View Full Version : This car worth my time...???
AssGasket
11-03-2003, 05:53 AM
'53 Plymouth Cranbrook more-door...
I can get it for a few hundred... the roof is dented, but the body is STRAIGHT... not much rust, either...
Floors could be shot, but i'm not sure... There was too much old moldy cat shit inside to wanna check just yet... But yeah, the interior is pretty much "thrashed"....
everything's there (stocker), and i like the look of the car... I know it's a 4-door, but i think it would be something good for a kid to tear into for a first real project...
Here's what's kinda holding me back... The windshield has more bullet holes than Archduke Ferdinand, and the drivers door has no glass at all... Buying glass might inflate the price to where i coulda bought something BETTER, ya know...???
i dunno... what do you guys think...??? Sound like it's worth it...???
lulabelle
11-03-2003, 05:59 AM
Is the glass flat?If so,It's no big deal to have new glass cut for it.Go for it man!If you don't have too much invested in it,it'll be a good learning experience!
AssGasket
11-03-2003, 06:11 AM
it's a wrap-around windshield... probably kinda pricey......
Rocky
11-03-2003, 07:23 AM
My buddy, Tom's take on life:
"Sometimes ya pull lever A. Sometimes ya pull lever B." I think this time ya pull "lever b". I think I'd leave 'er be.
Not a good candidate for a hot rod even in good condition.
roadstar
11-03-2003, 07:23 AM
Pass.....
Curly
11-03-2003, 07:24 AM
We found glass in the OHIO junk yard pics for all sorts of cars literally falling out of the rusted out windshield frames! Picking the stainless trim off was almost as easy as picking off of a table at a swapmeet! The rubber was wasted and some of the windshields were sitting where they had slowly dropped. We even remarked that it was wierd to see all the glass just sitting in the cars. How far is Hangover from Ohio? Can't be to far...I used to end up there in the mornings after a good party!
A car like that should be free or close to it. Save your money and when you're serious I'll help you find something good.
Clark
manyolcars
11-03-2003, 09:12 AM
[ QUOTE ]
My buddy, Tom's take on life:
"Sometimes ya pull lever A. Sometimes ya pull lever B." I think this time ya pull "lever b". I think I'd leave 'er be.
Not a good candidate for a hot rod even in good condition.
[/ QUOTE ] Did Rocky, the Rambler man really say this? http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Rocky
11-03-2003, 09:20 AM
Yeah Manyoldcars......I just don't say it often enough.
36 chevy pickup
53 stoodie coupe
85 chevy V/8 astrovan
53 Nash 4 door [WTF?]
37 Willys pickup
85 Porsche 944
I think you and I don't even have a "lever B."
Jesus! You'd think we'd stop buying cars and projects after owning 2 or 3 at once....
porknbeaner
11-03-2003, 09:27 AM
[ QUOTE ]
'53 Plymouth Cranbrook more-door...
I can get it for a few hundred... the roof is dented, but the body is STRAIGHT... not much rust, either...
i like the look of the car... I know it's a 4-door, but i think it would be something good for a kid to tear into for a first real project...
i dunno... what do you guys think...??? Sound like it's worth it...???
[/ QUOTE ]
You like the look of the car, but the car isn't for you, right?
you're vasilating or you wouldn't want our opinion.
Here's mine (for what its worth).
If I wasn't sure about it I would do as has already been said "Pull lever B..."
Shop 'til you find what ya want. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Kojack
11-03-2003, 12:43 PM
Yeah, I'd say snag it if it was cheap... but a few hundred even sounds kinda high for that full on project. Even four doors look pretty damn cool they year fixed up... but it sounds like a lot of work. Would be a nice starter project for a younger guy... my first car was a '53 Ply..
fordiac
11-03-2003, 12:57 PM
hey sterile paper toilet cover,,,
im a young guy too...
here is my take...
if it really is as much work as you say, its gonna require alot of time and money to finish.
the initial cash outlay might be only a few hundred dollars, but if you add up all of hours you will have to put into the car, you might not be driving it for years...
I say wait for a better condition car, even if you have to save a little more dough, because you will be able to spend more time cruisin than working.
youll have alot better quality of car if you start with a better quality car...
maybe search the classifieds for a partly finished car, usually they are pretty good deals, with minimum amount of extra cash and time needed. most guys gather all the parts the car needs, then sell off for whatever reason.
but what do i know, none of my major projects have even driven under their own power yet.
