Thoughts - Classic Muscle Car Hobby

[FastKatt]

Lisa & I are thinking about picking up a project car.
Something to restore and to take to car shows.
It's a hobby would could both easily get into & have alot of fun with.

We are just starting to see light, as far as the economy goes...
But we really want to have something to put our time into.

Walking around a show in Byron today, we saw a few project cars for sale...
Looking at this one show, it seamed that AMC would be a cheaper (less up front cost) way to get started...

So, anyone have any experience with this?
Tips, thoughts, ideas?
Or, even better?
Anyone know a widower with a classic in her barn, she wants to get $500 for?

Click to read more...

 

[Turbocharged400sbc]

unfinished projects CAN be very good deals, barn finds can have hidden dangers depending what you are comfortable repairing/rebuilding (ex. would you want a drivetrain that was intact and running or a shell that is clean with minimal rust repair, it all depends what you feel comfortable with)

your the one near all the barns

seriously i used to work at a place in rockford i can gve you info on, he had a buncha projects sitting around. i had my eye on an olds starfire he has

if your looking for cheap AMC is not the best of choices haha

 

[KAR]

especially with AMC not being the cheapest. It may be less upfront but it'll be more in the back end with trying to find parts as those cars are rare with how many were made.

 

[Runtz52]

coming from a guy with an amc, a stupid rare one at that (only 3500 built in my body style), finding body parts is a bitch, engine parts are basically a dime a dozen, so if u do decide to go with an amc, get a clean shell that needs minimal work and build an engine for it

 

[FastKatt]

I saw a '71 Javelin AMX 390 the guy wanted $9,500
It had a 367? in it but he has the 390 in the garage. (no oil pressure)
Looking around, I've seen a few others closer to the 5k line...

What's to be expected to pay for a work in progress?

 

[Yaj Yak]

mid 60s buick/olds stuff is cheap but looks badass. thats what i would look for because you can still find parts.

or i would find a late 60s early 70s gmc/chevy 2wd pickup because as long as the frame is good you can basically build a truck from an lmc parts catalog

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

mid 60s buick/olds stuff is cheap but looks badass. thats what i would look for because you can still find parts.

or i would find a late 60s early 70s gmc/chevy 2wd pickup because as long as the frame is good you can basically build a truck from an lmc parts catalog

This. Buick stuff isn't insanely pricey or hard to find these days. Olds a bit harder and $$.

Trucks are making a huge comeback it seems. Every hotrod and carcraft I've gotten lately has some badass trucks in it.

 

[Turbocharged400sbc]

if you go with a 67-79 ford truck i'll be giving away a minty 390fe/435/d60 driveline someday

 

[FastKatt]

She wants a muscle car...
I won't be able to talk her into a truck, that's for sure.
At that point, I could just keep throwing money at the GTP... lol

 

[hellraiser319]

I'd say see what's out there, if/when you find something you both like, do a little research on it before buying it to see how available xx parts are... That's the only thing that sucks about some classics. In some cases you can't find what you need, and if you do, it costs almost triple what you think it would be. Partially why I sold the '76 Honda motorcycle I had. Either way though, good luck in the search!

 

[Yaj Yak]

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/2440226311.html

 

[Aircal]

AMC might be harder to find parts, but when done would generate a ton of attention ! Only amc knowledge I have was my 80 Jeep Pickp which had mopar,ford and gm parts under the hood.
Start with as rust free as you can get. Go south, if you have any friends, family or contacts in the south check their craiglist adds. In Raleigh NC I would see driver 65-69 mustangs for 3 grand on cl.

 

[Yaj Yak]

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/2426536344.html

http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/2448451211.html



http://milwaukee.craigslist.org/cto/2422094018.html

the potential is ridiculous.

 

[FastKatt]

Of those CL posts,...
1971 Oldsmobile Cutlass 'S' - $5900 (Hales Corners,WI)
is the only one I'd be interested in.

