1925 Cadillac .. Kinda Weird .. Need some info

[DE SOTO]

If this is in the wrong place, Tell me where these types of posts go.

 

My Neighbors Parents have this 1925 Cadillac and asked if I could possibly come up with a Fair Value.

 

These pics are all i got from them & have not seen the car, They say its at least 95% complete.

 

Has had it 25 years & just never have done anything to progress, Now he feels it should be Sold & let it get done.

 

Says it Runs, Or ran several years ago, Anyone who has offered money he feels are Low balling, Hes not looking to Retire & buy a Hell Cat,

But he also dosen't wanna get burned ......

 

I know its a tough one for the Pics & no one has seen it, But is it worth more than 4 thousand or ???

 

IF INTERESTED IN PURCHASE .... TEXT ME AT 805-746-9011 & ILL GIVE YOU OWNERS PHONE #

 

LOCATED IN VENTURA CALIFORNIA

 

Edited January 5, 2019 by DE SOTO
ADD INFO (see edit history)

[John_S_in_Penna]

18 minutes ago, DE SOTO said:

Anyone who has offered money he feels are Low balling...  But is it worth more than 4 thousand or ???

 

Mr. or Mrs. DeSoto, your question is very appropriate here.

And the question, or car, isn't at all weird.  We get questions

like yours frequently.  Cars of that era have very limited

followings today, because cars of some other decades 

attract more attention.  However, there are a few people here

who are very knowledgeable  on early Cadillacs. 

 

You may know that restoration costs are very high, and that

they are rarely recouped;  so any serious car fan making an

offer undoubtedly has those in mind.  A person could spend

an additional $100,000 or $200,000 on that 1925 Cadillac

and have a car, when beautifully restored, worth $35,000.

 

I hope it finds a good home.

[1912Staver]

To the right person; a rarity in itself ,it is probably in the $5000.00 range.  On a really good day possibly $7,500.00.  But if anyone actually makes a serious offer , {meaning they actually have the cash} don't flatly turn them down.  Depending on where you live there may only be one or two people with interest in the car who live close enough to be potential buyers. Very few people indeed are willing to travel any significant distance to pick up a project car regardless of how attractive the price is.

 

Greg in Canada

[Matt Harwood]

If someone shows up with money in hand willing to buy the car, take whatever he's offering and run. Cars of this vintage are very tough to sell in good condition, projects are far, far more difficult. Add in the fact that it's a sedan and has apparently already had someone chipping away at it (which means there's potential work just to get it back to zero--do I see wafer board in the top structure?), and it's going to be a tough sale under the best of conditions. He will not get ripped off because the car's value is such that it's only worth what the one or two guys who might want it are willing to pay, and he's going to have to spend some money advertising it nationally or globally to find those guys. This isn't a situation where some neighborhood guy will walk by and fall in love or an ad in the local paper will find an eager new owner. He needs to balance what he thinks it's worth against the fact that you can buy a restored, ready-to-drive '20s Cadillac sedan for less than it will cost to rebuild this car's engine.

 

I don't mean to sound negative, but it's important to the hobby that artificially inflated values and unrealistic expectations not perpetuate themselves and prevent cars from getting into the hands of people who will care for them. If someone offers more than a handful of Benjamins, TAKE IT.

[28 Chrysler]

Try to get a bit more history of the car andbetter photos including any loose parts such as head lights or bumpers.

As always location  can be a big factor. A car like this with a wooden framed body would need an enclosed trailer to be shipped any log distance.

