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Car buying question

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by tjroadster, Feb 27, 2007.

  1. tjroadster
    Joined: Aug 9, 2006
    Posts: 42

    tjroadster
    Member

    I am a noob and I had some questions. I know the car I want to build and I have found two. One guy has two cars. They are both 31 A's. One is a sport coupe, the other is a five window. The shape of the sport coupe is pretty much good to go. All I would have to do would be a skim coat and paint.

    The five window is rough. It would need some body work. It has some rust but is solid overall. It also has some cracks in some of the seams(if that makes sense). The roof is shot but I want a roadster anyway. I know it is tough without pictures but work with me.

    So here's my question. The sport coupe is about 3k more than the five window. Which would be a better buy? Remember, I am a noob. Willing to learn as I go. Thanks for the input.
     
  2. publicenemy1925
    Joined: Feb 4, 2007
    Posts: 3,187

    publicenemy1925
    Member
    from OKC, OK

    Really need some pics guy to give a good answer.
     
  3. tjroadster
    Joined: Aug 9, 2006
    Posts: 42

    tjroadster
    Member

    I know... I brought my camera and the battery was dead. One basically has all the body work done and is ready to go along with the price. The other still wears it's original paint, has rust and will need work. Once again, I know this doesn't help. But I just need some basic ideas to start with.
     
  4. metalman
    Joined: Dec 30, 2006
    Posts: 3,297

    metalman
    Member

    What is the QUALITYof the bodywork on the Sport coupe? At least with the virgin you know what shape it's in and what it'll take. I've seen a lot of guys get burned by a quick bondo job and some primer over junk. One of my customers bought a 32 Ford in primer, paid quite a bit for it. Within 6 months the bondo started cracking, I stripped it and the metal was so bad we thru the body away! Just food for thought.
     

  5. tjroadster
    Joined: Aug 9, 2006
    Posts: 42

    tjroadster
    Member

    I searched it over. Did my tapping, checked inside the door skins, deck lid all that from what I know. From what I can see there is little to know bondo in it.
     
  6. next time your gonna throw away a 32, throw it my way....not afraid of rust.......as far as the thread, buy the one you like better....
     
  7. metalman
    Joined: Dec 30, 2006
    Posts: 3,297

    metalman
    Member

    Good, if you feel confident the sport coupe has good metal then it becomes a matter of economics. If you have to hire out the bodywork you can eat up 3000.00 pretty quick. If your gonna do it yourself you got an extra 3 to throw at the drivetrain and such. It's all a matter of how you balance what I call the 3 nessasary ingreadiance to build a car: time, talent and money. If you got time and talent, you don't need as much money. If you lack either time or talent then you need more money.
     
  8. metalman
    Joined: Dec 30, 2006
    Posts: 3,297

    metalman
    Member

    Trust me, I didn't throw away a 32 Ford lightly, I thru away a pile of rusted, butchard resemblance of metal. For the record I salvaged the cowl, door frames and pieces of windows and built a Vicky body from it. But enough of that, don't need to highjack this thread.
     
  9. tjroadster
    Joined: Aug 9, 2006
    Posts: 42

    tjroadster
    Member

    I have basic skills and learn quick, does that count?
     
  10. wvenfield
    Joined: Nov 23, 2006
    Posts: 5,580

    wvenfield
    Member

    Yeah. But I think the suggestion above that said "buy the one you like" is the best suggestion.
     
  11. pitman
    Joined: May 14, 2006
    Posts: 5,148

    pitman

    If you have a location where you can, and equally important, want to...then buy the 5 window and learn the basics of body work. These cars are perfect platforms for this. You will have a more-than-store-bought experience if this is your first real rebuild.
     
  12. gahi
    Joined: Jun 29, 2005
    Posts: 731

    gahi
    Member
    from Moab, UT

    The bodywork will take you longer than everything else combined. So I'd say you would be better off to get the body that is further along, especially if you want to actually drive it soon.
     
  13. Slide
    Joined: May 11, 2004
    Posts: 3,021

    Slide
    Member

    There's a lot to that. ^^^ If you aren't crazy about sport coupes, then you'll lose interest in it not long after you bring it home. If you're really passionate about the 5w coupe, then it'll be easier to learn on... but more work. (Or vice-versa) And be ready to make a lot of mistakes. (How many things did I have to re-do on my 52 Chevy???). Bodywork isn't easily picked up by most people. Hopefully you'll have a really good mentor to school you on the ways. Otherwise, you'll probably get very frustrated.

    From what it sounds like, you don't have loads of bodywork experience, so that means you probably don't have a bunch of bodyworking tools... so factor that into the $3K difference as well. A welder, some hammers & dollies, plus the cost of a few patch panels can eat up money fast. Plus you still hafta do the work. You'll probably need a decent air compressor to work with any efficiency at all.

    You might end up actually spending more to get the 5w done, but it might be worth it to you since you can spread the cost out by buying stuff as the need comes up instead of all at once. Plus you'll have all the tools, and (more importantly) the skills to tackle the next one.

    If I was faced with your decision, I'd lean to the 5w because sport coupes just don't light my fire as much as regular coupes... (You say you're gonna cut the roof off anyways, so that might be moot...) plus I'm a tool junkie and I place a high value on having a lot of skills. But I'm not you! :D
     
  14. chuckspeed
    Joined: Sep 13, 2005
    Posts: 1,643

    chuckspeed
    Member

    Buy the BEST car you can afford; it will be the cheapest in the long run - honest.

    As for the Sporty - they're pretty unusual...and...since the top is a softy, it's an easy chop. Door frames, window openings, A pillar and windshield fram are all that require cutting.
     
  15. tjroadster
    Joined: Aug 9, 2006
    Posts: 42

    tjroadster
    Member

    Thanks for the input. I figured on the five window. I'd rather learn and save money at the same time. So expect alot of questions from me in the future. I'll post a picture of what I got and you guys can tell me if I got screwed. I'm picking it up tomorrow.
     

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