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Damn...but that's one FINE job of critiquing a classic car restoration! Tell me Neil, are you for hire to do some apparaisals for me the next time I run across an old Finned Mopar that piques my fancy? Keep 'em honest, I always say. Good show, Neil. Good show. Karl
eastern sierra Adj Services <esierraadj@xxxxxxxxx> wrote: OK, since I've been called-out, on my stated opinion that this car ( #
260150161247) is a "mess", it took a while for my dial-up to enlarge the
pics, and my opinion has NOT changed.
If this car were properly advertised, at something under $20K, none of
this discussion
would be
germaine, but the seller uses such terms as "Might be the
nicest 57 Dodge in the world", and "perfect" and "restoration", which
leaves him open to some critical revue, if he expects to receive up to
$80K, for the car..
"Restoration" does not mean "new", or "different", or "improved"; it
means to return something to its as-new condition.
Starting with the paint; the car is correctly coded for having gold and
white enamel paint. Its received obviously-wrong gold-color, and
probably-wrong white (can't really tell, from the pics), but an obvious
heavy clear coat over a urethane type paint.
The dash has "clearly" the wrong shade of gold-finish, on it, although
the black upper area, and the black insert panels are probably correct.
The wheels are painted black, instead of that eggshell-white; the
hubcaps were probably not spinners, but plain-discs, and the knights
heads aren't gold-plated on them.
I think that the
rear dual antennae are not Dodge-pieces; the
thick-lower section looks to be too-long/high. Don't know if the car
came with duals; the Broadcast Sheet & IBM Card would confirm their
existence (& spinners-or-not).
The car has CUSTOM ROYAL "bright" end-of-fin caps (Coros have semi-glos
black pieces; the car has at least one GLOW-BRITE tail lamp.
The trunk finish is laughable (on an $80K best-in-world-car); there is
clear evidence of quarter panel section replacement, where the OEM
undercoating ("Sound Deadener") disappears in a straight-across line,
and bare metal appears.
The trunk "restoration" should feature body color (gold) overspray over
the flat-gray primer.
The trunk color, and the spare tire (probably coincidentally-gray) are
the wrong shade, for representing the primer-color, and the trunk latch
should be body color. The trunk-silencer panel is replaced; it should
have a waffle-pattern to it,
which raises additional questions as to why
the silencer NEEDED to be replaced.
No views of the trunk floor were shown, underneath the incorrect trunk
"mat".
The car IS a Custom Coronet, and the OEM(?) upper trim panel mylar
panels are seen, along with that "aftermarket" interior; all Coros had
rubber floor mats; not carpeting.
The car not only LOOKS to be going fast, at a standstill; but the speedo
indicates that it's going 35 mph (take THAT: Plymouths!!!)
The rear suspension is sitting way-high, so, the leaf springs (why?) may
have been replaced, or improperly re-arched.
The engine compartment: black hinges and hood latch (should be silver
cadmium plated)
gold valve covers (should be silver; valve covers can have the :"Super
Red Ram" decals installed) .
Radiator cap, battery cables, hose clamps are not correct ; generator
has wrong (gloss-black) finish, and end-plates should be
'natural'
finish.
What am i forgetting....OH YEAH: it's got a 1958 Spring Special trunk
"Escutcheon" on it.
AND: it's got no sunvisors on it, but it is 'coded' for having the neat
tinted plastic ones!
OH yeah (my scribbled notes!): the paint-PATTERN-application, on the
inner door/ rocker areas is wrong! That indicates that the body was
completely/significantly stripped, but the painter had NO clue as to the
proper paint-orientation, when he got around to painting the body--he
guessed (incorrectly).
And: as far as the intrinsic value/rarety/option-list on the car is; it
has manual brakes and steering--it won't be much fun to horse around.
which leads to the mechanical condition of the car; the seller claims
that the car runs "perfectly".
Want to bet, on THAT?
A car IS a mechanical device, it's not supposed to be merely a
stationary work of art.
Again: NONE of this would matter, if the
seller was asking something
under $20K, for the car, and if he had (knowingly) disclosed what the
car's pre-"restoration" condition was, or, had he refrained from
describing it as being "perfect" and "perhaps the best in the world".
Neil Vedder
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