Classic cars: impossible on a limited budget?

[tbm3fan]

Now wait a moment, that is a great collection, and impressive work you've done as well. But what about the tool expense? I mean do you have a machine shop? I just have some sockets, wrenches, jacks, and a drill. Painting a whole honking car yourself? Doing upholstery? Sounds like a life-long hobby for sure, but what is the tool expense here?

Been collecting tools since 1970.

I only do upholstery in something like a Mustang which you can buy all done and you install. For the truck I take to a professional down the street from me who works out of his garage and have known quite some time.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

That car is in Canada. Can't you tell by all the maple leaves?

We have a maple tree (love them) here in the yard at : 29.95N 90.07E. LOL Its HOT too even this time o year! LOL

 

[350Rocket]

Cutlass and Buick Regals back then (both from GMC) had very similar front ends. That is a Cutlass I guess?
I can tell you in most states , they will issue you an "antique vehicle" plate and exempt you from regular inspections etc... if your car is over 25 years old.

I get the cheap "historic" license which costs $17 a year vs 120 but I still have regular insurance as I drive it regularly. It's still cheap as a second car though. Mine is an 84 Cutlass if you're referring to my picture.

 

[350Rocket]

That car is in Canada. Can't you tell by all the maple leaves?

Yep our property is mostly maples here is what the morning is starting to look like.....I have to keep an eye on the forecast and see when it's going to snow. I park the car for winter as soon as they might salt the roads.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Bet there are well over 100 differences between a G-Body Old's Cutlass & Buick Regal. The divider between the grilles is a textbook Oldsmobile trait.

That is a Cutlass I guess?

oops? Sorry, I am cursed. I like ALL cars and am not brand biased. I would take a classic Cutlass or Buick in a minute for a collectable. One of my all time favorites is the super rare Pontiac LeMans Sport coupe named Can Am. Performance wise a late 70s "smog-era" snoozer but the body is all SPORTs! Plus any car can be turned into a performer if you got time and money.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

I didn't have the coin for a 1st Gen Camaro, so I opted for a 2nd Gen and did the best I could...View attachment 76274View attachment 76275

I owned a 1977 Z/28 at one time. I sold it and bought a 1968 Impala fastback.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

I owned a 1977 Z/28 at one time. I sold it and bought a 1968 Impala fastback.

1968 Fastbacks = sweeeet. What engine? Did you know that some lucky in the know people were able to use the Chevrolet Fleet rules to order a
1967 or 1968 as a COPO 427 cui with aluminum heads back then!? Those are hell on wheels and so rare they bring a bank load at auctions.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

1968 Fastbacks = sweeeet. What engine? Did you know that some lucky in the know people were able to use the Chevrolet Fleet rules to order a
1967 or 1968 as a COPO 427 cui with aluminum heads back then!? Those are hell on wheels and so rare they bring a bank load at auctions.

Yep, I knew all about the 427 COPO.
This is one of those little old man and little old lady church only cars. It came with a 327/275 HP, Turbo 400, and a 3:73 12 bolt posi. The seats were covered in plastic. It had 37K original miles. It was a cream puff. I sold my 77 Z/28 for $5600 and bought the Impala for $2500.
My brother and I used bleach, water, and trans fluid to do burn outs! It was very colorful. After the tires finally blew out I put Uniroyal Tiger Paw tires all around (from my uncles Uniroyal tire store).

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Yep, I knew all about the 427 COPO.
This is one of those little old man and little old lady church only cars. It came with a 327/275 HP, Turbo 400, and a 3:73 12 bolt posi. The seats were covered in plastic. It had 37K original miles. It was a cream puff. I sold my 77 Z/28 for $5600 and bought the Impala for $2500.
My brother and I used bleach, water, and trans fluid to do burn outs! It was very colorful. After the tires finally blew out I put Uniroyal Tiger Paw tires all around (from my uncles Uniroyal tire store).

LOL. I helped influence my Grandfather in 67 or 68 to buy the Impala with the same 327cui/275hp and it was sweet. Only problem was I was not old enough to get my hands on it. Those 327 engines were really good ones. They were an option in the original 1965 Chevelle.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

LOL. I helped influence my Grandfather in 67 or 68 to buy the Impala with the same 327cui/275hp and it was sweet. Only problem was I was not old enough to get my hands on it. Those 327 engines were really good ones. They were an option in the original 1965 Chevelle.

