Rare project

[Oldbluoval]

Hey Bob, hope you are well! Maybe see you at Hershey?
I stand by my post that you will not be as under-water in that body style as many of the more common body styles. Certain things cost the same regardless of the body style (i.e., glass, running gear, tires, wheels, etc). Value is all in the body style. IMHO

[BRENT in 10-uh-C]

Originally Posted by Bob Bidonde

Restoring that car has to be a labor of love, and not as an investment because its restoration is going to cost a huge amount of money, much more than it will be worth when done.

Originally Posted by Oldbluoval

I stand by my post that you will not be as under-water in that body style as many of the more common body styles.

I had this very conversation with Bill this morning and maybe it bears showing why I said what I did above.


You can buy a complete donor chassis for $2,500.00 pretty much any day of the week. Start with that. Then if a Restorer will take the time to correctly restore each component on that chassis, they will spend an additional $10 - 12.5k ( -or less if they work at it. ). Therefore, total investment for the running gear would be $15k.

Purchase this body for $10k (which has many of the rare items included, and figure on investing $5k for the wood infrastructure and 150 hours of your labor. Media blast the sheetmetal first and correctly make all the repairs to any damaged sheetmetal on fenders, hood, and body. In that condition, you should be able to find someone to professionally paint what you have for $15k ( -or even less).

Add in another $5k for purchase of items such as Plated W/S Frame, Chrome Wiper, Professionally restored lamps, plating etc., and for woodgraining.

Spend $15k to have a professional correct interior & top sewn & installed, ...and then maybe another $10k for incidental top-quality original restored pieces to be installed. Totaled up, this puts someone in around $75k for a nice, -correctly restored Convertible Sedan. A car of this caliber will sell on the upper side of $75k all day long. ( Again, I am not speaking of some amateur-attempt at a restoration with backyard-applied paint, or with a body still retaining 80 y.o. original wood, or incorrect patterned woodgraining, naugahyde interior, etc., etc.!!).

It is also worth noting that this type vehicle would be great candidate for entering into Fine-point judging where it would likely win its' MARC of Excellence award, -AND with that kind of budget spent on restoring the drivetrain, it should easily be capable of driving coast-to-coast reliably.

[Rowdy]

Compared to the bullet ridden $6000 31 Vickie body I looked at a couple of years ago this is a steel. Depending on your parts hoard and ability to sniff out parts this really is a decent project for the right person. Just my opinion. Rod

[pgerhardt]

There was a 400A in the "car corral" of the Goshen (CT) car show last Sunday. A complete running car with good leather, and an OK top. $35K If I had the garage space I'd have bought it!

[Keith True]

I think if you want any real money for an A Craigslist is not the place to do it.I know what I would get for that body here,if it is in the shape it looks to be in.I would not seriously expect to get much out of Craigslist,but what I have gotten there were lookers that told buddies that were serious.I sold this 29 coupe.(if the picture shows up)to a street rodder for over $8000.I bought it for that,to save it from a rodder.The A guys came up as high as $3500.on offers.It went to a rod guy.It was solid,and straight.His attitude was I can pay now,or pay $10,000 in bodywork later for something not as nice.I've only sold a couple of A's that I owned,but have sold them for others.I find that with A's I have to drive my stake in the ground on price.There it is,it is $XXX,look it over good,I will answer anything I can,but it will cost that for you to own it.