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Vintage Car Thread - Discussion and Parts Requests

Thanks for all the good information.

The car belongs to my sister (would rather try trading with a total stranger than her, but that's another story ...). My sister says the car will run if you pore gas into the carburetor (carb and/or fuel pump problems???). I haven't talked to her about selling the car to me, as I wanted to get an idea of what it may be worth before even talking about a price. Here's a little background on the car:

My aunt Hazel bought the car new in 1961. My aunt was a school teacher who never married and always lived at home with my grandmother. From a very early age, I used to spend a lot of time with my grandmother and aunt. After I started to school, my aunt would come to my parent's house on Friday afternoon and take me back to her and my grandmother's house (the house I now have, by the way). I would ride in that '61 Chevy every weekend.

My aunt Sara had a '65 Ford, and when she passed away in 1983 that car was left to me (still have the car and still drive it regularly). When my aunt Hazel decided to stop driving around 1993, she gave her '61 Chevy to my sister. My sister drove the car for several years, but eventually parked it for good in 2007.

My sister and her husband are always "looking for the big buck" kind of people, and several years ago they got the idea that the car would be worth "$8,000 or more." Needless to say, they haven't sold it yet.

I hadn't seen the car for several years, but have always wanted to get it back "home" where it belonged. I'm at a place now where I could devote a couple thousand dollars for something like this. I'd like to get the car back to driving shape and give it a paint job. I can't afford to "restore" the car, but just "stabilize" it so it will not deteriorate further.

I stopped by this afternoon to look at the car (she has it parked in a field behind an abandoned service station). I almost wish I hadn't seen it, as it's in worse shape than I knew. There is no "major" rust, but it really needs paint bad. The interior is not too bad, except that it has been closed up and is moldy (and is probably home to a couple families of field mice). My poor old aunt would rollover in her grave if she saw the condition of her old car.

Here are a couple pictures taken this afternoon.

DSC06827.jpg


DSC06830.jpg


DSC06829.jpg


DSC06831.jpg


DSC06828.jpg



And one more of the car, my aunt, and me back when the car was new.

DSC03899.jpg



If nothing else, I'd like to get the car and take it back home to let it die a natural death where my aunt always had it parked. The old car deserves more than to be abandoned to rot away in a field.

Ok, I thought I remembered you telling about this car. It looks like it is all there and that is a good thing. You can't get some of the side trim very easily or cheaply so that saves money right there. It is not bad at all. It has the flat top that those cars were known for. I think you could put out a bit more money than I thought originally as it has sentimental value and the like. Painting it won't be that bad where you are. For a few grand it will look like new outside. Likely the fuel pump is gone if it will start with gas down the carb but won't continue to run on her own.
Looks like the radio is gone and the turn signal is an aftermarket bolt on but on the inside she looks serviceable. You can get rid of mold with soap and water---just don't do it without a mask or gloves.
All in all I would say you certainly could get her up and running easy. Those engines have parts that are going to be around for another fity years so you are ok there. :p I wouldn't go over $6,000 if I could help it though. The lower you get it the more money you have to fix it with. $8,000 is a no starter. If they had just kept it in decent condition then.......
You certainly need to get it before those tires get lower and the frame and floor pans start touching the ground. Then you will have nothing to save. Perhaps offereing them a place to store it might work?;)
I ahte to see things like this happen to a family car. I have four family cars in my stable and I keep them the best they can be. They are all kept running and moving---it is better for them that way. They were made to be used. :D
 

Big Man

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Ok, I thought I remembered you telling about this car. It looks like it is all there and that is a good thing. ... Looks like the radio is gone and the turn signal is an aftermarket bolt on but on the inside she looks serviceable ... I wouldn't go over $6,000 if I could help it though. ... I hate to see things like this happen to a family car. I have four family cars in my stable and I keep them the best they can be. They are all kept running and moving---it is better for them that way. They were made to be used. :D

It's all there except for the emblem in the grill. My idiot brother-in-law backed into it and broke it a number of years ago. That's the only "damage" ever done to the car.

It never had a radio. That was an "extra" my frugal aunt lived without. What looks like a damaged/missing radio is the broken glove box. The only extra my aunt got was automatic transmission. Prior to the '61, she drove a '49 Chevy (I can barley remember her '49). I do remember how big of a deal automatic transmission was to her!

