I've been around this stuff since I was in my teens (I'm 72). This was basic used car purchase 101 (get an independent inspection). Buying a used car is just about the same as buying a used horse (you have to know what to look for) I have been able to learn what to look for as to the basic integrity of the vehicle with out having to go with an outside inspection and I stay away from so-called pretty paint jobs and previously hot rodded vehicles. I bought a 1972 Chevrolet SWB 4wheel drive truck from a fellow and the cab and bed were pretty rusted (I'm the third owner). He started the truck and it ran smooth and mechanically was all there and the price was right. Come May of this year marks 45 yrs I have owned this truck.
That might be true, but a 57 Chevy has a real chassis and would not need nearly as much added structure when the roof is gone to make it an convertible.
There’s more 57 Chevy Convertibles registered in California alone than were built. BUT 57 Chevy body’s are reproduced. Same with 32 fords more on the road now than in 32
@@morganbrowning867 Not supposed to be able to register those as '32's or '57's. Someone in a NC DMV got into a lot of trouble several years back for issuing bogus titles.
I went to Mecum auction in Indianapolis last year.. the amount of cars that were hacked together with junk.. I mean junk, then covered in bondo and painted is unbelievable.. I got pre approved as a bidder, and after spending an entire day looking at the cars I was interested in, I left and didn't even watch them cross the block.. it was sad..
My husband and I have seen the SAME things. Don't get me started on questionable VIN numbers. Folks do due diligence before you spend your money. Don't let the frauds win.
Been going to Barrett Jackson Palm Beach for many years now, the amount of crappy work I’ve seen on $250k+ cars is outrageous. Don’t get me wrong, there are some beautiful cars that go for what they are worth but I have also seen extremely well built cars sell for less than the build costs. Car auctions could be super hit or miss
so um if i already have car shell's like a 1969 charger the safer/conservative/better move isn't to replace it with "finished auction/dealership" one? instead finish my stolen/chopped-shoped/wrecked car and buy it back from the classic-car insurance company? more so if im planning on heavy-mods aka not a factory restoration 6-speed swap ect. parts of the project will have to be farmed out like body trimming as my metal work/paint isn't up to show-car winning par but the assembly/drivetrain i can do ect spending 80K ish usd on a flipper job isn't what i have in mind as it's the same effort as buying a new red eye or demon challenger and i feel is a fair competition/category vs my finished charger if not the charger is worth more or at least to me seams a little nicer car to own/drive
This occurs because the prices of all classic cars have reached ridiculous levels. This invites the unscrupulous. The prices for garbage cars from the casual enthusiast are, as a result, way overpriced.
i hate it. I bought a 1961 beetle with no engine back in 2017 for 1,300 bucks and now if i try to get one in same or worse condition easily 4-5k for 61 non running
Problem is, even your standard car truck ect, somebody could of bought it for 500 1000 because of MAJOR issues, cover it over, add some lucas basically do the used car salesman fix, SOMEHOW get it inspected, and then sell it for 6 7 8 9 grand, when its not worth the registration. A clean interior and exterior sells. That's the sad part.
I worked at a British car resto shop, and the old part owner was selling a drophead 150 project. He had us get under it and tack weld a piece of flimsy sheet metal on the frame then coat it with spray on liner. He was laughing about it because he knew if he could sell it to someone, they would likely have the shop restore it, and he could report that it turns out the chassis needed major work. Such a ripoff. I now own an upholstery shop that does NOT rip off customers. We don't put cheap covers over old and we can sew straight seams. But just as bad as those wanting to flip and rip off are also those customers that watch too much TV and think we can do a full interior over the commercial break. Drives me crazy most of the time.
This makes me remember many years ago, my dad had a 50 something Ford pickup, that had its roof removed. My sister had a house trailer that was not tied down, and a storm caused it to flip on the truck. We had to remover the top. It was no longer road worthy, but we used it for years to haul pulpwood. I wore goggles to protect my eyes, as it had no windshield. What a sight we were coming down the road!
I work next to a shop in Scottsdale down the road from where Barrett Jackson is held. They routinely conduct inspections on auction cars. You would be horrified at the butchery that happens.
I'm horrified you live in Scottsdale, but that aside I had the pleasure of being stuck in traffic for that auction weekend running a hotel shuttle> what a spectacle
One thing my dad taught me early on is a common sign of poor workmanship is looking the rockers over. Fly by nighters and wheeler dealers rarely ever invest any time or effort into the areas that aren’t readily visible. You’d be surprised how many ostensibly “nice restorations” have rockers that look like they’ve been worked over with a ball peen hammer. And on closer inspection are absolute turds
I always thought of that when ever I work on something even the non visible parts..... essentially every part perfected even the most unthought of ones contributes to the overall quality
true, when i was apartment shopping, the landlady bragged about new paint and carpets. So i bee-lined for the closet to see if they bothered with that section. She was suprised, said no one had bothered to check. Car trunks used to be the same way.
Sometimes it is just ignorance. I knew a mechanic that was like that. I tried explaining that the cam, transmission and axle choices were just the beginning. The body choice and structure also needs to be balanced too. He and his buddy where like that. Put a 460 in a Maverick and could not understand why I told them to do not brake torque it. Put a roll cage in it first. There are 68 Mustangs that came from the factory like that. The 70s Maverick shares a lot with the early Mustang. Well after removing the cracked windshield and shattered rear window there was more room to do that that. Getting the replacements to fit was a bit of a struggle.
True what you all say reminds me of this one time an inlaw lady wanted to buy a second hand car knew nothing about cars called me up,the seller though she'd come alone, she'd even ready with the cash, met up suffice to say tye guy wasn't impressed looked under the car at a friend wheel balance shop,checked under the Bonet/hood saw sign it hd been in a crash checked the truck took it on a test drive over rough terrain over 100 on the tarmac the dash was a Christmas tree she didn't buy it ,was quite shocked literally.....and it was termed as "mint" there are acceptable dings and faults that my come with a second hand then there is pure trouble
This is sad that people are getting stuck with some bad cars or poor workmanship. Thanks for sharing this information. Really appreciate the videos, Uncle Tony.
Tony you remind me so much of the guy's i used to run with back in the day crusin and fixing our heaps. Makes miss the old days and the friends i had. Thanks for being you dont change for anything
I saw the same in Louisville, I went home and watched the auction on TV and the two anouncers just swooned over PsOS crap crossing the block like they were super cherry. What a ripoff.
Well yeah, the convertible was bad, but I don't understand the 68' at all. I mean, they made it with a 390, so a 427 is a drop in, how could someone screw that up? I knew a guy dropped a 427 Tunnelport in one, awesome looking. That was back in the 90's.
This reminds me of that video you did when checking out that red car for that lady that had the serial numbers welded into a car with a different year front clip guy was "selling for his brother." Showing us what to look for. Thanks for sharing your expertise.
How to do a 427 swap: Buy a beat down 390, they put them in trucks all the way to '76. Install in car Swap valve covers and air cleaner sticker with ones that say "427" ????? Profit
One of my neighbors knows that I have an MGB, and he was looking to buy one. He asked me if I could have a quick look at it for him, since he figured I would know if it was junk or not. Well, the first thing I do is tap the rockers, and sure enough there was a little rust pile falling out of the "new" rockers. They were also trying to tell him that the gearbox was a racing unit, and you had to double clutch every shift up. I asked them to start it, and it was in dire need of rod bearings. Sometimes it is nice to do things like the for someone who clearly would have gotten ripped off.
