Chevy Tri Five Forum banner

Should I or shouldn't I?

7K views 53 replies 29 participants last post by  Handyman_guy 
#1 ·
This is my first post but I'm a long time lurker. I've been looking at a particular 56 handyman for a long time. It's been sitting in a garage for 25 plus years. Floor is shot, frame is suspect, the engine has been replaced with a V8 from the 70's. Coolant & oil - none. Engine appears to be seized.

On the plus side the body is in fair condition. In addition, the car comes with many sets of spare parts. Extra bumpers, a second hood, a tail gate that might be fixable and for some odd reason, over a dozen vacuum wiper motors.

Although the price is a bit high, there are enough extra parts to recoup most of the purchase price.

I have the skills to fix it, the question is should I or shouldn't I pull the trigger. I'm open to any and all opinions.

Bruce
 

Attachments

See less See more
1
#2 ·
I think only you can answer that question. To me, it depends on your skill level in being able to do a lot of the work yourself. Or, your financial situation. Can you afford to pay to have the things that need to be repaired done without leaving you in a bind or the car started and then unfinished? Remember, and unfinished project resells for pennies on the dollar, usually.
Terry
 
#3 ·
from your description, sounds like a money pit. if your o.k. with that, you will have to be the one to make the decision. doesn't look bad from the one picture. :anim_25:
 
#4 ·
If you feel that its within your budget and the price is somewhat high then do your best to negotiate the price,cash talks. You gotta haggle some to meet at a fair and reasonable amount,show the owner you're serious and cash in hand.:anim_25: :shakehands:
 
#5 ·
:sign0016:to bowtie-trifive Depends on what you mean kind of high. nobody ever says kind of cheap. you could probably find one all finished for 60 grand or you could work on one over a period of years doing a lot of it yourself. or keep looking for a better deal. :shakehands::anim_25:
 
#8 ·
What kind of frame problem? If its big time rust that blasting wont fix let it go.Paying big money for someone elses trouble is a no go.There are still lots of cars out there that don't have major issues.I always figure a guy would be time,and money ahead to shop for a Arizona or so. cal car,and pay for a plane ticket,and shipping home.The price for a complete repo floor is darn near what it would take to ship a car home,and it saves untold fitting,and welding time.
 
#24 ·
Not for a classis car, but that is what I did in a round about way. We have such bad rust here in Wisconsin / Minnesota, I went to Phoenix to buy a 5 or 6 year old pick-up truck just to haul stuff around. I am glad I did as it lasted a longer time than a truck I would have bought up here. I can fix mechanical stuff, but not so much body work. I tried to find an old Chevy when I was in Arizona, but no luck. I ended up buying a 1964 T-bird for $1200 and trailering it behind the pick-up back to Minneapolis.
 
#11 ·
Hi Bruce and WELCOME to trifive.
Like most of us have encountered at some point in time ,you are facing the age old dilemma, "should I or shouldn't I"

Without going on a bit of a philosophical tangent, as some other members have stated, only you can answer that question.

Carefully weigh the pro's and con's....
Do I love to work on old cars?
Am I competent as a fabricator to achieve a level of finish that I am going to
be happy with?
Do I have the expendable income to invest in this major project?
Do I have the time necessary to pull this off? Lots of great starts on projects
end up stillborn because novices fail to realize the huge time investment
necessary to accomplish building a car from a basket case.
What do I ultimately hope to accomplish when all is said and done?

I don't mean to discourage you in any way at all, but I do want you to make an informed decision, with as much knowledge as you can gather.Keep asking questions and Good Luck with your decision.:tu
 
#12 ·
?

It doesn't sound like you have a lot to start with, floors, frame, motor shot.
If the floors are gone it means a lot more rust in the body, rocker panels, quarters, etc. It's going to take years and a lot of money to actually have a car that you can drive. If you do, go in with your eyes open.