My Impala was Seafrost Green. Ugly as sin color! The only thing I did to the engine was install a Comp Xtreme cam & lifters and a Petronix distributor. I installed a B&M 3K stall Holeshot converter in the trans. It ran like a Raped Ape!

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

sweet..... we had the butt ugly beige one. Great cruiser on the highways.

 

[350Rocket]

sweet..... we had the butt ugly beige one. Great cruiser on the highways.

My favorite year of impala is 1966, but I wouldn't call any of them "butt ugly". Lol

 

[PF52]

We had a '68 Impala when I was a kid.... Four-door with no posts. I remember being fascinated by the "futuristic"-looking dash (mainly the round AC vents) and vowed it would be my car some day. Sadly it became a beater due to my parents less-than-stellar maintenance habits and they traded it away about a week before I started my H.S. drivers-ed classes.

 

[joekingcorvette]

If I had a lower budget I would buy a used Corvette from 1985 to 1996. They are the models with the clamshell hood and are very easy to work on and maintain. The engine is right there when you open the hood and everything is exposed. The GM V8's are very reliable and parts are easy to get. Buy the best one you can find and pay a little more money. Find one that needs almost nothing for paint, interior or repairs. Buy it right and when you sell it if you are lucky you will break even and get to enjoy the car for free basically. Make sure you get full coverage insurance at the appraised value of the car. If you can afford it get the 1996 since it's the last year of the C4 or generation 4 and has the most improvements. Let us know what you buy or are looking at. I was watching Barret Jackson the other day and they were saying what a good investment the C4 Corvettes are to own. These cars were very expensive when brand new just like the new Corvette's are today.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

If I had a lower budget I would buy a used Corvette from 1985 to 1996. They are the models with the clamshell hood and are very easy to work on and maintain. The engine is right there when you open the hood and everything is exposed. The GM V8's are very reliable and parts are easy to get. Buy the best one you can find and pay a little more money. Find one that needs almost nothing for paint, interior or repairs. Buy it right and when you sell it if you are lucky you will break even and get to enjoy the car for free basically. Make sure you get full coverage insurance at the appraised value of the car. If you can afford it get the 1996 since it's the last year of the C4 or generation 4 and has the most improvements. Let us know what you buy or are looking at. I was watching Barret Jackson the other day and they were saying what a good investment the C4 Corvettes are to own. These cars were very expensive when brand new just like the new Corvette's are today.

One problem with the C4 Corvettes is the electronic instrument panel. New ones are no longer made, so you'll have to get refurbished ones from the aftermarket. If the instrument panel fails, it usually bricks the car. C5s have the same potential problem. Aren't electronics fun?

 

[JavierH19]

Lol i like the gigachad pfp

 

[eljefino]

I've got less than $4k into my 1966 Chevy Biscayne.

Depending on who you ask, I've "butchered" it, but they sold more than a million Biscaynes, Bel-Airs, Impalas, and Caprices in that year. It was about the most popular car!

It was moldy inside when I got it so I stripped the headliner and carpet. Took the front seat, chopped the frame, and put some modern Tahoe seats in. "Reupholstered" the rear seat by stripping it to the springs, putting 2" foam from walmart on, duck cloth, and zip ties for hog rings.

Under the hood sits a chinese HEI distributor (worthwhile over points) and 2-pot master cylinder to make it not completely unsafe. It has period-incorrect 15" Camaro aluminum rims with 205-65r15 radials. The rims themselves are 30+ years old, so now... I feel old.

This thing has the regular crank windows, vent windows with their own cute little cranks, and cowl ventilation!

The body and frame are solid as anything. It got repainted but "something happened" and parts of the paint got ruined.

It has the base 6-cylinder and 2-speed Powerglide tranny, but isn't that bad to drive. It'll do 70 plus on the highway. The worst thing is it has no sway bars, so it rocks back and forth on two axis-- hard to describe.

If I were vain I could get it repainted and it would look amazing, until you saw my rat rod interior.

I take it out for ice cream, I don't care if the kids spill stuff in it. I leave it unlocked, park it where I feel like it. It turns heads! I'd hate to have a nicer car I had to worry about.

 

[350Rocket]

I've got less than $4k into my 1966 Chevy Biscayne.

Depending on who you ask, I've "butchered" it, but they sold more than a million Biscaynes, Bel-Airs, Impalas, and Caprices in that year. It was about the most popular car!

