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Need opinion!

4K views 33 replies 13 participants last post by  Knights2theEnd 
#1 ·
A man offered me a 73vette and 74vette together for 7grand... the 73vette has no rust on its frame, perfect body, no accidents, the bird cage is perfect, all corners of the frame are in very good condition, the seller told me that he has all the parts to the car except for the engine itself, because of this he has offered me his 74vette together for the price because the 74vette comes with a rebuilt 350 engine that has a alternator, all the pumps, and etc. This 74vette is in bad condition but the engine looks very good with not alot of rust... also the interior of the 73vette is average.... I would love to know from some one that knows alot more than me if this sale is good or not. So is it? or is not?
 
#2 ·
If the only good thing about the 74 is the engine I don't know you still have to pay the labor to R&R the engine (unless you can do the work yourself but then you need to subtract your labor and time from the over all price) and then it wont be a matching numbers car meaning value goes down. I'd offer a little less because no matter what you will for sure find something else wrong with the '73

I'll be interested to see what other people say about this.
 
#3 ·
thank you for the message. No, not only the engine from the 74vette is good, windows, the rims which as i remember have some very good value, which are original racing rims called something that i dont remember, "tracy" or something, i dont remember. Its just that the body is rusted, and tires are cracked and im not looking into reparing the 74, im using it as a parts car. Also im not looking into selling the vette either, im only 15 years old and i got time to learn and work on it before i can drive. Also the seller told me that he'd give me this book that showed hundreds on pages of blue prints, also he tolded me he would happily come on sundays to help me out and ALSO he told me that if i dont ruin the car, i could sell it back to him for 500 dollars less. but I DONT KNOW, to me, it kind seems to good to be true. So basically i have the parts from the 73 and 74 and the engine from the 74, a perfect body and frame from the 73. Personally i think that i could transfer the engine and some parts to the 73, and sell the rest from the 74. i really just dont know, thank you again. Your opinion helps alot
 
#4 ·
I don't know I guess you have the know how and it isn't or wont be your daily driver why not.( Ck with your insurance company to get an estamate on how much it will cost you when you turn 16. I was going to buy one when I was 16 and insurance was more than the car payment Just an FYI) Wait and see what other people would say.
If he said he would buy it back he should pay you the extra $500.00 That's just my opinion. Un less you didn't or couldn't switch the engine over.
 
#6 · (Edited)
So what you're looking at is a running car and a parts car for $7000. If you put the 350" engine into the '73, would it be a decent car? After your labor to swap the engine, you would have a running '73 that cost you $7000, and a car that is good only for it's parts. Then what would you do with the parts car? Try to sell it for a few bucks? Or keep it with the idea you MAY need some parts off of it someday? Figure on having to put at least $1000 more dollars into the '73 to get the interior aced up. Corvette parts are pretty expensive. Before you jump into the deal, check around and see what you'd have to pay for a decent '73 that doesn't need any additional work. Because you may have a real hard time trying to sell the '74 without any engine AND in bad condition.
 
#7 ·
I'd buy the two build the 73 to look and run new.Sell off the parts from the 74 to finance the 73 rebuild.Get your license and insurance and drive the 73 like ya stole it.And if you cant afford the insurance then store the 73 till you can.Or sell it for 7k and get all your money back.In this deal you wont stand to lose as long as you dont deal with the guy that sold these to you.Plus your only 15 theres many cars to go before the end of your trail.I'm 54 and driving number 44 in my life.
 
#8 ·
Not having seen either car its hard to say, however, consider the price of any parts you don t have between the two, such as interior , they are not cheap. Its easy to spend several grand very quickly restoring these cars, and if you have to hire someone to do the major swaps, thats a lot of labor.You could easily excede the price you could get a nice driver for without all the hassle and problems you almost certainly will encounter combining two cars.
 