We did that exact thing in high school with a 71 Buick elytra 225 4 door with the 455. Such a fun beater. We weren’t trying to hide anything though. Just kids having summer fun doing 200 yard one wheel peels.
i had a 66 nova 4 door , we cut the top off w a sawzall , it after a few summers it became a second car for me and the local kids would joyride it with a screw driver , id always find it around the corner and such . i painted "A Team" on the sides and sold it for $500 bucks
The fellow has a good point at around the 8 minute mark. A lot of folks get mad at the messenger, when they get told that they bought a dressed up turkey.
Not sure if it was mentioned in an earlier comment but not only was this not a factory convertible but not likely a factory GT either. Factory GTs did NOT have the metal trim on the side nor the rocker panel and EXTREMELY unlikely that an owner would add these after the fact
There's another, unintended lesson here as well. If you add the convertible-only reinforcements, Monte Carlo bar, and export brace you'll get a far more rigid and solid-feeling coupe or fastback. Step up to the Boss 302-specific shock tower reinforcements and belly bar to really transform the car.
As a classic mini owner the first thing I look at on a car after a look at the sills is the boot/ trunk. If someone has really restored and made that nice it is a pretty good bet the rest is well done too. I've seen a staggering number of lnicely presenting cars where when you look in the back it looks more like a trash heap.
I was the one that made the comment about walking past the green Camaro. I dropped a timestamp and mentioned I'm a huge Camaro nut. There's something about the 2nd gens, they look so good. I had a '71 with a high comp 350 with a mean cam. Of course I slapped a high rise intake on it and long tubes. 3.73 gears 4-speed. The thing about these cars that surprises most people is how good they handle. Really fun cars. Not real fast but quick enough. I'm not a huge Mustang guy but whoever sold that red hack job convertible should be exposed. That ain't right. There's a few places up here in Northeast PA that were pulling crap like that in the early 2000's. I almost bought an '86 Monte Carlo SS until I realized it wasn't a real SS. It was a 4.3 V6 car that someone put SS parts on and dropped in a junkyard 350. It looked convincing for about 10 minutes and the paint was real nice on it. The motor mounts didn't look right and that's what made me dig deeper. The car wasn't worth half of what they were selling it for.
@@rogerdodrill4733 it depends. Up here in the Northeast I can probably find a base model for less then two thousand bucks, driving condition. For a really nice SS you'll pay around 12 grand but you can get a rough one in running condition for about three or four thousand. They're still fairly cheap and I'd grab one now if you want one. I'd just grab a base 4.3 model and put the SS bumpers, lights and ground effects on it, they bolt directly on. Then you can drop in whatever engine you choose. It won't be a true SS but close enough for half the money.
Back in the early seventies a friend of mine was working at the local Chevrolet dealer and he was just really a utility worker although he had hot rods and had worked at various gas stations doing mechanical work. Well there was another kid that worked there as well and he had put an order in for a big block Nova and while that was in the works my other buddy who's job it was to test drive the newer vehicles test drove a new Z/28 Camaro ( a 70 model but due to the GM strike did not actually go into production until 71) and my friend told that other kid that the car was a freak and he should buy it. This car was one of those that just ran right out of the box.
I stopped going to car shows because the cars were either mudded over classics that were rust buckets underneath or high dollar restorations by someone that threw stupid money at stuff that I just couldn't relate to. Neither interested me.
Yes sir I will agree with you there. There are however many used vehicles that are not that desirable but can be made into reasonable drivers for people to enjoy at a reasonable price.
I just remembered that I stumbled across UTG when the video of the meetup to look at that red car the dude was saying was his uncles or someone's but it was clearly a hack job by all appearances.
The black Mustang needs the engine placed properly and they might as well use a hydroboost brake system to save space. A rear sump pan might be in order as well.
Well , resale red is always a red flag to me, It makes me suspicious immediately. Mustangs and Camaros have to be the most commonly hacked cars just due to production and desirability. Great PSA Tony, keep em coming as you find them. There's a whole lot of people that just don't have a clue..... and alakazaam!...the money's gone. Thanks for sharing
Funny thing. I bought my car years ago and made all the worst mistakes and ended up getting really lucky. While my car had some issues it was/is a really solid car that has all of it's original panels, floors, trunk pan, etc. That being said, if I ever bought another classic I'd be way more careful than I was the last time, especially with how high the prices are now.
My cousin is an A body Barracuda expert. There was one for sale at a car show, top dollar 'professional' restoration. The more my cousin looked, the more he found that was wrong. Sobering experience.
You can tell the side oiler from the lower sides. There's 3 bolts at the bottom because it's a cross bolted mains design. Although you can cross bolt any FE, you can also bore out a 360 IF it measures up, or sleeve any FE to 427 bore.
Man Tony, i rewatched the red 1971-1973 duster video again from 4 years ago and it will never cease to amaze me how douchie humans can be brother. Thank you fair being the mopar words of wisdom sir. You are appreciated
Mine was a 75 Lemans with a big block 350 . I ripped the headliner out , laid down fire blankets and used a torch to remove the roof. Drove it all summer 1987 . The best $50 car I owned in highschool. BTW, it never sagged, I made sure it had a full frame first
Yes sir that car was a body on frame, but even body on frame vehicles have extra engineering in the frame for support. For your purposes the vehicle held up well.
@ricodelnegro4010 Some people call Pontiac's 350 a "big block", because it's their tall deck block, as opposed to thier 301 and 265 which were short deck blocks. Oldsmobile is similar in that way as well.
The biggest thing here is getting the word out to people who have no idea of what they are doing when it comes to buying these classic vehicles and of course you are dealing with a used car salesman who will tell you what you want to hear in order to sell you a car. Of course the art of selling anything is to highlight the positives of a product, plant the seed and close the sale. That is the main reason people are allowed to test drive a vehicle in order to plant that seed. When I was first getting into the tool business (Mac Tools 1982-1986) the district sales manager rode with me to help get me started (he was a former Mac dealer himself). When selling a tool he would put the tool in the prospective buyer's hand and before you knew it he was writing up a sale.
One of the first things I learned about what to look for when buying a used car of type but especially something that you know has had work done is to look at details. If you see spots where they cut corners like Tony showed here with the rockers and paint runs left in trunk and even left over compound from where they buffed it and didn't take the time to wipe off the excess out of the cracks and crevices there is a good chance the whole car was done shotty so walk away.
THIS is why the only way I'll own a classic car is if I do all the work myself. There is a VAST difference when the person who does the work actually drives the car and thus is responsible for their own life. Besides, I think the best part of owning a classic is doing all the fixing yourself.
I about spit out my dinner when you mentioned the backyard hacked Oldsmobile delta 88 with the roof sawed off because I actually had a 1976 Olds 98 Regency 4 door, 455 that my grandmother stopped driving in favor of a much more efficient car.....she gave it to me so I got out my uncles 4" Makita Angle Grinder and convertiblized it. The addition of single Flowmaster muffler and flpped air filter lid made it a muscle car. Krylon slate blue spray cans replaces the appliance white original paint. Me and all my buddy's drove it from May to October 1997 before I yanked the 455 for a cutlass swap and scrapped it. Best thing was that it did seat 8 to 10 people comfortably. Lol
Hey Uncle Tony, excellent show. I had 3 Chevy trucks inspected by an independent company in the US before I imported mine to Australia. It cost me approximately $500 AUS each time but it was worth it. In reality it saved thousands of $$ & a big headache. Cheers😊
Interesting thing. I think the wheel arches being beaten down is a factory thing on the 1st generation. I owned 2 73 convertibles and both had the top of the wheel arches smacked down pretty hard and factory paint over top of it. This car isn't factory. But the used a factory procedure. There's was probably one big dude on the convertible line with a sledgehammer who's job was the smack the wheel arches till the tops fit
Weird that the body work, which seems impossible to me, is so beautiful and yet the unseen strengthening parts which any hack like me could weld-grind-weld-grind-weld were skipped.
there is probably a 3/8's of an inch of bondo on that car.. I hate these flippers just ruining the hobby for everyone..I bought a ford and the homemade patch panels were welded on top of the rust and some rust areas were filled with insulating foam, sanded down and painted black to hide it.
