Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Friday, July 20, 2007
The Auto Swapper
One of my favorite things to do is get the Michigan Auto & RV publication from the newsstand and pretend like I can actually afford a new car. I set a price limit (usually $4,000 to $5,000) and see what I could get and what I could do with the car. Here's this week's selections:
1) 1972 Ford Wagon. Runs good, daily driver, 429 V8, AT, needs body work, good frame $1200. A perfect candidate to be the family truckster this is the last of a once-common breed: the big-block wagon. Ford was the most prolific wagon manufacturer for years and the Country Squires are arguably the most charismatic. Furthermore, this is already equipped to take a heavy engine and lots of torque so a diesel swap in the future would be that much easier. It probably already has disc brakes to boot. The only downside is the difficulty obtaining sheet metal pieces for an early-seventies full-size Ford wagon.
2) 1988 Mercury Colony Park. 153,000 mi. new brakes, exhaust and tires, runs exc. clean inside and out. $1800. I want to see a full-size '80s pro-touring wagon very badly. I can picture this thing with a hot 5.0, pizza-pan sized disc brakes, Bullitt Mustang wheels and all the cop-car spec handling pieces. Gotta leave that wood-grain vinyl in place at all costs too.
3) 1979 Chevy Camaro Z28. Whole car or parts, will separate, no drivetrain. $800. This will likely end up as a parts car, which is a shame. This would be the perfect daily beater, especially if I could find a rolled-over 4.3L V6-powered S10 pickup with a 5-speed. Camaro parts are super easy to find, so repairs wouldn't be a problem and the EFI V6 makes great power and gets decent fuel economy in the Blazers; just think how great it would do in the slipperier (though probably slightly heavier) F-body.
4) 1964 Chevy Impala SS. True SS 4-sp., no motor, trans, interior, very reasonable. $2,995. I'm not ordinarily a huge fan of the '64, because it's so upright compared to the '62 and '63 models. However, I still like them. A little bit of cosmetics, a 327 and a 4-speed (which I happen to have) and a new windshield and this car could easily double in value.
5) 1946 Plymouth Special Deluxe Sedan. Needs battery, master brake cylinder, and 1 hub cap, call for details. Asking $2500. This has to be a four-door sedan, the price is so low. That doesn't matter, install a 5-speed and some seat belts and I'd drive it all the time.
6) 1969 AMC Rambler. 69,000 mi., runs and moves, mostly complete car, needs much work, 199 6 cyl., AT, bad flywheel, restorable or great parts. $700 OBO. The little 199ci AMC six did very well at the Indianapolis 500, was incredibly strong (lots of main bearings) and got decent fuel economy. Again, 5-speed, disc brakes and cosmetics and I'm all over this thing as a daily driver.
7) 1974 Chevy Nova. 305 eng., runs, Rallye whs., new tires, needs rear fenders, restore or parts, nice old project. $1000. The third-generation Novas aren't my favorites but everything is available for them (they're first-generation Camaros under the skin). Lots of pieces are available to make these more fuel-efficient, perform better, handle better, stop better and look better. I could do everything I've been tempted to with my Camaro but to a body I cared less about.
8) 1968 Chrysler Imperial. Solid body, inside and motor needs work, good to restore or for parts. $1500. I've liked the '68 Imperial ever since Hot Rod Magazine grabbed the 440 and Torqueflite out of one for their "Cheap Thrills" '68 Dart. That one got used as a parts car and probably crushed years ago. This one is a two-door hardtop instead of a sedan and I could probably recoup my buy-in just by selling off the engine and transmission. Which would give me the perfect excuse to build the diesel-powered luxury car I've wanted to (Cummins and 6-speed anyone?). The only downside is that I'm certain nothing is reproduced for these.
9) 1969 Chevy Nova SS. Orig. SS, no motor, good floors and glass, very restorable, comes with new qtrs., inner fender wells, L/dr. skin and gas tank. $2,800. See number 7.
