[Alain]

Hello everyone.

As some of you may remember, I sold my ZL1 1LE a couple of weeks ago. I’m still going to remain a member of this forum regardless of owning a camaro or not, I’ve learned a lot from you guys here and I’ve been able to offer advice and help to many.

Im looking to fulfill a life long wish to own a classic. It is a big part of why I chose to sale my Zl1 1LE. I’m hoping to lean on those of you here who have more knowledge and experience than me when it comes to classics. At the top of my list are a 57 Bel Air, 70 Chevelle or a 60s Impala.

I found this car

https://www.rkmotors.com/vehicles/40...evrolet-impala

Im in NJ and the car is in NC so looking at it in person is a bit of a hassle. I think I would go down there in person prior to closing a deal to look at it myself. But before getting to that point I’d like to know from you guys that know more than me if this thing is worth anything near what they are asking.

It’s got a big block (but no horsepower numbers). I don’t know much about the other components like the transmission, the power steering gear box and the carburetor and intakes. I know Edelbrock is top shelf stuff but I don’t know much else about it.

I’ve never owned a carbureted car so I’m looking for guidance there as well.

Anything you guys can share will be helpful.

Thank you all.

PS. I really miss my ZL1 1LE. Amazing how attached you can get to a car.

[LeonardS]

The 57 Chevy and 60’s Impalas are tanks. I’ve always thought these cars are great to look at, but not to drive. I always thought I wanted a 57 Chevy until I sat in one. The 68+ Chevelles, First Gen Camaro’s or early Chev II’s and Novas would probably make you happier. Just my $.02, which may be worth that or less.

[hawk02]

The '59 and '60 Bel Air and Impala are two of my most favorite classics. Just love the wings on the rear-end

If I were buying, I would find out as much as I could about the restoration. Who did the work. Was it a frame off restore. Where did the car originate from. Does it have a clean title and not a salvage title.

With classic cars you always worry about how much bondo and filler are in the body. Take a real close look around the trunk, bottom edge of the doors and quarter panels and also where the windshield meets the body.

No miles are listed for the engine. I'd find out how old it is and where did it come from. Hopefully, not a junk yard.

Personally, I think that price is a little steep. If the car is indeed as good as the photos show, a price between $50 and $60K would be more reasonable. That asking price is way above the high end for a '60 Impala 2dr coupe. Are you willing to pay more for a restored '60 Impala than a brand new ZL1 1LE? I don't care how great the restore is, classic cars are never trouble free.

[d15b7]

Hey Alain! Congrats on the sale and good luck in your search. I’ve got a client (I do IT work) who has a really nicely restored Big block Chevelle for sale. I took a look at it and it’s nicely done (very light upgrades - carb and headers etc) but looks stock in and out. It’s red with black interior. Car is located near West Chester PA. let me know if you might be interested and I’ll connect you two guys together.

[Chutzpah]

Personally, I wouldn’t touch a classic car without a seasoned and professional classic car appraiser to review its condition. Between watching my Dad restoring / buying cars (of that vintage and up) and just watching restoration shows, a beautiful looking car can hide a lot of demons, if not restored properly.

[Alain]

Originally Posted by LeonardS

The 57 Chevy and 60’s Impalas are tanks. I’ve always thought these cars are great to look at, but not to drive. I always thought I wanted a 57 Chevy until I sat in one. The 68+ Chevelles, First Gen Camaro’s or early Chev II’s and Novas would probably make you happier. Just my $.02, which may be worth that or less.

I wouldn’t be getting a classic to rip around (I’m keeping my Shelby and Hellcat for that). My classic would literally be for cruising around town and leisure Sunday drives.

Some day down the road I’ll probably throw a built motor in it and upgraded suspension to turn it into a more fun experience. But for now, it’ll just be a cruiser.

Originally Posted by hawk02

The '59 and '60 Bel Air and Impala are two of my most favorite classics. Just love the wings on the rear-end

If I were buying, I would find out as much as I could about the restoration. Who did the work. Was it a frame off restore. Where did the car originate from. Does it have a clean title and not a salvage title.

With classic cars you always worry about how much bondo and filler are in the body. Take a real close look around the trunk, bottom edge of the doors and quarter panels and also where the windshield meets the body.

No miles are listed for the engine. I'd find out how old it is and where did it come from. Hopefully, not a junk yard.

Personally, I think that price is a little steep. If the car is indeed as good as the photos show, a price between $50 and $60K would be more reasonable. That asking price is way above the high end for a '60 Impala 2dr coupe. Are you willing to pay more for a restored '60 Impala than a brand new ZL1 1LE? I don't care how great the restore is, classic cars are never trouble free.

You’ve given me a great foundation to start from when it comes to asking questions about this car. Thank you !!!

I also worry about body work and what kind of rust repair was done if any.it’ll be hard for me to assess the body work unless I take a trip out there to look at it in person, even then I’m not very familiar with how to spot shorty rust repair.

Thank you for your opinion on the price, it seemed steep to me as well. 50-60k is where I thought it should be as well. I wouldn’t pay that much for a car like this unless it had a built motor and a more modern suspension and brakes.

Originally Posted by d15b7

Hey Alain! Congrats on the sale and good luck in your search. I’ve got a client (I do IT work) who has a really nicely restored Big block Chevelle for sale. I took a look at it and it’s nicely done (very light upgrades - carb and headers etc) but looks stock in and out. It’s red with black interior. Car is located near West Chester PA. let me know if you might be interested and I’ll connect you two guys together.

