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1940’s dodge luxury liner mostly complete


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Those are good questions, we believe we have the title. It’s probably a little heavy since it’s complete with motor and transmission. We are not looking to retire with the sale off this piece, I’m looking to get much more detailed pictures of the engine and interior. It ran when was parked many many years ago. Just looking for a ballpark figure really to start on.

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As others have said, being a two-door may be a bonus.  First step is to get it out of where it is; making sure the tires do stay up and hold air.  And then, thoroughly clean it up inside and out.  If you say it 'ran when parked' do your best to get it running.  True, it may cost a couple hundred in parts and a battery, but it may net a couple thousand more than one would get trying to sell it as seen in the photos.

 

Craig

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I've always thought these were pretty cool cars! If it actually runs and can move under its own power that's a huge bonus. Do you know the story behind this one and why it was parked? Just thinking it may run but there may be other things wrong. In my opinion, a project is much more desirable if you can actually drive it onto the trailer - it means a lot of the really expensive parts are still good. Of course, seeing how much rust there is and the condition of interior pieces is important too.

 

By the way @JACK M, Hemmings says a 1941 Luxury Liner weights about 3,149 pounds.

Edited by AL1630 (see edit history)
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Value? Chances are you have a parts car there. Vehicles that have sat for long periods of time down on the ground in damp environments typically aren't good restoration candidates because they have usually rusted beyond repair. It's a good bet the rockers, running boards, interior floor, section underneath the trunk lid  & trunk floor are all in bad shape. From what I can see the glass has delaminated and will need replaced. The engine has probably seized too as the mechanicals don't like damp environments either. Also there's a reason why someone abandoned it out there in the first place. You can drag it out of the woods and evaluate it to see what you have but I think you'll end up selling it to someone else as a parts car. It would be a pretty ambitious restoration to say the least.

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2 hours ago, AL1630 said:

 

By the way @JACK M, Hemmings says a 1941 Luxury Liner weights about 3,149 pounds.

 

I was being kind of derogatory, I have not hauled scrap for quite some time so will crunch some numbers.

3149 lbs. and National average for scrap metal today (5/24/2021) is $157 per ton, would net about $247 in scrap. 

If the right guy came along that happened to need parts I guess it would be worth more.

 

It looks to have at least one hub cap and a trim ring. (so maybe a set)?

Wasn't there some one here looking for original wheels recently?

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9 minutes ago, JACK M said:

 

I was being kind of derogatory, I have not hauled scrap for quite some time so will crunch some numbers.

3149 lbs. and National average for scrap metal today (5/24/2021) is $157 per ton, would net about $247 in scrap. 

If the right guy came along that happened to need parts I guess it would be worth more.

 

It looks to have at least one hub cap and a trim ring. (so maybe a set)?

Wasn't there some one here looking for original wheels recently?

The best bet might be to pull the good parts off and just get rid of the rest depending on rust. Of course, it's hard to tell without more detailed photos.

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I have sold quite a few cars like that to support my own hobby over the years. It is all in the presentation. Showing it sunken into the ground with the drip rails full of stuff and outside with a broken window will get the least amount of money, usually what I would pay if I wanted a quick few bucks and it was near.

I would make this conversation, pictures, and anything related to the idea disappear tonight.

 

Move it a minimum of 3 feet and fill in the imprint in the dirt or pull it into a garage. Clean the car like it was going to the neighborhood cruise night. Make anything that will shine reflect the smiles of treasure hunters. Lubricate everything. Wipe the engine bay down with WD-40 just to make it look damp like maybe it was used and leaked. Clean and vacuum the spiders and ants out. Shine the chrome on the dash. Use some nice fresh tape and put a piece of cardboard over the broken window.

The paint won't shine but you can give it a luster by wiping it down with kerosene. Dry it well and it will look lots better. Body guys I know cringe when they see me do that but they never refuse my offer to buy coffee with the profits.

Put air in the tires. If they are too rotted support the car so it is level and tell them it needs tires. Just make it look as good and shiny as you can. And like you really cared about it.

 

Many times such a car has come my way for $500 or $600. With a few hours over two days I could get something like $1800 to $2400 for it.

 

Like it sits it looks like no one cares at all for it. Make it look like you are parting with something of value. You know, there are some people out there who will grind up soy beans and tell you it's steak. If you are sweating bullets to get the last nickle it is a hard sell. But if you treat it like sport you can have fun and make some money.

 

I am old enough to share my secrets now. Gotta go, I'm following up on a $900 Chevy Avalanche after supper. Need a few bucks for Summer!

Edited by 60FlatTop (see edit history)
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I’m not looking to get rich off of this. I know it looks bad and probably is, I was just looking for suggestions on its value the way it is or if parts would be better way to go. Thanks but please keep the criticism to a low amount if you please. I could be a diamond in the rough to the right person...

Edited by Todd with the old dodge (see edit history)
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Since you asked for help on his forum and In fairness to both you and the experienced (and inexperienced) people that read this I suggest you remove all the pine needles and leaves from around the car and then pull it out of its current resting place. (It's gonna have to come out of there anyway if you want to sell it). With everything exposed take some pictures to establish the condition, include shots of the sides, back, interior and inside the trunk and engine compartment. Find out if the engine turns and determine whether or not you actually have a title for the vehicle. It is always helpful to state your location in case anyone's interested. The more information you can provide the better as this will help determine the vehicle's value and fate. 

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5 minutes ago, JACK M said:

I guess I missed any criticism.

All I see are opinions related to the question asked.


He might be referring to the weight references,  but as these threads go this is fairly polite.  
 

Unless you value your time at 10 cents an hour I would do the minimum to get it rolling and cleaned up.   If someone will give you 500-600 as is take it.  Else take some of the best parts off and sell the rest as scrap.

 

good luck.

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6 hours ago, alsancle said:

If someone will give you 500-600 as is take it.

My point was an honest description of what I would do with a $400 to $500 car, increasing seller awareness rather than criticism. And I inferred that your own time to take those simple steps is worth about $100 per hour. I find that to be easily true to the limit of about 25 to 30 hours. It's a pocket change thing I remember my Dad doing. But he would have been just as happy being the only sober person at a Euchre table.

 

If you want to minimize your time investment yet create a compelling presentation you could have some pull it up onto a car trailer for a photo shoot. I see a lot of that type of promotion these days. I am inclined to stay in my own rut of doing things so I haven't explored the intrigue of the trailer pose thing. Maybe it works better.

 

Another minimal investment ploy is to take a picture of a different car with the Dodge partially hidden in the background. That will always get interest flowing. You can test how that works. Just take a picture with a non-topic item in the background when you have coffee with friends. They will almost always be oblivious to the topic and have questions about the background item.

 

This is true stuff gleaned from over 60 years in the hobby.

 

Oh, the diamond in the rough comment gave me pause. You do keep your diamonds in the house, don't you/

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