10) 1967 Pontiac LeMans. 2dr. hard top, no eng., whole car but needs work. $2,400. The Pontiac A-bodies have great aftermarket and reproduction parts support, and they're nice looking. Toss in a 400 from a later Trans Am along with an overdrive transmission (automatic or stick, doesn't matter) and this would make just as good a daily driver as the Nova described in number 7. Furthermore, it would be nice to see a Tempest or LeMans not turned into a GTO clone.
11) 1963 Ford Country Squire. 94,000 mi., exc. orig. California car, absolutely no rust, orig. paint & perfect body, 352 V8, AT, PS, PB, factory AC, exc. car to restore. $4700. I'm amazed by the low asking price on this one. It's probably already gone. These Ford wagons are the epitome of the late-fifties, early-sixties nuclear family transporter. The only things I would change would be my name on the title and someday disc brakes on the front and a Powerstroke in the engine bay.
12) 1971 Chevy Nova. #s matching 307, 3-sp. manual floor shift, runs & drives, body in primer, minimal rust, exc. restoration project. $3,600. See number 7.
13) 1967 MGB Roadster. Must sell, no room to store, clean in. $2,200. MGBs are very overlooked, especially in a world where suddenly everyone has a Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Skye. Throw in a 2.8L V6 and a 5-speed (or better yet, a supercharged Ecotec and a 5-speed) and beat all the doctors and lawyers at their own game.
14) 1974 MG MGB Convt. Partially restored with $3500 of new parts on chassis and under hood, runs good, extras. $2,900. See number 13.
15) 1957 Ford. 4dr., V8, 3 sp., runs good, needs total restoration or for parts, with ton of extra parts. $2,700 OBO. I've been a sucker for anything that could wear wide whitewalls since I was a kid. This '57 has all the right parts: Y-block for good looks under the hood, 3-speed to replace with a 5-speed, and a Ford 9" rear end to accept any gearset my heart desires. This era Ford had a reputation for rusting in the frame, however, so I'd have to keep a close eye on it. However, with a slight lowering, disc brakes in the front and a set of Coker WWW Firestones, I'd have the coolest daily driver around.
16) 1969 Dodge Dart GT Convt. V8, AT, needs complete restoration, $1,800. I've got a motorhome 440 and Torqueflite just begging for a home. I've been searching for a four-door Valiant for cheap, but I wouldn't turn up my nose at a convertible Dart at this price. Of course, at this price, the floors are probably gone – bad news on a unibody car. The upshot is that the 273 or 318 would be easy to replace with the big block, there's already an 8 3/4 rear axle under there and the car would be worth big money afterward.
17) 1950 Olds 88. 2 dr. sedan, V8, stick, have lots of parts. $4,000 OBO. This is a rare one, as most 88s came with Hydramatic behind the Rocket. It seems like a good deal. Especially since this is the real sought-after bellhousing that allows you to run a LaSalle transmission.
18) 1964 Studebaker Commander. 6 cyl., 3 sp., runs, looks, and drives good, blue/blue, nice paint, clean body, good tires, int. nice but not all original, fresh tune-up, must sell, too many vehicles. $1,950. Another 5-speed and disc brakes candidate. This is the second-to-last year they even made Studebaker cars.
19) 1974 Dodge Dart Swinger. 6 cyl., AT, 60,000 orig. mi. Tennessee car, very solid. $2,500. See number 16.
20) 1964 Jeep CJ5. 33,000 mi., ground up restoration, all new: motor, susp. brakes, seats, top, doors, fiberglass body, many extra parts, 95% complete, $6,000 invested. $3,500. Ordinarily I wouldn't even consider a Jeep, but this one sounds really nice and with four wheel drive and a fiberglass body it could be a totally guilt-free wintertime driver.
21) 1965 Ford Fairlane(s). Both run, all glass perfect, coupe and hard top, 6 cyl. & 8 cyl. Price for the pair, $2,600. I'd keep one and re-sell the other, probably recouping my investment costs. Oddly, I'm more inclined toward the coupe (which likely has the 6-cylinder). These are some of the least-good-looking Fairlanes, but they're still far cooler than anything else in that price range.
