Need help seeing if this is worth it

[deathproofdodge]

You mention needs plugs. If plugs were removed make sure you can turn over engine. A friend of mine sold me his 340 Dart and had removed the plugs and engine was solid frozen. I had to bang each piston with a rubber mallet to get it apart. The other thing if it was a racer may have high gears in the rear which might not be street able. I bought a 71 Cuda racer with 538 gears in a Dana 60. I changed them to 354's. More money to buy gears and have them changed out.

That was my first thought, is this car even have a vin tag on it? Title?

Yes it has both vin and title

 

[Xcudame]

I'm betting there are other slant 6 and 318 E-Bodies out there that are much more complete and not a ton more money. Any cost number that you come up with, figure double or triple that cost in time for your labor (and your labor adds ZERO value to the car)! @Ohiowoodchuck and @Challenger RTA are showing some of the costs! Also look at @don selleck and his AAR restromod thread. Tons, and I mean tons of labor involved.

We don't want to discourage you, but having to buy all the parts is a pain! I got my 71 Barracuda over 25 years ago as a rolling chassis! Think zero parts - glass, drive train, interior, bumpers, etc. Over those years I have collected all the parts and yet it still sits waiting to be put together! And I retired almost two years ago! Of course it doesn't help having eight (8) other Mopars to maintain and I purchase a complete non-running 64 Imperial this past January! Plus I have 10 acres to maintain here in the desert where our biggest natural disaster is a razing fire!

Just saying, life gets in the way. Soon you're going to meet a wonderful young lady who will really distract you! Then you won't have enough time! Been there doing that! It's so easy to get discouraged on a project!

And we want you around and happy because people like you are our Hobby's future!

 

[Ohiowoodchuck]

I'm betting there are other slant 6 and 318 E-Bodies out there that are much more complete and not a ton more money. Any cost number that you come up with, figure double or triple that cost in time for your labor (and your labor adds ZERO value to the car)! @Ohiowoodchuck and @Challenger RTA are showing some of the costs! Also look at @don selleck and his AAR restromod thread. Tons, and I mean tons of labor involved.

We don't want to discourage you, but having to buy all the parts is a pain! I got my 71 Barracuda over 25 years ago as a rolling chassis! Think zero parts - glass, drive train, interior, bumpers, etc. Over those years I have collected all the parts and yet it still sits waiting to be put together! And I retired almost two years ago! Of course it doesn't help having eight (8) other Mopars to maintain and I purchase a complete non-running 64 Imperial this past January! Plus I have 10 acres to maintain here in the desert where our biggest natural disaster is a razing fire!

Just saying, life gets in the way. Soon you're going to meet a wonderful young lady who will really distract you! Then you won't have enough time! Been there doing that! It's so easy to get discouraged on a project!

And we want you around and happy because people like you are our Hobby's future!

X2 this young man is the hobbies future. I wasn’t trying to run him off, just trying to help him save some money. Also I would just like to recover the cost of my time searching for parts. I try to stay original, I might have have 5-6 hours of time looking for a single part. That’s phone calls and internet browsing, it really adds up. I cannot imagine what other men go through trying to find original 70-71 e body stuff. I’d probably need anxiety medicine if I try redo one of those.

 

[pschlosser]

X2 this young man is the hobbies future. I wasn’t trying to run him off, just trying to help him save some money. Also I would just like to recover the cost of my time searching for parts. I try to stay original, I might have have 5-6 hours of time looking for a single part. That’s phone calls and internet browsing, it really adds up. I cannot imagine what other men go through trying to find original 70-71 e body stuff. I’d probably need anxiety medicine if I try redo one of those.

There is little instant gratification, anymore. For some of us, restoring these types of 50-year old cars has been a life-long plan and dream, but slow in execution. The more complete a car is when it's acquired, the less work it may be in the long run.

There are a dwindling number of website coverings these Mopars, as well as original parts available used.

By comparison, there are even fewer sites and parts for the Ford Model T. Why? I presume because its 50 year older than these Mopars, fewer still on the road, and fewer still under restoration.

I expect someday, these Mopars to be even harder and more costly, if not futile, to restore.

 

[Ohiowoodchuck]

There is little instant gratification, anymore. For some of us, restoring these types of 50-year old cars has been a life-long plan and dream, but slow in execution. The more complete a car is when it's acquired, the less work it may be in the long run.

There are a dwindling number of website coverings these Mopars, as well as original parts available used.

By comparison, there are even fewer sites and parts for the Ford Model T. Why? I presume because its 50 year older than these Mopars, fewer still on the road, and fewer still under restoration.

I expect someday, these Mopars to be even harder and more costly, if not futile, to restore.

I agree 100%, when I was a kid there was 3-4 mopar only junk yards and you could walk in and get whatever you needed. Now like I mentioned earlier, it’s like a treasure hunt just to find every single part you need. I’ve even ordered parts and they not be good enough for what I’m trying to do and the search starts again.

 

[gran coupe john]

I spent a whole winter restoring my dash. Finding out reproduction parts just don't work out, there is always something just not right with them. After you figure that out, you spend hours looking for original. Then comes shipping. I have ordered things, and waited patiently 3 weeks later call them back. They tell me they can't get that part. You have to be tenacious, and determined to finish these cars. I don't know how many times I wanted to quit!! This is my first rodeo. Close to the goal line knowing these cars are never finished??

 

[Challenger RTA]

There are some that have insight.