#9 ·
Thank you everyone for your opinions, they are extremely helpful. I am planning on doing it myself, im not hiring anyone at all. The seller seemed to compare himself to me, when he was my age. The seller knows his stuff, hes worked on vettes for 40years, and knows everything inside and out. He told me that he would easily take out the engine, put it in the 73 and sell it for atleast 10k...the biggest thing he he mentions is how the 73vette has a perfect frame and body which is true, he has all the parts to the 73, except the engine itself. Theres no need to redue the paint because theres absolutely barely any marks. Now the 74vette has a good looking engine, he told me that the pervious owner had rebuilt it, the bird cage is OK, body is rusted about 30% of the car, interior of the 74 is basically crap, nothing can really be restored, windows are good, is also has nice chrome tips for the pipes...now the interior of the 73 is OK, one similar thing between both cars is that...all the tires from both cars would have to be replaced.... THIS IS MY PLAN if i buy the cars... remove the chasis or however you spell it from the frame of the 73... sand it, repaint it and etc, install the best brakes, power steering rodes, caliburs and etc, best wheels too for now and etc etc... then put the frame back on, check the engine from the other car if it runs, replace what needs to be replace, put the engine back in, put everything back together, and done.... and maybe in the future buy some seats and tires and sell the rest of the other parts.... YEAA, i really dont know haha, theres waaaay more things that have to be done of course, but i hope you get my point, sorry about mentioning the same things over and over again...thank you again! please respond!
 
#13 ·
Keep in mind that different states have different restrictions on how a car can be driven if it's registered as a historic vehicle. I don't know what state you're in, but I'd check that out too.
 
#12 ·
Good for you. It sounds like a good deal to me and you're learning important lessons along the way. Keep us up to date on your progress. :thumbsup::thumbsup:
 
#15 ·
If the 73 is that good then I would take the deal and then see if I could sell the 74 for enough to have a nice engine in 73. just because someone said that someone did this doesn't mean they did. save your self the heart ache of engine swap and sell 74 get a nice motor and trans. even if you part it out. your young soyou have plenty of time.
Adam
 
#16 ·
I am not a Vette expert or tech and have had my '84 Vette for 12 years. The deal sound fine if you can switch the engine your self and like to restore the whole car.
 
#18 ·
almost too good to be true. if you really worried about where you are going to keep them, as much as I hate to see a good deal go away, my advice is to let this one pass. you said that the frame and birdcage of the 73 are perfect, so if you have no place to put them are you just going to let both of them sit in the rain and snow. How long before the decent interior of that 73 turns to bad, because the wheather stripping needs replacing and the seats got soaked. Or the tires leaked all the air out and the rims get a flat spots from sitting too long. Remeber as said before Vette parts aren't cheap and a car like that, is going to take a lot to keep up. As soon as you fix one thing something else will break. Its just part of the game. But it does seem like a good deal. If you missing an engine the best bet is just to buy the 73 and then buy a crate motor to put in it. That way you not worried about storaing an extra car for the parts that you "MIGHT" someday need. either way let us know. It sure does seem like a fun project.
 
#19 ·
Sound's like your thinking the right way. I have a 1980 and the previous owner put a crate engine in it. That is better than the stock that came with it. I wish he had put a Jasper in it instead, but it is better than the stock.

I bought mine last April. I have been working on this car since I got it. I have an easy 3k into it now. That is just basic upgrades to the engine and fixing/replacing parts. The engine is almost where I want it. I figure about another 1200 and the performance that I want, I will be there. Next, is the interior. As said earlier, that is about another 1k.

I like the idea of just buying a new engine and having the one car. Good luck. :D
 
#21 ·
see the biggest problem is that, i only have 7 grand, my parents are not gunna put on cent into helping me so i want to be sure that if i do buy the 74, the engine will run, of course theres gunna be many problems along the way BUT im hoping parts from both cars will help and reduce the cost of replacments
 
#23 · (Edited)
Can you hear the engine run in the '74? If you can't I would go for the deal but maybe just get the '73. Plus if he is willing to come over and help every so often do the major things first because it will soon become your car and you will be all alone or grap a few of your buddies and learn together. Also have a grown up come with you that knows alot about cars. It will be better get get bad news now than later. Or you can hire a mechanic the $100.00 investment might payoff alot in the end.
 
