I'm going this weekend to look at a 1 owner 51 Merc coupe. Last tagged in 1963. Good news... Never parted out, 100% bone stock. Bad news...it's been outside all of those 55 years. The floor pan is not quite in the dirt yet. All of the windows are intact and from what I've been told there is still upholstery on all the seats. Question is, what do I look for that commonly rust out on this car? Second, what should I expect to pay and/or what is the value of the car as-is? I do not have pictures yet but I should by Saturday afternoon.
Figure the A pillars, rockers, and above the rear wheel well's are toast. Not to mention= the front valance, grille surround, possibly the filler above the rear bumper, etc....... I wish you well! Free puppies grow to be monsters, and so will this sitting outside for all that time........ Not to say you cant do it, and it has been done= here on the HAMB, but, I hope you have mighty skills, patience, and a fat wallet...... From this, to this...... But- time , cash, blood.......... Results may vary. Wish you luck.
Mine was a rusted out trash can with the roof cut off, but stored inside. It was $800 twenty five years ago. You’d be doing great around 3 to 4 grand if it’s complete.
I can’t image this to be much more than a rust bucket. If it’s not all rusted out $3 or 4 grand might not be out of line, however that sounds a little high to me. That’s my 2 cents worth. Good Luck & keep us posted plus pictures if you buy it. Sent from my iPhone using H.A.M.B.
Inner and outer rocker panel rust is real common, as well as floor and trunk pans. Mine had bad rustout on the body mounts under the firewall. The grille surround often rusts out too, where the lip curls under, they trap dirt and moisture, as does the front bumper pan, dirt collects on top and rusts them out from the top down. Assuming it's complete and has a title, even a rusty rotten one is probably worth around $4K, but that price could jump up or down depending on condition. I've seen rough field cars sell for $1500, but they generally are missing a lot of trim/glass/engine/seats and the like. A very complete, untouched one is a big plus because missing parts are expensive, the completeness adds a lot of value. A mostly intact floorpan and good solid frame would definitely bring the value up. I sold this one about 10 years ago, parked outside for a long time but pretty complete, titled, engine in it but frozen, old plastic seat covers deteriorated to bits but still there, rockers shot and a fair amount of rust to fix but still very fixable. I think I took $3600 for it and it was a quick sale to cover a tax bill. Luckily I was able to replace it a couple years ago with a bit better one.
Gotta add this= figure EVERYTHING needs replacing........That's externally. If your lucky, the engine will run, but forget using the factory fuel pump/tank....... So much= brakes/lines, weather stripping/glass/chrome/stainless/interior/cooling syst.......and on and on......... If you grab it, be prepared for an adventure. Been there, Done that.
They can be rebuilt. This one sat on wet earth for a very long time. I had to make new, everything, from the seat mounts down. Money, time, more money, talent, big tools, strong hands and most of your money.
If you have skills, equipment, time comparable to DOTMATRIKS post #7 go for it. IMO spend a little more time/money trying to find a better car to start with. My opinion and 2/3 $ gets you coffee where I eat breakfast.
If you need anything let me know. Ill even build you new lower A-pillars. That goes for everybody too.
So, it IS in the dirt. Everything else I had been told was pretty accurate. They're not sure if they want to sell it yet. I'm hoping to hear back from them in a week or so. Sent from my SM-G900V using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
Sad but true. At least I didn't get the, "We're going to fix it one day". It seems like more of a sentimental value issue.
I sold mine sitting on a 75 Monte Carlo with no interior, no engine 20 something years ago for 4 K. The never for sale car that sold when the buyer offered cash greenies when I really was in a bind. Still the "I have XXXX cash green money today and I'll haul it off today TALKS. The trying to make a deal and then trying to come up with the coin fails. I wouldn't have even gone and looked at it if I didn't have the funds available, available meaning the closest branch of the bank I deal with. The If you ride to the bank with me I'll hand you the cash thing if you don't know the people you are dealing with.
49-51 Merc parts are super expensive and getting harder to find so restoration costs can hit BIG numbers pretty quick. You can be sure the bottom 1/4 of that car needs serious repair. Rear quarters are not reproduced and floor, inner and outer rockers, bottom of doors, A-pillars, etc. will cost you a few thousand right off the bat. If possible, resist the temptation to buy that one and save up money to buy one in better condition. It will be cheaper in the long run.
I don't think you'll find any metal on the bottom of that car. Seen many like that in the old yards I used to visit. What you think is a floor disappears as soon as you step on it.
The unusual completeness of that car (and the fact that it's a coupe) mean that it's worth restoring/rebuilding, even if you had to go find a stripped out 4 door hull and just transfer all of the good stuff over. There's still a ton of value left in it, although it's a damn shame that the owners would leave it sit there to sink into the dirt and rust away like that. I understand sentimentality, but how sentimental can you be about a car and neglect it until it's bumpers-deep sunk into the dirt. What a shame. Looks like it may possibly have been a Monterey as well. It could be fixed, or parts value would be huge, since almost nothing is reproduced and small pieces are getting really hard to find. It's a shame now, it'll be even more of a shame if it stays there.
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