VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND NEWER 1955-1957 1957 Chevrolet On eBay!

Hey dudes.......check this out. Item number 2400497418 :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

ARF.!..ARF!..Bow!..Wow...Bow!....Wow!.Arf...Arf

And don't forget.................HOLY COW!!!!! :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:

Cosidering it is all there, and the drive train is not locked up and runs, it seems like a pretty good (solid for a rag top) foundation for a resto, also considering finished they are in 55K+ range it seems like a pretty good deal! At least it is a real one, now with all the repro sheetmetal (including cowl tags) all you need is a cowl and a frame to build one, and when you are done it will be in the 50K range to build. You just don't find them like this anymore, I like to see what I am getting into when I start on a car, not find out what someone else did not do or had done wrong. Anyone who is thinking of getting involved with a 57 soft top and expects to do under 60K is dreaming. Lets face it there is no way that a 57 soft top can be done cheap, same as the early vettes and big block cars. Everything you go to buy is expensive, and could be scarce to find. Someone looking to do one of these cars and think they can do it cheap would be better off looking at a lesser value Chevrolet for their project, this way when it goes over budget it is not as much of a shock.

I will agree with John.If the car is anywhere close as described the $21,000 bid was not out of line BUT I wonder just what the reserve was.This is one instance where I would want to inspect "in person" before purchasing.Slight error-it was described as a 250 HP engine which would be fuel injected,but picture and code # verifys 220 HP 4 Bbl. engine.Only problem-there are more '57 convertibles for sale today then could have been found on the used car market when they were a few years old.

What I see is an expensive DOG!

Could you explain why?

Update on the '57 convertible that was on eBay. The car is located about 15 miles from my house. The convertible was found in a barn located about 10 miles from me and purchased last summer by the eBay seller for $15,000. The reserve was $25,000 and the car was sold to the high bidder for $22,000 last night. The car is a dog! The floor is rusted, the quarter panel is full of bondo........big time..........so much so that the quarter panel needs replacing. There is some bondo in the rest of the car as well. And, the majority of the car isn't much better either! According to a local '57 expert (who has owned lots of quailty '57's including convertibles and sedan deliveries) the car was way over bid for what's there. Looks like Macky Wacky was right! :eek: :eek:

$22,000 !! I don't know how the seller will be able to sleep at night......and I'm sure the buyer won't be sleeping too soundly in a couple of weeks!!

-Bob

Yep.....it's always very wise to look at a car first instead of purchasing it sight unseen. I'm sure that the buyer will have a surprise when he gets the car.......that is after he dumps another $1,500 or more in it to have it delivered to the east coast. :( :( :( :(

I agree with John348, although the car is a "dog" if you are willing to be playing with cars of that era and buy a project car sight unseen most likely the buyer has a wallet that is rather deep and the price is not an issue

John, from what i saw in the photos and know about tri-5s the rust damage that is visable is but the tip of the iceberg. Also the appearance of the engine compartment shows other expensive problems. I would expect to find the simular Rust free car in the same relative condition for from a max of $12,000 to $15000 and then to have a acceptable driver that would be a $30000 car, to put in another $20000 to $25000 for a complete frame off job which adds up to a no brainer of $21000 + $25000 of $41000, plus a lot of maybes.

To me it makes more sense to find a good #1 57 rag top and have it NOW, and what would one cost? even at $45,000 to $50,000 you would be better off.
But that is just (MHO)

Mr Mack to us Northerners that was rust free! If that was rusty to you guys I would hate to see what you call the cars from this area. You still have those maybes when you pay 50K for one that is done. It is just a matter of which road you want to take. I never saw too many for 15K that run, and if they do it is not with a correct drivetrain, so your pretty lucky to have found them. If this guy got the 21K for I would suggest that you start buying em up for a turnover. Looks like easy money to me
John

John, That is probably so, that is why folks haul a car to Texas California or Arizona from the NE and try to pass them off as a local "rust free car" If you desire a rust free car go to the Southwest and check some out, there are still some good deals. However I know from experiance how a frame off can run into thousands of dollars and mega hours of work and maybe get 60% of your actual cash outlay not to mention your labor,I find that a car advertised as "Ready for show" still will give you something to work on. I have a couple of shops full of tools and I still find lots of stuff I have to send out for big bucks and often six months of downtime.

I sold a 63 convertible to a guy in New Mexico, that was prety soft to say the least. I have a 62 that I am finishing a frame off on now, filled with SW sheetmetel, the only panels that will not be replaced are the deck lid, roof, and front clip. The rest of the car and I am talking floors, and trunk pan is from Arizona. I enjoy the rewards of doing the total restoration, and the cost is really secondary. The only reason I am doing this car is because someone said "You don't have the brass to do it" If it was about money I would have been out of this a long time ago. Sheetmetal for 57's is easy to get now, besides the quality and fit is real nice! The CORRECT drivetrain stuff that is getting hard to come by that is in usable shape for the tri years. I was involved with the restoration of the first place 55 out in Rapid City, and now I have been involved with a 55 vette resto for the same guy.
John

From what I've heard the owner of that 55 from rapid city sold it for big $$$$$, much more than the figures for one that was complete which you were giving mr. mack, plus where's the fun in getting one that has already been done, I thought the work involved and learning from it was half the fun in this hobby

VT John and John 348, Age has become a point with me of paying more to have it NOW. I have been involved with "fixin'up" old cars since I was a teenager, hardly anyone called it Restoration back then, and I felt much the same as you do. Now I have two projects that are ground up jobs. I enjoy the work, but it happens slower than I am ageing. I also enjoy driveing them more than crawling around under a 50 or 80 year old car more and more every year.
About the only thing I envy about being older is that I don't have the stamina and agility I did back 30 years ago when I was only 36.
Now I spend more time doing a sit-down job ( carbs) etc., and most things that can be worked on at my workbench!

I guess you are right! It is a lot easier to make a car new again then it is our own bodies! When it comes to time your way is the most practicle, When we are younger it is more about money, it is harder to come by than time, when we get older it becomes more about time. Most important thing is that we do enjoy the cars
John