#25 · (Edited)
Well, i called up my uncle, which lives in poland and he owns a 76 and sold another 76, both cars have matching numbers. I just called him recently, he told me it might be a good offer, but if i do switch the 74 engine into the 73, he said the overall price of its worth will go down and i wont make as much money as i wanted if i did plan on selling the car.As you see, hes more into buying everything original and keeping it for a long time then selling it for big bucks. Currently hes working on a Model T Ford from 1918, original paint and everything, crazy uncle haha. Though, im not looking into selling the vette if i do buy it. I would want to make it into a daily car, thats why i think it would b a good thing to start out from a nice unrusted frame and a perfect no accident body, bird cage is great, also under by the rear wheels there no damage at all, ALSO the side strips where the hood meets the body of the car is perfectly straight and basically seem untouched... really to me, this deal almost seems too good to be true, and its confusing me haha
 
#26 ·
Maybe this is something to think about. Mine, as I said, is a 1980. It's not a pace car or a anniversary car. Nothing real special about it. So, too me, it isn't as important to have all the matching numbers. This allows me to make it my own. The way I want it. Just a thought. ;)
 
#27 ·
Did I hear correctly that you only have 7k and you folks arn't going to help ya at all. If thats the case I think you need to take a look around this site and also take a look around the different parts suppliers, (zip products, eklers, corvette central, mid america) Look at the cost of parts. Yeah a solid frame and body are a great place to start but if you buy both cars for 7k now your out of money. even if the other engine runs great your going to need other parts to swap that engine and that costs money. ie exhaust gaskets, oil filters thermostat, and such. I just redid my brakes completely and that cost me almost a grand. this is the kind of project that you could get over 10k invested in real quick and still find things wrong everyday. You seem like a smart young man at least your doing a little reserch before you jump in. If I were you I let this deal go. from your previous post you said your uncle is in poland, so I'm guessing your somewhere in the EU. Parts are even harder to find over here. And the driving is much harder, roads are smaller and gas is way more expensive. you'll have to get a very good job to be able to afford this project.
 
#28 ·
No actually, I live in New Jersey, not in the European Union. If I do buy both cars, I will be out of money until my parents pay me back since they had to borrow my money to pay of the mortgage, then ill be left with about 1grand. Thank you every one for your time to write back, its very helpful. Though I think im gunna buy both cars, the 74 engine seems rebuilt, it has all the parts, and with all the parts from the 73vette, i feel like i can look throughout both cars if i need something, and the seller seems like a very nice guy, but you never know :/ He lives only 13mins away from me and told me he would transport both cars for free, he'd give me a book filled with blue prints which will be VERY useful. I have worked on other cars before so the maintance and labor doesnt concern me one bit. Id like to take off the chasis and work from there, sand the frame, paint it, work on the brake lines, caliburs of the brakes, fix up the gas tank if there are any holes or whatever. Install the best brake disces from either vettes, or buy new ones, for now put on the best tires with the least cracks, clean up the interior of the car, put the chasis back on, check if the engine runs, put the engine in the 73vette, put in the best parts from both cars and turn that baby on. BUT of course saying and doing things are two different things, that just what i would have planned on doing. ALso along the way, when i transfer the engine, id call the seller to come over with his "Cherry Drop" as he, or people call it, to help me put in the engine. And if i have any problems id ask him and what not. This seller actually worked on vettes for 40 years, and has about 25 vettes right now, some which even are selling for over 50 grand, so he really knows his stuff. He also told me he would take me to these shows where i could buy the whole interior for like 500 dollars. He really seems like a nice guy and all, but you never know whos who. If he'd really buy the vette back for 500 dollars less than i think i should take this offer and go for it. Of course 500 bucks isnt great to lose but id learn so much from this. He told me, all you need is knowledge and you really got to put your heart into it. He told me he was going to put that 74 engine into the 73 and sell the 73 for atleast 10grand. Thank you all again, sorry for mentioning things waaay more than twice, I just want to make sure im not leaving anything out and that you guys understand clearly what kind of an offer this is nad id love to hear more of your opinions! thank you!
 
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