53 Hornet Sedan Value Help

Thank you for the in depth analysis. The gentleman is asking 12K for it.

it seems so far it would be worth 12K if the trans was fine and it was a driver.



So the few issues I have are the trans (-1K for a Souza Hydramatic) the engine not being documented 7x modded rebuild , could be a normal 308 (-?)

noone commented about this so maybe im over thinking it

Also as its not test drivable- the trust factor that there are no hidden issues (-?)

so 10-11K would be an acceptable offer/ reasonable cash price given no rust issues.



does this seem accurate so far?

Well I got back from the car inspection. I didnt take any pics, but here is what I found.



the car only has about 2000 miles on it since the restoration. the engine was in good running condition and the guy drove it back 1200 miles from canada. i didnt hear it run but said he would run it if i wanted to pull the trigger and it was a final decision kinda thing. it has some light greas/ oil residue on the bottom of the block no oil leaks though. trans leaks some now. theres some grease and grime on the steering and shift linkage underneath. steering wheel has 2" of play in it



The underside is pretty clean good driver quality appearance, a little road grime but not gunked up - it has has a light undercoating sprayed on the entire underside. The rear main and perimeter frame are seemingly solid. It shows signs of being repaired a little as the with some hard to identify patchs and tar at every jointand seam. the floor pans are super solid all the way. there is some evidence of rust flakes in a couple seams if you poke at them. But the frame has no rust through thats visible and is smooth on all the flat rails and it looks and feels solid. trunk pan and spare well is solid. rear frame top under the trunk had some rust flakes where you could see it wasnt cleaned up because of accessibility. a couple of the 1" 45 degree coss bars have been rewelded with gobby kinda welds. the leaf sping attch point look solid. the tar was used on the seams and didnt look half assed there wasnt any tar on the flat surfaces like they pasted over a hole or excessive amount covering corners. THe bottom A pillars are good, no crust.





The body work is pretty decent, like an 8 of 10. it needs color sanded below the trim line it has some touch up ups done. needs a good buff all over but presentable as is. there is a couple dime size rust paint bubbles on the lower door corners. no rust on the door bottoms.



needs door gaskets, couple vent window rubbers and trunk gasket. can see some rust flakes where the lower trunk gasket was. Trunk floor is solid



i magneted it some and i think there is a little bondo as a part of the straightening process it seems but nothing i saw as unshapely or unneeded amount or poorly done. there isnt hammer markes under the hood or truck adn the fenders underneath are super clean.



The brightwork was redone on the front and rear bumpers and headlight/ taillights and hood ornaments is done really well. the side trim is ok but he includes a set of new and rechromed side trim, less the pork chops. vent window frames are pitted. the lower trim is presentable not attached 100% and the side trim is poorly attached i think.



The Doors all have varying gaps and all need to be slammed to shut all the way which i was kinda dissapointed in but dont know if this is common and a striker plate adjustmetn or sagging doors and hinges. windows roll down pretty easily



the interior is complete and presentable but all the chrome trim/ column needs redone. its pitted. the upolstry needs a pro cleaning but no tears, bad stains or stink. the carpet is ok. the seat springs squeak, the driver part of the front seat has a kind of bar below the vinyl top piece that kinda rubs on my back and isnt present in the middle or passenger side... kinda wierd.

the back seat is way comfortable but the springs squeak and the seating position in the front is pretty nice too. just need a custom arm rest. headliner is a 9.



Guages work, Original radio does not. the door jams are black painted but look kinda rough.



Gas tank is out of it and he said it looked rough but didnt leak and functioned fine. he was going to replace it with a stainless replacement (not included).



the trans adaptor hes including is a Bendington (sp? i cant remeber) brand and has a starter and manual flywheel to go with it, as well as a "good" 700r4. he recommended the 700r4 over the Hydramatic but doesnt wanna dig into it. I asked him if hed fix the trans and he said if he did he would keep it.



Hes firm on the 12K price and doesnt need to sell it.



I think it was fixed to be a driver. i wish i could drive it down the road to get a good feeel for squeaks and comfort level but I cant. the rebuilt twin h 308 and 12V is a huge plus and the upolstry pretty good is nice too. the doors needing slammed shut and lack of good dash chrome trim is disssapointing to me and the steering has 2"of play but some TLC is part of the game



id be up in the air about the trans. gus said 1250 exchange for teh Hydramatic and about 600 +/- for install to have him do it.



Overall it was fixed to be a driver i think. i think it had some common rust issues and they were repaired seemingly well. it did run and drive well before the trans lock up in forward gears.