Im just wondering if a car is bought from a classic car dealership is there a comeback? Would a new owner have a 90 day warranty to cover situations exactly like this? Years ago I went to look at a classic car that had a "nut and bolt " restoration a month prior to it being in the showroom.I asked the dealer could I have a professional independant inspection and report at my own cost?This request was absolutely refused and they wouldn't let it be checked out! His exact words were you can have it inspected when you've bought it, needless to say I walked!!!
It depends on the state. In my state "As is" means As Is. I would never buy from a dealership that refused to let you have a mechanic inspect it. I could understand a private seller not wanting to mess with it. Hopefully they would be selling it cheap enough you wouldn't get hurt too bad. I would run out of any dealership that had an issue with an inspection. They say "You can have it inspected after you buy it." because they know that will be too late. I tend to buy from private sellers. I figure they have less experience ripping people off. You still have to be careful and if you are spending over a grand or 2 it is well worth having a mechanic look it over. Provided you can find a trust worthy mechanic anymore. You do have to watch for flippers that work out of their house. If you always see a car parked in their driveway for sale, be really careful. Some guys are actually decent shade tree mechanics who buy broken cars and fix them. Others swap out the oil for 90 weight, pack the differential with saw dust, "fix" worn out bearings with leather and other assorted dirty tricks.
Yes sir you did the right thing that is used car 101 a refusal to get an outside independent inspection is a red flag. I went to look at a 69 El Camino with my brother (by owner sale) the fellow did not want me to drive it off his property citing insurance reasons (fair enough). I knew enough about the car 9having owned a 69 El Camino myself to be able to look it over and I told the fellow I would get back to him which I never did. I saw too many things that smacked of one car being built out of two and was not comfortable with going in behind somebody else' work. Consequently me and my brother looked at a 69 Camaro that the seller was selling for his boss and he represented it as a super sport Camaro. Some things looked odd and it was actually a standard 307 powerglide car with standard drum brakes, but the body was solid and no rust. I made an offer based on what I found and my brother bought the car. You have to know what to look for and looking for originality is also the key. This car could be hot rodded to my brother's taste and not someone else's.
Bake in the day(1976), my buddy had a 68 BB Mustang FB and he twisted/cracked the frame. I had a 67 Mustang FB and put a 302 in it from a Maverick and a 1 piece front clip w/ teardrop hood scoop. Man I miss the 70s ✌
@kristofftaylovoski60 idk never listened to him I just know we as a country are in the toilet compared to what we were in the 50 and 60s. Been a down hill slide since the 70s economically, mentally morally and physically all in pursuit comfort and security with no personal responsibility.
This is why I'm subscribed to you! Love this this old school stuff! Helps me alot! Thank you! You always never fail to give info that no one else does. Again, thank you.
If I'm not mistaken even the sheet metal in the floor on a convertible is thicker than the coupe sad someone destroyed a nice looking coupe to make a fake convertible
Yup. Did it myself to a '77 Datsun 280Z and later to a '77 Toyota Corolla hatchback, which I drove all summer until I abandoned it. Just like you said.
Hi Uncle Tony, these types of videos are just awesome, keep em coming, there's a car lot not far from Kenosha, they make 68-69 chargers, I've looked, and they're def not right
I see bad body/paint work a few times a year when folks bring them to me to look things over after buying. It's typically poor color matching, blending and poor clear coat adhesion that I see from wrecked auction cars. It baffles me to spend to buy the wreck, spend to buy the body parts, spend the time pulling the car back straight but skimp on using seem sealer. I rack the bad paint blending, color matching and poor edging in the clear up to laziness or a failed management pushing too fast.
Spot on about the structure differences between a hardtop and a convertible...and it's not exclusive to unibody cars, either. Most full framed cars have differences as well, like in 60's gm a bodies. It's common for the frame to be boxed further along it's length, etc. to accommodate the soft top.
A little weird how such MAJOR issues, especially this one where the car was transformed into a different style and now its less safe for the road...and customer didnt get what he paid for. I'm not here to want and beg for more rules or regulations, just maybe the cops would look the other way if the seller got a hand or two sent their way.
@@baileyhatfield4273 Or maybe a foot🦶 I have a hunch that the ones who did it were relatively young and lacked experience. A stiff lawsuit would be an excellent learning experience to put them on the right path to redemption. We were all young once, but these kids today seem to think they know alot more than they actually do. That's what I'm thinking was the case with the big block swap here. The $1500 price comes from them having done plenty of small block swaps, thinking it would be a simple, wham bam, piece of cake. Once they realized they were in over their heads they just slapped what mess they had together and sent it. They accepted the payment and didn't bother informing the customer of the obvious issues. That's deliberate. A judge would award the customer their money back, plus compensation for what Kiwi will have to charge to re do all of it.
@@1DEADBEEF1 The car wasn't bought that way. The owner paid for an engine swap. Small block to big block. There is no "as is" when paying for mechanic work. That would be ridiculous. 😆 Maybe you should ease up on the UA-cam lawyer videos.
I once saw an ad for a 1968 Galaxie advertised as a '69. The seller had bought two cars at an estate sale, and asked me to verify the of the photograph of the other one. He clearly had not tried to match the VINs.
@@mexicanspec, neither do I. Nor was it the only time I've seen a seller confuse those year models. In other cases, they might be selling for a friend uncomfortable with Internet services. They just didn't scrutinize.
@@et76039 It is a red flag when a seller puts the wrong year. It makes me think they don't have the correct paperwork for the car because all they had to do was look at it. Yes I have seen paperwork with wrong years on them but it is rare.
@@mexicanspec I've seen it mostly with third party ads. Occasionally, it's a misprint, but there have been a few get belligerent. In the aforementioned case of the Galaxie, it was a father/son team who wanted a project and got in over their heads; duh, they didn't know the vehicle they had. A lot of ignorance out there.
either that or do a full endo cage inside of the rag top if the owner doesn't mind the crowded cockpit, not to mention it would look ridiculous with the top down but it would be the cheapest option
Dont know if it would be worth the cost unless it was a numbers matching car. Might be but it would depend on ones intentions for it. Many people would find the value just in having a nice early Mustang while others are always looking at the investment value.
@@edfrawley4356 I think it'd be cheaper to put a roof back on it than to find all the factory bracing or build the bracing for the convertible top. If he doesn't care about the factory style appearance he could go the roll cage route it'd probably be even cheaper than putting another roof on it.
You guys are performing a GREAT service to everyone out here! You are wising people up when it comes to buying that "DREAM" car. I think that you should go a step further and start reporting these crooks! They are still out there ruining nice classic cars just to put money in their pockets and not even thinking about the safety issues/Hazards that they are creating... And taking people's hard earned money!!!
Videos like this kill me. Car prices keep rising because flippers do shoddy work like this, and guys with more money than brains run out and have a bidding war over a car that's pretty on the outside but rotten otherwise. Roached out rust buckets are selling for the price that decent drivers were three years ago. I'm glad there's honest people like Kiwi out there who are doing right by these cars and really preserving them, so that maybe someday the ego maniacs who only drive these once a month to go get ice cream and flash their cash, will someday end up in the hands of real enthusiasts who can enjoy them. Like you said tony, it's one thing to have fun with a car for personal use, but another to purposely try and dress it up just for a quick retail buck. I feel bad for these mustang owners, it sucks to get ripped off!