 

[C Carl]

All of the expert advice above. PLUS  : 95% complete more often than not, can be interpreted as meaning "all hard to find items missing ". Old deteriorated sedans of this vintage are generally used as parts donors for the open cars. As such, this one certainly is a $4000 (perhaps +) car to someone who needs it. If there was documented significant mechanical work, and/or a running and driving project, you could certainly get more for it. Pigggy-pokes probably prove problematical. (Yes I admit it, I am intentionally being just a bit silly, but if one doesn't have evidence to the contrary, the wise assume the worst). As a decades long owner of one of these cars, I would like to show you a couple of pictures of my unrestored original open example. The only non-originality here is a repaint in original colors. I take the blame for the flamboyant wheel treatment. I feel I owe no apologies, in that the general public is happily amused by the old hickory. Easily reversed if anyone wanted to do so. Original paint on the wheels had been painted over long before the previous owner bought the car. The rest is direct "from the factory" including all the interior, top and headliner. These recent pictures are as yet unseen by the long timers here, so I submit with respect to avoid redundancy. I mention all this for comparison, because you would have to spend about 3 times the value of my car to restore that sedan. Sorry.  

           'Round these parts, some call me    -   Cadillac Carl 

 

P.S., Please be assured that neither myself nor any of the previous posters, harbor any cynical, self serving, double dealing motivation here. You can get a feeling for our sincerity by reading part of the body of our previous writing here. Thank you for alerting us to this relatively scarce carcass. I hope it finds a purpose soon, whether as project or parts.  -  CC 

 

[John_S_in_Penna]

35 minutes ago, C Carl said:

... Old deteriorated sedans of this vintage are generally used as parts donors for the open cars.

I hope it finds a purpose soon, whether as project or parts.  

 

On this forum, people often point out cars for sale in similar condition--

of many makes and models.  I think it is accurate to say that the

number of projects available FAR exceeds the number of people

with the ability and bank account to restore them.  

 

When cars like this change hands, I suspect that most

continue to languish in garages, with great expectations of the

new owner that usually aren't realized.

At least they are being preserved for a future restorer years from now.

[edinmass]

I would accept the offer of four thousand. The car with no title is worth about 2500 give or take. Lots of history and an interesting car, but very little monatary value. Would make a nice parts car for someone who has one or two similar cars. But just the cost of shipping it is prohibitive.

Edited January 4, 2019 by edinmass (see edit history)

[old car fan]

Depending where the car is located,I May have interest

[C Carl]

It occurred to me, that if one of you fine folk purchase this for parts, I could use a few things. How convenient !!! Long live AACA !!   -  CC 

[Rusty_OToole]

The hard truth is most of the collectors of cars of that age, are very old or dead. We tend to want the cars that made an impact on us when we were young. Anyone who remembers 1925 must be over 100 years old now.

 

There are a few younger enthusiasts who love that era but sadly there are more cars than buyers. As others have pointed out, good examples of twenties luxury cars can be bought for $35000 without much looking and to restore that car, would be a labor of love because it would cost three times what the car would be worth. It would be easy to spend $10,000 on a paint job and another $10,000 on upholstery and that would be AFTER 90% of the work was done. Restoration work is not cheap these days.

 

I hate to say it but if you get an offer of $4000 or more might as well take it unless you want to hang onto it for years hoping to get a few more bucks. I think I would advertise it in Hemmings or similar for under $10,000 and see what comes to my net.

[C Carl]

Hi DE SOTO. I just sent a fwd of this discussion to a Yahoo Group (Early V8 Cadillac), which I belong to. I think chances are pretty good you will get interest there. Probably a good idea for you to provide contacts for the Group.  -  Carl 

[DE SOTO]

7 hours ago, old car fan said:

Depending where the car is located,I May have interest

 

VENTURA CALIFORNIA .... 

[hidden_hunter]

If someone does buy it to part it out I'd probably be interested in a few things (e.g manifolds)

[Friartuck]

$4K is fair given the condition. I think this could be saved in the right hands. As mentioned, price should go down depending on whats missing.