Joe
 
#13 ·
For me I have to train myself to just walk away. I have looked at so many "potential" cars. It is so easy to look at a car and evaluate a mind build. Building a car in that condition is rewarding, but it takes strong initiative to get through the obstacles. If the eagerness candle stays lit it can be fun but on the average lifes priorities pull you away from the build and before you know it a few years pass and .....the candle went out ......the project has stalled .....hence just the way you have seen that 56 today. Time , money , skillset, space and patience are key necessary ingredients to pull it off. If you look at return on investment it probably will not happen. That is all the negatives......now on the Positive side .......we have a group of awesome Tri Five Members all in the same boat with the same passion for these cars and we meet at a Convention that will blow you away and pump you up with enthusiasm to save these cars. You will find plenty of matches to light up that candle to get moving again on the build. Good luck and thanks for the thread and posts.
 
#14 ·
Thanks for all the replies. I appreciate everyone's suggestions. Although I haven't decided yet, I'm leaning towards taking the plunge. I've done an inventory of all the parts. Included are 4 bumpers, 2 hoods, 7 hubcaps, 2 tail gates, an extra lift gate, extra front bench seat. Also included are a number of braces for the frame and a variety of NOS parts, mirrors, door handles, etc.

I also have some backstory. The car was purchased in the 90's by a guy that owned a body shop. Although he did some work, from what I can tell, he spent a good deal of time accumulating parts. The owner passed away three years ago and the car has been sitting an a garage since then.

If I buy it, I'll have many questions. I'm sure you guys will help me spend my money :)

Bruce
 

Attachments

#17 ·
I am not sure if I am seeing something or not, but it looks to me from the two pictures that you posted that there is rust in the roof as well as around the rear liftgate, likely other places as well. These are areas in which the repairs, from what I know, are a little more challenging, maybe a lot more challenging (read as expensive to fix), then the more common floor pans, braces and fender cap repair. If you cant do this kind of work your self, you are stuck having someone else do it which drives the time/cost factor up.
 
#18 ·
Well, I probably shouldn't have but I couldn't help myself. I pulled the trigger and I'm now a handyman owner.

So, Here's my first question, any idea how to remove the lug in the 10 o'clock position? The key for the wheel lock nuts is, I suspect, long gone. Even if it's somewhere in the car, it would take me a least a week to find it under all the junk that's stashed in there.
 

Attachments

#19 ·
find a 12 point socket that will almost go on and beat it on with a sledge then remove the nut
 
#22 ·
you can!

:sign0016: Congrats on a good purchase. 2 door wagons are not that easy to come by anymore, Be prepared to spend lots of $$$, as parts are not cheap and most guys think they are selling gold blocks. I took on a sedan delivery in much worse condition and theres not many days that go by that i dont think of giving up. My vision of the finished car keeps me going. Money pit is putting it lightly.
 
#23 ·
Welcome to the Handyman Owners Club! Now you'll need to be prepared for all the comments about your "Nomad"....:).....from all the non-suspectors.

I once bought a Nova parts car with locking lug nuts. Seller said he lost the key. Got the car home, dug the mouse nests out of the glove compartment, and there was the key. Otherwise, the next-size-smaller 12-point socket hammered onto the lug nut works very well. After you remove the lug nut, which is now stuck in the socket, tighten the socket in a bench vise and use a drift punch to hammer the nut back out. Use an OLD 12 point socket, 'cause it's gonna get beat up pretty badly using it this way.
 
#25 ·
68bagger, thanks for the suggestion, I bought the tool. The scary thing is that I can now remove any wheel lock nut faster than a regular lug not now. I got the wheel off, spent 10 bucks on a used tire and now at least have a roller.

I'll take a few more pictures tomorrow before I have it towed home. I think the first thing I'll do once it's home is remove the front clip and remove the engine.

I'll post more pictures tomorrow. Thanks for everyone's suggestions and advice.

Bruce
 

Attachments

#28 ·
Well, I got it home. It didn't hurt that the tow truck driver was a trifive guy. The first order of business is to take an inventory, then pull the engine. I'll have to rearrange some stuff before I can get it on the lift to inspect the frame.

Of course the next question is should I or shouldn't I do a restomod? I've met a few guys that think doing a restomod is just plain wrong but considering that many of the original components, including the original drivetrain are long gone there's probably no reason not to, is there? I'll welcome any opinions either pro or con.

Bruce
 

Attachments

#30 ·
It's your car, build it the way YOU want it.....:tu

Personally, since many of the original parts are missing, I like to keep these kinds of projects stock-appearing on the outside. But install the running gear, wheels/tires, and interior of choice, with upgrades for safety.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top