Is this a good deal for a parts car?

[covert]

Hi guys,

Sorry, if this is the wrong forum, I wasn't sure where to put it.

OK, I found what I think is a pretty good deal, but I'd like a second opinion.  On Craigslist I found this car:  A 1966 Chrysler Newport Wagon.  A 7000 pound tank.

But, here's the good part:  It has a 1972 440HP with high performance cam and new heads.  The engine was put in about 3 years ago, and a new refurb 727 automatic that was just put into it 1 1/2 years ago. 

The guy who owns it says that everything was running great a year ago when he parked it because of a leaky gas tank. 

He wants $1500 for it.

I was thinking that I could take the engine and the trans, switch them with the 400 I currently have in my 73 barracuda, and then still resell this wagon for about the about the same money.

Its also got a sure grip diff, that I'd love to move over to my car too.

Is it worth it?  Does anybody know anything about the value of a 66 Newport Wagon?  Am I crazy for not jumping on it, or crazy for thinking about it?

Thanks for the advice
Covert

[bb71challenger]

Sounds like a solid plan. If you are willing to go the extra mile in swapping your other motor back into the wagon I can see you breaking even or possibly making a couple bucks. A few years ago I bought a 68 Imperial for 600 dollars, drove it for about 6 months and then yanked the drivetrain (including the 2.94 sure grip) for a future project. Getting harder to find good engines and this one seems to be pretty fresh, good luck with the plan and keep us posted.

[torredcuda]

440 cores needing rebiuld go for $500+ around here so a good runner with trans and rear seem worth it.Not sure what the wagon is worth but I think you could some money back from selling it and end up with a great deal.

[Street_Challenged73]

440 cores needing rebiuld go for $500+ around here so a good runner with trans and rear seem worth it.Not sure what the wagon is worth but I think you could some money back from selling it and end up with a great deal.

[Super Blue 72]

Sound like a good situation! 

Best thing is that you can drive the wagon around to see how it runs unlike buying an engine and tranny alone. 

The fun thing is comparing the performance of the wagon and the Barracuda once the swap is done. 

[360 'CUDA]

Not the best deal in the world but if you have the money go for it.  I would definitly want to run it first and check it out .

That Suregrip is the kicker for me though.  Parting out the body might be a good option too..

The price of scrap is pretty high 

[thelittles]

Yes I would say get the motor.  And don't wait too long to decide I have let deals get away by not jumping on them.  See if he will take less.  I found a 70 imperial a month ago for 300 bucks.  The car havn't been driven in 10 years and was rotted.  But the motor was covered.  I missed out by one day.

[covert]

Thanks guys,

That's some stuff I haven't thought about -- It shouldn't take too much (fix a couple of fuel leaks) to get the wagon going again, and I like the idea of seeing how the 440 runs before making the swap.  That way I'm not putting an unknown into the barracuda -- You don't get that option if you just buy an engine by itself. 

I don't know what the Newport is worth on its own (sans engine) but if I just sell a couple of part off of it on ebay, I might even get more out of it than if I put it back together with the 400.  (if I sell the 400, and the old trans, etc, etc)

Now I just need to figure out where to keep this beast while I work on it.  I've seen RVs that are shorter.

Thanks guys,
Covert

[BIGSHCLUNK]

I think you'd be ok if it is what it's claimed to be. Check it out before you buy it IMO after the drive line , it's just iron over the scale. This tip from the recycler in the house... 

[Super Blue 72]

That's some stuff I haven't thought about -- It shouldn't take too much (fix a couple of fuel leaks) to get the wagon going again, and I like the idea of seeing how the 440 runs before making the swap.  That way I'm not putting an unknown into the barracuda -- You don't get that option if you just buy an engine by itself. 

They have that stuff like putty that you can slap on the tank to stop it from leaking.  It's not perfect but it might be enough just to put in some gas and run the wagon around.  Put some on one day then let it harden overnight.  Might be worth the $4 investment. 

[covert]

Thought I'd give you guys an update: 

I bought the car yesterday:  I have some friends that are into demolition derby, and I worked a deal with them -- They tow the car back to their shop, they help me do all the swaps, and they can keep the wagon for either putting into a derby, or for towing their derby cars to the derby.

Either way, it works out great for me:  I get shop space, and a gang of 8-10 guys who are going to scramble to help me do the full swap over a weekend.  I don't really have any workspace, and I definitely don't have the tools I need, so the whole thing works out great for both of us.

When they (the derby guys) all got together last night to look at it as we brought it in, they were drooling over it.  Its just the kind of car they like.

Oh, and I took a really knowledgeable guy with me, and after he looked it over, he said everything the seller was saying seemed pretty straight up, so I'm pretty happy overall.

Covert

[67Vette427]

Sounds like you did okay. You can always drop some gas in it and see how it sounds before you pull it. Maybe do a compression check too. That way if there is something wrong you can deal with it before dropping it in your car.