gui4life

Hello. I found this on craigslist - he is asking 12k.

I've been desperately looking for a late 60's muscle car near me.

He says it is in "great condition".

When talking to him on the phone it didnt sound like he knew alot about the car.... Even if the engine was number matching to the car (its a 455).

Looking by the exhaust and rear bumper - its a clone. The exhaust looks messed up with one pipe longer than the other. And its not even placed in the right place it looks like?

He said that "he rebuilt the engine and only has 100 miles on it." But since he wasn't even able to tell me if the engine number matching i'm not sure if i should believe him.

Here are some pictures.... Is this a good deal? What should I ask for it? Or should I stay away? Note: he says the trunk is open in the pictures.

He says the frame is solid but there is a quarter sized rust spot on the rear right wheel.

I am new to the world of muscle cars and even working on them... I was hoping you guys could help me out.

GAOldsman

With the battery relocated to the trunk I believe and a cut off switch drilled through the rear bumper, one would think that this car has been raced quite often and probably not the original engine. That said I wonder what else may be modified for racing and or not original and in my opinion isn't worth 12k.

gui4life

I'm not totally sure the reason of having a cutoff switch on the bumper. Aren't those usually placed in a hidden spot?

I am not a huge stickler on having everything "correct" - and I don't plan on taking the car to shows or anything. I want a nice daily driver that is fast. But it needs to look close...

Octania

There's a WHOLE LOT of hokey there. Is it worth 12 large? Depends on 1) your wallet and needs, and 2) its true origins and condition. If the VIN is not "344..." then it's not a real 442 and never will be. The car could be solid, or it may need a frame and entire floor pan & etc. Ask me how I found that out. CONDITION VARIES with the observer.

I see
spring ring hose clamps suitable for fuel SUCTION line used on the PRESSURE side, which IS NOT supposed to have any rubber line.

a big block

manual brakes??

OAI hood but no proper air cleaner to get the OA to the engine.

LH mirror conveeeeniently not shown much- KMart special?

New paint.... can hide a MULTITUDE of sins

Tail light lenses mishmashed
door release handles crooked - poor workmanship at best, broken maybe

bypass hose fubar! Weird angle to WP. 2nd bypass due to heater core missing and FIREWALL ALTERED so it cannot even have a heater.

Line lock too, & Battery SWITCH in rear bumper = former race car. Cracked frame from years of abuse? OTOH- years of NOT being on the salty roads!

lame brackets - Alt brkts for w/AC but no AC compressor.

cowl screen bad, incorrect fasteners, no cowl seal

manual brakes?

Only an in-person inspection can reveal the details.
Start with the actual VIN and body tag info.

GAOldsman

Cut off switch isn't supposed to be hidden. Most race cars utilized electric fuel pumps to supply ample fuel to high horsepower mils and if something went awry and the possibility of fire is always there when you have spark, fuel and oxygen the cutoff is there for the first responders if in fact something went awry. Also most racers didn't use an alternator so that was always the first thing to do when you got back in the pits, cut off the cutoff and plug in the charger.

As Chris stated above there are more reasons to run from this one especially if you are looking for a daily driver.

1969w3155

Run away.

RetroRanger

everything mentioned above....but if it looks like something your looking for only an in person inspection can fill in the blanks

just for minute lets say it has a solid frame and floors and maybe its only been run down the strip once or twice and it is a 344 VIN, point out the negative to the seller and negeotiate you may find that the seller priced it high to leave room to lower it or she needs to sell it for financial reasons and cash is a great negotiater !!!

My advice is note the things mentioned above, inspect the car and then either walk, run, make an offer or report back here w more questions

gearheads78

Looks like a great start to a nice hot rod to me. Battery cut off switch required at NHRA tracks if a car is fast enough. He is a little high but not crazy priced either. I think you are dealing with a $7000-8000 car with a ton of potential as a saturday night cruiser

oldcutlass

Yes, it's setup somewhat as a race car. Look under the dash and see if it's got the A/C vents and heater box. The exhaust looks like a broken hanger. What does the dash look like, do all the gauges operate? How does it run and drive? Steering feel tight, does it drive straight, any vibrations? Does the trans shift ok, is the fluid pink. Are all the body bushings good? Got any pic's of the underside?

