Got a text from my Dads UPS driver yesterday... He noticed all the car parts arriving and my Dad told him we are working on a 70 Supreme and a 68 Camaro. He has a 72 Supreme he wants to sell and Dad gave him my number thinking I might be able to help him. I have NOT seen the car yet, but from what he told me this is what I know so far...


1972 Supreme numbers matching 350, console shift auto. Blue (not original) with white vinyl top. Some rust around the rear window, but no other rust. He is looking to see what kind of price he should ask. Said he saw some online for $17k...


My response was I didn't think that car would be as desirable as some others and I didn't think he could get anywhere near that unless the car was restored, or near mint.


Now the kicker... it had 3 feet of water in it during the August 2016 South Louisiana floods. He is going to flush the fluids and change the starter this weekend to try to get it running. I told him he needed to pull the carpet ASAP to see what kind of rust is settling in under there as well.


I am going to try to get by there in the next few weeks to look at it, but my schedule is pretty packed right now. In the meantime, he is asking what I think it is worth. I don't think it is fair to give him a round figure based on word of mouth, but I did tell him many would be leary of the car since it had flooded, and has been sitting so long with nothing done to it.


Is there anything else I should recommend him to do? I don't really need opinions of the value (unless you just feel you need to give them) but I would like to point him in the right direction.


I will try to get a few pictures to post.

 

Pictures would definitely help. If a car has been flooded then chances are it's only good for parts. If he claimed insurance on it then it may have a salvage title which would reduce the value even more.

 

 

It sure needs the seats carpets pulled and investigated further.
Back in high school we resurrected a 78 Chev PU from a flood.
It can be done I would think, but not without a lot of work. 3K, my .02.
I hope someone can restore this and keep it on the road. Good luck on it.

 

x2

$3000 seems like a fair guesstimate. If he could get it running that would definitely be a plus.

 

Without seeing what lurks beneath the surface no telling what damage could have been done. You did not mention if it were in a fresh or brackish water flood. Sitting for almost a year only perpetuated potential problems.

 

3 feet of water( that's up to the door handles) = parts car. Unless it was distilled water there will be electrical problems and grit in every part of the engine. If it runs or not without a total rebuild of everything problems will plague the car forever.... Just my experience.... Tedd

 

This is one of those spots when you wish him luck with the sale, then later, once the market has brought him down to earth, you buy it, if you want it.

 

Having been under that much water, it is a parts car and lots of the parts are junk now. What a shame since it looked like a pretty nice car.

 

I personally would not be afraid to purchase/rebuild a flood vehicle... In fact I have done several flood rebuilds in the past with excellent results... It is key as related to type of flood and duration of drying time... As previously stated by others a little more info is necessary, but based on the type of vehicle there is potential for a restoration effort... $2/3K might be a good estimate...

 

I agree, being underwater doesn't automatically make it a parts car. Heck, lots of folks go Jeepin and get into water up to the door handles. As said, gotta see what lurks beneath the carpet. And in the trunk.

 

There is a lot difference between splashing through water even though it's deep than letting a car soak for a extended period.

A friend bought a mid 60's Impala cheap that had made it into the Sacramento river up to the side windows. Nice car but we couldn't keep it running between the electrical and silt in every crack and cranny. Engine started smoking shortly after we got it running even though it was flushed twice. Always smelled like a swamp when the windows were up. It was finally parted..... Tedd

 

Body looks good but I'm thinking he misplaced the comma. not 17,000 but 1,700. I 'd buy it for that much if the body is really that nice cause it will be a can of worms.

 

I agree, all I'm saying is it isn't necessarily junk. We've had folks in the Jeep club turn their vehicles into submarines and not get them off the bottom for days and they recovered well.

 

This car was under 3 feet of water in the Louisiana flood waters and sat for 3 years with nothing done to it. The elements in the water must have reeked havoc on the motor trans and rear. Never mind the breaks. I agree with Steven, you would be doing him a favor giving him $1,700 for it.

 

I'm guessing the doors were closed so the catfish and snapping turtles couldn't get in. That would have been much worse than just some swamp water.


Huh? My calendar says it's been 8 months.

 

Thanks for the replies... should get an update this afternoon!

 

you can see the water level on the inside of the pole barn. Look at the dark outline along there. Its higher than the roof line of the car. Either way moisture has been in that car for at least 18 months. I agree not a throwaway but a big concern.

 

Am I the only one with a calendar showing August 2016 to April 2017 is 8 months?

 

My bad, I read it as 2015 but does it really matter whether it was one day, 1 month or 8 months. The damage is done. For the right price it would be a no brainer, the car looks like it is in great condition but I have heard of too many cars that continue to rot from the inside out when saved after a flood. I for one would either keep it as is and hope for the best otherwise you would have to take the car completely apart, install all new harnesses and rebuild the car. Would a 1972 Cutlass Supreme be worth that - no way unless one does not care about the investment, then by all means go a ahead. Just my .02

 

Got a text and said the car is running great, and there is no issues under the carpet. I still haven't seen it yet...

 

Was it fresh or brackish water?

 

If it was the flooding in the east Baton Rouge area it should be freshwater. Well, probably not really fresh but definitely not salty that far inland. That happens only with tidal surges from tropical storms and hurricanes.

 

Yes, it was fresh water that backed up from the rivers and creeks in the area from 5 days of non-stop rain.


He said he was talking to a neighbor down the street who told him he was interested in it after seeing it run, so he said he would sell it for 30k... the neighbor came back with he thought it was only worth MAYBE 20k! I told him if he could get that he should grab it while he could!


I have decided I am not even going to look at the car at this point...


But if anyone is interested, I can pass along his contact info!