What a Waste of a SS396 Chevelle!
- Thread starter 85 Cutlass Brougham
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There is also a 2 door 67 Chevelle on my Craigslist for $7500 and it is a driver with a small block and bench seat. Frankly, I'd rather have that to mess with as it would be just as fun and not be a lifetime project.
85 Cutlass Brougham said:
You guys are missing the point.
Its really the vin and cowl tags for sale.
Even if you don't use the matching numbers engine. The tags swapped on to a good clone and can then be passed off as a restored SS car.
Not too long ago a super bird that looked like it had been in the crusher sold for somewhere around $10,000.
There wasn't a single useful part on that car. The vin and cowl tag were the only things worth anything on that car. There was nothing worth restoring as the car was a 2 foot high piece of scrap metal.
Yeah the car is junk besides the vin and buck tag and yes you can swap vins legal just have to prove the car was totaled so bad it had to get a new shell.If you ever seen the dynacorn camaro and mustang bodies they sell some of them have normal vins.
BTW, price reduced to $3200.
The thing is, it's not a Superbird or a very rare model. It's a normal 396 automatic car, which they made quite a few of. If it were kept in a barn it would have been a good deal, but I just don't think it will sell for much in this market. I also saw a 1967 442 on Craigslist with no drivetrain today for $1500. It was in very restorable condition, just missing the all important numbers matching drivetrain. If I were a glutton for punishment, I'd probably go buy the 442 and add it to my unmanageable collection of old car junk. I could get a 455/TH400 combo for a few hundred bucks at the U Pull It, flat black it, add some wheels and have a nice driver for not much cash. Then again, I have come to my senses lately and decided that no new projects should be added to the list until the two I have now are together and one is sold, and I finish school.
Here's the 442 for anyone who wants to see it:http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/cto/849854646.html
I'll also add that the whole idea of reproduction shells is not new. British cars have had this option for a long time since BMH was always given the presses for older designs that were previously made by British Leyland. Even today, you can get a new shell for a Triumph TR6, MGB, MG Midget, or even a Mini. BMH was once a part of BL before it went out of business, and it was split off. They have been doing the reshell business for around 20+ years.
The thing is, it's not a Superbird or a very rare model. It's a normal 396 automatic car, which they made quite a few of. If it were kept in a barn it would have been a good deal, but I just don't think it will sell for much in this market. I also saw a 1967 442 on Craigslist with no drivetrain today for $1500. It was in very restorable condition, just missing the all important numbers matching drivetrain. If I were a glutton for punishment, I'd probably go buy the 442 and add it to my unmanageable collection of old car junk. I could get a 455/TH400 combo for a few hundred bucks at the U Pull It, flat black it, add some wheels and have a nice driver for not much cash. Then again, I have come to my senses lately and decided that no new projects should be added to the list until the two I have now are together and one is sold, and I finish school.
Here's the 442 for anyone who wants to see it:http://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/cto/849854646.html
I'll also add that the whole idea of reproduction shells is not new. British cars have had this option for a long time since BMH was always given the presses for older designs that were previously made by British Leyland. Even today, you can get a new shell for a Triumph TR6, MGB, MG Midget, or even a Mini. BMH was once a part of BL before it went out of business, and it was split off. They have been doing the reshell business for around 20+ years.
Here is what NADA Classic Cars says about a 1970 Chevelle 2 door SS 396- I added a cowl hood in the event it might have had one: (I'm not interested in those cars and don't know much about them, just wanted to try to give it as high a value as possible.)
PRICING
Original MSRP: $2,662 Low Retail Average Retail Value High Retail
Base Price $3,975 $7,300 $10,050
Options
396 V8 Engine 50% 50% 50%
Chevelle Super Sport Cowl Induction $200 $400 $600
TOTAL PRICE $6,163 $11,350 $15,675
I just don't think anyone is going to spend $3-4K for a VIN number and cowl tag to make a clone of a car that would only be worth $16k tops.
