Buying 1955 Chevy 210 4-door, comments wanted

Hi folks,

I've been looking for a mid-1950's Chevy to purchase as a project car,
and I recently found one in the local paper for $2500. It's a 1955
Chevy 210 4-door, and after talking to the owner, he said it's a
two-owner car, runs great, needs paint job, no rust but the floor pans
need replacing.

I used to own an older Chevy Impala which needed LOTS of TLC, but I'm
no expert to older cars. Though the owner says the engine runs great,
I'm sure that along with other parts of the car will need work.

I guess my reason for this post is I'm heading to see the car later
this week, and I want to know from other owners of similar cars what I
need to look for or ask. The guy said it has no body damage or bondo
under the paint, but I might take a magnet to test this in some areas.
Also, if the car is in good shape - no body damage, good engine, etc
- is $2500 fare for this?

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or comments... and take care,

Alex.

In article >,
says...
> Hi folks,
>
> I've been looking for a mid-1950's Chevy to purchase as a project car,
> and I recently found one in the local paper for $2500. It's a 1955
> Chevy 210 4-door, and after talking to the owner, he said it's a
> two-owner car, runs great, needs paint job, no rust but the floor pans
> need replacing.
>
> I used to own an older Chevy Impala which needed LOTS of TLC, but I'm
> no expert to older cars. Though the owner says the engine runs great,
> I'm sure that along with other parts of the car will need work.
>
> I guess my reason for this post is I'm heading to see the car later
> this week, and I want to know from other owners of similar cars what I
> need to look for or ask. The guy said it has no body damage or bondo
> under the paint, but I might take a magnet to test this in some areas.
> Also, if the car is in good shape - no body damage, good engine, etc
> - is $2500 fare for this?
>

Well, in the condition it's in, that's a fair price. Not good, but fair.
I would try to talk him down a little since it is a four door. If I were
you, I would hold out for a two door (unless you want a four door). You
are never going to get your money back out of a four door renovation.
I'm also kind of lost on the "no rust, but floorboards need to be
replaced" part. If those are rusted, you need to look inside the trunk.
Right were the floor seam along the rear near the bumper. This is a bad
spot on these cars. You'll probably find some there, too, and that can
help you talk the price down. Don't forget to crawl under and feel the
fenders on the inside. Fuel tank might be pretty shabby, too. They
aren't cheap. Check along the chrome trim around the windows for bubbles
in the paint. That's rust.

What you need to look for first is to see if the car is complete. What's
missing, and what's it going to need. Some parts can be brought back to
life with some paint and elbow grease, others will need replacing. Make
a list of what's wrong (glass, brakes, rubber and cloth door and window
seals, interior, motor, rear axle, chrome, etc. Get a catalog from one
of the many on-line companies, or check the web for the price of those
parts. Chrome isn't cheap. Then you will have an idea of how much it's
really going to cost you to get the job done.

I harp on the money issue, because of the cycle involved on these cars.
We buy it, fix it up, hang on to it for a while, then sell it to buy
something we want more. It's a lot easier to buy what you want if the
car you finished is worth something, hopefully what you put into it.
Don't ever expect to get your labor back, but don't sink 10 grand in a
car that will only be worth 5 when you are finished. That's what new
cars are for. IMHO, of course. A lot of people jump in not knowing what
a money pit some of these fixer-uppers are going to cost them. They turn
around and sell them for a huge loss to someone else. Start with a good
foundation.

If it's a car you truly like, go for it.