Yes sir and fellows like Kiwi who know these cars and also has enormous experience in repairing them are well established in this business. Also from and administrative area Kiwi like other top notch resto and repair shops have an enormous library on these cars. There is a restorer up in Connecticut who restores Mercedes Benz cars and Porshe automobiles. He has access to the factory blueprints to these vehicle from the factory. He most likely gets a pretty penny for his work (he has restored Porche vehicles for Ralph Lauren) his shop is one where the bodies are completely dismantled and all areas that have rusted out are either replaced with new pieces or made. All of his work is in house. This is of course at a much higher level and of course his clientele is of a higher income bracket.
I bought mine junky and spent the money getting it done right by honest people. And there in no profit in it if I went to sell it. I made the car for me so I dont care.
The result of a shop owner who does no actual work pressuring his employees to "get it done by next week, I have a buyer coming in to see it finished". Many times it comes down to "you can't leave until it's finished". Guys in the shop say screw it and let's get it done. Add to that, shop owner most likely screams, cusses, and throws tantrums when he don't get his way. I worked under similar conditions painting big trucks. We turned out some jobs we were not proud of unfortunately.
that gets missed by some fans of the old reality TV shows. they think the drama is all made up (and i'm sure some is guaging by the acting ability) but there are plenty of for=profit (i can think of doctors too) that "assembly line" a process to get money flowing. Hot rod shops have it bad because they order parts on credit, and when they lose that credit, they exist by taking your check for your car and applying it to the customer who came in before you (popular hot rodding magazine recommened an engine rebuild shop before PHR went under, and that engine rebuilder was caught doing that before THEY went under). so thus "the rush is on".
My buddy rolled his 51 Ford shoebox 2 door sedan on graduation day 1967. Easy roll just caved the top for a ways behind the windshield, which also broke. So we torched (never heard of a sawzall or hand grinder in 67) the roof off just above the door seam on the B pillar. Winsdhield as well, but left the A pillars. Welded a 36 Ford windshield to the driver side A pillar and a home made angle iron extra A pillar to hold it on the drinker's side as it was about a foot short of the real A pillar. He drove it all summer, but eventually the highway bulls nailed him because the top of the windshield was about 2" to low above the seat...(they claimed...like who ever heard of that???) so we took out the seat bottom padding to lower it LOL They were not amused, but had to sign off on it. But they were out to get him after that.
No one runs Vin numbers through old forums or Marti reports for ford cars. So it will be a given that more and more people buy old cars that are bolted together from other cars etc. I found a 69 torino that was closed to be a cobra and the guy refused to send me a Vin. So when I came to check the car out I decoded the vin there and it was a 302 car cloned to be a cobra. Only thing he did wrong was left the vin cards, sad mistake on his part but good effort on mine*** keep up the good work in teaching Tony, I'm 21 and have a mopar mentor myself and it means the world to experience cars this age and not have to worry but it's 2022
The worst paint and body work you'll ever find on a vehicle will be on the bottom edges of body panels. Bondo runs/cracks, paint runs or no paint at all. Its always a good tell tale sign of some fishyness goin on
This is why people my age dont really even mess with these older cars. Finding a good starting point for a personal build is almost impossible either due to the car being rare or all that are for sale are hacked up bondo wagons.
Dude you should have stopped that Aries K lil blue wagon and filmed it. I had one 88 model 2.5 it hauled all kinds of mopar crap back and forth to the swap. Fun was had by all. I miss that car good fuel mileage and room to boot
if he really bought it at a dealership. he needs to make them handle it. they would have known it was unsafe and cant sell that. he could sue or most likely settle out of court as they could get in big trouble for it.
I'm in Australia but we have dodgy cars here which is why we have statutory write off laws, well one time we had a cut and shut car in at work, which is a two cars welded together. My boss at the time just turned a blind eye to it because if we got involved it would come back to bite us. I think we just did an oil change and sent them on their way. This is a problem with society, the law system and trades, tradesmen don't know law and don't have access to legal advice without due cost. Governments don't want to help because insurance companies and the banks that bank roll them don't want people out there more educated on legal matters. We do lots of mechanical work for a big smash repair company and they rely on people being ignorant to get away with poor work to turn profits.
@@shanerorko8076 oof size large. it sounds like your country is infected with capitalism too. id always hoped that the land down under wasnt a blunder cause its somewhere id like to be for atleast part of the year frequently.
@@chehystpewpur4754 If you dislike capitalism so much drive a car from a communist country. Surely it will be the highest quality and have been maintained by happy workers that own the means of production.
I knew a guy from high school that was killed when a brake collapsed causing the car to go sideways into oncoming traffic. The original car had a 6 cyclinder in it that was swapped for a 351C. ALWAYS check the brakes and make sure they are up to dong the job
The old muscle car scene was always a big grift because of all the old people spending their retirement savings on overpriced American cars from their childhoods.
I wrenched in a Milwaukee Pontiac garage in the early 70's. A used late 60's Ford wagon was brought up from Chicago. The Ford wagon was a real hot ticket on the used car lots, they sold fast & high$. I was told to check this wagon over, especially brakes. Put it on the lift , took a quick look & RAN out from under it. It had been welded straight across the "B pillar" area, top, sides and bottom They took the front of a sedan & the rear from a wagon! It had blue seats in front & green seats in back. It was a Frankencar!
IMO before making a purchase of anything, check all around to see any flaws and especially do your research. Better than spending thousands on a car that is advertised as restored or well kept, but ends up being a big project that it will take thousands more to fix. Thankfully none of our projects we bought were lemons or mis-advertised.
Some people have piles of money(inheritances) and have a problem (habit) of spending $$. They don't care about quality its quantity. Look what I have issues. Then Karen/Kevin cries when
Wow!! a 1 of 1 spec R Stang with loads of weight reduction done to it. Probably was in a Stallone movie in late 80s. The big block just became Big Bullocks
Half a century ago when I was young, I had a 67 fast back S code 390 4speed. It was kinda tired. So I built a 68 302 4bbl to put in it with the same Trans. As I remember I only changed the motor mounts and it dropped right in. Left the Trans in the same place, same mount and all. Very easy swap....
Not a mustang I know but years ago we bought a 1949 Morris minor convertible as we loved it,it didn’t take long to realise that something was up with this car,on the occasional bump in the road the drivers door would pop open! We found a Morris expert and he told us once inspecting the car that it had no bracing whatsoever. It was in fact a two door sedan with a chop top roof. We paid good money for this and we were pissed off to learn that it was going to cost us another couple of thousand to make it right and legal. We had it fixed and it was much better after this and even drove better so I feel for this mustang owner as I’ve been there,done that. Still sucks though
Ford mounted the dual quad carbs backward because the throttle linkage was progressive. The front carb opened first and for normal driving speeds was the only carb in use. Mounting the carbs backward placed the primaries of the front carb closer to the center of the intake for more equal fuel distribution.
Yeah, saw that faux-convertible on Kiwi's channel last night, yikes. I hope the owner decides to get it fixed so that it's at least made safe to operate. Hadn't seen the '68 big block swap... wow. And ha - I always get a kick out of your working to find dramatic camera angles, Tony.
KIWI/UT- is that car really not salvageable? What would it really take to make it a usable car? I know they make frame mid sections for these so they can basically body on frame and unibody. If they secured the seats and everything they need to in there they might be able to add frame midsections under it, sway bars and strut bars front and back, and maybe a roll bar to stiffen it up. I know it would stick out but if it makes the car usable then why not?
oh my god i cant get enough of this channel ,outstanding and Mr Kiwi is great,is there no way you could strengthen the ol mustang at all ,weld in some braces perhaps
In the 43 years of owning and driving a 68 gt coupe I've never seen any thing so poorly constructed, I can't help but wonder what outcome they expected ,cutting the roof off removes 60% of of structural integrity, feel bad about owner, if I were to buy another mustang, I would get a Marti report on it,bummer.