The turn signal was a repair my sister made to the car. I think that was in '96 or '97. I'd like to change it back, but don't know if that's practical. There was some reason why she had the add-on as opposed to repairing the original.

The car is OK, but it's in a little rougher shape that the pictures show. I was surprised at how far down it had gone since I last saw the car up close.


I would really like to have that old car, but I don't want to pay (and can't afford to pay) an outrageous price just to have it back. I thought I'd offer her $1,000 and see what happens. Hopefully, their "get rich off their valuable hot rod car" mentality has wained since its been sitting abandoned in a field for the past several years. I don't mind paying a "fair" price, but don't want (and can't afford) to let sentiment play into the deal. I think $3,000 is about as high as I could go on this. After all, I didn't pay but $3,000 for the '48 Plymouth I bought the other year - and I drove that car away and still haven't spent more than $200 on "fixing it".

Thanks for the insight into the value of this old car. Wish me luck.

Sure would be nice to win the lottery ...
 

vitanola

I'll Lock Up
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4,254
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Gopher Prairie, MI
Thanks for all the good information.




My sister and her husband are always "looking for the big buck" kind of people, and several years ago they got the idea that the car would be worth "$8,000 or more." Needless to say, they haven't sold it yet.


.

Well, as you know, this is not a particularly desirable car, and now in the aftermath of the Global Economic "Disturabnce", collectables of all kinds which appealed primarily to entry-level, working class folk have utterly collapsed in value. A friend of mine in Charlottesville, VA (same basic antique Auto market as yours in NC) has a nice '65 Pontiac Catalina convertable, a strong, reliable runner, with a new top and tip mechanism, nice interior, and a fifteen-foot paint job for which he would galdly take seven thousand dollars. The car has been on the market for many months now, with no takers. Just last year I picked up a nice 1923 Oakland sedan, all original condition, with fewer than 5ooo miles on the clock (documented, the car was dispalyed by a Pontiac dealer for fifty years) for less than $5000, the cost of a cheap engine overhaul on a less original example.
 
It's all there except for the emblem in the grill. My idiot brother-in-law backed into it and broke it a number of years ago. That's the only "damage" ever done to the car.

It never had a radio. That was an "extra" my frugal aunt lived without. What looks like a damaged/missing radio is the broken glove box. The only extra my aunt got was automatic transmission. Prior to the '61, she drove a '49 Chevy (I can barley remember her '49). I do remember how big of a deal automatic transmission was to her!

The turn signal was a repair my sister made to the car. I think that was in '96 or '97. I'd like to change it back, but don't know if that's practical. There was some reason why she had the add-on as opposed to repairing the original.

The car is OK, but it's in a little rougher shape that the pictures show. I was surprised at how far down it had gone since I last saw the car up close.


I would really like to have that old car, but I don't want to pay (and can't afford to pay) an outrageous price just to have it back. I thought I'd offer her $1,000 and see what happens. Hopefully, their "get rich off their valuable hot rod car" mentality has wained since its been sitting abandoned in a field for the past several years. I don't mind paying a "fair" price, but don't want (and can't afford) to let sentiment play into the deal. I think $3,000 is about as high as I could go on this. After all, I didn't pay but $3,000 for the '48 Plymouth I bought the other year - and I drove that car away and still haven't spent more than $200 on "fixing it".

Thanks for the insight into the value of this old car. Wish me luck.

Sure would be nice to win the lottery ...

Ok, I wish you luck on that one. $1,000 probably should get you the car but I am just thinking of the mint they expect to get out of the car. They probably are of the mentality that they will let it sit until it is worth that much.:eusa_doh:
 
Well, as you know, this is not a particularly desirable car, and now in the aftermath of the Global Economic "Disturabnce", collectables of all kinds which appealed primarily to entry-level, working class folk have utterly collapsed in value. A friend of mine in Charlottesville, VA (same basic antique Auto market as yours in NC) has a nice '65 Pontiac Catalina convertable, a strong, reliable runner, with a new top and tip mechanism, nice interior, and a fifteen-foot paint job for which he would galdly take seven thousand dollars. The car has been on the market for many months now, with no takers. Just last year I picked up a nice 1923 Oakland sedan, all original condition, with fewer than 5ooo miles on the clock (documented, the car was dispalyed by a Pontiac dealer for fifty years) for less than $5000, the cost of a cheap engine overhaul on a less original example.

