Ah Bruce, this is a "meaning of life" question. 57's
and most 50's are pretty scarce. They are around but
you certainly don't see them everyday. I've owned
mine for 5 years and don't think I've SEEN another 57
in person. Seen several 59's and a 58. The hemi's
popularity is the cause for the rarity of most 50's
mopars. 59's and 60's with their 413 seemed to
survive more.
Did you overpay? Who knows. Sometimes you fall into
a deal and sometimes you don't but to find a non rusty
50's Imp with good chrome and stainless for less than
5 grand is a VERY GOOD DEAL. My 54 has no rust,
wonderful chrome and trim but the interior shows wear,
carpet is shot, seats have some tears. And the paint
is thin, a 10 footer other than the chrome. I paid
more than 5 grand and think I got a good deal even
though I had to do some pretty extensive brake work
and lots of TLC time.
However, bigger question you raise is how nice a car
to buy and what to plan on doing to it. Imho, with
the exception of the nice original cars and to a
certain degree even them, I plan on doing EVERYTHING.
For me this means stripping the body, fixing rust,
paint, brakes, replacing all the accessories on the
engine (water pump, alt, starter, etc),
checking/replacing the alternator, AC, etc). If you
are lucky, your car won't need much chrome work but
unfortunately with the massive amounts of chrome on
these cars it can be pretty expensive to have it all
done. Stainless can be repaired with some simple
tools and LOTS of patience. Cast parts need
professional attention which means $. Authentic
interior fabrics are expensive and you have to deal
with people who are slow. Having the actual upholstry
sewn is not expensive. Headliners are cheap unless
your fabric is unobtainium or something.
The major cost (again imho) is all the tlc required on
the older cars. If you do the work yourself you can
save mega bucks. Paying a shop to fix window motors,
etc, can run the cost up very quickly.
So here is the $64,000.00 question. How much will it
cost and how much will it be worth. It will cost as
much as you are willing to spend on it. Some people
go through their lives looking for and obtaining the
NOS mirror or such that is better than the one they
have with a bubble in the silver. Others are happy to
have a presentable, safe, and most importantly,
reliable car. Whatever cranks your tractor.
After you've mortgaged your first born you may realize
you have spent more than the price guide says your car
is worth. Most people who expect to restore cars and
make a profit on them get a reality check pretty
quick. I couldn't sell any of my cars for what I have
in them even if I only count my labor at minimum wage.
I think you have to be happy with the car and want to
be a long term owner to justify the expense. And at
the end of the day, if you spent 20K to make a 5
footer it's still less than a Hong Kong Fooey.
There isn't a single correct answer. This hobby is
all about dreams.
Kerryp
--- Bruce Stubblefield <audiblefeast@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> Hello Listees
> My '57 4-door sedan (w/post) has much more body
> and chrome work to make it gorgeous than I had
> imagined when I bought it on ebay based upon
> pictures
> (you think that's bad? I just bought Brad Mariner's
> '69 also sight unseen. I couldn't stop myself.)
> Now that I see the massive work required to get
> it better than a "10 foot" car, I'm considering
> cutting my losses and starting over with an Imperial
> that has less rust, pitting, missing pieces, etc.
> My question is, just how scarce is this car? In
> other words, am I likely to ever come across another
> '57 but with no rust and unpitted chrome for less
> than
> the $5000 I paid for this one? (Other details about
> my car: seats excellent, but dashpad, carpets,
> power
> everything all need replacing or complete rebuild,
> including A/C)
> I haven't seen more than a couple since I bought
> this one, yet it was the biggest production year of
> the Imp.
> When I bought this car I knew I wanted an
> Imperial, but had no idea how much these cars have
> in
> common with both heroin and Frank Lloyd Wright
> architecture.
>
> Thanks
> Bruce S
> '57 sedan
> '69 Le Baron coupe
> '67 Dodge Coronet 4 door
>
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