It was moldy inside when I got it so I stripped the headliner and carpet. Took the front seat, chopped the frame, and put some modern Tahoe seats in. "Reupholstered" the rear seat by stripping it to the springs, putting 2" foam from walmart on, duck cloth, and zip ties for hog rings.

Under the hood sits a chinese HEI distributor (worthwhile over points) and 2-pot master cylinder to make it not completely unsafe. It has period-incorrect 15" Camaro aluminum rims with 205-65r15 radials. The rims themselves are 30+ years old, so now... I feel old.

This thing has the regular crank windows, vent windows with their own cute little cranks, and cowl ventilation!

The body and frame are solid as anything. It got repainted but "something happened" and parts of the paint got ruined.

It has the base 6-cylinder and 2-speed Powerglide tranny, but isn't that bad to drive. It'll do 70 plus on the highway. The worst thing is it has no sway bars, so it rocks back and forth on two axis-- hard to describe.

If I were vain I could get it repainted and it would look amazing, until you saw my rat rod interior.

I take it out for ice cream, I don't care if the kids spill stuff in it. I leave it unlocked, park it where I feel like it. It turns heads! I'd hate to have a nicer car I had to worry about.

That's the best looking year IMO. One of my dream cars is a 66 Impala 4 door in black.

 

[SammyChevelleTypeS3]

Educate me on classic cars. I have been itching for a classic car. I want to have one machine in my possession that is my toy, unlike my economy cars which I care little for.

I don’t want a fast sports car, or loud muscle car.

I want a stylish car. To me, 70s and older cars have style much beyond modern cars, probably because safety and aerodynamics didn’t take precedence in those years. But the style of the Bel Aire, Star Chief, etc are artistic marvels to me. I love their interiors especially.

Is it possible to own one of these for sub $10k? I don’t need an iconic car like a Bel Aire, but something with style iconic of the decade. All I want is weekend reliability, functioning AC and a reasonably clean interior and paint job.

I am mechanically inclined. I have repaired a carburetor and swapped an engine, but have done no body work.

Does anyone have experience owning a classic car?


View attachment 76221

They just showed a 1980 Pontiac Firebird Formula on Mecom auctions that was amazing looking. Don't know the back story if it was a "survivor car" or a "rebuilt" but it actually had the look of original paint (really good shape) and it sold for $13,000. For the shape it "showed" up in I would say the buyer got a hell of a deal. It looked almost identical to this one. Same color but you could tell some mods to the paint and emblems. So, there are really good and amazing deals a person could stumble upon looking for a classic car with about $10,000 to $15,000 and even some less. A lot depends on if the model and year is "collectible" or highly sought after.

 

[Kurtatron]

I've got less than $4k into my 1966 Chevy Biscayne.

Depending on who you ask, I've "butchered" it, but they sold more than a million Biscaynes, Bel-Airs, Impalas, and Caprices in that year. It was about the most popular car!

It was moldy inside when I got it so I stripped the headliner and carpet. Took the front seat, chopped the frame, and put some modern Tahoe seats in. "Reupholstered" the rear seat by stripping it to the springs, putting 2" foam from walmart on, duck cloth, and zip ties for hog rings.

Under the hood sits a chinese HEI distributor (worthwhile over points) and 2-pot master cylinder to make it not completely unsafe. It has period-incorrect 15" Camaro aluminum rims with 205-65r15 radials. The rims themselves are 30+ years old, so now... I feel old.

This thing has the regular crank windows, vent windows with their own cute little cranks, and cowl ventilation!

The body and frame are solid as anything. It got repainted but "something happened" and parts of the paint got ruined.

It has the base 6-cylinder and 2-speed Powerglide tranny, but isn't that bad to drive. It'll do 70 plus on the highway. The worst thing is it has no sway bars, so it rocks back and forth on two axis-- hard to describe.

If I were vain I could get it repainted and it would look amazing, until you saw my rat rod interior.

I take it out for ice cream, I don't care if the kids spill stuff in it. I leave it unlocked, park it where I feel like it. It turns heads! I'd hate to have a nicer car I had to worry about.

This here is what I’m looking for! I am not looking for numbers matching, historical correctness, and authenticity, just a sweet ride that runs and looks good on the outside and the inside! Awesome example.

I love the idea of not caring if people spill on the seats. So much less stress that way. I think this is the route I want to take in the future