That was a good deal you got there. I am guessing it wasn't this model:
PICT0306lg.jpg
 

Big Man

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Ok, I wish you luck on that one. $1,000 probably should get you the car but I am just thinking of the mint they expect to get out of the car. They probably are of the mentality that they will let it sit until it is worth that much.:eusa_doh:

You are probably right, but I'm going to give it a try. I'd really hate to see my aunt's old car sit there and rot away till it's worth only what the junk man will haul it off for. Who knows, maybe a thousand dollars in 20's will make a big enough stack of cash to grab her attention.
 
You are probably right, but I'm going to give it a try. I'd really hate to see my aunt's old car sit there and rot away till it's worth only what the junk man will haul it off for. Who knows, maybe a thousand dollars in 20's will make a big enough stack of cash to grab her attention.

I think you just might have something there. That much money in $20s looks pretty big. :p
 

nihil

One of the Regulars
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206
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Copenhagen
I really envy you guys. Here in Denmark, vintage cars are hilariously expensive. Even rusty old stuff still hold a good value.
But then again, modern cars are insanely expensive as well, new or second hand.
I'd LOVE to own a real classic car. Perhaps this year we'll get a 'beginner' MG midget from the early 70s. They aren't too expensive (in car-prices-in-denmark levels at least - still up to 20,000$ for a fine, running one).
 

Rathdown

Practically Family
Messages
572
Location
Virginia
Hmm... the car is worth a grand. Fix it up and you'll have a really nice looking driver for about 10 G's, and it'll be worth about $6000-$8000 when you are finished. Virtually every single part for that car is available, either through the pages of Hemming's Motor News, or on ebay, and that includes the turn signal stock and the Chevrolet badge on the front. You can even find an original radio without too much difficulty.

These are strong, simple cars, and easy to keep going once everything is fixed.
 
Messages
10,883
Location
Portage, Wis.
The inline six, I believe was still the 235 in 1961. I'm guessing if she was frugal, she went for the 2 Speed Powerglide, which works to your advantage here. The higher-end Turboglides were nicknamed 'Troubleglides' because they were just that.

Now, I looked over the pictures of the car, an example like that in my neck of the woods would probably fetch 1,500 on a good day. This car, simply, is the most undesirable body style, and a rather unpopular year for the Bel-Air line, which was no longer the top-tier car, with introduction of the Impala in 1958, and became its own nameplate in 1959.

Times are tough and money's tight, I'd see if you could score it for a grand, they're usually cheaper in your area than in the salty north. I would completely understand if you would be willing to shell out a few bucks more to get it back, for sentimental reasons. I think every car guy would love to have certain vehicles of their past back.

Four door post. Not sure about motor, but it is whatever was "standard" at the time (200 something). Automatic transmission.
 

Big Man

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. . . I think every car guy would love to have certain vehicles of their past back.
I'd love to have the car back. I've owned and been driving my other aunt's '65 Ford since 1983, so the '61 would represent two out of three cars that were significant to my childhood. The other would be the '55 Olds that was the family car I remember and associate with the "best of times."If all goes as planned, I should know something one way or another about the '61 Chevy by the end of the week.
 
I'd love to have the car back. I've owned and been driving my other aunt's '65 Ford since 1983, so the '61 would represent two out of three cars that were significant to my childhood. The other would be the '55 Olds that was the family car I remember and associate with the "best of times."If all goes as planned, I should know something one way or another about the '61 Chevy by the end of the week.

Good luck. I hope you get it for what you want to pay for it. It sure would be better off with you as its new owner. :D
 
Messages
10,883
Location
Portage, Wis.
Well, I truly wish you the best of luck in this! It's always wonderful to see cars stay in the family.

I'd love to have the car back. I've owned and been driving my other aunt's '65 Ford since 1983, so the '61 would represent two out of three cars that were significant to my childhood. The other would be the '55 Olds that was the family car I remember and associate with the "best of times."If all goes as planned, I should know something one way or another about the '61 Chevy by the end of the week.
 

Talbot

One Too Many
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1,855
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Melbourne Australia
I'd love to have the car back. I've owned and been driving my other aunt's '65 Ford since 1983, so the '61 would represent two out of three cars that were significant to my childhood. The other would be the '55 Olds that was the family car I remember and associate with the "best of times."If all goes as planned, I should know something one way or another about the '61 Chevy by the end of the week.

Fingers crossed for you!
 

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