Just Starting to look for my Project car

[chevynut]

This looks like a helluva nice car for $18K. It's not a project, but could save you a lot of work and money.

http://www.cars-on-line.com/74062.html

Here's a good-looking 4 door sedan....looks solid.

http://amarillo.craigslist.org/cto/4550927909.html

Personally, I think the black and white one you linked is worth a closer look. I don't know what the reserve is, but it doesn't look that rusty to me in the pics he posted. Ask for pics of the bottom if you're interested and of the rusty areas.

Here's a pretty good 4DHT:

http://www.cars-on-line.com/72315.html

Here's a cheap rusty one:

http://www.cars-on-line.com/35197.html

Whatever you get, make sure the 4-door HT specific parts are there... They're hard to find. However, there is a local yard here that has several of them in it...at least the last time I was there.

BTW, if you end up getting serious about a 4-door sedan let me know. I have a really nice original AZ car with around 49K showing on the odometer that I'd like to sell. It's a 210 sedan with a PP 283 and 3-speed. Not sure about the price at this time, but it's one of the most solid "survivor" 57's I've ever seen. Maybe it's nicer than you'd like to start out with.

20080716_0795.jpg

[567chevys]

That is a nice 57 you have Laszlo



Sid

[Fladiver64]

Laszlo,

Thanks for the leads they all look like nice cars. I guess there is a part of me saying why should i buy a driver when what I will be using is the frame and body. In my plan the entire suspension and driveline will be replaced as well as the interior. I am not sure what the value of those components would be on the used market since the car I would buy would not be in top shape. On the other side of the coin is once they stop being driven the cars then to deteriorate and parts go missing. I need to find some cars that are closer to me so I can go see them and get a feel for how big of a project some of these cars are.

The black and white car on ebay, I emailed the owner and he want $4500 for a reserve. I think that is a bit high for that car plus the transport costs back to Fl

[Fladiver64]

Well faster than I thought I have found a project car. 57 Belair 4 door Hardtop, very solid body, needs outer rockers and some minor rust repair in other areas. Has been media blasted, primed and stored indoors for the last 7 years. It includes all of the stainless trim, a 283, powerglide, front and rear seats. There are boxes of new parts that I did not have time to go through but I saw new chrome bullets, front bumper, and the rockets for the hood, new wiring harness. All for $3750, I think it was a good deal.

I have to help my mom move next week so I cant go pick it up until the week after,Now I just have to arrange a trailer and truck to go get it.

[chevynut]

Congrats Fladiver! Looks like a nice start to a project, and for a great price! Keep us posted on progress.

[shua57]

Nice, it's alot easier starting from a media blasted car. Have Chevynut build you a C4 frame while it's all apart. I have a 4 door sitting at my house for my 16 year old, for some reason I like them. Good luck and keep us updated.
Josh

[Fladiver64]

C4 clips from Chevynut are on the build plan. Next step for me is to get it on a trailer and towed home. Should be about 10 days or so before I can get it back here. The other issue that is going to slow things down a bit is I wont have a shop to work in until October/November range. I really did not expect to find a car so fast, just got lucky to find the right car for my project on the third car. I do have a rust question. There are some areas that are pitted but no holes in the sheet metal, one spot is behind where the Bel Air trim is installed and some along the roof when the door closes. How can you determine what needs to be replaced with a patch panel and when can you apply and encapsulator, prime and fill. I knwo some are going to say always put in new metal but this is not going to be a $100K car.

Mike

[shua57]

Mike, if it is just pitted I would take care of it during filler day . If it is rust it needs to not be, however you feel is necessary to remove or replace it. I not a fan of rust encapsulator under body paint. There are all kinds of chemical reaction problems, etc, that could happen. The rust needs to be gone, pits can be solved with filler unless you are dead set on no pits then a panel replacement is in order. Good luck with it, drive it till the wheels fall off, don't let it sit in a garage like my car has for the last 5 years. Get us some pics when you can, I would like to see it since I still have my 16 year old's to do. I want to flat red it and dropped but he won't let me, it has to be blue. At least eh has picked out a blue close to the old school stock teal...lol.
Josh

[Fladiver64]

I got a truck and trailer ready for August 11th to go pick up our new project, all the boys in our house are excited to get started (yes even the older one). One of the Mods I want to make is installing a 55 or 56 dash in the 57, the PO of this car may have a donor for that swap so hopefully I will know early next week if we can get that part at the same time. Shua57, that is what I was leaning toward with the pitting, the rust should be gone as the car was media blasted and has been stored indoors for the last 7 years iwth no signs of recurrence.

My first goals are to reassemble the front end, and place all of the trim on temporarily, just to make sure we have all of the parts. Then evaluate what parts we need and what we can get done. The front and rear clips on from Chevynut are on the list but I need wait until I get a shop finished so we have a place to take the body off and work on the frame.

Chevynut, I am sure you can answer this. I would like to start working on the body, if I bolt everything to this frame to get straight , when I replace the front clip with the C4 clip should everything bolt up in the same place? Having not put one of these together before I am not sure how much adjustment there is making everything fit.

Thanks

Mike

[Fladiver64]

My son Brandon went with me earlier this week to pick up our new project. Got it home without incident and proceeded to unpack the trailer to see what we really got. Found a few more rust spots but nothing that can't be fixed. We spend the day cleaning the "barn" off the barn find. Then packed everything away to the storage unit where it will sit until the shop is finished, hopefully by November. We still plan on getting some work done between now and then but we are limited on what we can do onsite. I din't take a picture of the parts until we had put more than half of the stainless trim away. Looks like we got most of it, but inventory will be one of the first tasks.