GTgears

Your location poses a problem no matter which way you approach it. I can ship a car for almost what it would cost to ship an engine. I think there is more value in keeping it complete.

And given your location, I would advertise it in Australia. It has to ship either way. But down there these cars are worth 20-30% more than here because of relative rarity. The challenge will be that the Aussie has been tanking for most of the last year and the $US is getting more expensive. But it never hurts to try. Worst case the car ends up at BHCC in SoCal.

JCP911S

Not trying to pry into your personal financial affairs, but a lot of this is like high stakes poker.

I'm making up numbers, but...

Assuming you buy the car for say $10K USD, and find a buyer for $15k net of shipping, its a deal. Or, you get stuck, and have to dump the car for $4K USD. Oh, well, you get the shaft.

If this sounds like a fun punt, and you're able to swallow a $10K USD loss without missing your rent, then fine. If these kinds of numbers make your palms sweat, you should probably steer clear.

It's a risky play with a lot of upside and downside.... all about your risk tolerance.

WPOZZZ

Your fear is correct. A project like this is very time and money consuming, with emphasis on money consuming. C2 turbo is right, if you wanted to restore it, I would say to have at least $50k on hand to do body work, paint, interior and mechanical. A quality repaint is $10k+, not including body work. Body work/rust repair will bring it up to $20k. Mechanicals will be $10k-$15k, plus parts. If you farmed it out to an indy, it would take a year, minimum, if they put you at the top of the list. Interior can be done quicker, but still costly. I had front seats reskinned, along with new dash leather, headliner and a rear deck. Wholesale cost was $2500.

If you have disposable income to do this, I say go for it. If you are stretching to buy this, don't do it. I've seen others take on projects like this and had to bail and take a loss.

Carrera51

Do some research and see if it's numbers matching. Is the option code sticker still present? Why was it parked? Does the seller have any records? If you could grab it for less than $10K, it might be worth it. Like others have said, you are looking at $80K-$100K to revive it, more if it was parked for a catastrophic engine failure.

theiceman

i dont think they had option code stickers back in 79 . That didnt come in till few years later. i think its worth grabbing as scrap if you are capable fo rebuilding the motor/ transmission

spet808

Thanks, guys. Really appreciate the Rennlist gang here weighing in on this. Will let you know what I decide. Am still working with the owner. Part of the motivation is to get this car back on the road (or at least its parts), whether I do the work or I sell it on to someone else. It's heartbreaking to watch it rot away in someone's driveway.

OGRacing

If it costs less than 100K I will be shocked. Want to guess what the engine and trunk area metal looks like? And what about the floor? I'm still trying to figure out how the wiring in the dash got where it is. Even mice don't do that. For a qualified restoration person/company to correctly restore this car with correct parts and without using spot welded patches and 100 lbs of bondo will be 125K-150K with it most likely the higher number. Offer 2K, remove any parts that can be sold and then give the car a proper burial or crush it and make it a coffee table.
Just my opinion.

Bill

kkswow12

sub'd...again