'57 Hornet "Convertible" Back on CL

[Deleted User]

The '57 Hornet that has had the top chopped off and the doors welded shut is back on craigslist:



http://cleveland.en.craigslist.org/cto/1374100369.html



What kind of reinforcing would it take to make this thing road worthy? More importantly, what would it cost if you are not a welder?



I emailed the owner to ask what, if anything, had been done besides welding the doors and he had no clue. Bought it for $3000 and is willing to take $2500.



I must admit that for a Hash it looks pretty cool as a convert.

hudnut1tmr

A real English major.

[Deleted User]

Another proud product of the government schools. Amazing.

TOM-WA-

Can I get somebody to translate please?



i have a 57 hudson tha has bin droped with just the rimes they are 13 daytons withch go for 500 a pice i would like to traid for a shovel head or a chopper i would traid for a honda tunner car needs brakes fixed and seets put on the top has bin cut off to make it a convirt t is not all mesd up it is done nice and it runs and drives great starts right up call or tex 440 413 4500 for pic i am lookin to get a traid out of this but cash will do i would like a honda tuner car or any other tuner. motercycle like a croch rocket or a chopper

RL Chilton

I'm still trying to figure out the first part:



"i have a 57 hudson tha has bin droped with just the rimes they are 13 daytons withch go for 500 a pice"



Is that dropped with 13" rims?



Funny, he doesn't mention the doors being welded shut or the fact it doesn't even have a top . . . two somewhat important features on this car I would think.



And where is Painesville? I wanna make sure that's nowhere near me if this guy ends up with a "crotch rocket" or "tuner car".

RL Chilton

Swampy Meadows wrote:

The '57 Hornet that has had the top chopped off and the doors welded shut is back on craigslist:



http://cleveland.en.craigslist.org/cto/1374100369.html



What kind of reinforcing would it take to make this thing road worthy? More importantly, what would it cost if you are not a welder?



I emailed the owner to ask what, if anything, had been done besides welding the doors and he had no clue. Bought it for $3000 and is willing to take $2500.



I must admit that for a Hash it looks pretty cool as a convert.

You asked for opinions, so here goes. $2500 for a running, driving old car is not too bad these days, price-wise. Obviously, the doors being welded shut means that the poor thing was shaking herself to death, front half of the car moving independently from the rear, and/or the "sagging" of the car in the middle probably pinched the doors together so bad, they wouldn't open or close anyway.



Besides, it has to have a top that is retractable or removable in order to qualify for "convertible" status, which this car has neither.



To properly "re-inforce" this car is going to take more than a case of beer if you are not a welder. Even if you could weld some angle iron to beef up the frame members to eliminate the sag, what are you going to do about cowl shake?



My opinion is that the best thing for this car is to weld a top back on it and put the integrity back into it . . . or use it as a parade car, which, as is, is all it's got going for it.



Seriously, this is NOT ANYTHING LIKE converting a HLWYD into a convertible, which is not too hard with the right parts, because very little integrity is lost, as all the support is already built into the foundation.



"Foundation" is a good word there. If you've got no foundation, you've got NADA, nothing. How good a house could you have without having something for it to sit upon? "Bad Foundation? OH, just take it out . . . and put in a new one!"



Yeah, o.k.



A builder the other day needed me to set some 8' doors and for some reason, the framer couldn't seem to get the wall set correctly and finally removed it. The builder actually asked me to set the door first and the then the framer would come back later and build the wall up to my door and frame.



WHAT???? Set the door? Set it to what . . . the air??



No wall, no door. No foundation, no house. No frame, no car. Basic stuff.

[Deleted User]

Russ:
The top being chopped and the doors welded shut were mentioned in the previous CL ad that ran a few months ago. I think this guy bought this car then (since he didn't know anything about it) and now wants to get rid of it.

Tom-WA:
Believe it or not, this guy said he is a student!

RL Chilton

Swampy Meadows wrote:

Russ:

The top being chopped and the doors welded shut were mentioned in the previous CL ad that ran a few months ago. I think this guy bought this car then (since he didn't know anything about it) and now wants to get rid of it.

Tom-WA:
Believe it or not, this guy said he is a student!

That was my impression as well, as I remember the previous listing and the thread about this car, then. I'm sure you are right about now turning it. Initially, probably fell into the "cool" factor of the car, but now realizes it's practicality or driveability is less than the visual appeal. Next buyer is certainly going to be the new owner of someone else's problem.

Student, huh? I hope he's taking English as a second language.

RL Chilton

This car has reminded me of a story, and since I'm feeling like it's time for a good story-telling and no one is around, I'll relate it here. Not Hudson-based, but a good comparison to the "WOW factor"- trap that all car folks tend to fall into one time or another, present company included.:cool:









While living in VA, I met this fellow car nut with a 25-30 car collection. Nothing specific, not marque or body style or even era-specific. Just whatever happened to fit his fancy at the time. He took a great interest in my Hudson and thought about buying one some time in the past, but the right "deal" never seemed to come along. The fellow wasn't rich with all #1 cars, either. Most were drivers, all garaged, a couple rare or history-related cars, nothing super spectacular, just an interesting conglomeration of American autos. '57 T-Bird, '65 Mustang, '74 Lincoln with low mileage, some old convertible from a 60's TV show that I never heard of were a few of the ones I remember off-hand, most were low mileage vehicles, in fact and he took great pride in that aspect of his collection.



Maybe I just don't remember the rest of the cars because of his most recent acquisition, a '57 Lincoln Mark II, the main reason for a trip out to his house. I personally have always liked those cars and kind of marveled at their unique place in collector status (more on that in a moment).