Joe
MercMan1951
11-03-2003, 07:10 PM
Here's my 2 cents...whatever amount of time & money you THINK it will take, TRIPLE it. Is it worth it now? Or would you rather have that nice rust free 2 door sedan in your driveway? I didn't think so....go for as little rot as you can find, regardless of price. My Merc has way more rot that I thought. I am now contemplating just what it is that I started with, and yet I have all the tools and some of the experience to repair it. Sometimes a little more cash is worth thousands of hours (and more dollars worth of tools.) I'd pass. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
MercMan1951
11-03-2003, 07:27 PM
Here's another thought...A few hundred bucks for a complete car seems like a deal. Okay, now go rip that sumbitch apart. Notice the hidden rust, the patch panels you need that don't exist. The interior chrome that is pitted to hell and will cost a fortune to replace, the nice crumbling foam or jute in the upholstery that requires a full seat rebuild on the front and rear seats - once you clean out the rat shit; the non-functioning, cloth wrapped "a fire waiting to happen" electricals (that should all be replaced anyway), the right window that doesn't work, the rear driver's side window that was welded in the 'up" position to keep it from sagging, the rot in the trunk you didn't notice before, that piece of trim that's missing that later turns up on E-Gay for $400 because it's "rare"...oh, and ,gee, the left front framerail is an inch higher than the left...because the car was in a wreck back in 1961, and they didn't repair it right, so now you have to have the frame bent back into shape...the chicken wire and golf balls stuffed into the rockers back in 1972 when the car was a "gem" on a used car lot with a "fresh paint job in white...(I am speaking with my pessimistic side here)...suddenly, a few hundred bucks for your "car" turns out to be about what it was worth for scrap. Inspect it closely, buy it, part it out, and be done with it. Some things aren't meant to be "saved". And you can't save them all! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
[ QUOTE ]
'53 Plymouth Cranbrook more-door...
I can get it for a few hundred... the roof is dented, but the body is STRAIGHT... not much rust, either...
Floors could be shot, but i'm not sure... There was too much old moldy cat shit inside to wanna check just yet... But yeah, the interior is pretty much "thrashed"....
everything's there (stocker), and i like the look of the car... I know it's a 4-door, but i think it would be something good for a kid to tear into for a first real project...
Here's what's kinda holding me back... The windshield has more bullet holes than Archduke Ferdinand, and the drivers door has no glass at all... Buying glass might inflate the price to where i coulda bought something BETTER, ya know...???
i dunno... what do you guys think...??? Sound like it's worth it...???
[/ QUOTE ]
Sounds great project. But seriously talking isn't there any windshield glassfactorys? just wondering, because in here tiny country is three factorys which make anykind of windshield prices are between 120$-600$ depends size and shape
Tinbender
11-03-2003, 08:03 PM
It would have to be the last car on the planet before I'd even think about it. But hey, I drive a Studebaker http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif You gotta do what makes you happy.
A few years back (less than ten) a friend of mine found a running '54 Cranbrook 2dr while out lawn sale shopping. He bought it for "way too much money"...$250
He drove it a while. even waxed the original paint and vacuumed out the original untorn interior.
Then he turned it. he made about a grand on the sale, but the car needed NOTHING to be a reliable driver.
$1200 sold.
2 dr sedan
That much money can go real fast hunting for old non-Ford or non-Chevy parts....
I know where I could get a '54 Plymouth business coupe for $900 if I wanted it.
I'd say, unless you can get it for "I'll get that derelict 4 door off your property and not even charge you" I'd say pass.
MercMan1951
11-03-2003, 08:08 PM
DeS,
That is a thought...But I'm sure Assgasket could find a Plexi supplier here in the US that would form it...or better yet...a junkyard scrounge..., but try to ship a custom curved winshield from Finland! It would probably cost three or four times as much as what he paid for his whole car! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
Luckypabst
11-03-2003, 08:23 PM
Here's a good Mopar tip...
It'll cost just as much to do up a Mopar as it will to do a Ford or Chevy. Parts are more difficult to come by. Knowledgable people are harder to come by.
When it comes time to sell, you'll get 70% if you're lucky what you could have got had you built a Ford (or Chevy)
I'm still a Mopar guy but it's a hard pill to swallow. Of course if you're talking muscle cars, it's a different story especially come selling time.
