How much is a 79 Cutlass Calais worth, with minimal body work done...no mud, some lead. Complete restore a few years ago.

I want to know what it is worth with a 455 in it and what it would be worth with a 350 in it.

I want to buy the car and take the 455 out of it and put that in my 68 442, then put a olds 350 into the 79.

What is it worth with each engine in it, assuming both engines are rebuilt and ready to go.

Any info would be great!

 

anyone?

 

I am guessing around $3K I have been looking at them and there are not many nice ones out there, that I have seen anyway.

I am entertaining the thought of a 74-77 Salon or a 78-79 Calais, so I see some of what's out there.

But just my opinion. Of course without pics and more details it's hard to say, but that's what I have seen.

 

A '79 Cutlass Calais in #3 condition, which is considered restored but not showroom condition, has a value of $3,060 according to the Old Cars Price Guide. This is assuming it has its original engine. Yours has a 455 in it, which isn't the original engine, so the value could be difficult to predict.

When you start swapping engines around, you're now talking about a modified vehicle, and it's difficult to predict values for modified vehicles because it all depends on the likes and dislikes of potential buyers. One person may be attracted to your car because you've changed the engine, another might be turned off by it. If the swap is done well, I personally wouldn't expect a significant difference in value between what it is with the stock engine and what it is with the engine you replace it with.

There's the old axiom that a car is worth only what someone will pay you for it. I think that for original automobiles, one can use price guides as a basis for establishing approximate value. But I think this axiom is very true for modified cars. In one person's eye you could be destroying the car's value by changing the engine, and in another person's you could be enhancing it. You won't know until you try to sell it.

 

interesting, thanks for the input.