[CarlLaFong]

So many look at a car, like this one, and start thinking of astronomical restoration costs. This could be a car not to restore. If it is solid and complete, it is a good candidate to "fix up". Get it running and safe, toss some Mexican blankets on the seats, repair the body as much as time and talent allows, rent a compressor and get a Harbor Freight gun and shoot some tractor paint on it and drive it

[John_Mereness]

31 minutes ago, CarlLaFong said:

So many look at a car, like this one, and start thinking of astronomical restoration costs. This could be a car not to restore. If it is solid and complete, it is a good candidate to "fix up". Get it running and safe, toss some Mexican blankets on the seats, repair the body as much as time and talent allows, rent a compressor and get a Harbor Freight gun and shoot some tractor paint on it and drive it

Yes and that may be just what someone does (obviously though it will need a new padded top installed as the current roof material looks removed and my guess is those Non-Skid tires are ancient and need replaced as well), but if you short sheet the bed you get that same short sheeting out on the backside at time of your sale - ie it becomes  a pass the buck sort of thing and it makes no value difference.   Realistically, if out on ebay I doubt it would not bring much over 8K (could be less or could be more - needs lots of photos to justify any cost and then you have the issue of engine condition.  And, as to engine, you can short sheet the bed there too, but what you put into it is what you get back out - or perhaps even less (as it is still a mid-1920's sedan).  

 

As a sidenote: optimism is a fine thing, though having revived a lot of barn find cars - we still even if never going to drive it a foot have generally redone the carb, vacuum tank/fuel pump, gas tank, radiator, hoses/belts, waterpump, brakes on certain cars (here they are mechanical and probably fine as long as pads not worn out), repacked or replaced wheel bearings, new flaps/tubes/tires, rewired ignition, usually exhaust work, changed all the fluids, replaced any destroyed/deteriorating die cast and ... Usually I set aside a couple of months of evenings and weekends to do the work and generally set aside 10K as a starting point. 

Edited January 5, 2019 by John_Mereness (see edit history)

[John_Mereness]

[1912Staver]

Do these cars have the self -destructing distributor castings ? My 1926 Caddy 314 engine definitely does. A low point for die cast metallurgy. New brass replacements are available but pricy.

 

Greg in Canada

Edited January 5, 2019 by 1912Staver (see edit history)

[gwells]

From my perspective, this 1925 Caddy sits at the nexus of a number of negative factors.

A rather poor overall condition, with a lot of work to be required to restore it to decent and/or authentic condition. With the info we have, it is likely that a lot of hard-to-find parts are missing and the parts availability for this car is not good.

From a performance standpoint, mid-'20s cars, even Cadillacs, will do well to cruise at 40 mph, maybe a little bit more but usually a bit less. And even with four-wheel brakes, the braking is extremely poor compared to vehicles just 10-15 years newer. These factors work against younger people desiring to own and operate such cars on modern roads in the traffic most of us have to deal with now.

It is a four-door sedan, probably the least desirable of all body styles available on this marque that year. Also, closed cars are almost always a lot more expensive to upholster than open cars.

Like it or not, the more common or less spectacular cars of the '20s have not been increasing in value in recent years; rather the opposite in real adjusted money. 'Tis a supply and demand situation: a lot more cars than the demand can take.

 

And, as has been noted, the costs of restoring a car these days, even with a significant amount 'sweat equity' invested, is mind-blowing. The cost of taking a poor car to top condition is usually many times more than just buying that same car already in top condition.

So many times, people not steeped in the collector car hobby equate rare and/or old with valuable and that's simply not the case, at least in my experience.

De Soto, the negative vibes you might be feeling in this thread are coming from collectors who have 'been there and done that.' Please do not take that as insulting to you or the seller. Everyone here assumes you want honest and informed opinions, I hope.

All that being said, I personally would view this as a parts car, not a candidate for restoration (based on the info available). And if someone offered $4,000 for the car, I absolutely would not let them get away. IMHO.

[Guest]

I agree with the above. This sort of reminds me of the thread about the 12 dilapidated Lincolns, except we're only talking one car. At the end of the day, I see this Cadillac as a great parts car, if it's not missing all of the good stuff already. Someone out there will be thrilled to have it to finish a project or keep their current car going.