1) 1972 Ford Wagon. Runs good, daily driver, 429 V8, AT, needs body work, good frame $1200. A perfect candidate to be the family truckster this is the last of a once-common breed: the big-block wagon. Ford was the most prolific wagon manufacturer for years and the Country Squires are arguably the most charismatic. Furthermore, this is already equipped to take a heavy engine and lots of torque so a diesel swap in the future would be that much easier. It probably already has disc brakes to boot. The only downside is the difficulty obtaining sheet metal pieces for an early-seventies full-size Ford wagon.
2) 1988 Mercury Colony Park. 153,000 mi. new brakes, exhaust and tires, runs exc. clean inside and out. $1800. I want to see a full-size '80s pro-touring wagon very badly. I can picture this thing with a hot 5.0, pizza-pan sized disc brakes, Bullitt Mustang wheels and all the cop-car spec handling pieces. Gotta leave that wood-grain vinyl in place at all costs too.
3) 1979 Chevy Camaro Z28. Whole car or parts, will separate, no drivetrain. $800. This will likely end up as a parts car, which is a shame. This would be the perfect daily beater, especially if I could find a rolled-over 4.3L V6-powered S10 pickup with a 5-speed. Camaro parts are super easy to find, so repairs wouldn't be a problem and the EFI V6 makes great power and gets decent fuel economy in the Blazers; just think how great it would do in the slipperier (though probably slightly heavier) F-body.
4) 1964 Chevy Impala SS. True SS 4-sp., no motor, trans, interior, very reasonable. $2,995. I'm not ordinarily a huge fan of the '64, because it's so upright compared to the '62 and '63 models. However, I still like them. A little bit of cosmetics, a 327 and a 4-speed (which I happen to have) and a new windshield and this car could easily double in value.
5) 1946 Plymouth Special Deluxe Sedan. Needs battery, master brake cylinder, and 1 hub cap, call for details. Asking $2500. This has to be a four-door sedan, the price is so low. That doesn't matter, install a 5-speed and some seat belts and I'd drive it all the time.
6) 1969 AMC Rambler. 69,000 mi., runs and moves, mostly complete car, needs much work, 199 6 cyl., AT, bad flywheel, restorable or great parts. $700 OBO. The little 199ci AMC six did very well at the Indianapolis 500, was incredibly strong (lots of main bearings) and got decent fuel economy. Again, 5-speed, disc brakes and cosmetics and I'm all over this thing as a daily driver.
7) 1974 Chevy Nova. 305 eng., runs, Rallye whs., new tires, needs rear fenders, restore or parts, nice old project. $1000. The third-generation Novas aren't my favorites but everything is available for them (they're first-generation Camaros under the skin). Lots of pieces are available to make these more fuel-efficient, perform better, handle better, stop better and look better. I could do everything I've been tempted to with my Camaro but to a body I cared less about.
8) 1968 Chrysler Imperial. Solid body, inside and motor needs work, good to restore or for parts. $1500. I've liked the '68 Imperial ever since Hot Rod Magazine grabbed the 440 and Torqueflite out of one for their "Cheap Thrills" '68 Dart. That one got used as a parts car and probably crushed years ago. This one is a two-door hardtop instead of a sedan and I could probably recoup my buy-in just by selling off the engine and transmission. Which would give me the perfect excuse to build the diesel-powered luxury car I've wanted to (Cummins and 6-speed anyone?). The only downside is that I'm certain nothing is reproduced for these.
9) 1969 Chevy Nova SS. Orig. SS, no motor, good floors and glass, very restorable, comes with new qtrs., inner fender wells, L/dr. skin and gas tank. $2,800. See number 7.
10) 1967 Pontiac LeMans. 2dr. hard top, no eng., whole car but needs work. $2,400. The Pontiac A-bodies have great aftermarket and reproduction parts support, and they're nice looking. Toss in a 400 from a later Trans Am along with an overdrive transmission (automatic or stick, doesn't matter) and this would make just as good a daily driver as the Nova described in number 7. Furthermore, it would be nice to see a Tempest or LeMans not turned into a GTO clone.
