ChiliPepperGarage
Well Known RDP Cart Returner
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WARNING: This is kind of long so only cars guys might want to sift through it all.
I've had this car for five years now. Haven't driven it a lot and it's been kind of a back burner project. I've had it up for sale a couple times and a couple months ago (right before COVID) I had a guy that said he'd buy it for $7500 (including the parts car) and told me at least three times that he mailed me a deposit but I never received anything so I know he's full of shit or just doesn't have the money.
Now with the economy in turmoil I think it will be very difficult to sell it which I guess is okay. I don't really need the money and I have plenty of storage space (I'm on 5 acres) plus, I kind of like the car. It is a 1964 Catalina 2+2, 389, 4 speed, 8 lugs, all original with 72K miles. Interior is in very good condition, engine runs fine but the car has some rust. I have another '64 Catalina parts car with good panels to fix all the rust.
Now here's my dilemma: I really want to do an around the country road trip staying on as many two lanes as possible and hit small towns along the way. I want to do this in an old car because in an old car you will meet all kinds of people with interesting stories. People will also tell you about locals that have old cars and take you to them to check them out. One of my favorite channels on YouTube is Hagerty's Barn Find Hunter. The host Tom, goes around looking for barn finds, not to buy but just to show them to the viewers. He has a '40 Ford Woody that he drives and this recent episode tells the story behind it:
. He explains how the car opens doors for him that a new car won't. It's also really cool that he originally bought it when he was a kid. This is kind of what I want to do but also focus on the owners and some of their stories from their younger days.
I had originally wanted to do this in my '34 three window coupe. The car has a little 231 Buick motor, T350 and a Corvette rear end. It would get halfway decent gas mileage and has A/C so would be a good touring car. The only problem is that it is a glass car so not really an old Ford although it was built over 30 years ago. So I bought a '57 Chrysler dual quad 392 Hemi for it and going to make it more of a hot rod/drag car so that car is out.
I also have a '63&1/2 Galaxie 500XL, Z-code 390, 4 speed car which is in the middle of a frame off. It has a new fresh built 390 and T-10 four speed on a completed chassis with all new Police Interceptor suspension. The body is now ready for paint and then it can be set on the chassis. This car could be built as a touring car (not pro-touring) by switching out to a 5 or 6 speed trans, adding a/c, good stereo, maybe a throttle body FI, comfortable seats, etc.
I also thought about just taking my Corvette as it gets great gas mileage, is very comfortable and would be great on twisty mountain and country roads but I think it would not be the car for this type of trip. I'll save that for another trip.
So, it goes back to the Galaxie or the Pontiac. Both cars are pretty similar, one being a Ford and the other a Pontiac but are full size, two door hardtop, big block, 4 speed cars from the early '60s. I really should sell one or the the other. I think once the Galaxie is done it would be an easier sell as it is a rust free car and will be freshly restore. I prefer the looks of the Galaxie but the interior of the Pontiac although, my first car was a '64 GTO and this car is like a big GTO (GTOXL? ).
If I do the Pontiac I could use my parts car and fix all the rust, repaint and have a very nice slightly restored but mostly original '64 2+2. They made less than 7K of these and mine has the nice interior with factory tach and gauge cluster (not all 2+2's had them) so it is kind of rare although not particularly valuable. Or I could leave it rusty and just put on some new tires (it's got like 40 year old Sears bias ply's on there now!) and drive the wheels off it. Plus, it would be kind of a beater that way, less likely to be stolen and I could park it anywhere and not worry about it. Or I could repair the rust but leave it primer over the repaired sections and leave the rest of the natural real "patina". Either way, I'd again add a/c, an overdrive trans and maybe F/I.
So, what say the RDP masses? Finish and sell the Galaxie? Sell the Galaxie as is? Finish it out as a touring car? Sell the Pontiac (I guess I'd have to keep lowering the price but may get to the point where the price is so low not worth selling and I would just keep it as a back burner project)? Keep the Pontiac and do one of the above choices? Or lastly, just take the '34 as it is and say fuck it, who cares if it is a glass car?