[John_Mereness]

I will defend braking systems of early cars - they worked incredibly well when new and still do when properly done = I can generally throw you into the windshield  (big heavy cars though so they do not stop on a dime though and certainly will not stop like your new car).  People are not happy as people try to improve upon the original and use newer engineered linings verses woven, they do not adjust them properly - we are talking thousands and feeler gauges, people install worn parts, drums not turned properly and shoes not arched to drums, and the list goes on and on.

 

As to younger people - yes they do like early cars, but it is somewhat more challenging if you did not grow up around this stuff or have friends involved.    I see incredible numbers of younger people doing pre -1915, ACD Club, British car clubs, and ...   And, in Europe I think nothing of younger people driving in PreWWII cars.   And, younger interest tends to be regional (aka if you are in LA or East Coast there is a lot going on with earlier cars).

 

As to this particular Cadillac, it is actually a better looking than most sedan via the "Box Car School of Design" and I certainly would not call it a parts car - but if someone does not do their homework (photograph it well, figure out what is missing, know if it has good wood, know if engine does not knock or ... matched to good oil pressure and not puff like a steam car or ...), then it will only sell for parts car prices or heavily discounted prices. 

 

Here is a good early car example:  I needed a rather unique ball bearing and hunted high and low to find someone had reproduced 10 of them (enough for 5 cars) - they wanted $2,500 for two bearings (a set) OR I could buy a $35.00 bearing and do $2,000 of machine tool work (which everyone seemed as excited about as much as imminent death). 

[Guest]

I'm just curious, if closed sedans are so undesirable, why are the '36-'38 Buick sedans so collectible? 

[gwells]

That was a relative comparison.

 

Do you claim that '36-38 Buick sedans are as desirable or more desirable than '36-38 Buick open cars?

[gwells]

19 minutes ago, John_Mereness said:

I will defend braking systems of early cars

 

I agree with what you say, but the physics is that car with a three or four-inch wide tire cannot stop as well as a car with a tire several times wider.

 

This is a very personal opinion, in that I am probably going to sell my Model A simply because here in Atlanta other drivers will fill any decent gap in front of you and then slam on their brakes.

[John_Mereness]

28 minutes ago, GregLaR said:

I'm just curious, if closed sedans are so undesirable, why are the '36-'38 Buick sedans so collectible? 

It is not that 20's cars are uncollectable, but they tend to be huge in garage floor footprint and the parts supply is not all that good (aka everything and I do mean everything you need tends be a re-invention of the wheel) and that tends to equate to expense that more often than not outweighs the cost of what the car is worth the day you decide it needs a new home.    While there are plenty of difficult parts on a 36-38 Buick they are largely steel construction and there are still plenty of new mechanical parts available, as well as used parts.    I put 80K miles on my 1941 Cadillac 60 Special from 1979 (when I bought it at age 14) until 2015, when I sold it - other than it being a heavy car to work on (all be it a lot lighter than any part on a 20's car), I absolutely had no issue finding anything mechanical = I could pick up the phone and it was in a box to me hours later (the 41 Buick Super was the same way, as have been the 50s cars and ...).

 

Again, there is nothing wrong with optimism, but I could take you to garage after garage in town where cars were bought on false hope and years latter the project is still stalled or ....

 

As a sidnote:  I was in a friends garage over Christmas and they offered me a set of 1925 Cadillac headlights (which I bought) that are stunning originals - they had been there as long as I can ever remember (I maybe saw them there the first time in 1971). 

Edited January 5, 2019 by John_Mereness (see edit history)

[John_Mereness]

I have friends in LA that drive Model A's and if they need a modern car they have a 1935 Phaeton - they say A's are perfect for LA. 

[Mark Huston]

The potential  buyer for this Cadillac may not be in the US.   My brother just sold a 1924 Buick Brougham to a buyer in New Delhi, India.   The Buick is in need of a full restoration which includes major wood work.  The sales price is not much more than what has been mentioned for this Cadillac. Cost of restoration apparently is more cost effective in India to make it worth buying and shipping the Buick there.   