A friend had told him that their aunt (or somebody, can't remember exactly) was getting on in years and wanted to sell off her old Lincoln and he should go look at it before she lists it in the paper. Off on a fresh car adventure, was astonished when he got to see the car in the garage as he helped her pull the cover off. Not only was it beautiful, but a Mark II, as well. She told him that she started it up frequently, but that it smoked some, she always kept it covered, but no longer drove it. She'd get out and clean it every 6 months or so and try to wax it once a year. The original paint and chrome were starting to show signs of it's age, but was a very well-kept car, especially for Connecticut. Her husband, who had since passed on some time ago, had bought it for her new. Upon inspection, the odometer read just over 1300 miles.



She also told him that even though she had gotten older, she hadn't lost her senses. Her husband paid $10,000 for it new and she figured with the low mileage, she ought to be able to get the $10,000 back for it. The collector instantly wrote her a check. Perspective time: Air . . . from 1957, was still in the tires.





Now comes the good part. Pay attention here fellow car-nuts, this here story comes with a good moral.



Upon arriving back home, with the car on the trailer, it must have been quite a shock . . . no, that doesn't convey it . . . it must have been absolutely MIND-BLOWING to discover a 3' section of the frame rail lying on top of the trailer underneath the car. Apparently, the trip home was more than the old girl could stand and what little was left of the frame was literally falling off of the car in big, giant chunks, no less. Removing the car off of the trailer was out of the question, without running the risk of having it buckle in half. Closer inspection revealed the entire undercarriage, even though it had only spent one winter driving on salt, time had taken it's toll through the last (nearly) 50 years. What little was left, was all but gone. Very carefully, two I-beams were placed underneath the car and then jacked up with (rented) forklifts and put on dollies on the trailer. Our collector friend, who is not mechanically inclined, hauled the car to someone he found who was willing to do a frame swap. Fortunately, Lincoln Premieres used the same frame, so after finding a good donor frame and some time (and $7500), the car had a good foundation again.



But the good just keeps on getting better! During the frame swap and while the engine was out, it was prime opportunity for the engine mechanic to check it out. "Too idle, too long", he said. Yeah, it runs, and smokes and is firing on a couple less cylinders, but best thing for it is to go ahead and tear it down and start fresh even just to check it out and make sure everything is o.k. Later, it was learned the tranny was suffering the same problems. Subsequently, it, too was re-built. Oh, and hey, the bushings on the suspension are shot from not being exercised and from plain dry rot . . . might as well do it now while the car is apart. $8000 later, all is well.



First time. First time the owner sat on the seat, it collapsed, and the leather split in three places. Dry Rot. It takes 13 hides to re-do the interior of that car, even though it's a two-seater. EVERYTHING is covered in leather: seats, door panels, kick panels, headliner, even the dash and console are all swathed in leather. Custom color, too to match the original, which the car deserves. $5000 later and the interior looks and feels and smells just like new.



Fortunately, chrome and paint were pretty decent. And, even though his 10K once-in-a-lifetime find turned into a 30K investment in short order, he'll be fine as the car is really worth 50 or more. But, and the point of all this is, he wasn't counting on putting in the additional 20+ so fast or so soon . . . or so much when he bought the car. He fell into the "wow" . . .sorry, the "WOW-Factor", or fell in love with a car without really looking into the whole picture. Even if he had, he probably still would've bought it, 'cause it was too late. The WOW got him, as it gets all of us some time or another. Being aware of this going in, will sometimes make everything work out at the end of the day, but NOT being aware, most of the time, is going to be a resentful, painful purchase. Exactly the opposite of what car-buying should be all about.:)

bent metal

I love that story Russell. Maybe because it didn't happen to me. It sounds like an Andy Griffith episode where Barney buys a car from a little old lady.

Browniepetersen

Loved the story Russell. I have been bit by the WOW several times in the past--but, now I have been at it long enough to know when to bail out and when what I am going to spend is at liest worth it to me. I have long since passed the point where I would only build a car that I could make money at? Hopefully, those I work on today will stay with me until my wife sells them after the funeral?



My lovely wife has been a school teacher for 30 plus years and counting. I agree with all you say Rick. I accepted a comission (never considered it a job) to teach at a local college in the evenings a few years back. What I learned from the experience is that I would not do my wife's job for tripple the pay that she gets. Do not get me wrong. I understand that not all teachers are created equal from the point of ability, knowledge, training or dedication. All I am saying is I have a special place in my heart for those who teach--and I am not one of them.....

Lee ODell

Loved the story Russel. Not a bad idea to mount it in every car nuts garage.



Lee

[Deleted User]

If anyone really cares, this car is back on CL yet again...now for the bargain price of $1000:



http://cleveland.craigslist.org/cto/1403675220.html



Looks like he has it parked outside, took the tarp off to take pictures off it in the rain and mud.



I believe I smell a serious case of buyer's remorse emanating from Cleveland.

RL Chilton

Swampy Meadows wrote:

If anyone really cares, this car is back on CL yet again...now for the bargain price of $1000:



http://cleveland.craigslist.org/cto/1403675220.html



Looks like he has it parked outside, took the tarp off to take pictures off it in the rain and mud.



I believe I smell a serious case of buyer's remorse emanating from Cleveland.

I think you're right!!

RL Chilton

Hudson308 wrote:

Russell's story kinda reminds me of the BRAND NEW '57 Belvedere they dug up in Oklahoma a couple years back. :eek:

That car would've been great had water not got into the storage tank. They had a flood in '77, I think it was. First it got soaked, then the water drained out and all the wet mixed with the air, and voila'! Instant basketcase (well, in thirty more years, anyway.