Chris
Revhead
11-03-2003, 08:39 PM
I have some experience in this.. I had a '54 chevy 4dr laying around I paid $200 for. It was pretty beat-up no interior, bullet holes in windshield but pretty complete including grille. So I was bored and started playing with it. Before I knew it I had 2 parts cars (one donating a windshield instead of $400 for a new one). I sold tons of extra parts on Ebay to recoup the money I spent on the parts cars. I spent $600 for the 3 cars together. Now... I built an engine, bought a transmission, v8 motor mounts etc etc etc and still don't have tires or interior and I don't even want to think how much I have spent. Now I find a sdr 49 ford and I have the urge to drop the chevy project. My advice would be to wait it out if you can and get something you really like. It's hard to wait longer and not have a project(I couldn't hold back), but in the end either you better really like a 4dr plymouth or count on just throwing away money cause the resale value of any 4dr hot rod sucks ass
sedan_dad
11-03-2003, 08:40 PM
If your asking our opinion,your just trying to override your gut feeling.Go with your gut feeling.PASS
Never go into a project unless your losing sleep over it,can't wait to get it excited.
You'll need that kind of dedication when the project slows down.
[ QUOTE ]
DeS,
That is a thought...But I'm sure Assgasket could find a Plexi supplier here in the US that would form it...or better yet...a junkyard scrounge..., but try to ship a custom curved winshield from Finland! It would probably cost three or four times as much as what he paid for his whole car! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif
[/ QUOTE ]
Ya are right about that price and if the windshield costs same or more as a whole car is it wise? no, ya right. but that kind of car costs here in Finland something like 2000-5000$ and one more thing I understood that you can use plexi as windshield in here windshield must be glass. That company where my glasses are made they have quite well original glass models and thatkind of glass would cost about 150$ but shipping costs probabbly much more
choprods
11-03-2003, 10:32 PM
Hey DeS -I didnt sell you some [3]Desoto caps on Ebay did I?also is there any way to get an idea just how much shipping we'd be talking to the USA- say? My bro sent one to new zealand for a 59 Mercury and it was a new one......wasnt too crazy.....
chromedRAT
11-03-2003, 11:20 PM
tricky question to answer. i bought a four door 50 pontiac a couple of years back, very little rust other than floors, almost all trim perfect, 99% good glass, running I8, supposedly good hydramatic, and only 59,000 miles with a bitchin solid frame, on and on. i snagged it for 250. i am slow to do much to it, as it takes alot of time to learn, but something about the car really strikes me. it's a four door, but i like the overall style, and as it is a pontiac, and longer than a 4 door chevy, i think it's size alleviates some of the problems many 4 doors have. my opinion. i know the good doctor and others wouldn't cross the street to piss on it if it were on fire http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif, but that's ok, it's mine and i like it more as time goes by. plus, i tend to sell nothing, so i could give a rat's ass about resale. i doubt i ever sell it. i accumulate based on meaning and value to me personally, partially because i don't have the scratch to speculate on any investments if i felt like it!
however, i would hold out unless you have a huge hardon for it. i've seen 2 door mopars of that vintage done pretty well, like skipstitch's first car, for example. but i just don't know about a four door in that body style. if ya love it, go for it. otherwise pass till you find YOUR car. it sucks like hell to wait, but if you can keep saving dough, it will pay off. got 1000$ and feel like a roadtrip? a fella on here from british columbia, i think, has a nice looking 60 chevy 2 door post car with chrome reversed wheels for sale. search for the post about 59 or 60 chevy parts, it's there.
plan9
11-03-2003, 11:54 PM
i baught a strong running piece of shit 56 olds 4 door, i knew id be dumping more money into it than i wanted... but against all logic, i picked it up and iam happy with it
at this point, the money spent on brakes, misc suspension, rebuild kits and small items would make selling or parting out a complete waste of money...
if it isnt free, pass on it... the thing isnt even running http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
or buy it and part the thing out, but that takes time as well... then you have to deal with people coming over to your place to check the shit out, then listen to them try to scam a better deal.. how gay...
AssGasket
11-06-2003, 03:16 PM
My plans for the car were to shit-can the roof and weld the doors shut....
I wouldn't give a shit if ALL the side and rear glass was gone... I think that car has potential as a completely smooth convertible...
the only problem is that the windshield is gone, and i NEED that...