Even so, for another example, lets say I saw a really valuable car that might fetch $60-70k at auction, and (LOL) I had a lot of money to piss away and was interested in it. Now I might not be the brightest star in the sky, but if I were to bid on that car I might just spend a few thousand dollars (a drop in the bucket) extra to have an expert from Hemmings or ? come to the preview with me and authenticate the car. I imagine a not so valuable clone with swapped tags trying to be passed off as the real McCoy would be recognized quickly by an expert, and I wouldn't be out too much.
I think a clone is worth what it is regardless if it has swapped "authentic number" tags or not. But in turn, I imagine quite a few undeucated suckers with a lot of money have been ripped off along the way too.
-UT-
PRICING
Original MSRP: $2,662 Low Retail Average Retail Value High Retail
Base Price $3,975 $7,300 $10,050
Options
396 V8 Engine 50% 50% 50%
Chevelle Super Sport Cowl Induction $200 $400 $600
TOTAL PRICE $6,163 $11,350 $15,675
I just don't think anyone is going to spend $3-4K for a VIN number and cowl tag to make a clone of a car that would only be worth $16k tops.
Even so, for another example, lets say I saw a really valuable car that might fetch $60-70k at auction, and (LOL) I had a lot of money to piss away and was interested in it. Now I might not be the brightest star in the sky, but if I were to bid on that car I might just spend a few thousand dollars (a drop in the bucket) extra to have an expert from Hemmings or ? come to the preview with me and authenticate the car. I imagine a not so valuable clone with swapped tags trying to be passed off as the real McCoy would be recognized quickly by an expert, and I wouldn't be out too much.
I think a clone is worth what it is regardless if it has swapped "authentic number" tags or not. But in turn, I imagine quite a few undeucated suckers with a lot of money have been ripped off along the way too.
-UT-
I tend to think the NADA prices a bit low as a complete running car can be parted for about the same as they say the lowest value car is worth. Many pieces on an SS are model specific and difficult to find reproduced. Then again, the economy has tanked and the cash to buy toys like this is not there like it once was. I'll still say that a nice SS396 is around a $30-40k car if done right, but that it takes a lot of effort to do it right. Body work is not cheap if you pay for it, and your time is not free either, so you will either spend time out of your life doing it right, or money to pay for someone else's time. Plus, even when it is painted, you still have to put it together right with good chrome, wiring, etc. to make a nice car out of it. By the time you are done, you could have saved yourself the hassle and just bought one already done for similar money.
Here's a pretty nice 383/4 speed 1971 Road Runner for sale for $15,000. I post it as it is a comparable type car with a comparable engine.
http://tampa.craigslist.org/psc/cto/849340952.html
Here's a pretty nice 383/4 speed 1971 Road Runner for sale for $15,000. I post it as it is a comparable type car with a comparable engine.
http://tampa.craigslist.org/psc/cto/849340952.html
Now that Road Runner will sell as they are asking a very reasonable price for what they are selling. Its well on its way to a complete restoration, and was probably half way decent to begin with. I've found the NADA prices to be somewhat realistic, they are not based so much on what might be very popular during a short time span. People see a certain car go for an outrageous price on the TV Barret-Jackson auctions or the such because there happen to be bunch of rich pigs there that day. Then all of a sudden everyone with the same car thinks they are sitting on a platinum mine. After the market settles down, the prices go back to being more on par.
NADA is showing a comparable '71 383 Road Runner at a high book of $46,700. That's probably about what that car would bring once the resto is complete. In other words the car (not heap) would likely be a sound investment to finish up, and not just a gamble on a VIN plate.
-UT-
NADA is showing a comparable '71 383 Road Runner at a high book of $46,700. That's probably about what that car would bring once the resto is complete. In other words the car (not heap) would likely be a sound investment to finish up, and not just a gamble on a VIN plate.
-UT-
We may disagree on the value of a really nice SS396, but I think we can both agree that the Road Runner is a better investment.
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