Marti reports aren’t available for the 65/66 mustangs. However, the door tag if available would have provided the buyer with all the information required to figure out it was a coupe and not a convertible. Having a little knowledge and researching would have saved the owner a ton of cash. Just looking at the car it’s also easy to tell it’s not a true GT as this was also faked.
It's not a lemon. It was common to chop tops back in the day. I'd say they did a pretty fantastic job for the most part. Does it suck? Sure but these old cars are always hacked over the years. How to fix it? Weld the top back on and if it's a true gt car this will add to it's History
The first thing they ought to do is look for the cross-bolt mains. Only 427's and 406's had them. That engine could easily be a 390 or even a 352, and it is highly unlikely that it's a 406.
People used to bring the car for a look over before the purchase , now a days most people bring it after
I've been around this stuff since I was in my teens (I'm 72). This was basic used car purchase 101 (get an independent inspection). Buying a used car is just about the same as buying a used horse (you have to know what to look for) I have been able to learn what to look for as to the basic integrity of the vehicle with out having to go with an outside inspection and I stay away from so-called pretty paint jobs and previously hot rodded vehicles. I bought a 1972 Chevrolet SWB 4wheel drive truck from a fellow and the cab and bed were pretty rusted (I'm the third owner). He started the truck and it ran smooth and mechanically was all there and the price was right. Come May of this year marks 45 yrs I have owned this truck.
Getting a 2019 Honda with a good carfax without an inspection- maybe OK, but to spend 20K + on a classic car and not get it inspected.....
Don't know if it's true or not, but I've heard there are more '57 Chevy "convertibles" registered today than were built.
That might be true, but a 57 Chevy has a real chassis and would not need nearly as much added structure when the roof is gone to make it an convertible.
There’s more 57 Chevy Convertibles registered in California alone than were built. BUT 57 Chevy body’s are reproduced. Same with 32 fords more on the road now than in 32
@@morganbrowning867 there are more amc pacers on the road than were manufacured by amc
@@morganbrowning867 Not supposed to be able to register those as '32's or '57's. Someone in a NC DMV got into a lot of trouble several years back for issuing bogus titles.
@@seed_drill7135 but you can take a 4 door cowl and make an “original” convertible.
I went to Mecum auction in Indianapolis last year.. the amount of cars that were hacked together with junk.. I mean junk, then covered in bondo and painted is unbelievable.. I got pre approved as a bidder, and after spending an entire day looking at the cars I was interested in, I left and didn't even watch them cross the block.. it was sad..
My husband and I have seen the SAME things. Don't get me started on questionable VIN numbers. Folks do due diligence before you spend your money. Don't let the frauds win.
Wow!Hacks everywhere!
What auction was this what city and state
Been going to Barrett Jackson Palm Beach for many years now, the amount of crappy work I’ve seen on $250k+ cars is outrageous. Don’t get me wrong, there are some beautiful cars that go for what they are worth but I have also seen extremely well built cars sell for less than the build costs. Car auctions could be super hit or miss
so um if i already have car shell's like a 1969 charger the safer/conservative/better move isn't to replace it with "finished auction/dealership" one? instead finish my stolen/chopped-shoped/wrecked car and buy it back from the classic-car insurance company? more so if im planning on heavy-mods aka not a factory restoration 6-speed swap ect.
parts of the project will have to be farmed out like body trimming as my metal work/paint isn't up to show-car winning par but the assembly/drivetrain i can do ect
spending 80K ish usd on a flipper job isn't what i have in mind as it's the same effort as buying a new red eye or demon challenger and i feel is a fair competition/category vs my finished charger if not the charger is worth more or at least to me seams a little nicer car to own/drive
This occurs because the prices of all classic cars have reached ridiculous levels. This invites the unscrupulous. The prices for garbage cars from the casual enthusiast are, as a result, way overpriced.
It's crazy how much more attainable these cars are so long as you're willing to turn a wrench yourself.
i hate it. I bought a 1961 beetle with no engine back in 2017 for 1,300 bucks and now if i try to get one in same or worse condition easily 4-5k for 61 non running
Problem is, even your standard car truck ect, somebody could of bought it for 500 1000 because of MAJOR issues, cover it over, add some lucas basically do the used car salesman fix, SOMEHOW get it inspected, and then sell it for 6 7 8 9 grand, when its not worth the registration. A clean interior and exterior sells. That's the sad part.
⬆️ Facts, also if you can learn to love sedans or station wagons that will save you alot.
And you know>
I worked at a British car resto shop, and the old part owner was selling a drophead 150 project. He had us get under it and tack weld a piece of flimsy sheet metal on the frame then coat it with spray on liner. He was laughing about it because he knew if he could sell it to someone, they would likely have the shop restore it, and he could report that it turns out the chassis needed major work. Such a ripoff.
I now own an upholstery shop that does NOT rip off customers. We don't put cheap covers over old and we can sew straight seams. But just as bad as those wanting to flip and rip off are also those customers that watch too much TV and think we can do a full interior over the commercial break. Drives me crazy most of the time.
your old boss sounds like a massive cunt. Good on you for maintaining integrity in this day and age though.
Everyone is a flipper these days. Cars and houses, and 95% of the work they do sucks ass.
Not me it's sucks both ass and balls 😂
This makes me remember many years ago, my dad had a 50 something Ford pickup, that had its roof removed. My sister had a house trailer that was not tied down, and a storm caused it to flip on the truck. We had to remover the top. It was no longer road worthy, but we used it for years to haul pulpwood. I wore goggles to protect my eyes, as it had no windshield. What a sight we were coming down the road!
I work next to a shop in Scottsdale down the road from where Barrett Jackson is held. They routinely conduct inspections on auction cars. You would be horrified at the butchery that happens.
I'm horrified you live in Scottsdale, but that aside I had the pleasure of being stuck in traffic for that auction weekend running a hotel shuttle> what a spectacle
One thing my dad taught me early on is a common sign of poor workmanship is looking the rockers over. Fly by nighters and wheeler dealers rarely ever invest any time or effort into the areas that aren’t readily visible. You’d be surprised how many ostensibly “nice restorations” have rockers that look like they’ve been worked over with a ball peen hammer. And on closer inspection are absolute turds
I always thought of that when ever I work on something even the non visible parts..... essentially every part perfected even the most unthought of ones contributes to the overall quality
true, when i was apartment shopping, the landlady bragged about new paint and carpets. So i bee-lined for the closet to see if they bothered with that section. She was suprised, said no one had bothered to check. Car trunks used to be the same way.
Sometimes it is just ignorance. I knew a mechanic that was like that. I tried explaining that the cam, transmission and axle choices were just the beginning. The body choice and structure also needs to be balanced too. He and his buddy where like that. Put a 460 in a Maverick and could not understand why I told them to do not brake torque it. Put a roll cage in it first. There are 68 Mustangs that came from the factory like that. The 70s Maverick shares a lot with the early Mustang.
Well after removing the cracked windshield and shattered rear window there was more room to do that that.
Getting the replacements to fit was a bit of a struggle.
True what you all say reminds me of this one time an inlaw lady wanted to buy a second hand car knew nothing about cars called me up,the seller though she'd come alone, she'd even ready with the cash, met up suffice to say tye guy wasn't impressed looked under the car at a friend wheel balance shop,checked under the Bonet/hood saw sign it hd been in a crash checked the truck took it on a test drive over rough terrain over 100 on the tarmac the dash was a Christmas tree she didn't buy it ,was quite shocked literally.....and it was termed as "mint" there are acceptable dings and faults that my come with a second hand then there is pure trouble
Ooooooooooo
This is sad that people are getting stuck with some bad cars or poor workmanship. Thanks for sharing this information. Really appreciate the videos, Uncle Tony.