Thank you. Yes, pm me his contact information and maybe something will come out of it. To be honest, a Chevelle comes in third in my wish list. But who knows, Red is the color Im looking for.

Originally Posted by Chutzpah

Personally, I wouldn’t touch a classic car without a seasoned and professional classic car appraiser to review its condition. Between watching my Dad restoring / buying cars (of that vintage and up) and just watching restoration shows, a beautiful looking car can hide a lot of demons, if not restored properly.

I agree 1000% with you. I also watch tons of those restorations shows and I’ve seen the bottomless money pits some owners get into when the projects go sideways due to shotty body work.

Does anyone have a lead on someone who would be willing to take a look at a car like this and report back to an interested buyer?

I don’t even know how to start a Google search for that haha.

Thank you guys for your advice and help with this.

[SJFGTO]

Beautiful car, but you are essentially paying a huge sum for a stock shell and interior. Everything else appears to be non stock/custom. So, that is allot of coin for the appearance of a 60 Impala only. That leads to the next issue of who did all the work and did they do it right. The more stuff you modify, the greater the chance its gonna break. Just my humble opinion. Unless you have to have THAT particular vehicle, I’d think real hard about paying that much money for a shell and a whole bunch of custom fabrication.

[Alain]

Originally Posted by SJFGTO

Beautiful car, but you are essentially paying a huge sum for a stock shell and interior. Everything else appears to be non stock/custom. So, that is allot of coin for the appearance of a 60 Impala only. That leads to the next issue of who did all the work and did they do it right. The more stuff you modify, the greater the chance its gonna break. Just my humble opinion. Unless you have to have THAT particular vehicle, I’d think real hard about paying that much money for a shell and a whole bunch of custom fabrication.

Agreed, since I’m eventually going to put a built motor in it Im ok with a purchase of a shell, trim and interior as long as it’s reasonable $$.

No way I’d pay 80k for this thing. 50-60k is what I’m looking to spend.

They mention in the ad that it was restored by the owner over the course of 27 years. Still, the quality of work is an unknown.

[serper3]

Originally Posted by Alain

Agreed, since I’m eventually going to put a built motor in it Im ok with a purchase of a shell, trim and interior as long as it’s reasonable $$.

No way I’d pay 80k for this thing. 50-60k is what I’m looking to spend.

They mention in the ad that it was restored by the owner over the course of 27 years. Still, the quality of work is an unknown.

doing it over, I would try to find a car that is exactly how you would have built it. you dont want to buy something for 50-60k, and then put another 25-50k into it.

its too easy to put lipstick on a pig and try to sell for a lot of money. i am not familiar with these cars, but that sounds like a too much.

I had a 67 camaro along with my c6 corvette. I planned on doing a big turbo lq4 build with it, but i realized it would cost too much, and take too much time. I have two young kids now and work too much so just makes more sense to not take 10 years to build the thing. Also was getting tired because the car always needed something..

[dbs1]

After restoring a 67, 68 and 69 camaro to get them decent to drive, cruise and race as much as I liked them (still wish I hadn't sold the 67 bbc) I found the least expensive (68 convertible with a stock zz4 engine) cost slightly more then the $40k I currently have in my 17 ZL1.
The 67 became a track car that I had around $70k in and the 69 I wanted to be ok at everything including cruising with AC and a fuel injected 550hp 406 I was north of $80.

None were near the car the current ZL1 is, but there was just something about the 67 beating modern cars that I loved and the 69 being able to run high 10's and get 20mpg cruising up and down the mtn was great. Until they broke down. That pissed me off!!

[LT4Greg]

I was in this dilemma earlier this year and didn’t want to spend mucho money on a ‘57 Chevy Belair 2 door hardtop or a ‘69 Chevelle SS and decided to get a 1970 VW Beetle that was semi-restored that I could enjoy and not spend a ton of money to buy. Sure it has some issues but for a 51 year old car it’s fun to drive and relatively cheaper to own. I did keep my ZL1 though to go fast when I want to and still have my 2005 Silverado regular cab truck. The Beetle has dropped spindles and disc brakes in the front and reproduction Porsche 911 wheels, aftermarket steering wheel but is mostly stock on the inside and has the original stock engine. It’s fun to drive but people get impatient with me since it’s slow on takeoff but quickly gets up to speed in the higher gears(4 speed). It just depends on how much money you want to spend and I do understand your interest in the older cars. Good luck!

[Alain]

I can’t buy one of these built the way I want it…….can’t afford it at the moment.

My plan of attack is to buy something with a descent body, frame and engine that I can cruise around for the next 9 years or so.

When I retire in 9 years I will tackle the engine and transmission swap and whatever else it may need (within reason). I plan on saving money for the next 9 years to buy a motor, transmission and a frame (if I need one). This is my retirement gift for myself, I’m trying to get ahead of the game now so that I’m not spending big chunks of money at a time when I retire.

With that being said, I’m ok with it being an average cruiser. I’m not looking to race anyone or beat people up on the freeway on ramps and from stop light to stop light.

I’ve never been about that, even with my modern cars.

If the body on this thing is in good condition and I can get it for around 60k I think it’s a good deal for what I intend to do.

Is that a crazy assumption on my part?

[LT4Greg]

Go for it Alain!

[ZL1naples]

Looks overpriced to me by at least $25k.