[John_Mereness]

Here is a pretty realistic story of what a lot of us sign up for via our car interests:  https://forums.aaca.org/topic/317735-1935-lincoln-k-club-sedan/?page=5

[MCHinson]

Folks,

 

There were a few posts that went way off topic in this discussion resulting in the discussion being reported to the moderators. I have removed quite a few posts. I have attempted to bring it back on topic, although I have left some posts that are probably still a bit off topic. I will attempt to tie in a bit of the remaining off topic posts back into the topic, but apologize in advance if I fail to do that successfully. I don't know much about Cadillacs of this era. I do know 1936-1938 Buicks. There is an active touring club for 1936-1938 (and other straight 8 era) Buicks which makes Buick sedans of that era a bit more desirable than sedans in general. While lots of people tend to prefer two door cars, the 36-38 Buick Club tends to have more sedans because it is easy to take friends along for the ride in a four door sedan.

 

I own a 1937 Buick Century four door sedan. I am restoring a 1938 Buick Century four door Sedan currently. This car will cost much more to restore than it is worth. I bought the car for $1,000. I paid more for another car just to get a better body for the 1938 Buick project. Based on my experience, there is no way for even a home restorer to restore this Cadillac for less than the car will be worth when it is restored. It will be a labor of love. Unless there are a lot of rare parts not visible in the photos, I would not personally think it was worth $4,000, but some folks who have expressed the thought that it is worth that are folks that I am sure know more about Cadillacs of that era than I do.

 

I would suggest that there will be a small number of serious potential buyers. As described, I get the idea that the original owner would like to see it restored. I suggest that finding someone who loves that car and wants to restore it might be more important than finding who will pay the most money for it. If a potential restorer makes an offer of any amount of cash that the owner can live with, I would suggest he sell it with the gentleman's agreement to give him a ride in it after it has been restored. If the current owner wants to hold out for the top dollar because he just can't bear to lose his investment, it is likely that his estate will sell the car after he is no longer around. At that time, it will likely sell for less rather than more that a potential restorer might offer now. 

 

In addition to my comments above, if you want to help them sell the car, it is vitally important to take good quality photos that show the car and all parts that have been removed from the car but which are included in the sale. The current photos just are not sufficient to attract the best offer or even give a fair representation of the car's condition.

[Grimy]

If this car, or any of its era, is to stay in the USA/Canada where labor costs are what they are, the structural wood needs to be pretty darn good if the car is to be refurbished or restored.  Looking at the photo of the top structure, I'd want to do a thorough examination of the structural wood.  As regards completeness, years ago this sedan may have served as a parts car for an open car (happened a lot), so an inventory of what's missing or broken would be essential.

[Guest]

3 hours ago, gwells said:

Do you claim that '36-38 Buick sedans are as desirable or more desirable than '36-38 Buick open cars?

 

How in the world did you come up with this statement from my one-sentence question?

[gwells]

Because what I said was this:

 

"It is a four-door sedan, probably the least desirable of all body styles available on this marque that year."

 

And I feel that applies across the board, regardless of marque or year.

If you disagree, please give examples where today's market values four-door sedans higher or equal to other body styles.

[Guest]

Again, I made no mention of value. 

What I disagree with is your reinterpretation of my question.

It seems many are quick to condemn 4 door sedans to the ash heap, when presented here.

 

I merely asked, why sedans are not considered worthy of restoration when the hugely popular '36-'38 Buick sedans clearly disprove this thinking?

I would guess that most here who have restored their Buick sedans, in the end, could have purchased an example for less money. So could it be that they are restoring those sedans as a labor of love rather than as a marketing strategy?

 

I know it's a personal taste thing, but I prefer a closed 4 door sedan over the open cars. I am in agreement with Richelieumotor Car that the '38 Buick is probably the finest looking car form the era. I owned a '36 Buick sedan and loved it. I also owned a '38 Oldsmobile sedan and RichelieuMC is right again, I felt that front end was better suited to a transport truck. 

