Thoughts on this '60 Coupe?

[TrevorK]

Hi all,

I've stumbled across this 1960 Coupe that's for sale locally. I'm planning to go and see the car tomorrow. From the pics it looks like it has a bit of rust and needs a complete restoration. It's supposed to be a running car, but I don't think it's been on the road for a while. Asking price is $4500, but the seller says he's open to offers.

Thoughts and opinions?

Trevor Korsrud

[TrevorK]

More pics...

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Looks very nice, and you will be surprised what a simple cut and polish will really spark it up.   Red is the worst colour for fading.

But, the rust can be fixed, so long as it doesn't go into the frame etc.   Really needs checking from underneath, and inside.

Bruce. 

PS.   You have mail

[LM 25575]

Surely for 4500 usd the car would already be on a trailer and heading my home... if I was living in the US. What about inside? Is all the car original?

[TrevorK]

So I went to look at the car this morning, and the pictures make it look much better than it really is. Some rust holes in the floors, interior taken apart and sort of a hodge podge (different colour front seats), big 2' x 1' hole cut into the firewall for some reason (although the seller did have a patch piece), parts of the engine compartment off the car, , glass out of the car, no headliner, trunk full of parts, etc. The car does run, but I didn't take it for a drive (not roadworthy in my opinion). The seller said he'd take $3000 for it, but even at this price it looked to be too much of a project.  It's not an "original" car, in that it looks like it's been messed with quite a bit.  It really does need a total restoration. In my experience too, you always find way more things that need replacement/repair once you dig into as well.

Any other thoughts on this car?

Bill - I didn't receive an e-mail from you...

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

G'day Trevor,

As you said, the pictures do make it look good, and your story of actually seeing the car in person reminds me of a lot of ebay adds I have seen where the pictures initially shown really don't tell the full story.

The price is still reasonably good when taking into account of what is there, and saleable if one wanted to strip it down and sell off the parts individually.   Not sure from the pictures, but the trim that is visible looks reasonable, and people will pay good money for Bumper Bars, Grilles and especially the long rear quarter mouldings. 

It looks to me like someone started to "restore it", and realised that they were in too deep, and wanted to bail out before they wrecked it any further.

As you said, in your first posting, it is in need of a complete restoration, so don't be put off by incorrect colours of the seats, etc, so long as they are the same as original, you would be recovering them.  The problem would come if they weren't the same as original, and say, from a sedan, or another brand, and missing stuff like the power adjusters etc.

Having stuff in the trunk, is everything there that has been removed from further forward?

One thing about restoring anything, the best part is taking everything apart, and making notes of what isn't working, broken, missing, etc. but in this case, if everything is there, you have saved a lot of time in dismantling

There are better cars out there, but, if you are looking to restore one, paying a lot of money for a car with some small flaws, like needing a repaint, re-chroming, and upholstery, you could end up replacing everything that needs replacing in this car.   

Plus, the "good" car could be in Florida, and you have to get it home, and the seller could be taking similar pictures to what the seller took of this car.

Bruce.