One other factor is I wanted to do this trip this fall so I would be limited in time to get a car ready. However, with COVID fucking everything up I may wait until next fall to do this and hopefully we will be back to some sort of normalcy by them. I'm afraid this fall will be too early and people will be reluctant to talk to and get near strangers.
I've had this car for five years now. Haven't driven it a lot and it's been kind of a back burner project. I've had it up for sale a couple times and a couple months ago (right before COVID) I had a guy that said he'd buy it for $7500 (including the parts car) and told me at least three times that he mailed me a deposit but I never received anything so I know he's full of shit or just doesn't have the money.
Now with the economy in turmoil I think it will be very difficult to sell it which I guess is okay. I don't really need the money and I have plenty of storage space (I'm on 5 acres) plus, I kind of like the car. It is a 1964 Catalina 2+2, 389, 4 speed, 8 lugs, all original with 72K miles. Interior is in very good condition, engine runs fine but the car has some rust. I have another '64 Catalina parts car with good panels to fix all the rust.
Now here's my dilemma: I really want to do an around the country road trip staying on as many two lanes as possible and hit small towns along the way. I want to do this in an old car because in an old car you will meet all kinds of people with interesting stories. People will also tell you about locals that have old cars and take you to them to check them out. One of my favorite channels on YouTube is Hagerty's Barn Find Hunter. The host Tom, goes around looking for barn finds, not to buy but just to show them to the viewers. He has a '40 Ford Woody that he drives and this recent episode tells the story behind it:
I had originally wanted to do this in my '34 three window coupe. The car has a little 231 Buick motor, T350 and a Corvette rear end. It would get halfway decent gas mileage and has A/C so would be a good touring car. The only problem is that it is a glass car so not really an old Ford although it was built over 30 years ago. So I bought a '57 Chrysler dual quad 392 Hemi for it and going to make it more of a hot rod/drag car so that car is out.
I also have a '63&1/2 Galaxie 500XL, Z-code 390, 4 speed car which is in the middle of a frame off. It has a new fresh built 390 and T-10 four speed on a completed chassis with all new Police Interceptor suspension. The body is now ready for paint and then it can be set on the chassis. This car could be built as a touring car (not pro-touring) by switching out to a 5 or 6 speed trans, adding a/c, good stereo, maybe a throttle body FI, comfortable seats, etc.
I also thought about just taking my Corvette as it gets great gas mileage, is very comfortable and would be great on twisty mountain and country roads but I think it would not be the car for this type of trip. I'll save that for another trip.
So, it goes back to the Galaxie or the Pontiac. Both cars are pretty similar, one being a Ford and the other a Pontiac but are full size, two door hardtop, big block, 4 speed cars from the early '60s. I really should sell one or the the other. I think once the Galaxie is done it would be an easier sell as it is a rust free car and will be freshly restore. I prefer the looks of the Galaxie but the interior of the Pontiac although, my first car was a '64 GTO and this car is like a big GTO (GTOXL? ).
If I do the Pontiac I could use my parts car and fix all the rust, repaint and have a very nice slightly restored but mostly original '64 2+2. They made less than 7K of these and mine has the nice interior with factory tach and gauge cluster (not all 2+2's had them) so it is kind of rare although not particularly valuable. Or I could leave it rusty and just put on some new tires (it's got like 40 year old Sears bias ply's on there now!) and drive the wheels off it. Plus, it would be kind of a beater that way, less likely to be stolen and I could park it anywhere and not worry about it. Or I could repair the rust but leave it primer over the repaired sections and leave the rest of the natural real "patina". Either way, I'd again add a/c, an overdrive trans and maybe F/I.
So, what say the RDP masses? Finish and sell the Galaxie? Sell the Galaxie as is? Finish it out as a touring car? Sell the Pontiac (I guess I'd have to keep lowering the price but may get to the point where the price is so low not worth selling and I would just keep it as a back burner project)? Keep the Pontiac and do one of the above choices? Or lastly, just take the '34 as it is and say fuck it, who cares if it is a glass car?
One other factor is I wanted to do this trip this fall so I would be limited in time to get a car ready. However, with COVID fucking everything up I may wait until next fall to do this and hopefully we will be back to some sort of normalcy by them. I'm afraid this fall will be too early and people will be reluctant to talk to and get near strangers.