How concerning are these jambs?

[Fizzer6001]

Interested in buying a 1973 Plymouth duster. While the exterior was painted3 years ago, the jambs and engine bay were not.

How concerning are these pics? Is this rust indicative of issues or is just surface rust as of the result of paint chips?

Car is a numbers match 340 4-speed car with bucket seats. Seller wants 25k. Exterior looks great but the jambs have me a little concerned.

I did have a restoration shop perform an inspection and they reassured me that the jambs aren’t a huge issue but I wanted to get more opinions..

 

[72bluNblu]

I’d be more concerned about the fact that they painted the car without doing the jambs than anything going on in those jambs.

 

[lenky1]

I agree with blu. Now to fix it right your likely going to be getting into the qtrs with the paint

 

[Scott_ 69HemiDart]

@Frodee

What do you think Fred?

 

[69FBCuda]

Poor prep, you only see 10% of the problem, the other 90% isn't visible.

 

[Frodee]

@Frodee

What do you think Fred?

I agree with 72bluNblu why do all that work on the car and not do the jabs. Makes me think they did a fast repair on the outside as well.
Might have covered up a pile of **** and made it look good. But just my thoughts.

 

[harrisonm]

@Fizzer6001, RUN. Do not buy that car. It's like lipstick on a pig. Anybody who would make the outside pretty like that and leave all that other stuff looking like crap is a big-time corner cutter. Who knows what other corners were cut??? If you buy the car, YOU will find out. I bet there is fiberglass / bondo right over rust holes, used parts in the engine, etc. I would not touch that car with a ten-foot pole.

 

[str12-340]

take the car to a good body man and have him go over it to see what he can. The body shop that did the paint can only do what the car owner wants and maybe that was all they could afford. The stuff in your pictures seems just be surface rust that could be easily fixed and painted. no reason you can't paint the jambs separately. Car could be a sweet deal if the price reflects what didn't get done. Walking away based on an opinion expresses here based on some pictures is as dumb as buying it without getting it thoroughly checked out.

 

[junkyardhero]

this right here concerns me...

not painting the jams reeks of low rent work.

 

[jeff alder]

Don't speculate if you really like the car. Get some weak refrigerator magnets and a piece of tissue paper and check it out for yourself. You will know if it's metal, bondo or fiberglass without asking anyone.

 

[mopowers]

$25k for a 73 Duster with a half-assed paint job? I'd pass.

 

[barbee6043]

After many decades, especially these days, I see so many
"buyers" expect a $10,000 paint job on a running/driving car they paid only $5000 for in the first place.
But, for $25 grand, a guy does expect a certain level of goodness!!
But like said, get a real body guy to go over it after you run the frig magnet over it if in doubt.

And remember, ArmourAll is NO ONES friend, especially the paint guy! (it is not even good for vinyl!)

 

[72bluNblu]

It's hard to tell from the little pictures, but to me from the way the door hinge mechanisms are painted I wouldn't be surprised if the car has been painted more than once. I think the jambs have been previously painted too, just not with the last paint job.

Which doesn't mean the car isn't solid, but if its had a few repaints and the last one was a quickie where they left out the engine compartment and jambs then at the very least the paint job and bodywork need to be scrutinized heavily by someone you trust in the bodywork/paint world. Paint can hide A LOT.

Ultimately you just can't easily tell, especially not from a few low quality pictures. Maybe the bodywork is fine and they just wanted a refresh on the paint and didn't want to disassemble everything. But since that's not the right way to do it you have to consider that there could be a lot of half assed short cuts there and elsewhere. Maybe not! But I wouldn't be making excuses for the previous owner, I'd be investigating what I'm really getting. If that last paint job is going to peel off in a few years it's not worth the asking price.

The car is a '73, which lowers the value. If it's really a numbers matching 340-4 speed that's great, and that improves the value a lot. $25k for a '73 340 4 speed that runs and drives and has shiny paint isn't a terrible price, as long as the car is solid the work is average to good. It's not cheap though, so, you have assess if it's really a decent to good car that would be worth that amount. That's not a perfect show car price at all, but, it's not a cobbled together 20 foot paint driver kind of price either.

