QuestionQUESTION: My father and I are restoring a 76 camaro together. We are on the fence of weather we will sell it or keep it. The car is originally the firethorne red with red interior. It has an updated cam manifold carb and exhaust but left on the cherry bombs. a three inch cowl hood and ss crager rims. I had to tear out the rusted floors and weld in new ones. The interior is in shambles and I am having vynyl seats molded for it and the interior freshened up. The car is also going to be repainted due to bad paint. We are looking for good colors for that camaro that show they sell well in this declining market. My father thinks black is a good option where I think red should be maintained so no Jams have to be painted. Do keep in mind it will probably get a cheap paint job done to it as well(unforchantly) and buffed out after a new clear coat is put on. We have the option of the interior being 2 tones or one and were thinking to go black or black and white. or if it is a black car red or red and white with the interior. In regards to the idea that we want a popular look, whaqt would you suggest we do. Also, We need to get a door repaired due to rust handle and upset window. What would you suggest be the most cost effective way of fixing this properly? Thank you for your time. Your opinions and answers are greatly appreciated.
ANSWER: If the car was originally red on red (the brighter the better) then I say leave it that color. There is nothing better for sale than red. That is why it is called "RESALE RED" by the industry. Black is probably second best.
For those that care, leaving the car with the colors it was born with is best.
The problem is both red and black are the hardest colors to hide bodywork problems. and the work you describe (I would not call what you have planned in your description a restoration) may leave lots to hide. If you don't do quality work and lots and lots of preparation, you will have a wavy body that will hold value down.
You may be able to come out OK doing this, but it might be better just to sell it as-is and avoid the expense of a half-way job.
Fixing doors is hard to do, so with a car this new, I would just get a junkyard door that was in better shape, don't mess with fixing a rusty door with window problems.
BE honest with this job and each other though, if this car is really rusty, it could be a nightmare once you start taking it apart. At best, in showroom new condition, this year Camaro might bring $19,000. As a kind of half-restoration with admittedly bad new paint, it might work hard to be worth $4000, and you could easily put more than that into it just to have it be worth even less if the work isn't top notch and all the rust gone. If those new floorboards are just flat sheetmetal, then the value of the car right now is probably very low. If you took the time to get good old correct floors or reproductions, and repair or replace the support structure then you are on the right road. Taking shortcuts hurts the value greatly unless you just hope to sell it to someone that won't notice.
I once appraised a Mustang with badly repaired floors, bad paint and lots of waves. the owner wasn't happy with the appraisal, but I refused to lie to him and the insurance company.
I wish you well, also, I do think that the current market is WAY overvalued and that the prices are going to start coming down, but right now we are at an all-time high. but in a year we could be in a freefall of prices. So consider if you really want to put time and money into this big of a project. A Rusty 67 Camaro would be a much better project. you would have a much more desireable car when done, and spend the same or less money!
Don
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QUESTION: Yes I actually did put in reproduction floor pans. The only dented panel got traded out with a new reproduction panel. There are no body work problems other than the one door. I do have a new outer panel for the door but dont know how to go about it orr who to take it to. These 76 camaros are hard to find even in junk yards and I really like the body. I am thiking it really is just going to be my toy car in the end. Thanks for your time.
AnswerIt is possible to put on a new outer door panel, but they are crimped on at the factory and it is hard to do without some exotic tools.
That is why I said that an entire new door would be much easier. I obviously can't help with who to take the door to in your local area, and again, if you can find a decent used door of any color (easy to change the color with it off the car) then just buy a new (used) door.
Glad to see you are putting in the right panels.
Also, if you are going to keep the car and selling price isn't a consideration, but fun in the here and now IS....,then paint it any color you want. But my original advice stands, if it was Red/Red, then that is the BEST choice for when the time comes to sell it, and that choice has the advantage of being the original colors (as far as I could tell from your comments).
Mid-70's cars (both American and import) were terrible with respect to body rust, and they also had the worst of the new emmissions laws and for the most part, were poor for MPG and how they ran. They were hard to keep running unlike todays cars that can pretty much be counted on to go 200,000 miles if taken care of, in the mid-70's getting to 100,000 was a real milestone. That is why cars of that era in general are kind of hard to find.
But production, while being down a little compared to future years, was still almost 200,000 cars for the Camaro alone.
Here is a site with production numbers so you can see where your car stands.
http://www.yearone.com/updatedsinglepages/Id_info/camaro/camaroprodnums.asp
To find parts, be sure to check Hemmings Motor News and you can find lots of junkards selling parts out west with good non-rusty parts. Might not be many in the rust belt left though.
Also, chances are that some other year Camaro doors will fit your car. They usually had the same doors for several years, as doors are one of the most expensive parts of any car.
Don
