Author Topic: New here...found this 70 BS23N 'cuda,need opinions! (Read 3296 times)

quickbeam · « **on:** October 28, 2005 - 05:21:51 PM »

Hello Mopar fans!

Basically here's my situation,im about to start a body repair class in january '06.
Recently,a friend of mine who owns a 69 charger and is a die hard mopar fan was telling me how rare and expensive 'cudas are nowadays.One look at ebay confirmed this,and it made me pretty sad since I've always told myself I would own a 'cuda one day,I seriously had no clue they had gotten so rare!
Fast forward a few weeks later,same friend calls me and says he found this 70 'cuda for sale,that is in pretty poor shape,but could possibly be a nice project once I get some experience.He isnt a body person tho,so he has no clue how bad it actually is...I've done some very light body work in the past,but im clearly no expert either,so I cant really tell how much the car is worth in its present shape.
Here is what I know of this car so far after talking to the current owner on the phone.The early days of this car are very obscure,all he knows is that its from NJ and has been sitting for nearly 20 years from the early 80s to early 2000s.The 383 that is currently in there isnt original,but im told the rest of the #'s match(the current owner didnt check this himself tho,so I'll have to look to be sure).Around 2002 it was stripped of its front grille and headlamps,then it changed hands and a new grille was installed.The current owner got this car in 2003 with hopes of having it restored one day,but he then gave up on that idea when he was told it would cost around 70000$(including labor).So he is now asking 8500$ canadian for the car,which I this is pretty high for a car in that shape,but who am I to know what it's really worth...im only a newbie ;)
So this is why I came here,need some expert opinions!Please tell me how much YOU would offer for that car!I attached the pics I got from the owner,they are pretty bad,tomorow when I go see the car in person i'll take a bunch of pics and post them here!

P.S. If I do buy this car,I have no timeframe,I do not care if it takes 10 years to restore it,as I gain experience.working on it a few hours a day here and there.I would have it sandblasted as soon as possible tho,to stop the rust from eating it further while it sits in my garage.

CudaNut · « **Reply #1 on:** October 28, 2005 - 06:10:23 PM »

Well, it appears that the car has quite a bit of rust and will require all the usual replacement panels. The question is how bad is the frame?? The torsion bar mounts?? The sill area?? I would carefully inspect all these areas before proceeding. While virtually anything can be replaced (at a cost) This car will require much more skill than simple body work. I would not want to learn on such an expensive project but thats your call. I've done a lot of these cars and my experience is that whats hidden is usually worse that what you can see....
All that being said the price is not that bad but I would want a LOT more inspection done before I spent my $$$.
My 2 cents...

MEK-Dangerfield · « **Reply #2 on:** October 28, 2005 - 06:19:29 PM »

I'm a little quesy with the floor boards and inner fenders having rust holes thru them.

Mike

360 'CUDA · « **Reply #3 on:** October 28, 2005 - 06:46:23 PM »

Right

A rusty '70 Barracuda is not the right car to practice on.
Get a Duster or a 4 door dart (no offence ghost) and practice on that.

That '70 'CUDA ya have there has several things wrong right off. First the instrument cluster is not correct for a '70. Then there is the rust under the back seat. When the rust goes through there it rots out the front of the rear frame possibly all the way through the sills. Of course the Fred Flinstone front footwells don't help either

It seems like alot of money for that much headache

CudaNut · « **Reply #4 on:** October 28, 2005 - 07:16:07 PM »

I noticed that the cluster was wrong also but that was the least of my concerns. As i said, the unseen damage may be double what you can see. At least the damage isnt hidden by carpet and bondo that I run into on a regular basis!!

quickbeam · « **Reply #5 on:** October 28, 2005 - 07:27:15 PM »

Guys you got me all wrong,i have absolutely NO intentions to "practice" on this car,this is why i said i dont have a timeframe,i'll do the work when im sure i can do it right.
Basically i wanna get my hands on a 'cuda now while i still can (at a reasonable price that is!)

360 'CUDA · « **Reply #6 on:** October 28, 2005 - 07:40:24 PM »

OK
But if you have never done bodywork and you need to replace the frame you would be practicing.

In my experience on this subject everyone needs a cheap car to "learn" on and screw up. Even buying parts cars and cutting them up helps you understand the layers of metal that build up the unibody.

Since all these sixties and early seventies Mopars are similar in construction I was just saying it wouldn't be a bad idea to get a cheap one first.

Welcome to the board

CudaNut · « **Reply #7 on:** October 28, 2005 - 07:57:20 PM »

I agree with 360cuda, get a true "practice" car and learn the art by trial and error first. It's tough and costly to do that on a expensive resto project. Frame work has absoutely no room for error, I usually farm that out as I don't have a modern frame machine to get the measurements just right. Close will not do in my opinion but the factory was sometimes a little off....I've been doing this stuff off and on (when my back allows...) for 30 years and i don't know if I would want to try that project unless it was a really desireable car. If I was younger......naaaa....

HEMI HUNTER · « **Reply #8 on:** October 28, 2005 - 08:09:26 PM »

offer 7500 and buy it ....then buy a 500 junker to practice on

stwheels · « **Reply #9 on:** October 28, 2005 - 09:47:08 PM »

$8500.00 Canadian is about $7000.00 US.

You can hardly buy a rusted out 318 Barracuda for that price these days and if you find your dream car at a price you can afford then buy it now and rebuild it over time. You can't restore a car you don't own or may not be able to afford in the future if the prices continue the way they are.

