Guest smcdole Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 (edited) Hi, I just started a 4door '67 Buick LeSabre 340 ci 5.7 70k project. I'm in Ohio and I'm looking for a reasonable and reliable online store to order items like seat covers, carpet, headliner and things like that. I'm just doing an average restore on it for now, so no parts need to be "show" quality (if that's a term). Also, does anybody have any idea what these cars are worth after they are done? I want to be careful of what I put into it if so. Any certain guide or book to check? Also, is there a site that shows an exploded view of a vehicle's interior/exterior to be able to order parts by name? Thanks in advance! Edited July 5, 2015 by smcdole (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick8086 Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 http://www.smsautofabrics.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 As a general rule 4 door sedans are the bottom of the value curve. Spend the absolute minimum necessary to have fun with the car. You probably won't get your money back but the idea is you paid to have fun. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 (edited) If you get $1,000 a year worth of pleasure from learning about the car, working on it, and eventually driving it to functions over the next 20 years, you will be able to deduct $20,000 from your total investment and come out pretty good on the value of ownership. I have given way a few cars in the past and felt fully satisfied. The key is not to disable the car for any long term during ownership. Always keep it close to being drivable so you don't lose the awareness of why you own it. Component restoration is not a commonly used term. It should be. Have the money available before attacking the job. If a restoration level brake job is estimated at $300 per wheel, have $1200 in a tin can before you jack it up. If the cooling system needs a shot of reliability, have $600 to $1,000 ready to tap through the process. About 4 days of labor and zero $ can have a car disassembled and in labeled baggies. There are at least 300 $100 jobs to get it back together. That is a rude awakening and, in many cases, the awakening never comes- disassembled barn finds. You may have seen those shock prison visits they give juveniles. For $1,000 plus expenses I will visit your garage with three full vacuum cleaner bags to dump on your car, open the hood and doors. Then we bring you into the garage and discuss for this barn find can be avoided. That just made me remember doing the brake job on the 1956 Olds Holiday that was coated with dog hair underneath.Bernie Edited July 5, 2015 by 60FlatTop (see edit history) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alsancle Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 The easiest thing in the world to do is take a car apart. Probably the worst thing for it too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edhd58 Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 NEVER tell yourself " I am only going to spend $$XX amount of dollars" unless its truly a driver and you don't care how little you do to it or what it looks like. The car in the avatar is a "driver" but I keep finding myself wanting it better than it looks to me at the moment. I have just scuffed the paint and am waiting for the humidity to drop so I can repaint what all my neighbors said was a fine paint job. I'll probably have about 10K in it when I am done, which really isn't bad considering it needed quite a bit from the ground up. As for parts, spend lots of time shopping online, you'll find many places selling the exact same things for many different prices. As for taking it apart, its very easy if you don't bag and tag everything, its assembly that sucks when you do it that way. I have probably 100 baggies labeled with what it has and where it came from. I agree 60FlatTop -- you have to consider what you have and what you'll do with it when its done too. I knew this was a long term commitment when I started, but the wife also has made it much easier because she is behind it all the way. Don;t get in a hurry, you'll just have to redo it later, smcdole, ask questions on here -- these guys have been a world of help to me, a wealth of knowledge is on this site alone. These are great people here and willing to help. I feel certain there are sites with people dedicated to yourmake of car as well. Seek them out too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
60FlatTop Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 I REALLY don't have much money in this car....... but believe me, the previous owner sure did. He spent a lot of money on mechanicals and not much on "pretty" Pretty sells cars if circumstances change. Distribute your efforts for worst case.Bernie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Bernie is right. Pretty sells and other than paint often easy to do one piece at a time. Think long and hard on major mechanical investments as they are probably the worst return on money if you sell, but often one of the wisest investments if you want to drive the car. I would take a car with nice paint and chrome with a blown engine or tranny over mechanically rebuilt with bad paint and chrome if it was one I ever thought I would have to sell and try to recoup my investment. I had just that example in a 48 plymouth convertible and it was a really tough sell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBulldogMiller55Buick Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 If you get $1,000 a year worth of pleasure from learning about the car, working on it, and eventually driving it to functions over the next 20 years, you will be able to deduct $20,000 from your total investment and come out pretty good on the value of ownership. I have given way a few cars in the past and felt fully satisfied. The key is not to disable the car for any long term during ownership. Always keep it close to being drivable so you don't lose the awareness of why you own it. Component restoration is not a commonly used term. It should be. Have the money available before attacking the job. If a restoration level brake job is estimated at $300 per wheel, have $1200 in a tin can before you jack it up. If the cooling system needs a shot of reliability, have $600 to $1,000 ready to tap through the process. About 4 days of labor and zero $ can have a car disassembled and in labeled baggies. There are at least 300 $100 jobs to get it back together. That is a rude awakening and, in many cases, the awakening never comes- disassembled barn finds. You may have seen those shock prison visits they give juveniles. For $1,000 plus expenses I will visit your garage with three full vacuum cleaner bags to dump on your car, open the hood and doors. Then we bring you into the garage and discuss for this barn find can be avoided. That just made me remember doing the brake job on the 1956 Olds Holiday that was coated with dog hair underneath.BernieGood Advice !!!That's the way I'm restoring mine. A bit at a time, as I can afford it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