I'm not hip on the car show etiquette...
Can you show a vert, or do numbers have to match?

Also, due to budget being low to start...
I think we'd be looking for the project, not the show ready.
Kind'a what we want to do anyway...
We want to be able to say we turned the nut & bloodied our own knuckles...

 

[Yaj Yak]

if youa re just going to a cruise night... it dont matter.

car shows are goofy imo and have become gooofy.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

What's your budget?

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

http://chicago.craigslist.org/chc/cto/2437559191.html

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

Super project. That tri-power setup is worth a pretty penny

http://chicago.craigslist.org/nwc/cto/2439056030.html

 

[Yaj Yak]

also as far as the car shows go- what kind of show are you looing to get into? just local cruise nights or the larger cruise night style shows- cool shit is cool. pretty simple.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

Unless it's a crazy points type car show; as long as it's cool it's cool.


I have a 64 pontiac Catalina I'd sell. It's a cruiser; not a muscle car though.

 

[CrunkMaro]

from my experience...


bought a 79 ta, mint body. had to replace the floor. no rust underneath, built rear, suspension was set for the most part. threw in a ltx motor, t56 drove the piss out of it.

the car looked beautiful IMO

but if you are looking to get into shows and win trophys and money with big shots...

be ready to throw in thousands of dollars, regardless of what you pay up front.

since this is just an opinion thread,

i wouldn't jump into a 'show car' unless you have 50k sitting aside.

now if you just want to get a muscle car to clean up and ride around and not worry about keeping it 100% spotless at all times but still clean enough to get looks, i'd look into 2nd gen fbodies. parts are cheap, body parts are available everywhere, interior parts are still available, and there are multiple aftermarket companies that offer products which means you aren't paying the "we are the only place you'll find X part so pay up fukker" premium.

 

[Oreif]

The best thing to do is look for some other than popular cars. Buick and Olds are not as popular as Chevy or Pontiac. As for numbers matching, As long as you do not show/adverstise it as a numbers matching car, many really don't care. Being a big Pontiac fan I always go the the big Pontiac show that the local GTO (Crusin Tigers) puts on every year. There are quite a few folks who bought a Lemans and made it look like a GTO. Since it is a custom car and they are not claiming it to be "original" there isn't a problem. So as an example if you can find a regular 68 to 72 Buick Skylark you can make it look like the GS or a regular Olds Cutlass and make it a 442. Most problems occur when someone makes a Lemans into a GTO Judge and tries to sell it as a Judge to get the much higher price.
Unless you plan on restoring the vehicle to original, numbers are not a big deal.

One good place to find project cars is the hotrodders forum:
http://www.hotrodders.com/classifieds/showcat.php?cat=5

 

[Oreif]

I have a 64 pontiac Catalina I'd sell. It's a cruiser; not a muscle car though.

Really? what condition is it in and how much were you thinking of selling it for?

 

[FastKatt]

What's your budget?

We aren't sure yet. Just starting to see the light & want to get a hobby we can do together... So, I'd say not enough... But looking into it anyway.
My hobby had been my GTP & she has/had no interest in it what so ever.

also as far as the car shows go- what kind of show are you looking to get into? just local cruise nights or the larger cruise night style shows- cool shit is cool. pretty simple.

We want to goto local shows. Not looking to build a trailer queen. We want to drive the car & not worry about breaking it.

Unless it's a crazy points type car show; as long as it's cool it's cool.
I have a 64 pontiac Catalina I'd sell. It's a cruiser; not a muscle car though.

Lisa is interested in late 60s threw early 70s muscle cars. No way she'd go for a truck & I doubt she's be interested in a boat like a Galaxy 500 or Fairlane...
I would say anything tough looking would work for me, that being said... Bowties aren't "tough" looking, to me.

Really? what condition is it in and how much were you thinking of selling it for?

Threadjacker...

 

[RICH17]

Neighbor of mine is looking to get rid of his 61 Buick Electra