Another classic car "barn find"

[Slater]

What does it cost to restore something like this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jH63HovhGvA

[T2C]

A family member restores old cars as a hobby, and he does body work and painting himself. He farms out engine and transmission rebuilds.

The cheapest restoration that he has done over the past 25 years was about $40,000.

[glocktogo]

It's almost impossible to tell what a full frame off (actually frame on in the case of a unibody Mustang) restoration will cost in the case of that Shelby, until all the paint, rust and any body filler have been removed The biggest costs are straightening, filling holes and surface prep on all metal parts, followed by paint itself. Based on the as is condition of that particular Shelby, an award winning concourse quality restoration could run $100-150K.

The real question is whether the condition makes restoration practical, and in the case of an early '65 GT350, the answer is an unqualified yes. They're running over $300K fully restored, WITHOUT provenance.

Personally I'd be more interested in the '65 K code GT down in the basement. A driver quality restoration on it could run $20K w/o paint, 40-50K with (absent any serious collision damage underneath). Those are selling for $60-120K these days, and I'd rather have one I wasn't terrified to drive on the weekends down winding public roads.

[Pacific5th]

The K car next to it is the real treasure.

[Artos]

Y'all see the the $4,000,000 experimental 350R that sold at mecum the other day...

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/1965-fo...cord-4-million

[glocktogo]

Y'all see the the $4,000,000 experimental 350R that sold at mecum the other day...

https://www.foxnews.com/auto/1965-fo...cord-4-million

Yep. Prototype racers and cars with proven track winning provenance have skyrocketed in the past few years.

[HMM]

I wouldn't want a rare one like that, my neighbor has a 67 GT500 that his wife's parents had when she was a baby. The thing has never been out of his garage in the last 15 years, just sits on jack stands. I'd want a driver with some modern creature comforts; rack and pinion steering, late model engine swap and probably a minor tub to allow for some wider tires. And a bluetooth radio...lol

But I wouldn't turn that one down if I found it! Would probably sell it to fund the driver car. I sold my 68 fastback and I've kicked myself ever since. Sold it for 7,500 (it was in similar shape but just a numbers matching 289 and didn't have a hood). I wanted a 65-66 model but never pulled the trigger and now they are so high!

[1_click_off]

I had a 66 coupe with a 302 block, k code 289 heads, edelbrock intake, Holley 600 double pumper and a world class t-5 from a late model mustang. 3.80 gears and that thing would run high 13’s. I loved that car. Some joker talking on a cell phone ran a red light and I t-boned him.

[glocktogo]

Used to be modded classics were a dime a dozen. Over the past 15 years, restomods with allmodcons (all modern conveniences) have skyrocketed too. Some of them bring more money at auction than a comparable all original, concours grade restoration.

When I was young I had a ‘66 A code GT notchback with a top loader 4 speed manual, front disc brakes, rally pack and fog lights. I still miss that car, but in the mid-80’s it was an expensive car to maintain on a meager salary. Not to mention nos parts were drying up and the aftermarket hadn’t yet gotten into producing oem parts very much.

I keep thinking I’d love to get a base ‘66 2+2 and restomod it, but with how much one with a straight body brings plus the cost of the mods, I could have a brand new 10 spd GT PP1 with magneride and active exhaust. Heart me wants the OG pony car, head me knows the new car is a more pragmatic choice.

[Business_Casual]

I wouldn't want a rare one like that, my neighbor has a 67 GT500 that his wife's parents had when she was a baby. The thing has never been out of his garage in the last 15 years, just sits on jack stands. I'd want a driver with some modern creature comforts; rack and pinion steering, late model engine swap and probably a minor tub to allow for some wider tires. And a bluetooth radio...lol

But I wouldn't turn that one down if I found it! Would probably sell it to fund the driver car. I sold my 68 fastback and I've kicked myself ever since. Sold it for 7,500 (it was in similar shape but just a numbers matching 289 and didn't have a hood). I wanted a 65-66 model but never pulled the trigger and now they are so high!

Yeah I drove old cars in real time and I would rather have EFI, air bags, disk brakes, etc. Classics are fun to look at but there’s a reason for crumple zones and foam padding…

Trying to start a worn-out Quadrajet in -20F isn’t fun. I think I’ll start an old car thread.