Restore or not to restore

[oldredford]

This is my 1940 Ford 4 door sedan that I should of not bought. Its mine now so I got to deal with it. I have to say this is my first bad deal in this hobby. The owner assured me it was a rust free car. Not true... The car was full of rodents mice and or rats. When I first opened up the door I about puked my guts out because of the pee smell. They did considerable amount of rust damage. The car is not economically worth to restore. It can be restored but you will have more into the car than what it is worth. I bought the car sight un seen, so I took a gamble and lost. I did have a second set of eyes look at this car but was told he was legally blind and could not smell. The only thing in my favor is this car has a excellent running flathead and transmission and a working Columbia. What is sad about this deal is the seller is a member of the Early Ford V8 club of America and is a local member of a charter club. Now, if I could find me a nice coupe body.

[32phil]

How bad is it?
If it's roadworthy perhaps you can drive it/enjoy it as is.

[Capt Kirk]

Your understanding of "rust free" may be different than someone else's. Some pictures of the problem areas would be helpful. It could be that these areas may be a deal breaker for you but a "normal repair" for others on here that have the tools and experience with that type of car and that type of rust.

[Kube]

Originally Posted by Capt Kirk

Your understanding of "rust free" may be different than someone else's. Some pictures of the problem areas would be helpful. It could be that these areas may be a deal breaker for you but a "normal repair" for others on here that have the tools and experience with that type of car and that type of rust.

How can "rust free" mean anything but "free of rust"?
I've dealt with guys that have told me absolutely "no rust" only to go look and find it has a lot of rust / rot. Then what have I heard? "What do you expect? - the car is 75+ years old".
What I expect is the truth.

Age has NOTHING to do with condition.

When a guy tells me "rust free" I expect "rust free". Anything else is deception or just plain ignorance - perhaps both...

[Talkwrench]

Originally Posted by Kube

How can "rust free" mean anything but "free of rust"?
I've dealt with guys that have told me absolutely "no rust" only to go look and find it has a lot of rust / rot. Then what have I heard? "What do you expect? - the car is 75+ years old".
What I expect is the truth.

Age has NOTHING to do with condition.

When a guy tells me "rust free" I expect "rust free". Anything else is deception or just plain ignorance - perhaps both...

Amen to that...

[Capt Kirk]

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Originally Posted by Kube

How can "rust free" mean anything but "free of rust"?
I've dealt with guys that have told me absolutely "no rust" only to go look and find it has a lot of rust / rot. Then what have I heard? "What do you expect? - the car is 75+ years old".
What I expect is the truth.

Age has NOTHING to do with condition.

When a guy tells me "rust free" I expect "rust free". Anything else is deception or just plain ignorance - perhaps both...

I figured that statement would raise an eyebrow. I drive a 2016 truck for work...has less than 20k miles on it and I guarantee that I can find rust on it. Might be a spot on the threads of a bolt, a paint chip on a shock starting to rust...etc. Truly "rust free" is a pretty tall order to fill...especially with these old cars. One person's perception of "rust free" may mean absolutely 0 oxidation anywhere, another person may think that some insignificant surface rust below a floor mat is still rust free. I agree with what you're saying and I believe the term "rust free" is being used too loosely when describing a car. The condition of a car should be described in deeper detail and a person should verify before forking over some cash.

[Seth Swoboda]

oldredford, that looks like a pretty decent car. Where is the rust and what are the major problems with it?

[oldredford]

Tool tray and lower deck lid panel rusted out. Floor pans have rust holes. Door seals part of roof rust out. All can be repaired.

[V8COOPMAN]

Hmmm....."The owner assured you that the car was rust-free." That's just about as much of a blatant lie as a couple of the vendors claiming some of their crap to be "an exact reproduction", or that the part in question " fits perfectly", when in fact, a torch and a BFH are necessary to facilitate any kind of fitment or potential use. Some of these a-wipes don't even deserve the consideration of a NEW rope. DD

[Jack E/NJ]

>>> restore the car and loose money. This car will make an easy restoration.>>>

These 2 terms seem contradictory. Jack E/NJ

[blucar]

It sounds to me like the car has some pretty serious issues..
I know we all hate to admit that we made a mistake, however, there is a point where we have to admit that we are in over our head and it is time to move on. Once you start throwing money and time at the project it quickly becomes a money pit. Antique cars are a poor investment at their best.

[tomkowal]

if it was me, i would drive as-is. I have driven cars and trucks a lot worse, as long as the rust isn't a safety issue..........

[tubman]

">>> restore the car and loose money. This car will make an easy restoration.>>>

These 2 terms seem contradictory. Jack E/NJ"

Sometimes, it's really easy to lose money.

[oldredford]

Originally Posted by tubman

">>> restore the car and loose money. This car will make an easy restoration.>>>

These 2 terms seem contradictory. Jack E/NJ"

Sometimes, it's really easy to lose money.

What I am trying to say is areas of rust out is easy to repair. The cost to restore is estimated around 15k.... The average appraisal of a restored 4 door is 20k. If I restore the car l will have nearly 30k invested. So, easy to restore and easy to loose money...

[Kube]

Originally Posted by oldredford

What I am trying to say is areas of rust out is easy to repair. The cost to restore is estimated around 15k.... The average appraisal of a restored 4 door is 20k. If I restore the car l will have nearly 30k invested. So, easy to restore and easy to loose money...

...

[TJ]

The option would be to look for a good fordor body. There's lots of fordors out there that are not running with good bodies and they are cheap. you can probably buy a good body cheaper than you can fix the one you have.

[Ron Pilger]

Drive it like you stole it. Show it. Be visible with it. You will cross paths with someone who will fall in love with it, in spite of the car's warts and imperfections. And, you will be able to part with it in good faith, without any exaggeration, apology and without any misrepresentation. It's tough enough to come out close to breakeven when restoring a 3 Window or a Cabriolet. Don't put money into a Tudor or Sedan hoping to get ahead financially.

[qmdv]

And all this time I thought you were supposed to burn the receipts. Maybe just sell it.

[TomT/Williamsburg]

I would drive it around with a for sale sign on it as much as you can. Like it has been said, some one will want it with only a smaller loss of around the $10k you probably have in it vs dumping a lot of time and money into it. Once it's gone you lick your wounds and move on. I know many of us here have had the same experience - sometimes you get the bear but sometimes the bear gets you ....

[TJ]

Originally Posted by TomT/Williamsburg

I would drive it around with a for sale sign on it as much as you can. Like it has been said, some one will want it with only a smaller loss of around the $10k you probably have in it vs dumping a lot of time and money into it. Once it's gone you lick your wounds and move on. I know many of us here have had the same experience - sometimes you get the bear but sometimes the bear gets you ....

Excellent advice. Lose a little money and save LOTS of time. Don't buy anything sight unseen and based on somebody's word. Take the sale money ,add some to it, and go shopping for the best you can find. As TomT says we have all been there a time or two. Lots of nice fordors out there for not a lot of money.