No offense, but I think THIS should be the donor car. Seriously, you need to find a solid shell, maybe what's left of somebody else's part-out. Then transfer that nice interior, top, and mechanicals.
you guys are great! i have a feeling that this is going to be a really fun site and thanks to all who have reached out with their info.... that being said, i AM REALISTIC about what i have and lickily i didn't pay much for it, and the fact that a single mom got the money it's almost as if i gave her charity and got the car for free.... the car actually made it on a wrecker and drove forward and backward turning the wheel at low speeds.... i know it looks ugly, but the majority of the frame cancer is behind the rear axle and forward of the driver splash shield (it's been wrecked there)....
we have LOTS of time to investigate this car and the first thing i'm going to do is to strip out the interior and other savable trim and look at the car from a bare bones perspective.... surprisingly the doors don't sag and it feels solid in the center, but trust me, this car WILL not see the open road any time soon :P
as for money, i don't have much, and i know i could probably buy a restored/fixed one for half of what i'll invest to fix this one, but that's the key.... making the car mine :) that trumps the investment of time and money any day when it comes to these old cars.... but who knows, once we get a really good look, the body might go the way of the scrap heap..... until then, i'll dream a little dream of cruising with the wife down the road in our 66 plymouth valiant conv. with a 4 on the floor and wind in our hair :)
