Can I get an opinion on another car?

[mgless]

Hi folks,

I've looked at 4 cars now and I'm starting to get a somewhat small margin of a clue on what to look for. If you guys will indulge me once more in your expert opinions.

This one is a bit more of a trip for me as it's about 9 hours south. The price is decent, and apparently only has one rust spot, on the A-pillar of course.

I asked for close-ups of the pillars, wheel wells, trunk floor, interior, etc. Of course, pictures can only say so much, but here are the pillars:

(The rest of the car looks pretty clean and rust-free. Otherwise, the other issue is a torn top, which I'm not too worried about.)

edit: oh, yeah, this is another '74 RWA.

 

[jlaird]

Well now. I for one would like to see the rest of the pics and know what the asking price is. I would like to see under the hood and a full interior as well.

Top of course is toast and it is a respray at some time.

What will the seller admit.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

From those pictures, I can't tell too much about the car.

Here is my issue with the A-pillars. They all rust, but if they are improperly repaired (or just badly rusted) the rust cause structural problems with the sills and the structural part of the a-post.

Reskinning the lower A-post is not a hard job, but if the inner structure is rotten, then your door hinge doesn't work properly and the car is frustrating to use.

Rust on nonstructural bits of metal can be treated and the car can continued to be used/enjoyed. But if you use a car that has rotten structural metal you will quickly destroy it.

Sorry if that seems obscure... I'm not feeling very verbose today.

 

[jlaird]

A new bottom post skin is only a few bucks.

 

[mgless]

I don't have the overall pictures of the car here at work, but I'll attach the extra ones he took for me.

Asking price is $3500.

edit: removed license plate #

 

[Trevor Jessie]

I'd like to see pics of the engine bay and the hood lip.

It look like the passenger side A-post has been repaired in the past. It has an abnormal contour.

Is this a '74?

You might also try to determine if the wire wheel splines are worn. That could cause some unplanned expensive.

 

[mgless]

Wow, you can tell by the pic? Glad I talked to you guys first.

I didn't realize that wire wheels were so much more maintenance. Does anyone have a good link to learn about them and how to check for wear? What sort of expense is a wire wheel spline?

And where the heck do you buy tires for wire wheels? Any 'ol tire shop?

edit: Yes, it's a 74.

 

[DrEntropy]

Trevor spots it: The pillar is shaped "oddly". Doesn't follow the body contour properly.

Those wire wheels require an innertube, and tube type tires. Hubs can be changed, but (and I'll get flamed for this) steel wheels are a lot more practical: less mass (i.e. unsprung weight), and aren't nearly as maintenance intense.

Nomex ON, shields UP. /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/wink.gif

 

[mgless]

I'll see if I can get a picture of the hood and engine bay.

Which picture are you guys looking at to determine the passenger side pillar? Aren't all the pillar shots on the driver's side? /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/confused.gif

 

[Trevor Jessie]

And... it is not too difficult to convert it to disc wheels. If the splines are worn you may be able to hear a conk sound when going from acceleration to coasting. I visual inspection would be useful.

Just because the contour is not correct doesn't mean that it wasn't sufficiently patched. It just indicates that it "might" be a bodge. When I stripped my car I found that the PO had simple pop riveted a patch panel over the rusty hole and caked on the fiberglass.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

Look at this picture:

About half way down on the A-post you'll see a change in the contour.

 

[Trevor Jessie]

If it is a strong runner (good compression and no smoke). And the coolant is clean and there is no water in the oil. I'd could see it being a $3000 car. Of course, I'm partial to the RWA cars.

 

[bugimike]

Why fried Doc.? No question about it. Wires are for looks, not performance!

 

[mgless]

Okay, I see it now. Good catch. If I do drive the 9 hours down to see the car, I have a friend who is a manager at a body shop. If I can fit it within his schedule, he's agreed to come along.

So... obviously I can check for smoke, but as far as checking the compression... Is it easy to do when I go to look at the car? I've never checked for good compression before.

With water in the oil, is that a sign of a bad head gasket? I've seen it before after draining the oil. Is that the only way to tell?

I'm learning so much today! /bcforum/images/%%GRAEMLIN_URL%%/laugh.gif

 

[Trevor Jessie]

The compression test will tell you if you have a bad headgasket or maybe a valve problem. You can borrow a compression gauge or buy a cheap one. They screw in place of a spark plug. You are looking for consistent compression across the cylinders when the car is cranked. You might "google" it so that you can have the procedure spelled out for you in detail.

Where is this car?

 

[kcbugeye1275]

If you take off the outer nut, and remove the wheel you'll see the splined hub. If it has anything but sharp, deep splines, it is going to be trouble. To change to a disc wheeled car is quite a bit more than you might think. You have to exchange the complete rear end, the two are different. On the front, you have to change the disc and hub, its doable, but, with everything else, it would definitally be a negotiation issue.

 

[jlaird]

From what I have seen that looks like it might be a nice daily driver for sure.

 

[mgless]

So, from what we see here... worth the 9 hour drive?

Sounds like $3k might be a reasonable offer if everything checks out.

I'll buy a compression gauge and bring it along. Probably worth having one, anyway. What sort of tool do I need to check the splines?

 

[jlaird]

Eyes, some one here can tell you just how to go about it.

 

[Baz]

Where is the car mgless?