65/66 shell easy enough. The price? Not sure depends on what you find.

I have a lead on a 69 coupe in town that from the street looks pretty good and if I remember it was pretty cheap.

My personal opinion is anything you buy will have it's own set of issues that may be as bad as Gert's....Soooo, you know what you have and the satisfaction of saving one from parts and the crusher is awesome, I know that is where the 67 was headed before I got it.

when we got into it we were discouraged and felt just like you, but five years later I had a super nice car!

I haven't stripped Ed but I do know that there is no real rust anywhere. some small rust issues that I have sort of addressed and when I pull out the engine I will address further.

So you never know what you are going to get. If you can find a deal on one and use Get for parts, maybe you'll make out, but be careful.

Mel
 
a few things comes to mind.
first, strip down Gertrude so you can calculate what the costs are to make her decent again.
second , beware for those shells.Maybe they have a hidden structural problem.
You should see it in person and take someone with you who has done a restoration before.
My 2 cent opinion.
 
I think you are looking for something just short of a needle in a haystack if you want to find a cleaned and repaired shell for around a grand. Media blasting alone will run you more than that in most areas. I do agree, however, starting with a repaired shell might make more sense for you. If you figure the cost of replacement metal, the necessary tools (including welder) and all the time involved you might be better off spending $2-3K for the right car. It all depends on just how much work your present car needs.
 
Well you are gaining knowledge about the common problems these cars have as you remove parts off your car.
Finding a shell that is in better shape may be hard if not impossable for a reasonable price.
I would keep searching for a complete car to work with, or possiably a project car someone else has gotten too far into
and lost interest that is reasonably priced.
Now you know what to look out for as far as the rust issues are, just start turning over the rocks and keep your eyes
and ears open for that deal to show up.
 
As far as the year.....make sure anything you want to use from your current car will fit the rolling shell you buy. Plus it needs a good title...verified VIN too.

If you don't find one local that you can look over, I would lean towards fixing the one you have. Then, you know exactly what you have.
 
I was in the same place as you 20 years ago. I acquired the 67 I have now thinking it wasn't too bad. Once I got into it I found more and more wrong/rusted. I have had several over the years and either you have rust or some one else's idea of a "repair" If your lucky it will be a good job but more often than not it will need to be redone to be right. When I forged on with the current 67 I knew I would take my time and do it myself and do it right. Now keep in mind I had a lot of life changes and a tight budget but now I have the pride of knowing I fixed this and did my way, in some ways it's better than new. I probably paid more in the long run considering all the repop metal I had to buy and tools and supplies but I sure do love it when someone comes up to me says how cool it is. I kind of look at it as you already have it and already spent time and money on it. You will never recoup the money spent but if it's finished it won't matter. You don't need it as a DD and no have no deadline. It is therapy (or at least mine was) when I did to get my mind off things, I could go tinker. I tried to keep mine close to a whole car doing thing in stages so as to not get too discouraged and have a huge pile of parts laying around. Maybe not the best way to do it but it worked for me. I even drove it in primer and no trim or carpet etc. Even if it was just around the block.
Anyway, I don't think your idea is a bad idea but I think if you stick it out you will be happy and proud of all you accomplish and most of all your saving another classic from the crusher!
 
"tarafied1" said:
I tried to keep mine close to a whole car doing thing in stages so as to not get too discouraged and have a huge pile of parts laying around. Maybe not the best way to do it but it worked for me. I even drove it in primer and no trim or carpet etc. Even if it was just around the block.
Click to expand...

For most of us, I think this is key. We get little time /money to put into ti, and it helps to be able to drive it some.
 
I just remembered this thread - http://www.stangfix.com/testforum2/index.php/topic,8416.0.html

Everyone was all like "OH KAT! You need something like that!"and if I could find another shell like that, then I think it might be worth it to get it and use Gert as a donor car. Of course trying to find one $1000 or less (maybe even splurge 1500-2000 which would include shipping if it was too far to go get) within the next couple months might be the hard part. I could wait months until I find one, but my goal is to have Gert back on the road before my clubs car show Oct 8th. Sooner would be better of course, but Oct 8th is my latest deadline.

I like the idea of just keeping Gert and fixing her up, but since my husband brought it up about finding a shell.. I figure it wouldn't hurt to *think* about it. :shrug
 
"silverblueBP" said:
I'll sell you my "rolling shell" for $25K.
Click to expand...

Mark, I spoke to my money guy in Nigeria, he said the check is in the mail. The transport company should be there by tomorrow so have it ready for them.


LMFAO
 
"Kats66Pny" said:
:no :Mark

Only thing you'd get from me for your 'rolling shell' is a boob painting.
Click to expand...

Sorry, already own a set of those....cash only.
 
25cents????? That'll get you some busted lifters and bent pushrods :pbj
 
If you just remove a bit more in the parts department, you will have a cheap rolling chassis......with just a bit of repairs to do. Relax and lay out a plan for what you want, stick to it, and progress forward.
 
I stopped by the dealer that has the 69 coupe. It is pretty nice. complete. I didn't have the opportunity to get up close and personal since they were closed and it was next to a camaro I want and behind a fence.

He want $8400. Probably get it for $5k cash. white with blue interior. It is a driver.

Mel
 
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