If it was done right, there wouldn't be any profit in it. Never buy a resto from a flipper.
Ain't that the truth.
Sounds like you've done it before 😂 if done right you will have spent more than you ever could make on selling that car
Nobody is willing to pay for good work. So you have to cut corners to make money.
Sad but true.
@@cammontreuil7509 stop trying to make money and leave the cars untouched
Tony you remind me so much of the guy's i used to run with back in the day crusin and fixing our heaps. Makes miss the old days and the friends i had. Thanks for being you dont change for anything
Salty army
I saw the same in Louisville, I went home and watched the auction on TV and the two anouncers just swooned over PsOS crap crossing the block like they were super cherry. What a ripoff.
Ruined that Mustang to make money, and screwed the customer. Nobody wins except the crooked shop, short term.
That is insane! Definitely the work of a flipper with no regard of safety to the driver and devaluing a classic. Another great video Tony!
Well yeah, the convertible was bad, but I don't understand the 68' at all. I mean, they made it with a 390, so a 427 is a drop in, how could someone screw that up? I knew a guy dropped a 427 Tunnelport in one, awesome looking. That was back in the 90's.
This reminds me of that video you did when checking out that red car for that lady that had the serial numbers welded into a car with a different year front clip guy was "selling for his brother." Showing us what to look for. Thanks for sharing your expertise.
How to do a 427 swap:
Buy a beat down 390, they put them in trucks all the way to '76.
Install in car
Swap valve covers and air cleaner sticker with ones that say "427"
?????
Profit
Could even glue on some bolt heads to simulate the cross-bolted mains 😉
One of my neighbors knows that I have an MGB, and he was looking to buy one. He asked me if I could have a quick look at it for him, since he figured I would know if it was junk or not. Well, the first thing I do is tap the rockers, and sure enough there was a little rust pile falling out of the "new" rockers. They were also trying to tell him that the gearbox was a racing unit, and you had to double clutch every shift up. I asked them to start it, and it was in dire need of rod bearings. Sometimes it is nice to do things like the for someone who clearly would have gotten ripped off.
We did that exact thing in high school with a 71 Buick elytra 225 4 door with the 455.
Such a fun beater.
We weren’t trying to hide anything though. Just kids having summer fun doing 200 yard one wheel peels.
And you know what? Thats great. That goes all the way back to the roots of hot rodding chopping the tops off of model T's and dropping in flathead V8s
i had a 66 nova 4 door , we cut the top off w a sawzall , it after a few summers it became a second car for me and the local kids would joyride it with a screw driver , id always find it around the corner and such . i painted "A Team" on the sides and sold it for $500 bucks
The fellow has a good point at around the 8 minute mark. A lot of folks get mad at the messenger, when they get told that they bought a dressed up turkey.
I mean surely the new owner checked the vin tag?
Classic New owner didn't look past the fast red paint.
You don’t need fancy camera when your content is honest and interesting. Thanks Tony & Kiwi!
Not sure if it was mentioned in an earlier comment but not only was this not a factory convertible but not likely a factory GT either. Factory GTs did NOT have the metal trim on the side nor the rocker panel and EXTREMELY unlikely that an owner would add these after the fact
There's another, unintended lesson here as well. If you add the convertible-only reinforcements, Monte Carlo bar, and export brace you'll get a far more rigid and solid-feeling coupe or fastback. Step up to the Boss 302-specific shock tower reinforcements and belly bar to really transform the car.
Yep. An export brace on a regular ole '65 289 Mustang does wonders. Ask me how i know 😁
As a classic mini owner the first thing I look at on a car after a look at the sills is the boot/ trunk. If someone has really restored and made that nice it is a pretty good bet the rest is well done too. I've seen a staggering number of lnicely presenting cars where when you look in the back it looks more like a trash heap.
In the Mini's defense, they were rusted on the showroom floor.
I was the one that made the comment about walking past the green Camaro. I dropped a timestamp and mentioned I'm a huge Camaro nut. There's something about the 2nd gens, they look so good. I had a '71 with a high comp 350 with a mean cam. Of course I slapped a high rise intake on it and long tubes. 3.73 gears 4-speed. The thing about these cars that surprises most people is how good they handle. Really fun cars. Not real fast but quick enough.
I'm not a huge Mustang guy but whoever sold that red hack job convertible should be exposed. That ain't right. There's a few places up here in Northeast PA that were pulling crap like that in the early 2000's. I almost bought an '86 Monte Carlo SS until I realized it wasn't a real SS. It was a 4.3 V6 car that someone put SS parts on and dropped in a junkyard 350. It looked convincing for about 10 minutes and the paint was real nice on it. The motor mounts didn't look right and that's what made me dig deeper. The car wasn't worth half of what they were selling it for.
How much can a 86 monte go for any way?
@@rogerdodrill4733 it depends. Up here in the Northeast I can probably find a base model for less then two thousand bucks, driving condition. For a really nice SS you'll pay around 12 grand but you can get a rough one in running condition for about three or four thousand. They're still fairly cheap and I'd grab one now if you want one. I'd just grab a base 4.3 model and put the SS bumpers, lights and ground effects on it, they bolt directly on. Then you can drop in whatever engine you choose. It won't be a true SS but close enough for half the money.
Back in the early seventies a friend of mine was working at the local Chevrolet dealer and he was just really a utility worker although he had hot rods and had worked at various gas stations doing mechanical work. Well there was another kid that worked there as well and he had put an order in for a big block Nova and while that was in the works my other buddy who's job it was to test drive the newer vehicles test drove a new Z/28 Camaro ( a 70 model but due to the GM strike did not actually go into production until 71) and my friend told that other kid that the car was a freak and he should buy it. This car was one of those that just ran right out of the box.
I stopped going to car shows because the cars were either mudded over classics that were rust buckets underneath or high dollar restorations by someone that threw stupid money at stuff that I just couldn't relate to. Neither interested me.
There is nothing in between. Working on a rust bucket right now.
Yes sir I will agree with you there. There are however many used vehicles that are not that desirable but can be made into reasonable drivers for people to enjoy at a reasonable price.
I just remembered that I stumbled across UTG when the video of the meetup to look at that red car the dude was saying was his uncles or someone's but it was clearly a hack job by all appearances.
I remembered the vid of (I think it was) the lipstick on a pig nova and the cute girl and the massive amount of thirsty comments 🤣🤣
The bogus Duster was my first UTG vid!!!👍👍
Same!
@@MrTheHillfolk yeah, ol' girl was THICK!! 😋
The black Mustang needs the engine placed properly and they might as well use a hydroboost brake system to save space. A rear sump pan might be in order as well.
Well , resale red is always a red flag to me, It makes me suspicious immediately. Mustangs and Camaros have to be the most commonly hacked cars just due to production and desirability. Great PSA Tony, keep em coming as you find them. There's a whole lot of people that just don't have a clue..... and alakazaam!...the money's gone. Thanks for sharing
Alakazaam - it's Black Magic I tells ya'!
Funny thing. I bought my car years ago and made all the worst mistakes and ended up getting really lucky. While my car had some issues it was/is a really solid car that has all of it's original panels, floors, trunk pan, etc. That being said, if I ever bought another classic I'd be way more careful than I was the last time, especially with how high the prices are now.
My cousin is an A body Barracuda expert. There was one for sale at a car show, top dollar 'professional' restoration. The more my cousin looked, the more he found that was wrong. Sobering experience.
