Can anyone recommend a mechanic in Brooklyn?

"cletus44 aka Clayton Seams" (cletus44)
05/17/2016 at 09:07 • Filed to: None

I need a PPI on a ‘69 Corvette. I’m pretty excited about this one.

DISCUSSION (38)

McMike > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 09:19

I haven’t seen a fender that broken since the Monterey Pop Festival.

Kinja'd!!!

KyleA > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 09:25

ABC Collision & Auto Repair. Corner of Carroll Street & 4th Avenue. Outstanding shop.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > McMike
05/17/2016 at 09:25

That’s probably what happened to it. I’ll be buying one of these if I choose this car: http://www.zip-corvette.com/68-82-c3/body-…

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > KyleA
05/17/2016 at 09:26

Awesome! Thanks so much. Will check them out.

Michael Ballaban > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 09:29

Raph certainly can (whenever he gets into the office grumble grumble...) or hit up ex-Jalop Ben Preston on Twitter !

camaroboy68ss > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 09:38

rear end looks pushed forward. the rear tire is off center in the well

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Michael Ballaban
05/17/2016 at 09:41

Double thanks!

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > camaroboy68ss
05/17/2016 at 09:42

Uh oh. That could be major trouble. Rest of the photos are here. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1918723720…

What do you think?

StingrayJake > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 09:50

Intriguing. Will you restore or turn it into something else? Either way, I want weekly updates.

Flavien Vidal > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 09:50

The way those rear wheels are fitted something has to be seriously wrong with it... I’d say “run away while you still can” lol :)

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > StingrayJake
05/17/2016 at 09:58

I’ll be updating constantly IF it happens. A lot of work to do before I drop 15k on a project car. It’ll be a mild period SCCA racer build. unmuffled side pipes, torq thrust wheels, wide tires, stock body, mild 427 with ~450 hp and only mildly tweaked suspension. It will remain period correct too.

jminer > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 10:01

It doesn’t look like it is worth $15k to me, but I’m not a corvette guy.

I’d be worried that the engine and transmission have never been run from the look of it.

Also the body looks to need to serious work, it can be hard to find someone good who will work on fiberglass.

I bet it’d cost you the purchase price again to get it finished and looking good if you’re paying someone else to do the work.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > Flavien Vidal
05/17/2016 at 10:01

It is curious. Possibly unsettled suspension? it has a new suspension but has never been driven on the new springs/bushings.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > jminer
05/17/2016 at 10:03

Value is a relative and strange thing in the 60's corvette market. Eng hasn’t been run since rebuild. I agree on the cost. I’m budgeting about $25k to get it done from start to finish.

crowmolly > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 10:03

Smashed front end will be a PITA to fix. $$ too. I bet this has $15k+ needed in bodywork and trim.

This car has a build sheet though, and if it matches that’s good.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > crowmolly
05/17/2016 at 10:08

Needs one of these http://www.zip-corvette.com/68-82-c3/body-…

crowmolly > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 10:09

Right, but those parts are never just a bolt on and go. It is a reproduction and a replacement but they need work to finish and fit right.

This is why a lot of people will never buy fiberglass from anybody but Glasstek and VFN for muscle car era hoods and stuff. 200-300 more than the other vendors but it requires hours less of body shaping to look right.

Edit: I saw this is made by ACI, which is good, but it will still require work to fit. It’s made to fit the mold car, not yours.

Edit 2: The rear wheel situation could just be poorly shimmed rear trailing arms, untorqued fasteners, or something like that. Not a “run away” from the pictures IMO.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > crowmolly
05/17/2016 at 10:12

Yup, that’s the trade. And since I want the car to be black, it’ll have to be that much more precise. Ah old car joys.

StingrayJake > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 10:12

That sounds absolutely sexy.

Flavien Vidal > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 10:13

Nah unset suspensions would show the car with positive camber, not like this... Just this looks highly suspicious and could equal to a massively unstraight chassis, which could be the case considering that it has been in an accident before”restoration”

jminer > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 10:14

Sounds like you know what you’re getting into.

Good luck with it

crowmolly > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 10:17

That’s the rub. Pay less up front and you will pay more when it’s time for paint and body. Sometimes a lot more.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > StingrayJake
05/17/2016 at 10:21

That’s the dream! Been a long time coming and a long way to go.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > jminer
05/17/2016 at 10:22

I’m gonna need it

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > crowmolly
05/17/2016 at 10:23

Paint on a corvette is about 10-12k done right. A finished Corvette costs about 30-40. I think there’s room for an advantage there.

Birddog > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 10:24

From the ad.

The front clip needs some body work..

Some?

It looks like he didn’t align the body properly on the frame when it was re-set either. Pretty sloppy.

jminer > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 10:25

Yeah, you will. There’s the potential for a nice outcome in the end though.

The last vehicle I acquired that didn’t run didn’t cost me a dime, the one before that $250. I’m cheap and a glutton for punishment though ;)

crowmolly > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 10:30

Right, but I assume that’s just paint. That won’t include fiberglass repair or panel fitting. You want black, so this thing needs to be laser straight to not look like shit. That may be more coats of surfacer and more block sanding. You don’t want to spend 10k to have something that looks “pretty good”.

For a 427/390 papered car it is probably still worth it, no doubt. But the body estimate may be a bit low depending on what repairs it needs and also what parts are missing.

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > jminer
05/17/2016 at 10:39

Oh me too. I’ve bought and sold 8 cars before this and none of them were more than $3,000. This is my first “real” car and by far the largest purchase I’ve ever made.

My bird IS the word > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 10:56

Is the paint really that bad? I was under the impression that a good (maybe not concourse) quality paint job was 3-5000$? Not including bodywork. That is something I need done on the trans am at some point, I hope it's not that $$$

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > My bird IS the word
05/17/2016 at 11:09

The days of the $3,000 paitjob are gone. Even MAACO will charge around $5k for a full job. Corvette paint is pricey because a) its Corvette paint and b) it’s fiberglass

camaroboy68ss > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 12:19

The rear of the drivers door gap needs to be looked at, it’s wide at the top, looks really tight in the middle and more open at the bottom, so the indicates to me possible rear end damage and not loose hinges or minor shimming. Also the bottom of the description leads me to believe this car has no title. That’s a red flag to me if I were buying out of state because you need a title here in Oregon

camaroboy68ss > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 12:21

I think that might be a little low on the budget personally, depends on how much work you do yourself. You have to figure your going to have to redo a lot of what has been redone. Also know that the cars value is considerably lower once you replace the nose

cletus44 aka Clayton Seams > camaroboy68ss
05/17/2016 at 13:23

replacing the nose lowers value?

camaroboy68ss > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 13:39

Yeah, in terms of values on a corvette a car with replaced panels (especially aftermarket) really hurts the value($5-10k). It creates a lot of doubt and most buyers in the market will avoid the car like the plague. (I do the samething) When it comes to Corvettes the market is different. It has been changing lately but not a huge amount yet. On the Vette in question if the nose can’t just be repaired then look for another original nose, that’s your best bet at saving as much value as possible. Plus most aftermarket panel fit terrible and even with a lot of work would still be noticed and will cause problems down the line. I am not trying to sound discouraging but that’s just part of the corvette market that you don't expect when new to corvettes.

TheD0k_2many toys 2little time > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 13:43

1. Buy

2. Hoon as is.

3. ???

4.Profit

My bird IS the word > cletus44 aka Clayton Seams
05/17/2016 at 14:16

At $10,000 it seems to make more sense to do it yourself.

crowmolly > My bird IS the word
05/19/2016 at 14:22

I am currently spraying a car with PPG deltron and materials alone are over $3000.