11) 1963 Ford Country Squire. 94,000 mi., exc. orig. California car, absolutely no rust, orig. paint & perfect body, 352 V8, AT, PS, PB, factory AC, exc. car to restore. $4700. I'm amazed by the low asking price on this one. It's probably already gone. These Ford wagons are the epitome of the late-fifties, early-sixties nuclear family transporter. The only things I would change would be my name on the title and someday disc brakes on the front and a Powerstroke in the engine bay.
12) 1971 Chevy Nova. #s matching 307, 3-sp. manual floor shift, runs & drives, body in primer, minimal rust, exc. restoration project. $3,600. See number 7.
13) 1967 MGB Roadster. Must sell, no room to store, clean in. $2,200. MGBs are very overlooked, especially in a world where suddenly everyone has a Pontiac Solstice and Saturn Skye. Throw in a 2.8L V6 and a 5-speed (or better yet, a supercharged Ecotec and a 5-speed) and beat all the doctors and lawyers at their own game.
14) 1974 MG MGB Convt. Partially restored with $3500 of new parts on chassis and under hood, runs good, extras. $2,900. See number 13.
15) 1957 Ford. 4dr., V8, 3 sp., runs good, needs total restoration or for parts, with ton of extra parts. $2,700 OBO. I've been a sucker for anything that could wear wide whitewalls since I was a kid. This '57 has all the right parts: Y-block for good looks under the hood, 3-speed to replace with a 5-speed, and a Ford 9" rear end to accept any gearset my heart desires. This era Ford had a reputation for rusting in the frame, however, so I'd have to keep a close eye on it. However, with a slight lowering, disc brakes in the front and a set of Coker WWW Firestones, I'd have the coolest daily driver around.
16) 1969 Dodge Dart GT Convt. V8, AT, needs complete restoration, $1,800. I've got a motorhome 440 and Torqueflite just begging for a home. I've been searching for a four-door Valiant for cheap, but I wouldn't turn up my nose at a convertible Dart at this price. Of course, at this price, the floors are probably gone – bad news on a unibody car. The upshot is that the 273 or 318 would be easy to replace with the big block, there's already an 8 3/4 rear axle under there and the car would be worth big money afterward.
17) 1950 Olds 88. 2 dr. sedan, V8, stick, have lots of parts. $4,000 OBO. This is a rare one, as most 88s came with Hydramatic behind the Rocket. It seems like a good deal. Especially since this is the real sought-after bellhousing that allows you to run a LaSalle transmission.
18) 1964 Studebaker Commander. 6 cyl., 3 sp., runs, looks, and drives good, blue/blue, nice paint, clean body, good tires, int. nice but not all original, fresh tune-up, must sell, too many vehicles. $1,950. Another 5-speed and disc brakes candidate. This is the second-to-last year they even made Studebaker cars.
19) 1974 Dodge Dart Swinger. 6 cyl., AT, 60,000 orig. mi. Tennessee car, very solid. $2,500. See number 16.
20) 1964 Jeep CJ5. 33,000 mi., ground up restoration, all new: motor, susp. brakes, seats, top, doors, fiberglass body, many extra parts, 95% complete, $6,000 invested. $3,500. Ordinarily I wouldn't even consider a Jeep, but this one sounds really nice and with four wheel drive and a fiberglass body it could be a totally guilt-free wintertime driver.
21) 1965 Ford Fairlane(s). Both run, all glass perfect, coupe and hard top, 6 cyl. & 8 cyl. Price for the pair, $2,600. I'd keep one and re-sell the other, probably recouping my investment costs. Oddly, I'm more inclined toward the coupe (which likely has the 6-cylinder). These are some of the least-good-looking Fairlanes, but they're still far cooler than anything else in that price range.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
I think
Sometimes I have things in my head that I need to write down or talk about so I can move on to other things. They're never bad things, I just can't always find someone to talk about them with me. So I'll publish.
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