1320dragmonza

Found a car probably worth saving although not complete.


Price seems high for what it is as he is asking over 10k for it.


Data is:


344870M VIN
non original 455 and not including heads, carb or dist
Has a OW trans with dual gate
TM rear end, 3.42 posi
fender/cowl braces
red liners
OAI hood in need of typical crack repair
no OAI air cleaner
Trunk lid is not for this body style


No documentation at all


Needs complete resto, including fenders-they have been replaced with 71/72 at some time, quarters need patch minimum as there is filler...a bunch of filler.


Interior is out of it but looks complete other than the Stratos.


Color has been changed, but original colors are Bamboo with black interior. I LIKE this color combo.


Without the engine and high dollar pieces on the engine as well as documentation has this become a expensive 442?
The rear and trans I believe is not enough to establish as a True W30 or is it?


Please let me know what you think a value should be?


Thanks,


Bill

droptopron

W/O pics that sounds expensive for what it is.
When you say "non original 455 and not including heads, carb or dist" are you saying that it only has a short block in it or a complete engine but those pieces aren't correct for a W30 ?

joe_padavano

If the VIN derivative on the OW trans matches the car's VIN (and the OW tag appears to have been born with the car and is not a shiny new replacement) then that's probably pretty good proof that the car is a real W-30.

Of course, you'll spend another 10K just collecting the correct parts.

1320dragmonza

It's a running 455, with C heads, holley carb and HEI dist. Looks to be transplant without even a minor rebuild.


As it is it could be a rough driver after throwing the interior back in and doing some servicing/clean up...ROUGH DRIVER. Although I'm to a fault as my wife will state not built that way. I like my stuff nice!


Bill

1320dragmonza

Joe, good point on the trans VIN to establish authenticity. Although I would then know what it is, but after a resto and all parts including the trans has that new look will that again bring into question of a fraud.


Yep, parts will be up there for those needed as well.


So the owner called me back after I requested a picture of trans tag. This does not look like the trans of a W30. It has a 483 and a BU-68-177837 on the tag. Am I correct that it is a 1968 trans for a VIN of 177837? That number sequence does not match the Dash VIN.


So without establishing it as a W30 car, I still think it is worth time to restore just not at his price. Any idea of a value?


Bill

halfmoontrail

Those tag ID numbers suggest that the trans is out of a 68 Buick. The last sequence of digits on that tag are not the VIN derivative, but will typically appear on the Protect-o-Plate.

The VIN derivatives on the Turbo trans will appear on the driver's side on a little stamp pad just above the pan.

Steve

1320dragmonza

Steve, thank you for the clarification on the trans.
My conclusion is this car is a real W30, but with nothing but non VIN bolt on parts for proof I believe it has to be priced as a stand alone 442. Maybe a slight kicker, but not by much.

What is a 70 442 worth in this condition?

Bill

Allan R

Is it the third row down as in this tag (also a 34487 Lansing car) showing 08-14741? Sorry, the IMG gets a little blurred when enlarged.

1320dragmonza

Alan,
Unfortunately the Protecto plate is one of the missing pieces of documentation on this car.

wmachine

A '70 POP is useless for W30 authentication. '68 was the last year the POP had the engine, trans, and rear end info on it.

Allan R

My apologies, the protecto plate pic from 68 I posted was in regards to the comment halfmoontrail posted about the 68 trans. I'd still be curious to know if that reference to the third line represents the trans though.

dc2x4drvr

My thoughts are, value the hood and red fender wells at maybe 3k, and add 3500 for a fairly rough car..just my .02

sammy

Allan,the tran imfo is on the third line on my 68 442 POP.....

vette442

With the money suckhole that it would probably be based on your description at $10k, I'd be looking at the bamboo '70 442 with OAI that Vader posted for sale here today. Other knowledgeable CO members have inspected it.

Been down that road a couple times in the past....

Terry

R-body_mopar

Bill, it sounds like you want a correct car, not a driver (which is fine)....but it may cost you twice as much to make it correct, as it would to buy a car that is already correct and nice.......JMO! Finding correct date coded parts is not easy, nor cheap!

1320dragmonza

Not necessarily correct, but rather finished nice. Fit, finish and functionality are important as I HATE the words good enough. I like right, which is probably one of the reasons early in my career I didn't last as a GM service tech. Flat rate is hard to make when you like to put if back together like it has never been disturbed. That is one more example of my disease.


I can see this car going one of two ways with neither at his asking price of 11k.
1st, rebuild what is there including the engine and running it with only fun in mind. By the way for me to do that I would still have to make it look oem underhood. Yep, wrong numbers (not just dates) on carb, heads, qjet and all. Personal preference I just like them in stock format. I have nothing against those that do it the other ...its just me. I also have a 72 conv that is going back as stock, but also gulp..... street/strip 72 S car that isn't so stock.
2nd, would be collect the parts to put it back to original glory, hold on to it for a long time for personal pleasure. I don't believe it will ever be worth the money invested to do so.


To me it is a car that should be preserved. At the asking price it wont be myself however.


Thanks to all who responded,


Bill

wmachine

Yes, Allan, the second line is the engine unit number and the third line is the trans unit number. In both cases, the first 2 digits are letters and are the broadcast codes identifying the exact engine and exact transmission.
Pretty good documentation!