how bad is bad ?

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im in colorado and we never see cars this bad unless they come from out of state. that is why i say i would never attempt to fix a car like that.
 
72Dodge said:
My advice, based on what you've said ("not a rich man") is to try to sell this car, or this car plus the parts car to someone more skilled and just get a different car. The reason I say this is because you could dump a bunch of money into it, then get discouraged/overwhelmed, or run out of money, and then you won't get that money back when you sell later.

Instead of spending all that money fixing this car, I strongly suspect you'll reach your goal a lot sooner and a lot cheaper by just cutting your losses, and starting to save for a done car, or at least something much more done. The only reason I would not do what I'm suggesting is if this very particular car was the exact one you want. Like it has family history, or it's a 1 of 1 car with an option that means a lot to you, or something like that. Otherwise, it's just a car. Make it easier on yourself, save yourself the heartache and headache, not to mention damage to your wallet.

EDIT: I like 67Dart440GT's idea too, if you have the space to keep this car in the corner (inside) somewhere.
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This I also have to strongly agree with, if you can get a roller that is clean you will be MILES ahead and with a lot more cash, less aggrivation, and like stated above you can get burned out very quickly without any cash to do the job, and to do it right. Also the thing about a car in that condition it really needs someone who knows how to do it right, and that is what it will take. If you can find a way to keep it but use the parts on a cleaner car I think that would be great, if not I would suggest selling and find a cleaner car if you can.
 
I think i will poke around the under carriage this weekend and remove the dash assembly , then i will see where i am at . I will get more photo's over the weekend . Thank you every one for your comments , it has helped . I agree on the idea of finding a better body for the " cool parts " so either way this car needs to be stripped and that is what my plan is , maybe i wont find any more rot ....lol .
 
Everything can be saved if you have the desire and skills to do it. My inner fenders and frame rails where shot. But my cowl and rockers and floor pans where good. You have a bunch of work to do if you deside to.
 

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Living out west like you do...i would find something much better.

Seems like you could pick up something decent at a decent price. It's a bit different here in the Midwest rust belt.

Sell off what you don't want or need...to offset costs.

It also depends on how much time do you really want to spend with that much of project? or would you rather get on the road faster and spend time behind the wheel and not behind a welder.

The older I get the more I like little projects...not big projects...to tinker around with.

Paul
 
Wow , nice car 4404spd . Nice to know yours was as almost as bad as mine . Do you have more photo's of start to finish ? would love to see them .
 
I would find a clean body and part the car out to yourself to fix the good one.
When you are finished, sell off what's left to someone who is more ambitious and wants a major project.
When you have to change 70% of the sheet metal, is it still the original car anyway?
I guess it is, but just barely.
My 2 cents.
 
If I were you and having read all the posts I would salvage what I could off both those cars and find a rust free western body and build it the way you want. Have you been watching the prices escalate for the nicely done clone cars. You could do the same and I don't think you would ever lose money if it was done right. Besides why beat yourself up dealing with all that rust when the labor could be spent restoring your new rust free body? Of course my advice is worth exactly what it cost. It's too bad those cars were parked by the ocean unprotected. Good luck! Dan
 
I'd part all of your cars, put 10k or less on top of that and
buy a nearly done car.
You'll be farther ahead without all the headaches and heartaches.
You have thousands of dollars of money and untold hours of work there.
I'd sell you my 3/4's done 70 dart swinger for $11k.:idea1:
 
...that dash would look great in my Valiant 2-dr. Just 'planting a seed,' know what I mean?
 
If you decide to sell the grills, I am definitely interested! Looks like a lot of work, mine was rough as well, but Im moving forward.......ever so slowwwwllleeeee with it.
 
73AbodEE said:
the 10 or 15k it would take someone to even get paint on it could be better spent on another car that would just about be finished IMO
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It cost me almost 10k to get paint on my car.....and it was in WAYYYYYY better shape than that....
 
4spdragtop said:
If you decide to sell the grills, I am definitely interested! Looks like a lot of work, mine was rough as well, but Im moving forward.......ever so slowwwwllleeeee with it.
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The grill's are fairly trashed on both cars . no sure what i will do yet other than continue disassembling and inspecting .
 
If it was me i would part it out and crush the rest and find a better one .. thats what i had to do with my 1st barracuda it was too far off for my skills .. btw none of mine was a 340 car lol and mine is a 65 .. best of luck to u man
 
Some vehicles are in alot worse shape than others.
I fixed this one in 2 years with no help.
I rebuilt everything.
I have 19K in parts, but I know what I have.


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I am currently working on a '69 RR for a guy that was about that bad (maybe worse). I told him to consider getting a different car. I now have over 400 hours into the car and it is "almost" ready for paint. My initial "estimate" was that it would take at least 300 hours to do what he wanted. When we got it back from media blasting, I told him it would be at least another 200 hours. Rust is a can of worms, once you open it, look out!
 
That door latch stud is the easy part of the project; the rest is very rough and in my opinion beyond fixing because you will never come close to getting your money back out of the project.

That aside, and by luck you hit the power ball this week becoming a member of the more money than brains club, Leno is president by the way, have at it… LOL

Seriously you would be thousands and thousands of bucks ahead if you purchased a fully restored car, instead of fixing that rusted heap. I suspect you can recoup your investment plus a few bucks ahead by parting it out.
 
Listen to the wise men! I wish someone kicked me in the nads when I decided it would be great to do a full resto . And believe me my car wasn't that bad! If you must.... do as they say get a rust free body or a almost finished car always start with the best car you can! My car wasn't that bad but it has been 8-10 yrs building a rotisserie,soda blaster and collecting parts. I'm not a rich man either so I have to make and scrounge everything I need!.Sometimes I get over whelmed and stop and it might sit for a year or more .Plus I have a family that takes money and attention and other interests so the car goes to back burner.Believe me and all the others that car is a big project!!!! That being said it can be done as they say anything can be done . But I believe that you would be much happier,richer and driving a whole lot sooner if you choose a different car!
Good luck!
 
2 options.
1. part it out. use the money to buy a better resto
2. get a donor car. get a welder. and torches. strip the current one down to nothing. send the inner hull out on a flatbed to a sand blaster. get it back, weld in what it needs. will be a fun project. you can get a decent welder under $500 if you look around. donor car maybe $1000. i dont know how much it would cost to get the unibody / fenders sandblasted. i have heard it's not a good idea on doors because it's hard to get all the sand out of them no matter how much you use compressed air to blow them out. it's better to strip the doors by hand.

anyways, the costs in the end will probably be the same. only difference is that if you do the body work yourself, you will put care into the job and you will know it's done right.
 
If you decide to keep the car I can't wait to see the progress. My dad and I are rebuilding a 69 FB also and, like you, we've never restored a car before. It'll be interesting to say the least. I can't wait to weld in my first patch, screw it up and have to buy a new skin.....lol. Good luck and keep us posted.
 
My advice is sell the parts except what is unique to what you want (a 340 scoop 69) and find a car that is in better shape. They are out there. You have some cool parts but I think the bodies are gonna soak up a lot of moolah and the end result won't be worth what it cost.

BTW, I nned a gpood 68 upper dash if that 69 will fit...
 
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