You can tell the side oiler from the lower sides. There's 3 bolts at the bottom because it's a cross bolted mains design. Although you can cross bolt any FE, you can also bore out a 360 IF it measures up, or sleeve any FE to 427 bore.
I feel bad for those guys getting ripped off like that. So many scumbags in this world.
No kidding. Not just the financial loss but also the dashed dreams, etc.
Man Tony, i rewatched the red 1971-1973 duster video again from 4 years ago and it will never cease to amaze me how douchie humans can be brother. Thank you fair being the mopar words of wisdom sir. You are appreciated
10000 was a good buy.
Mine was a 75 Lemans with a big block 350 . I ripped the headliner out , laid down fire blankets and used a torch to remove the roof. Drove it all summer 1987 . The best $50 car I owned in highschool. BTW, it never sagged, I made sure it had a full frame first
A big block 350, huh?
That would be the Sheriff's car in Smokey and the Bandit, more or less. Slightly different method of modification....
Yes sir that car was a body on frame, but even body on frame vehicles have extra engineering in the frame for support. For your purposes the vehicle held up well.
@ricodelnegro4010 Some people call Pontiac's 350 a "big block", because it's their tall deck block, as opposed to thier 301 and 265 which were short deck blocks.
Oldsmobile is similar in that way as well.
I do like the content and you're exposing the people doing bad work. I would say that is a stellar success.
The biggest thing here is getting the word out to people who have no idea of what they are doing when it comes to buying these classic vehicles and of course you are dealing with a used car salesman who will tell you what you want to hear in order to sell you a car. Of course the art of selling anything is to highlight the positives of a product, plant the seed and close the sale. That is the main reason people are allowed to test drive a vehicle in order to plant that seed. When I was first getting into the tool business (Mac Tools 1982-1986) the district sales manager rode with me to help get me started (he was a former Mac dealer himself). When selling a tool he would put the tool in the prospective buyer's hand and before you knew it he was writing up a sale.
One of the first things I learned about what to look for when buying a used car of type but especially something that you know has had work done is to look at details. If you see spots where they cut corners like Tony showed here with the rockers and paint runs left in trunk and even left over compound from where they buffed it and didn't take the time to wipe off the excess out of the cracks and crevices there is a good chance the whole car was done shotty so walk away.
THIS is why the only way I'll own a classic car is if I do all the work myself. There is a VAST difference when the person who does the work actually drives the car and thus is responsible for their own life. Besides, I think the best part of owning a classic is doing all the fixing yourself.
Agreed. That is why I hoard projects. I have about a dozen now. If you want it done right, do it yourself.
This shop is around the corner from my house in Franklin, TN. Always busy, always cool stuff out front.
I about spit out my dinner when you mentioned the backyard hacked Oldsmobile delta 88 with the roof sawed off because I actually had a 1976 Olds 98 Regency 4 door, 455 that my grandmother stopped driving in favor of a much more efficient car.....she gave it to me so I got out my uncles 4" Makita Angle Grinder and convertiblized it.
The addition of single Flowmaster muffler and flpped air filter lid made it a muscle car. Krylon slate blue spray cans replaces the appliance white original paint. Me and all my buddy's drove it from May to October 1997 before I yanked the 455 for a cutlass swap and scrapped it. Best thing was that it did seat 8 to 10 people comfortably. Lol
Did the same with rusty 58' chrysler...good times 👍
Delta 88 455 two door. I delivered pizza in one back in early 80's great memories.
Hey Uncle Tony, excellent show. I had 3 Chevy trucks inspected by an independent company in the US before I imported mine to Australia. It cost me approximately $500 AUS each time but it was worth it. In reality it saved thousands of $$ & a big headache. Cheers😊
I am not a fan of muscle cars or any American car whatsoever however I am a fan of uncle tony!
Probably not a real GT either. GTs never came with rocker moldings.
Interesting thing. I think the wheel arches being beaten down is a factory thing on the 1st generation. I owned 2 73 convertibles and both had the top of the wheel arches smacked down pretty hard and factory paint over top of it. This car isn't factory. But the used a factory procedure. There's was probably one big dude on the convertible line with a sledgehammer who's job was the smack the wheel arches till the tops fit
Man I got to say always impressed by the vast amounts of knowledge. Great content.
Weird that the body work, which seems impossible to me, is so beautiful and yet the unseen strengthening parts which any hack like me could weld-grind-weld-grind-weld were skipped.
there is probably a 3/8's of an inch of bondo on that car.. I hate these flippers just ruining the hobby for everyone..I bought a ford and the homemade patch panels were welded on top of the rust and some rust areas were filled with insulating foam, sanded down and painted black to hide it.
Amen!!!! Finally someone who knows what work hardening is and how it works! Uncle Tony, you know your stuff!
Im just wondering if a car is bought from a classic car dealership is there a comeback? Would a new owner have a 90 day warranty to cover situations exactly like this? Years ago I went to look at a classic car that had a "nut and bolt " restoration a month prior to it being in the showroom.I asked the dealer could I have a professional independant inspection and report at my own cost?This request was absolutely refused and they wouldn't let it be checked out! His exact words were you can have it inspected when you've bought it, needless to say I walked!!!
It depends on the state.
In my state "As is" means As Is.
I would never buy from a dealership that refused to let you have a mechanic inspect it.
I could understand a private seller not wanting to mess with it.
Hopefully they would be selling it cheap enough you wouldn't get hurt too bad.
I would run out of any dealership that had an issue with an inspection.
They say "You can have it inspected after you buy it." because they know that will be too late.
I tend to buy from private sellers.
I figure they have less experience ripping people off.
You still have to be careful and if you are spending over a grand or 2 it is well worth having a mechanic look it over.
Provided you can find a trust worthy mechanic anymore.
You do have to watch for flippers that work out of their house.
If you always see a car parked in their driveway for sale, be really careful.
Some guys are actually decent shade tree mechanics who buy broken cars and fix them.
Others swap out the oil for 90 weight, pack the differential with saw dust, "fix" worn out bearings with leather and other assorted dirty tricks.
Yes sir you did the right thing that is used car 101 a refusal to get an outside independent inspection is a red flag. I went to look at a 69 El Camino with my brother (by owner sale) the fellow did not want me to drive it off his property citing insurance reasons (fair enough). I knew enough about the car 9having owned a 69 El Camino myself to be able to look it over and I told the fellow I would get back to him which I never did. I saw too many things that smacked of one car being built out of two and was not comfortable with going in behind somebody else' work. Consequently me and my brother looked at a 69 Camaro that the seller was selling for his boss and he represented it as a super sport Camaro. Some things looked odd and it was actually a standard 307 powerglide car with standard drum brakes, but the body was solid and no rust. I made an offer based on what I found and my brother bought the car. You have to know what to look for and looking for originality is also the key. This car could be hot rodded to my brother's taste and not someone else's.
Bake in the day(1976), my buddy had a 68 BB Mustang FB and he twisted/cracked the frame. I had a 67 Mustang FB and put a 302 in it from a Maverick and a 1 piece front clip w/ teardrop hood scoop. Man I miss the 70s ✌
We are truly screwed as a culture....no more skill sets.....but we like our pretty lights....pretty lights..... pretty lights.....
Just like a monkey and a coin
@@adamhoffman3687 Oh boy, please tell me Matt Walsh is actually wrong....
@kristofftaylovoski60 idk never listened to him I just know we as a country are in the toilet compared to what we were in the 50 and 60s. Been a down hill slide since the 70s economically, mentally morally and physically all in pursuit comfort and security with no personal responsibility.
This is why I'm subscribed to you! Love this this old school stuff! Helps me alot! Thank you! You always never fail to give info that no one else does. Again, thank you.
