New guy in CA

[anguilla1980]

Hey everyone, my name's Alex and I'm here to find an e body for my 17 yr old son Devon.

A 1970+. Nothing fancy tho, just looking for a roller with a fairly rust free body and a black interior, no white. We will do any body filler and block sanding and leave it in black primer like my 69 Firebird. Restore any worn parts in the interior, and I'll probably start him out with a 318/automatic then work up from there as the years go by.

By no means are we looking for anything correct or numbers matching, nor will we be doing a restoration. It will be more of a custom/resto-mod. Now that is older he is showing more interest in working on his own car than his old mans I think, can't blame him! He doesn't know I'm looking, it's going to be a surprise.

Thanks! I look forward to learning what I can on E bodies.

Alex

[turbostang7]

that's awesome! good luck on your search and welcome.
what is your budget? I'm guessing you don't want a rust bucket but a nicer roller?

[anguilla1980]

Yeah I can't afford to pay someone to do metal work and I don't weld myself. Always wanted to learn but I won't be learning on an E body haha!

No budget set yet because I have no clue the market value for rollers. I only have a few thousand set aside right now and plan on saving more. I figured once I get a grasp on what the values are, and then can save that much, then I would post wanted ads and start looking.

I'm willing to travel to whatever state and tow it back to get the right body for the right price. I do want it as complete as possible so we only need to do basics like suspension, brakes, tires, service the rear diff, and throw in an engine/trans. The sooner he can have the car running the better the chance of him not loosing interested in it. Seems to be how his generation works lol.

I actually have the original numbers matching Pontiac 350 from my 69 Firebird I thought about using just to get it going faster for him. My younger teenage son will be right behind him in a couple years!

Thanks! Alex

[turbostang7]

Be prepared for sticker shock with the E-body, a 72 and up would be a more budget friendly choice as a 70-71 roller seems to run in the 7-10K range
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1974-Plymouth-Barracuda-/172441984315?forcerrptr=true&hash=item282657dd3b:g:jPIAAOSwj85YNSaV&item=172441984315
http://www.ebay.com/itm/1972-Plymouth-Barracuda-/152352229623?forcerrptr=true&hash=item2378e688f7:g:b9EAAOSwiONYMKRV&item=152352229623
http://chicago.craigslist.org/nch/cto/5921312213.html
here are a few "projects" to look at and get an idea of cost.

[anguilla1980]

Thanks! That '74 is about what I'm looking for but I would want a more complete interior and I would be willing to pay more to get it.

I would be OK with doing $6-7K for a more complete interior and a better body/less rust. I don't want to have to pay to have parts of the floors replaced. Maybe I can get lucky and find a roller that has been prepped for paint in terms of body work and has the interior in boxes. That would be the perfect score for me and I might pay $8-9K for that.

Thanks for the links, gives me an idea what years I'm looking for, 72+ for sure lol. Was 74 the last year for this body style?

[turbostang7]

yes it was 70-74 only for the E-body

[dougs bs23]

You shouldn't have a hard time finding something but please don't put a bow tie engine in it


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[anguilla1980]

You shouldn't have a hard time finding something but please don't put a bow tie engine in it

Haha, freakin NEVER. I have a true Pontiac engine in my Pontiac and will certainly have a true Chrysler/Plymouth engine in the 'cuda. I'm sure someday we will work up from the 318 to a stroked 440 so he can come close to keeping up with me

[Cudakiller70]

Welcome from California! There are deals out there just have patience  Starting him right with an e body dad

[jimynick]

Welcome to the site from    You may have to up your budget as even the 72-74 cars (and I own a 74) in basically ready, rolling shape are way more than 7-8k for most any car I've seen. That doesn't mean miracles don't happen and for you and your boys, I hope one does. Good luck

[cudamadd]

Welcome you have to be father of the year in my book . What a great car to suprise your son with . Fantastic Up side great tuff looking car .Down side hard to find good luck with your hunt . please keep as posted 

[4Cruizn]

Welcome to the site . . . Should place an ad in the cars wanted area . . . Never know.    

[Topcat]

Welcome from N. CA.

Keep an eye out here.

And go to the Spring Fling in March I believe it is if you haven't found one by then.
There should be some for sale or good leads to check on.

[dakota]

Welcome and good luck with your search.  I tried the father/son approach with my middle son when he was a teenager.  He lost interest after a couple of months, but now that he's older he's working on a project car of his own and we talk about it a lot.  I learned this lesson late:   Any time with your kid is time well spent. 

[Rolling_Thunder]

Originally from SoCal here -  currently in Washington DC ----  Looked high and low for a decent E-body and found on a year ago in DE - spent $3,000 for a complete but slightly rusty 73 Rallye Car..    there were decent deals out there -  just keep looking