28 Chrysler Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 In the 1960's many said it was not worth restoring a 35 year old 4 door car.Some of the cars and trucks I did back then with just enough of a restoration keep them from the scrap yards.1930 Ford sedan delivery, 1937 Chev Master 6, 1939 Nash, 1939 Ply. All these were still running around Minnesota in the late 80's.Take your time and do your "restoration" a bit at a time, have fun, bring fiends and family, that is what old 4 doors do well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted July 5, 2015 Share Posted July 5, 2015 Old Cars Price Guide says 1967 Buick LeSabre 4 door in #3 condition ( decent driver, nothing special) $5220 #2 real sharp $8120 #1 best in the world show car $11600. Still a good looking reliable car easy and comfortable to drive.As long as you don't go crazy on the expenses who cares if you have more in it than it is worth? Everybody has more in their car than it is worth, pity the poor sap who is under water on his Hyundai lease. Your Buick will never be worth less than it is right now if you take care of it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesBulldogMiller55Buick Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 Everyone that buys a new car or especially those that finace a NEW car are underwatwer when they drive it off the lot.It's not different for restorations.We'll not get our money back from our cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest smcdole Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 (edited) Thanks all you guys for the advice. The skinny on the car is, is I paid 1500.00 for it. It runs and idles (which was a plus for me). There are no dents on the car and only a couple of spots needing a little metal. I took the seats out, junked the carpet, used my wire wheel on a grinder and got all the surface rust off the floor and coated with rolled on rustoleum black paint. I found carpet for about 150.00 plus shipping. I'm going to glue that in, put the seats in and buy some custom seat covers for it (if anybody knows a good place to get these let me know, I check West Coast Customs but all I found where t-shirts and hats). I want the ones that you take the old off and put the new on. The head liner is fine but a little fragile so it will work for now. It needs new quarter sails? The part of the material that extends down the rear sides from the headliner? The rest of the interior work is just nitpicking and won't cost much. I found a decent guy off Craigslist that has wrenched on my car for the past couple of days (minor stuff) at my house. Beside restoring some of the chrome trim that looks fairly decent already, it just needs to 1 foot square metal patches, very little body work besides the patches and a paint job (which I'm REALLY curious if anyone knows if I could expect to get a average paint job around 800 to 1000 dollars.??? Door jambs and underside of trunk are fine. Degreasing the engine wouldn't cost much. All that and I'd pretty happy with it. Assuming the paint and body work could be done for roughly 1200.00 I would have about 3800.00 total including the price of the car. Its a first attempt car, I love the look of it and wanted it to be a learning experience for me and my kids. As far as it being a 4 door, I didn't mind because it seems EVERYBODY has a two door. I thought for desirability the 4 door might be a nice change .. is there any validity to this? Edited July 6, 2015 by smcdole (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pomeroy41144 Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 I am thinking that just the paint and materials would cost at least $800, not including man hours for body work, other labor and the paint job itself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest smcdole Posted July 6, 2015 Share Posted July 6, 2015 (edited) I am thinking that just the paint and materials would cost at least $800, not including man hours for body work, other labor and the paint job itself. Wow, I didn't know that was that expensive! Thanks for the heads up. Looks like I'll be driving around like we did in high school---> IN PRIMER!!! Edited July 6, 2015 by smcdole (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
padgett Posted July 7, 2015 Share Posted July 7, 2015 After a lot of cars new and old, I have settled on those fun to drive (no trailer queens) and each has a different purpose. Have learned the hard way to never take anything apart until the parts to fix it are here. This makes for slow prep and fast work which minimises the time the car is down. Also for me a car costs about the same in the end whether bought as a project or as a nce driver, what you lose is time. So the only car "down" is the 88 coupe which needs a power steering pump & the replacement is next to it, just waiting for cool weather since do not need at the moment, can take any of the others to "cars and coffee". It is easier that all of mine are "late model" partly because all have AC and partly because prior to 1966 this was just a wide spot in the road. In 1957 the State of Florida to attract industy granted Pratt & Whitney similar desolate 6500 acre grants of land. Pratt's is still "The swamp". Martin's is now International Drive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScarredKnightfan Posted July 8, 2015 Share Posted July 8, 2015 Sounds like a neat project ... good luck! Cort www.oldcarsstronghearts.com1979 & 1989 Caprice Classics | pigValve, paceMaker, cowValve"A concrete fascination scraping the edge of nothing" __ White Zombie __ 'Black Sunshine' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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