If he gives it up for free, i'll take it... Of course, i still need to look at the floors and the trunk and anywhere else that there could be rot... the outer panels are still 5x more solid than a new car...
See, my Rambler is in too nice shape for me to let loose with my evil plans... I need a car that i can commit VEHICULAR HOMICIDE on.... I need something that i can learn on, and not give a shit what the outcome of each lesson will be...
If i get the car that i truly want, then i'm gonna be too inexperienced to have enough confidence to tear into it... Especially if i've just parted with the wad of cash that i had been saving forever...
I know what i want: 30/31 A Coupe with a Hudson 308... But i also know that it's not time yet... i need to destroy some things along the way... hahaha....
Clark, I'll save some loot and we'll go hunting...
And i'll let you guys know how this current car situation turns out...
plan9
11-06-2003, 04:18 PM
arsgasket... thats all the justification you need.... same exact reason why i baught the olds, to learn. but i doubt id fuck anything up so bad that the car itself would be embarassing to drive http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
RileyRacing
11-06-2003, 04:21 PM
And I thought I was the only one with a boner for 7x engines?! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Someday... http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
Jay
briggs&strattonChev
11-06-2003, 06:38 PM
a dented roof and no windsheild or side glass wouldnt turn me off at all, especially with a straight body. As far as the interior, is it EVER good? In north dakota that sounds like a REALLY good car. Ive said this before, but we have jack shit for straight/non rusty cars. Interiors are carried away by mice, and whats left gets dissolved by the snow. If you like that body car, then why not buy it? And im sure your son would love a project to work on, I know I did.
That convertible idea sounds like a fun one, good luck.
Briggs
cool57
11-06-2003, 06:51 PM
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
'53 Plymouth Cranbrook more-door...
I can get it for a few hundred... the roof is dented, but the body is STRAIGHT... not much rust, either...
Floors could be shot, but i'm not sure... There was too much old moldy cat shit inside to wanna check just yet... But yeah, the interior is pretty much "thrashed"....
everything's there (stocker), and i like the look of the car... I know it's a 4-door, but i think it would be something good for a kid to tear into for a first real project...
Here's what's kinda holding me back... The windshield has more bullet holes than Archduke Ferdinand, and the drivers door has no glass at all... Buying glass might inflate the price to where i coulda bought something BETTER, ya know...???
i dunno... what do you guys think...??? Sound like it's worth it...???
[/ QUOTE ]
Sounds great project. But seriously talking isn't there any windshield glassfactorys? just wondering, because in here tiny country is three factorys which make anykind of windshield prices are between 120$-600$ depends size and shape
[/ QUOTE ]
Good question DeS...one I've voiced before, any glass people have answers?
cool57
11-06-2003, 07:02 PM
[ QUOTE ]
My plans for the car were to shit-can the roof and weld the doors shut....
I wouldn't give a shit if ALL the side and rear glass was gone... I think that car has potential as a completely smooth convertible...
[/ QUOTE ]
If you're going that route couldn't you find something more plentiful like a Chev or Ford windshield and make it and the A-pillars work with each other?
Greezy
11-06-2003, 07:42 PM
Why not just put your time and money into the project you really want to build. I went through the stage were I thought i wasnt ready to build my dream rod and wasted alot of time and money on o ther projects. Do yourself a big favor and get building that A, if thats what you really want. Just my .001 of advice.
Ever hear of the "Sniper"?
It is made out of one of those Plymouths.
a 53 convert.
Now who takes a convert and makes a hardtop out of it?
Anyway, I would give you advice as I once had a 53 and 54 fourdoor. Both were Cranbrooks.
But before you take my advice, come look at some of the stuff i bring home and some of the stuff I keep.
Wrap around glass, I am not sure about that..
By the way, the Olds is not mine, It is just like one that I did bring home.
the wifey was so mad at me, she would not drive the car,
She did ride in it once before I sold it.
Jim
This is not a 4 door, but it is a good example of what the car could look like,
I found this pic on Carnut.com.
Thanks, George,
Jim
chromedRAT
11-08-2003, 12:38 AM
so 53's are ALOT different than 49-50's. coooooool. the 49 or so mopar 4 doors look kinda weird. that thing isn't bad at all. sort of the same thing as with my pontiac, initially. figures a) there is alot less to do and b)it wouldn't be like i was fucking up my impala. now the pontiac is el numero uno. funny how things change.
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