1969 Super Bee...worth restoring? Or make it a driver?

[sixsixvette]

I just purchased this 69 Bee. It is a numbers matching true Super Bee coupe, 4 speed, 383. Factory quarter scoops and N96 options. Texas car it's whole life. Parked for many years. Im the third owner. The previous owner bought the car a year ago from original owners and started doing a low budget build on it. Painted it himself and it is not good at all!! Really bad! On top of that, he painted it chevy hugger orange. He did purchase all new interior from Josh's, but he changed it to black interior instead of the original tan. He did send out the engine and had it professionally rebuilt with an upgraded cam and a few other performance internals. Nice motor for sure and has receipt for $7k in engine work.

Car appears to be a very solid original metal car. A few pin holes in trunk floor, and one hole patched on passenger rear lower. He did not spend the time needed on body work, so definitely needs some dings and imperfections worked out. Looking down the side really shows the lack of proper blocking and needs attention. The clear coat is about the worst I have ever seen. No way a cut and buff will get this car anything more than a 30 footer! Bottom of car has alot of surface rust, but appears to be very solid otherwise.

So here is my dilemma. As original as this car is, and the options it has, it would seem only right to do a full restoration. But that is more than I was planning to do, and probably take another $20-30k minimum. If I complete the car in the direction he was going, it seems to be the easy route, but would only ever be a very rough driver. Could be fun and definitely get her on the road quick, but seems like this car deserves better.

So what are your thoughts? Is this car worth saving and putting the investment into it? With these factory options is it rare enough to justify the investment? Hate to go upside down on any car, but thinking if done right, this could be a $60k + car, maybe more depending on market.

 

[Llamaback]

Very cool Bee! Too bad on the butcher job orange paint. My vote is it is of course worth restoring, any solid super bee is worth the money and time put into it. If it were me and I didn't want to restore it yet I would sand the body down and block out what is needed to get it half decent and then respray it the original color, but do a flat or satin paint job to make it look more like a survivor car again. Just a quickie job to more closely resemble that original patina. Then I would use a rust converter/neutralizer on the underside and try and protect the frame rails and underside as much as possible without having to disassemble everything. Then enjoy the car until you are ready to take the plunge into a full restoration.

 

[DeltaV]

I would get it on the road quick and have fun for a couple of years. This will give you time to familiarize yourself with the car (e.g., find gremins, etc.) and watch the market trends. You can give it the restoration it deserves at a later date if it still makes sense.

Do you have the broadcast sheet for this car?

 

[sixsixvette]

I would get it on the road quick and have fun for a couple of years. This will give you time to familiarize yourself with the car (e.g., find gremins, etc.) and watch the market trends. You can give it the restoration it deserves at a later date if it still makes sense.

Do you have the broadcast sheet for this car?

I need to pull rear seat and see if it is still there.

 

[murfman]

The Orange looks fine. Block it down and spray the outside again and drive the wheels off it.

 

[Runcharger]

It definetly deserves restoring, great combo. However I would get it driving and run the crap out of it for 5 years before doing that. You'll have lot more fun driving it than you will spending those 5 years getting everything just right.

 

[RemCharger]

Agree with just use it. Can slowly accumulate parts as you go.

 

[Just Send It]

My vote is to drive the wheels off that thing! The only person that cares if its restored or not is you. People are going to be stoked just to see it on the road.

I have a lot of respect for a guy that actually drives his car, and improves it as he goes. That's what this is all about, Man. Driving....

 

[sixsixvette]

Great feedback. If I go the route of driving it for a few years, what do you suggest I should do about the bottom side? Clean and paint to seal it? POR 50? Undercoat? Knowing it will eventually be restored, I don't want to loose the quality metal there, but also don't want to double my work later.

 

[RemCharger]

If you aren't driving to work everyday in the middle of a salt belt in February.. I don't think it's getting any better or worse. Maybe a can of rust check. The penetrant.

 

[Llamaback]

I like eastwood internal frame coating. You can use it to spray the insides of the rails and trunk drops and also use it on exposed surface rusted areas. It will hold it well. If you are really serious about it you could follow that up with body cavity wax and spray that in the rails and inside of panels as well. Don't use POR 15, keep the coatings thin so you sandblast if off easy when its time for the resto.

 

[Runcharger]

Agree with the 2 above. Don't POR15 it.

 

[jimbosride]

Send it off to graveyard cars. After 3 year and the divorce is final you can then admire your car.

Clean it up drive it

 

[hunt2elk]

That looks like a real nice solid car. If it was in my garage, I would be blowing it apart to get it on a rotisserie and let the blasting begin. It's really unfortunate that the previous owner didn't do it right before the quicky paint job was applied. I wouldn't waste the time trying to cover up the surface rust on the bottom at this point. There is too much, and you will just have to deal with removing it later anyway.

 

[6PKRTSE]

I regret selling my 69. I would drive it as is and restore it as you go while keeping it a driver.

 

[eldubb440]

That looks like a real nice solid car. If it was in my garage, I would be blowing it apart to get it on a rotisserie and let the blasting begin. It's really unfortunate that the previous owner didn't do it right before the quicky paint job was applied. I wouldn't waste the time trying to cover up the surface rust on the bottom at this point. There is too much, and you will just have to deal with removing it later anyway.

this ^^^^^^^^^^^

 

[68BabyBlue]

Baby Blue was neve restored, just cleaned up and maintained since 1968. Other owners did the expensive stuff, like a new interior, during the 22 years between my two periods of ownership. When I owned the car in the 80s, I had lower quarter panel rust and a couple pinholes in the driver's side fender repaired. I sprayed all the trouble spots with "redneck rustproofing," mix of diesel fuel and motor oil. One of the mechanics I worked with in our Buffalo, NY terminal taught me that trick. Car was never a show car, and got driven more than my other six GTXs combined.

Nice paint job I had done in 1985 still wasn't bad thirty years later, other than crazing of the clearcoat, which I wet sanded and buffed out. Still looked okay at 20 feet. My friends who knew the car's history were upset when the current owner cleaned it up to show car status. Sometimes it's better to keep them at driver level.

 

[4mulas]

I’ve been having the same thoughts about my latest acquisition. Looks to be the same as your avatar actually.
Mine is a 4 speed car, Dana 60, build sheet fender tag. Numbers matching every where except right now I don’t have a numbers motor for it but I think I have a line in where it exists. I’ve had concours level cars before and have to tell you I seldom drove them from worry and preservation reasons. I am leaning towards leaving this one all ‘sweaty’ and just putting together a bitchin drivetrain and driving as is…. Every part except the factory tach is accounted for and there, even the console 4 speed shifter down to the rusty original exhaust tips….

 

[6PKRTSE]

I drug this one out of a field for free and slapped it together with a bunch of left over racing parts and drive it as is. The best part is it looks like hell and can take down just about anything I pull up next to. It gets a lot of laughs and upsets many.

 

[Black_Sheep]

My OCD wouldn’t allow me to leave it “as is”. I’ve had cars like that or worse and just couldn’t leave them alone…