> ...It has been sitting for 15 years! What I am looking for is a fair
> price to offer the gentleman for the car.
Sitting inside or outside?
First, start with an overall evaluation. The car got parked likely
because it broke. 15 years will fuzz the memory as to why it
was taken out of service... "Ran great when parked"... then
why did it get parked?
If it's been parked for 15 years, then it was first driven for... 20
years! Check the body for repaired damage - what you figure is
oxidized paint may be a respray over bondo. Look under for damage,
bent frame, suspension problems, etc etc.
After sitting, the gas tank is very likely toast. Get a flashlight and
look down the filler. Any rust, corrosion, white crud? Tanks can
be pulled, cleaned and sealed but it's gonna put you back a hundred
or two.
Brakes - hydraulics are gone, so $800 and that assumes the
drums/rotors are OK (which on a 20-year-driven car...)
Clutch master and slave will be in the same shape...
Suspension - any play in the ball joints, idler, steering box? Ball
joints are $$$.
Don't forget $400 for new tires.
Engine and tranny... a 1600, you say? That tranny needs a new
countershaft and bearings, trust me. And probably synchros....
I won't guess at the engine, you don't want to crank it without
refreshing the oil and priming it. The carbs are gummed, and
likely want a rebuild (20-years-driven. Just keep repeating that...)
The interior can be redone for 'not that much'... south of a thousand
I'm pretty sure. :-)
When you're done, you'll have a pretty nice driver that probably only
cost about twice what you can sell it for...
Pessimistic view? You bet. I'm the last one to throw a car away (just
check out my driveway). And if you have spare parts and a 'make-do'
attitude you may be able to do OK putting it back on the road. Maybe.
But keep both eyes wide open, and keep a grasp on the fact that it's
a LOT of time and money to bring it back.
-- John
John F Sandhoff sandhoff@csus.edu Sacramento, CA
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