70 Challenger, good project or walk away?

Budnicks said:

whatever rust is visible
you can count on, there's probably;
10 times more underneath those areas "usually"

what about the car is it you like ?

is it a bucket list car ?

like you said you keep coming back to it, you must like it
is it the big ol' 572cid Hemi, you like ?
(you can rebuild if need be, far less than body & paint costs)

what attracted you to the car ?

Obviously or I assume,
that you're not all too concerned about matching #'s ?
or it not being a real R/T or you wouldn't be asking
about that car...
IMO/personally I don't care about #'s matching,
in a car like that one...
It is what it is, someone built to suit car...
No harm no foul...
I'd be far more concerned about the quality of parts used
& quality of the install, how the car looks at a 1st glance...

Now here's the tough love part...
if repairing price/costs is a huge concern ?
I'd walk away now...

If you intend to make it a showpiece or near-perfect
I'd say a min. of $20K on-top of the purchase price,
IMO that's a $50k car, mainly because it needs repair
& non #'s matching, but the big Hemi is a selling/buying point (to me)
then add a min. of $20k + Easily (maybe to $40k)
paying someone else to do the work/rust repair/body & paint
or even mechanical work...
It's going to be a money pit, if that's the path...

But;
it also appears to be all there
but;
you could also drive it & enjoy it now
do repairs a lil' at a time & enjoy it, in the meantime...

if the sellers' price, is low enough to allow for repairs ?

Now;
if it's not a car you plan to flip or "profit off"
(I doubt there's much, if any profit in that car)

Then IMO it's not as big of a deal, if it's a car you plan to keep
& drive for a while & the price is right for your budget ?

If the car i something you truly want ?
do what you can when you can, when funds allow it...
Drive it & enjoy it...
Far too many people get into projects based on cost
never have any fun with the cars, end up being a burden...
or they bail on them at a loss
Far too many can't afford the extra "real" costs
to pay someone else
or they don't have the knowledge to repair them, themselves...
IMO for those types,
#1 get/find a car with less body & paint needs
#2 less mechanical needs
#3 a car much closer to being done,
you can do lil' details finish
#4 a car that's all there,
all the lil' **** really adds up fast
#5 save a lil' more & spend more on the initial purchase
Far less time (months or years) in paint/body jail or machinist jail
have more time enjoying it, more bang (enjoyment) for the buck...

It does have a big Hemi in it
But;
caveat, Not knowing the whole story, background
&/or have all the views of the chassis & underside of the car
suspension, shocks etc.
But;
IMO it doesn't really look purpose-built "like a drag car"
IMO looks more like, just a resto-mod with a big Hemi
a few add-ons for performance, car used to cruise or go to local shows
especially not with them wheels & tires either

sorry for the short book, that's just my thoughts on it
good luck

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coronet68mx said:

Belive it or not I always read your wall of text

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coronet68mx said:

Belive it or not I always read your wall of text

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moparedtn said:

Lord knows, I do too....I might come out the other side bug-eyed, but I always learn something.

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