I don't think the response should be "RUN!", but, I would definitely have the car inspected by someone that has a good reputation or your trust to make sure it's not hiding expensive issues. The car could be worth the asking price if everything is solid and the paint is decent. But it would also be easy for it to be a $15k car too, and even that wouldn't mean it has disastrous issues. If the paint prep on that last paint job isn't good and it's gonna fall off in a few years it's not even a $15k car, and even an expert could have a hard time determining the level of paint prep if it's somewhere between terrible and decent.

To me the middle of the road cars are the hardest. A clapped out original paint car shows you everything that's there, maybe it'll be expensive to fix but the work needed is fairly obvious. A really high level restoration also shows you the quality of the work, maybe the buy in is expensive but once again you have a good idea of what you're getting. Middle of the road cars are tough, they're not perfect so you can see that there's flaws, but it can be hard to assess how bad or how deep those flaws are rooted. Maybe it's just an amateur level job with a solid base and decent work that will hold up. Or maybe it's a flip job on a clapped out car and everything they did to shine it up will fall off in a year and you'll be left with a disaster.

 

[barbee6043]

^^^^@72bluNblu ...So very true. I average selling a "somewhat" restored (relative term) car about once a year. Not because I want to sell it, but because I can't keep every old car I drag home and spend some $$ on! I bought said car because I wanted it, I loved on it, and time came for it top find a new home. But, I am aged out, I physically can not do the body work to perfection any more. And....I can't afford top pay a body man $8000 to do a car that will be worth $7000!

Case in point. I have loved some Ford models since HS and I now have a 66 Fairlane, nothing special, a 289 car. Two years ago I did its body, just one front floor pan that needed replacing and a couple of small rust spots in the rear qtrs. A PO banged out the really bad dings in a front fender. But plenty of small dings and dongs scattered, but pretty darn solid 60 year old car! . NO replacement fenders in reach so I made it best I could and kill my old self. Its is not perfect and I could have made it better but I honestly call it a 10 footer. Some would call it a 5 footer. Others might call me a hack! A NO rust driver has been my goal for years, since I got over owning a real "desirable" high end and perfect car ($$$$$$).! So I decide to get down to just 1 car and not 4 ! so the Fairlane gets advertised on FB Marketplace and the usual Ford Fairlane groups, and what follows are the usual guys wanting to trade me a motorcycle and the low baler that can scrape up maybe $3000 tops. This Fairlane, has good running 289 and C4 auto. All new brakes and steering box, but oem seats needing upholstery and windshield has a crack.. Priced cheap at $5500. Came down from $6500 is what I call wholesale for it anyway. My description and pics are very accurate as to the shape of the car. But I digress with my story.

But. Other week I get a guy that PMs me on it and wants to come look. I give him my cell but no one calls anymore, even guys almost as old as me!! He is 2 1/2 hours away. (close for Tx). He is a Ford truck guy mostly, but wants a 60s car to do, arrives and tells me about his 70 something 460 pickup he spend a solid year on ( he is retired) and it is PERFECT. (He has restored (to perfect) quite a few old Fords over the decades.) He straightened ALL of the sheet metal and it has maybe 2 oz. of filler! He admits to being totally anal also. He also has spent 7-8 years looking, long and hard, for the perfect old candidate like a 66 Fairlane! No rust, never painted, straight! and cheap! Those are the requirements!


I said, ya know, the ad said I did not get it perfect, you see some sand scratches, it needed more primer and blocking. Ten footer. But, it can be easily made perfect, also change out that beat up fender, etc.

Like said, the middle road cars are the hardest to sell. NO ONE knows what is under the paint. (BUT me!!!) The way over priced project with rust and sun backed down past the primer, are easy to understand!!!!!!

He is still LOOKING!!!!