danleblanc Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 I found what seems to be a really nice 53 Cadillac Series 62 sedan body - only one problem. It's in Arizona and I'm 35 miles across the Maine border. How does one ship such a hulk a metal all that way? Of course, I could always pick it up somewhere from Massachusetts northward if I had to. What would be a reasonable rate for such a thing also? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Dan, I have bought and shipped several non-running cars lond distance. The fees seem to vary quite a bit depending on fuel costs which, at the moment are quite high. Depending on these variables, I have paid anywhere from $900 to $1800 to ship a non runner. I think that is fairly reasonable. I don't lock with any one company. I usually shop around on line. That field is very competitive so you can work with some of the shippers, price wise. A lot depends on where they pick up and if it's an easy load or a difficult load. The more time that driver spends man handling your car, the higher the price. If it can be easily winched on board a trailer the price usually reflects that. Same on the unload side where I usually try to be present.Good Luck, Greg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 (edited) Are you talking about a bare body shell or a car with wheels on it? One way would be to drive down and flat tow it or trailer it home. Edited July 16, 2015 by Rusty_OToole (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danleblanc Posted July 16, 2015 Author Share Posted July 16, 2015 We're talking about a bare shell. No frame, doors, interior, nothing. The cost involved for me to go from Maine to Arizona and back makes me shudder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bkazmer Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 I don't see a shipping method that exceeds the value of a sedan body Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
joe_padavano Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 As Rusty points out, this depends on whether this is just a body shell, or a rolling but non-running vehicle. If the latter, you'll pay dearly to have it shppped. I've shipped three non-running cars from CA/NV to northern VA in the last five years. The Vista Cruiser last year cost me $1800. Don't waste your time with on-line shipper quotes - they are all brokers who will lowball you inintially then ratchet the price up as time wears on. If this is really just a body shell, you'll need to have it palletized and/or crated (up to you as to how much protection you want) and contract with a freight company to haul it. That will likely be even more expensive. One option is Fastenal, though this may be too large for their service. Fastenal is a natonal industrial supply company with a fleet of trucks that regularly run between thier stores. They offer a third party logistics service where they will ship freight between any two of their stores in their network. The cost for this is VERY reasonable, as they are using this third party freight to simply fill their trucks that are running anyway. Of course, this is space-available so you may have to wait a few weeks or more. Unfortunately, I fear a Caddy body will be too large for them to handle. You need to drop the item off and pick it up at one of their existing stores. This is not a door-to-door service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest bkazmer Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Make that "doesn't exceed" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danleblanc Posted July 16, 2015 Author Share Posted July 16, 2015 IE fix what I've got or find a good sedan body I can pick up. Plus inner and outer rockers, two front floorboards, one dogleg, and 4 body mounts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest BillP Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 Doesn't Coyote that's restoring the 60s Merc live down there somewhere? Maybe you could have him cut it up, save the parts you want, palletize them and ship to you. At least you wouldn't be sending such a large piece up to yourself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danleblanc Posted July 16, 2015 Author Share Posted July 16, 2015 If I could find a decent body say from MD, north to Maine, I'd be all for a road trip to pick it up. Especially since I'll be in Hershey this fall with a trailer. May just mean I'll be driving the 61 Fleetwood back home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 We're talking about a bare shell. No frame, doors, interior, nothing. The cost involved for me to go from Maine to Arizona and back makes me shudder.What about the time, and cost, of repairing the rusted car? What do you estimate the cost would be to go and get it? Even if it took a week and cost $1000 it would be quicker and cheaper than fixing a rot box. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
auburnseeker Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 These cars aren't incredibly expensive. You can get a whole car in decent shape for around 6,000. That is a complete car that will probably run and be nearly rust free as several of these were well taken care of for the majority of their life by older well to do owners. I see them on Craigslist here in NY occasionally. I sold a 50 series 75 4 door 4 years ago that ran excellent had beautiful original paint except where the owner hit the garage door with one side and extremely nice brightwork for either 5,000 or 6,000 here in NY state. The only rust that car had was the battery tray which I replaced. It even had the owner certicard still in the holder. I would say find a better car and save the money. The chrome work on a 40's to 50's Cadillac will exceed the value of a finished car pretty darn fast. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capngrog Posted July 16, 2015 Share Posted July 16, 2015 danleblanc; I know that it's difficult to give up on a project, but I think you should give some consideration to what auburnseeker said. If you can't bear to give up on the project, I'm afraid that the only economically viable means of getting the non rolling body to you would be to fly out, rent a trailer and truck (U-Haul, perhaps) and tow it back. The difficulty of loading and unloading a non rolling body is what drives the commercial costs up; however, if you do the loading and unloading yourself, it's just another aspect of the hobby. Good luck,Grog Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39BuickEight Posted July 17, 2015 Share Posted July 17, 2015 After going through what I did to get my semi-rolling car from CA, I would never try to have a body shell moved. Not one that could easily be repaired or basin a rolling car. Buy a whole car if you don't want to/can't fix the one you have and part out the rest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larry W Posted August 1, 2015 Share Posted August 1, 2015 danleblanc; I know that it's difficult to give up on a project, but I think you should give some consideration to what auburnseeker said. If you can't bear to give up on the project, I'm afraid that the only economically viable means of getting the non rolling body to you would be to fly out, rent a trailer and truck (U-Haul, perhaps) and tow it back. The difficulty of loading and unloading a non rolling body is what drives the commercial costs up; however, if you do the loading and unloading yourself, it's just another aspect of the hobby. Good luck,Grog I've used the U-Haul option successfully several times, but the car needs to at least be a roller and you'll require a portable winch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trulyvintage Posted August 18, 2015 Share Posted August 18, 2015 A car shell is a static load. It is difficult to secure a shell without a frame on an open trailer without deforming the body. It costs less to ship a rolling non op vehicle as has been pointed out ... Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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