Re: [FWDLK] This picture is worth less than a thousand words

["Mel_Lester_Jr." <meljr@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dan,

Thanks for sharing your experiences.  I think we have all been down that
road a time or two.  Hopefully, it was a nice day and an enjoyable drive.

I have never bought a fully restored collector -- although the majority
have been in pretty decent mechanical shape and rust doesn't seem to be as
much of a problem in the Western US.  All in all, however, it seems that
the money spent on buying a higher condition project -- at least a high
#3, amounts to significant savings in the end.  You really have to have a
lot of extra skill, time, money and dedication to bring one back from near
death.

I'm glad you made a through inspection and didn't get burnt.  It's folks
like yourself who make this such an enjoyable hobby.  The trick is to keep
some kind of perspective, which you clearly have.

Anyway, something that has happend to me more than once it seem is that
just after I buy some project that is not quite what I wanted, something
much better appears.  Keep looking and I am sure others on the list will
keep an eye out for you.

Thanks again for keeping us updated.  I feel like I was there with you.

-mel (in Oregon)

Mel Lester Jr.       meljr@xxxxxxxxxxxx       http://www.connet80.com/~meljr

Plymouths:
56 Suburban Deluxe 2DR SW  (2) 56 Savoy 2DR Sedans  56 Suburban Custom 4DR SW
56 Savoy 4DR Sedan         63 Sport Fury Convert.   63 Fury 2DR HT (440)
63 Fury 4DR HT Race Car    65 Belvedere II Convert.
Dodges:
73 Dart 340 Sport Pro St.  74 B300 CarryVan         76 D100 Adventurer SE PU
76 D100 Warlock PU         79 D150 Custom PU        89 Shelby Dakota Race Truck
93 Viper RT/10             98 Dodge Intrepid ES
Others:
63 Austin Healey 3000      71 Triumph Spitfire      81 Fiat 2000 Spider
84 Chevrolet Caprice wagon  00 Honda Shadow ACE Tourer 1100

On Sat, 29 Sep 2001, Dan Morton wrote:

> Well, the World's Slowest Auto Mechanic made the trek to Brooklyn yesterday
> to see this car:
>
> http://www.classifieds2000.com/cgi-cls/ad.exe?P1+C14+R1237881
>
> All that glitters is not gold.  The car is strategically positioned to not
> show the damage to the paint on the right eyebrow; there's some bubbling
> around the wheel wells, and if you open the passenger side front door, you
> can see the inside fender rusting away.  It got painted right over; around
> the drip cap, there are cracks in the paint where rust is bleeding through.
> It looks like it was a very good paint job over a very poor prep.  I
> wondered how many bondo-ed patches would pop out in the next 6 months.
>
> The trunk was rusted through near the rear of the car; more than just rust
> on the bottom of the rear bumper, the plating was worn thin, heavily
> scratched and hazed.  Chrome was flaking from the wiper pivots, and the
> windshield needed replacing -- delamination.
>
> The interior was a horror story.  The engine compartment -- let's not go
> there.  I didn't even have him start it.  I made a ridiculously low offer,
> and walked away.
>
> It dawned on me:  EVERY old car is a used car.  Yes, I probably should have
> started with a car in better condition than mine to choose to work on.  But
> if I want something that's substantially better than mine, I am really going
> to have to pay for it.
>
> And this car ain't it.
>
> So, I'm not sure now what to do -- keep picking away at my mechanic's
> special; pay someone to work on it; or make a substantial investment in
> something that won't need a lot of work.  Dunno.
>
>         Dan, TWSAM
>         (1) '55 Savoy
>