Instead of blowing $500 on a cheap practice car put the money towards taking more courses to acquire the knowledge needed and buy some quality equipment so you can fix the car properly yourself.

If you decide to let someone else do the car for you then at least you own the car you want done instead of the 4 door practice car.

Before anyone can hazard a guess on what the car might be worth we would have to see some good clear pictures of the underside, floors, trunk floor, etc . Then we could guesstimate what would be required to make it a complete Cuda again.

Some pictures of any documentation (fender tag, build sheet, window sticker) could be decoded to see if there are any rare or unusual options that would be expensive to purchase if they are missing.

After you see the car and get some more info, post your findings and you'll get a range of values and opinions.

Where in Canada do you live?

Doug Lepak
The Steering Wheel Guy
web site: http://members.shaw.ca/stwheels/index.htm

torredcuda · « **Reply #10 on:** October 29, 2005 - 05:17:25 AM »

Unless the frame rails are completely gone $7000 isn`t too bad for a real `70 `cuda.You said you are in no rush so your plan to store it untill you have the experience to do it right sounds good.Auto body is not that difficult to learn but like others have said you will make rookie mistakes and there is no substitute for learning by doing and aquiring years of experience to be really good at a trade.

cudahob · « **Reply #11 on:** October 29, 2005 - 06:26:44 AM »

I'd say Heck... go for it. There not getting any cheaper. If you can get some experience first on a $200. junk yard dog, I'd do that too.

Talk to your teacher and see what he thinks. Not sure how easy a unibody car is to work on. Lining up panels and cutitng out floor boards is major work. Not to mention frame problems.

If your going into the collision repair field, you wont find many 35 yr old car to work on then, or deal with bad rusty cars at all. See what experience your instructor has in this field.

moparnut · « **Reply #12 on:** October 29, 2005 - 08:25:43 AM »

I dont agree on buying a "pratice car".First thing i look at when planning on restoring a car is will it be worth more than i have into it?You will spend tons of money on a pratice car and it wont be worth anything.You will spend a couple of thousand just on paint/primer and materials if you do it yourself and buy the good stuff.You could use that money to restore the Cuda,although I wouldnt pay that much for a car in that condition,if you have your heart set on it buy it,take you time and restore it right,atleast you wont be pouring money into a pratice car for nothing when you dream car sits and pocket book is drained for the other car.I would be patient,put feelers out for another Cuda and even look on ebay/magazines for a less rusty car
My 2 cents worth
Garth

miketyler · « **Reply #13 on:** October 29, 2005 - 08:44:45 AM »

I am thinking the rust that is shown is enough to indicate there is more elsewhere. I would be surprised if you flipped that car over to find it nice and clean underneath, inside cowl, frame rails, turnk pans, etc. Being bitten by undisclosed rust before I think I would set my budget a little higher and find a cleaner specimen to start with. All the cars in the $4K-$8K range just look like junkyard cars and are missing parts and usually require MAJOR metal work. Dont downplay the price of parts either - especially with 70-71 models. That stuff will nickel and dime you to death.

I guess it really comes down to what you are comfortable with. If you have the time, space, and resources anything is doable. Most of us are in a bigger hurry to get their projects back on the road. Good luck with it if you buy it - be sure to inspect in person if you havent already. Take a Mopar head with you if you can. It would be to your benefit.

whitesatinmopar · « **Reply #14 on:** October 29, 2005 - 10:10:05 AM »

Indeed there is a whole lot of work ahead. But if you are choosing the body/paint work as a future vocation and you have the money to buy the car, why not. Personally other than money and williginess to spend that amount for this project the three biggest concerns you should have are: Place to do the work (and a standard 24x24 garage just won't hack it), this car will require a lot of space when it is completely tore down, do you have acess to such space. Equipment, as someones has already said the tools to do the job right are a must, and "right" is the only way and the intention you should have going into this. And finally experience, beleive me, when you are done you will be an experienced body man. Your money, your time, your sweat and labor...........are you committed to the task? If yes, go for it, and good luck, you will find your answers here, but for the money and work? Hey, you're on your own there,lol.

Author Topic: New here...found this 70 BS23N 'cuda,need opinions! (Read 3296 times)

quickbeam

New here...found this 70 BS23N 'cuda,need opinions!

CudaNut

Re: New here...found this 70 BS23N 'cuda,need opinions!

MEK-Dangerfield

Re: New here...found this 70 BS23N 'cuda,need opinions!

360 'CUDA

Re: New here...found this 70 BS23N 'cuda,need opinions!

CudaNut

Re: New here...found this 70 BS23N 'cuda,need opinions!

quickbeam

Re: New here...found this 70 BS23N 'cuda,need opinions!

360 'CUDA

Re: New here...found this 70 BS23N 'cuda,need opinions!

CudaNut

Re: New here...found this 70 BS23N 'cuda,need opinions!

HEMI HUNTER

Re: New here...found this 70 BS23N 'cuda,need opinions!

stwheels

Re: New here...found this 70 BS23N 'cuda,need opinions!

torredcuda

Re: New here...found this 70 BS23N 'cuda,need opinions!

cudahob

Re: New here...found this 70 BS23N 'cuda,need opinions!

moparnut

Re: New here...found this 70 BS23N 'cuda,need opinions!

miketyler

Re: New here...found this 70 BS23N 'cuda,need opinions!

whitesatinmopar

Re: New here...found this 70 BS23N 'cuda,need opinions!