 

I see DE SOTO's friend's Cadillac as others may see that abandoned '38 Buick Century. 

It is not an open car.

It is not a Duesenberg.

It is not a Ferrari. 

It is what it is. A beautiful and somewhat unique car that has survived for 94 years and deserves a nice restoration by someone who can appreciate it.

If value is the only reason to do this, none of us would be here, right?

[C Carl]

First, Greg in Canada, no pot metal problems with the V63 (1924-'25), Cadillacs. These are truly GREAT cars. More heavily built and rugged than the Cadillacs that followed for quite some years. Of the 314 (1926-'27), Cadillacs, the later cars used more pot metal.  All 314s share the same pot metal problems in the automatic timing chain tensioner, which theV63 simply does not use at all.  Unlike the '27, however, the '26 uses the same rugged bronze levers and gears for timing and hand throttle controls as the V63s. And, unlike the robust distributors in the V63s, in the 314s, not only the cups, but also the pot metal flyweights will fail, breaking the cup from impact. No need to go any further than Classic and Exotic Services for any parts and rebuild needed. Stutz, Duesenberg, Olds 8 used this distributor, therefore the need justified a top notch solution which V63s do not need.

 

At some point I might like to write further about the pinnacle of engineering and production embodied in V63 Cadillacs. For the moment, though, ideally, I would love to see one more person actually enjoy learning to love a V63. This could possibly be a candidate. The interior is apparently not completely trashed, and depending on the next owners location, some things could be put off indefinitely. For example, the top. Semi permanent sun roof as is 😎. This could be an entry level car worth learning the game on. Yes, even though I could use a few things, I would much rather see this car saved and inducted into the Cadillac & LaSalle Club. If I were still the able middle age guy I used to be, spending much of my Winters in California, I would love to help get this car up and running. And speaking of brakes, good chance it can still stop well if the brakes have not been dismantled or fiddled with. These are rod actuated front and rear, and with the large drums, are quite good for the mid '20s.

 

Look : we have had to make assumptions here from the standpoint of a prudent prospective purchaser, based on very scant information and evidence. On the other hand, if we look at the best case scenario, it could be an opportunity for a local enthusiastic younger person. In that case, the 3 responses starting with Friartuck, through CarlLaFong and John Mereness could happily be the way to go.

  

I would like to go on, but that will have to wait. My arthritic old thumbs need rest, and so do I. Just past 12:30 here on the West Coast.

 

DE SOTO, let me leave you with some pictures of and from my unrestored, original 1927 Cadillac sedan running just a few miles from you.The parking spot reserved for me only 😏, is at the local AACA meeting for the Santa Barbara area. I would love to tell you about the time I took the Old San Marcos road down from the Cold Spring Tavern in this old thing at dusk, Easter three years ago. If you or the owner would like to call me, I don't think it will be a waste of your time.   -  Carl, 206-790-6912. Might take several tries, I am going to sleep late, or leave message.

 

Edited January 7, 2019 by C Carl
A little clean up after proof reading (see edit history)

[wayne sheldon]

I hope my comments won't be too far off topic, but here goes.

In regards to the braking ability of most pre-1930 automobiles? People fear mechanical brakes because they do not understand them. Basic physics, weight of vehicle, two wheel brakes or four wheel brakes, and the relative footprint and condition of the tires dictate maximum braking ability and stopping distances at what speeds. Size and material types of the drums and shoes or bands have some lesser effects, and mostly affect the required amount of pedal pressure needed to make a stop. The most common problem with mechanical brakes is that most people do not understand the relationship of the various levers, cams, and other mechanical components of the system. PROPERLY adjusted, mechanical brakes can work very well. 