I would not be afraid of this car if it were a bit cheaper and all the above checks out. Like you said your looking for a toy not a #'s matching show car. The major deciding factors are whats it worth to you, and do you have the skills neccessary to put it into a condition your happy with. These type of cars have no real value above what someone is willing to pay for it.

gui4life

Thanks everyone for the input. Unfortunately, like I said - I am new to cars and quite frankly even if I saw the car in person, I wouldn't have even picked out half the stuff you guys mentioned. I am in IT, I am good with computers.

I wish I had a friend that was into classic cars so I could take him to inspect these things and point out the problems (and show me how to fix them.) I really want a decent daily driver/street demon. AC/Heat is optional for me - however it would be nice. I just want a reasonably reliable and in good shape car that I won't have to dump 7 grand into to fix all the rust and a half broken engine.

I haven't even driven a muscle car yet, so if I went for a test drive I wouldn't know what I should expect - I have nothing to compare it to.

Any suggestions on how to start learning on how these classic cars work and how to repair them in the event my car has trouble?

GAOldsman

Post your location that way if one of us Oldsmobile guys are near we would take a peek at it to verify what we have listed above. I think Richard (gearheads78) was being fair with his guesstimate although I would highly recommend someone with a magnet take a look at this car as there may be hidden rust covered and smothered with bondo throughout

gui4life

I am from Wisconsin. The car itself is only a couple hour drive from me.

Nilsson

Any suggestions on how to start learning on how these classic cars work and how to repair them in the event my car has trouble?


Don't worry you will have many opportunities to fix stuff. Be prepaired to spend lots of money and time fixing things, or in your case learning to fix things. If you have no mechanical aptitude stay away.

JMHO.

RetroRanger

A great place to learn is a good forum dedicated to the brand you like (hint classic olds). If you look thru the major builds and other sections you will find frame offs and body repair and engine et all pictures are great and many members make a great effort to post many details

If you look for particularly long threads they generally contain more details....

gui4life

I am more than willing to fix stuff and get dirty. It's the "teaching myself" that is the scary part.

GAOldsman

I suggest "teaching" yourself on a less abused girl and find a "virgin" so to say I appreciate your enthusiasm but this one without being able to personally look at it myself would be to heed our warning and run, run fast even at Richard's guesstimate.

oldcutlass

I am going to make a suggestion here. If I were you, I would enroll in an auto mechanics class to see if thats something you will enjoy. I would not buy anything untill you've figured out if this is a hobby that you would like. Getting dirty, skinning arms, and busting knuckles is not for everyone. There is a maintenance cost to operating an old car, cause they do break. SO be prepared before you jump in there with both feet.

A buddy would be nice for you.

gui4life

The thought has crossed my mind about taking some mechanic classes at my local tech college. Seems fun. However, I am trying to finish up my Bachelors while working full time as it is. (And running after two kids at the same time.)

Other than craigslist and autotrader... any other good places to find classic cars?

bentlyf1

i'm from Wi the south west corner i'm willing to go and look at it with you and
give you my thoughts on the car after a close up insepection.

GAOldsman

I commend you for furthering your education. And I understand about looking after children as I have four daughters myself.

Local want ads, classified ads, www.racingjunk.com , www.collectorcarnation.com and be sure to look at http://www.autotraderclassics.com but to be honest the best bet would be to grab a car up from the South or South West due to rust issues in your neck of the woods from salt and neglect in the winters.

Octania

Right.
That said, I see a nice frame on that car- upper A-arms for example.

BUT

It cannot really be examined from here.
Frames and floors can and do rust out. Beyond repair.
A friend got into a "nice" '69 convert for $10k a while back.
Inspection at home revealed 100's of problems including badly rotted frame, and no floor supports left.

We saved it, frame off restored it, turned it into a 425 powered 4-spd Cutlass S with a motor that appeared to be a correct 350.

Now, if you look at the orange beast, and find not much bondo, a solid frame everywhere, and the guy has receipts/ photos of a proper engine rebuild..., AND a 344... VIN, then you have cause to not run away fast...

Find an Olds brother close enough to help you out.

gui4life

Thanks for everyones input. I think I might hold out and see what else pops up this spring/summer.

starfire

That's the correct attitude. Never be desperately looking for a classic car. There are a lot of them available. Take your time and get exactly what you want. As soon as you settle for something that is less than you want or more than you wanted to pay, you'll run across the right one and kick yourself. There are many fish in this particular sea.