Make shore the front rails are not bent check it for rot in the the rest of the frame especially the rear if it's good go for it
Whats this "barn find" worth?
- Thread starter 84CutDog
- Start date
- Status
If the frame is solid and the car is rust free, I don't think you will be hurting yourself at $800. I wouldn't go past $1k.
I think you are right.
Ill report back with more pics and info in a week or so. Thanks guys.
Well, considering my find...an 85 with the 307/th200/buckets/floor shifter which I picked up for $2k w/ everything in working order, no body damage, and a fresh inspection....found a site that blue books cars below 92's....it put mine in excellent condition w/ my 76k miles right at 3700.....so minus the damage, I'd estimate the header panel, bumper, cheap paint at around $800 at the lowest....say maybe 3k for the car, I'd look at a fair price between 1500-2000.
I don't have any rust or rot on mine tho either.....cept the exhaust....so if it does, put it at 1000-12000
Sorry for all the posts....I'll do my best to sum everything up in one next time around....but looking at your pics, the body is in excellent shape.....the trim is still decent, possible rust peeking out and slight paint peeling from around it...I can't see any rust on the roof, nor coming out around the soft top...interior from what is posted has no holes/tears/is intact, and from the under shot, just slight surface rust on the axle and leaf springs/hangers...I'd look closely at the frame for chipping/flaking rust, holes/weak spots (use a screwdriver or such, tap and push on what looks like anything that had flaked away and looks thin) and under that chrome trim that runs along the bottom of the sides of the car. If it's all just surface rust, no flaking/peeling, I'd spend up to 1500. But that's me, these can be real nice head turners/cruisers with tons of potential, and cheap at that.
a "barn find" base gbody is only going to be worth the condition its in, especially with a 3.8 most would not want to keep. the interior looks really clean so thats definitely a perk. id think 800-1000 like stated above.
You left out the most important factor (seriously)...
LOCATION.
Back when I lived up in the northeast, that was, IF frame measured straight, about $1000-1500 car to me.
Now, being located down south, that body becomes a $300-500 shell with value added for clean interior, maybe $200-300.
My inspecting advice:
1) Look at the c channel part of the frame each side below the door. This is one of the weakest parts of the frame, in between the jack point behind front tire and before jack point in front of rear tire. IF that is straight move to #2
2) this is a cutlass so it should have at least some of the braces. You can measure distance (or look for signs of stress/bend/fatigue) from the hole on the front cross member to the hole on front frame horn. Left bolt to left horn hole, right bolt to right hole are equal both sides. Then measure distance between the two frame hole centerpoints.
Bring a piece of board, shims, and level. Park car on level ground, place board running left to right under both front frame horns. Just use your shims to get the board level.measure board distance to bottom of frame horn tip (at bumper shock mount) for each side. This should be equal.
For good measure you can take diagonal measures of core support to body mount, but, the earlier tests i mentioned are more than sufficient to raise red flags that mean walk away.
LOCATION.
Back when I lived up in the northeast, that was, IF frame measured straight, about $1000-1500 car to me.
Now, being located down south, that body becomes a $300-500 shell with value added for clean interior, maybe $200-300.
My inspecting advice:
1) Look at the c channel part of the frame each side below the door. This is one of the weakest parts of the frame, in between the jack point behind front tire and before jack point in front of rear tire. IF that is straight move to #2
2) this is a cutlass so it should have at least some of the braces. You can measure distance (or look for signs of stress/bend/fatigue) from the hole on the front cross member to the hole on front frame horn. Left bolt to left horn hole, right bolt to right hole are equal both sides. Then measure distance between the two frame hole centerpoints.
Bring a piece of board, shims, and level. Park car on level ground, place board running left to right under both front frame horns. Just use your shims to get the board level.measure board distance to bottom of frame horn tip (at bumper shock mount) for each side. This should be equal.
For good measure you can take diagonal measures of core support to body mount, but, the earlier tests i mentioned are more than sufficient to raise red flags that mean walk away.
- Status
Similar threads