As an example, when I bought the 1915 Studebaker I used to have, the service brake could not stop the car from 20 mph in less than about a hundred yards (YIKES and DOUBLE YIKES!). A quick examination of the brake linkages revealed that their adjustment was atrocious, in part due to an incorrect brake rod that was a bit too short. A quick modification to the short rod, and a hour of adjustment, and the car would lock both rear wheels with only light pressure on the pedal. With only two wheel brakes on that car, it wasn't going to make you feel like it had four wheel power assisted disc brakes. But from 20 mph, it would stop in only slightly more than twenty feet. Definitely something I could live with.

(As a clarification? Both those stopping distance tests were going on a very slight down hill. If I had gone the other direction? One could have just pushed in the clutch and stopped in somewhat over fifty feet.)

 

As for the Cadillac in question? If I were ten to twenty years younger, not nearly as broke as I now am, and didn't have a half dozen projects already that need restoring (two of which I am working on!)? I would love to give $4000 for that Cadillac. But as things are right now, I won't live long enough to do more than half the project cars I now have. But then I always was a bit crazy and a sucker for large '20s sedans.

 

For whatever it is worth? I hope a good home can be found for this car.

[gwells]

GregLaR,

 

From my perspective, in the collector car market, like in virtually all collectible arenas, value arises almost exclusively from supply versus demand considerations.

 

High demand combined with low supply results in high value. And conversely, low demand combined with high supply results in low value. The changing values of collector cars over the years come about because of changes in these two factors. For collector cars, it's the demand side that changes the most over time. The supply side is reasonably stable.

 

Claiming a four-door sedan is less desirable is just another way of saying there is less demand for four-door sedans in the marketplace, with no other nuances implied.

[Joe in Canada]

On ‎1‎/‎4‎/‎2019 at 2:42 PM, John_S_in_Penna said:

.  I think it is accurate to say that the

number of projects available FAR exceeds the number of people

with the ability and bank account to restore them.

When walking the Hershey swap meet or for that mater any swap meet you see thousands of parts for sale. I often wonder how many of these parts for sale will ever find a car to go on and what will happen to the rest of them 20 or so years from now. Or are my early cars going to follow the Beany Baby market and cost of an early car be much more reasonable to restore for the Millennial generation.

[8E45E]

On ‎1‎/‎5‎/‎2019 at 10:47 AM, CarlLaFong said:

So many look at a car, like this one, and start thinking of astronomical restoration costs. This could be a car not to restore. If it is solid and complete, it is a good candidate to "fix up". Get it running and safe, toss some Mexican blankets on the seats, repair the body as much as time and talent allows, rent a compressor and get a Harbor Freight gun and shoot some tractor paint on it and drive it

I'm kind of with you on that one. 

 

Make it run, drive it, enjoy it, and become attached to it, and in the interim, gather 'nicer' parts at swap meets, etc., over time, along the way.  And even get the seats reupholstered one at a time, and at each succeeding car show, the progress will get noticed.  That way, it can gradually be improved/restored while being a nice driver at the same time.

 

Craig

[1912Staver]

On ‎1‎/‎6‎/‎2019 at 7:42 AM, Joe in Canada said:

When walking the Hershey swap meet or for that mater any swap meet you see thousands of parts for sale. I often wonder how many of these parts for sale will ever find a car to go on and what will happen to the rest of them 20 or so years from now. Or are my early cars going to follow the Beany Baby market and cost of an early car be much more reasonable to restore for the Millennial generation.

 

Its not just the parts at swap meets, but rather all the hundreds of tons of parts that the owners don't bother to haul to swap meets because they probably won't sell.  The swap meet parts are for the most part the shiny bits and bobs that people figure will sell.  Often at home is a much larger stash of old car parts, as often as not all the heavy, dirty , large and awkward stuff. These parts will sometimes sell to friends and others that know about them, however few people drag a bunch of 1920's / 30's, non-Ford mechanical parts out more than once or twice. 

 When the owner ultimately leaves the hobby one way or another , these parts are frequently scrapped as no one other than the person who collected or dismantled the parts cars knows what they fit.

 

Greg in Canada

Edited January 7, 2019 by 1912Staver (see edit history)