If I'm not mistaken even the sheet metal in the floor on a convertible is thicker than the coupe sad someone destroyed a nice looking coupe to make a fake convertible
Yup. Did it myself to a '77 Datsun 280Z and later to a '77 Toyota Corolla hatchback, which I drove all summer until I abandoned it. Just like you said.
Hi Uncle Tony, these types of videos are just awesome, keep em coming, there's a car lot not far from Kenosha, they make 68-69 chargers, I've looked, and they're def not right
I see bad body/paint work a few times a year when folks bring them to me to look things over after buying. It's typically poor color matching, blending and poor clear coat adhesion that I see from wrecked auction cars. It baffles me to spend to buy the wreck, spend to buy the body parts, spend the time pulling the car back straight but skimp on using seem sealer. I rack the bad paint blending, color matching and poor edging in the clear up to laziness or a failed management pushing too fast.
Spot on about the structure differences between a hardtop and a convertible...and it's not exclusive to unibody cars, either. Most full framed cars have differences as well, like in 60's gm a bodies. It's common for the frame to be boxed further along it's length, etc. to accommodate the soft top.
UT...in an older video, you talked about a car having spray on under coat when it shouldn't, you should walk. the red convertable is one of them.
The owner should go back to the seller and demand his money back.This is fraud and a jail time crime.
A little weird how such MAJOR issues, especially this one where the car was transformed into a different style and now its less safe for the road...and customer didnt get what he paid for. I'm not here to want and beg for more rules or regulations, just maybe the cops would look the other way if the seller got a hand or two sent their way.
@@baileyhatfield4273 Or maybe a foot🦶 I have a hunch that the ones who did it were relatively young and lacked experience. A stiff lawsuit would be an excellent learning experience to put them on the right path to redemption. We were all young once, but these kids today seem to think they know alot more than they actually do.
That's what I'm thinking was the case with the big block swap here.
The $1500 price comes from them having done plenty of small block swaps, thinking it would be a simple, wham bam, piece of cake. Once they realized they were in over their heads they just slapped what mess they had together and sent it.
They accepted the payment and didn't bother informing the customer of the obvious issues. That's deliberate. A judge would award the customer their money back, plus compensation for what Kiwi will have to charge to re do all of it.
Nah
Ever heard of "sold as is"? You need to watch some steve letho videos (lemon law attorney)
@@1DEADBEEF1 The car wasn't bought that way. The owner paid for an engine swap. Small block to big block. There is no "as is" when paying for mechanic work. That would be ridiculous. 😆 Maybe you should ease up on the UA-cam lawyer videos.
That is my all time favorite nose for a Camaro.
We had a Vega with that same nose, I always called it a 'baby Camaro'.
Grew up around dual quad 427s. I look forward to seeing you tune one.
The first thing you do with an old car is check the VIN. I thought everybody knew that.
I once saw an ad for a 1968 Galaxie advertised as a '69. The seller had bought two cars at an estate sale, and asked me to verify the of the photograph of the other one. He clearly had not tried to match the VINs.
@@et76039 I don't see any way to confuse a 1968 Ford with a 1969 Ford or even their VINs.
@@mexicanspec, neither do I. Nor was it the only time I've seen a seller confuse those year models. In other cases, they might be selling for a friend uncomfortable with Internet services. They just didn't scrutinize.
@@et76039 It is a red flag when a seller puts the wrong year. It makes me think they don't have the correct paperwork for the car because all they had to do was look at it. Yes I have seen paperwork with wrong years on them but it is rare.
@@mexicanspec I've seen it mostly with third party ads. Occasionally, it's a misprint, but there have been a few get belligerent. In the aforementioned case of the Galaxie, it was a father/son team who wanted a project and got in over their heads; duh, they didn't know the vehicle they had. A lot of ignorance out there.
Just brilliant catch on the reverse carbs Tony,much respect. i missed that under the cleaner!
Well sir we learn something new every day.
It'd probably be smarter to just put a roof back onto the mustang coupe where it should be.
Far more practical and actually accomplishable, and kiwi can do it for sure
either that or do a full endo cage inside of the rag top if the owner doesn't mind the crowded cockpit, not to mention it would look ridiculous with the top down but it would be the cheapest option
Exactly. Tbh I'd rather have a coupe.
Dont know if it would be worth the cost unless it was a numbers matching car. Might be but it would depend on ones intentions for it. Many people would find the value just in having a nice early Mustang while others are always looking at the investment value.
@@edfrawley4356 I think it'd be cheaper to put a roof back on it than to find all the factory bracing or build the bracing for the convertible top. If he doesn't care about the factory style appearance he could go the roll cage route it'd probably be even cheaper than putting another roof on it.
You guys are performing a GREAT service to everyone out here! You are wising people up when it comes to buying that "DREAM" car. I think that you should go a step further and start reporting these crooks! They are still out there ruining nice classic cars just to put money in their pockets and not even thinking about the safety issues/Hazards that they are creating... And taking people's hard earned money!!!
Videos like this kill me. Car prices keep rising because flippers do shoddy work like this, and guys with more money than brains run out and have a bidding war over a car that's pretty on the outside but rotten otherwise. Roached out rust buckets are selling for the price that decent drivers were three years ago. I'm glad there's honest people like Kiwi out there who are doing right by these cars and really preserving them, so that maybe someday the ego maniacs who only drive these once a month to go get ice cream and flash their cash, will someday end up in the hands of real enthusiasts who can enjoy them. Like you said tony, it's one thing to have fun with a car for personal use, but another to purposely try and dress it up just for a quick retail buck. I feel bad for these mustang owners, it sucks to get ripped off!
I hope the same. Everywhere people just overpaying and the market is happy to accommodate them.
@@abelq8008 Like the old saying goes A Car is worth whatever some fool will pay for it!
Yes sir and fellows like Kiwi who know these cars and also has enormous experience in repairing them are well established in this business. Also from and administrative area Kiwi like other top notch resto and repair shops have an enormous library on these cars. There is a restorer up in Connecticut who restores Mercedes Benz cars and Porshe automobiles. He has access to the factory blueprints to these vehicle from the factory. He most likely gets a pretty penny for his work (he has restored Porche vehicles for Ralph Lauren) his shop is one where the bodies are completely dismantled and all areas that have rusted out are either replaced with new pieces or made. All of his work is in house. This is of course at a much higher level and of course his clientele is of a higher income bracket.
Horrible. Why are people so greedy as to put some others lives in danger?
Screw that ordinary Camaro, what's up with that awesome Mercury next to it. What's it? Possibly 58 turnpike cruiser?
I bought mine junky and spent the money getting it done right by honest people. And there in no profit in it if I went to sell it. I made the car for me so I dont care.
The result of a shop owner who does no actual work pressuring his employees to "get it done by next week, I have a buyer coming in to see it finished". Many times it comes down to "you can't leave until it's finished". Guys in the shop say screw it and let's get it done. Add to that, shop owner most likely screams, cusses, and throws tantrums when he don't get his way. I worked under similar conditions painting big trucks. We turned out some jobs we were not proud of unfortunately.
that gets missed by some fans of the old reality TV shows. they think the drama is all made up (and i'm sure some is guaging by the acting ability) but there are plenty of for=profit (i can think of doctors too) that "assembly line" a process to get money flowing. Hot rod shops have it bad because they order parts on credit, and when they lose that credit, they exist by taking your check for your car and applying it to the customer who came in before you (popular hot rodding magazine recommened an engine rebuild shop before PHR went under, and that engine rebuilder was caught doing that before THEY went under). so thus "the rush is on".
Boyd Cotington?
@@pegcity4eva Boyd's was a 100% scripted fake reality show
It's been this way since the beginning of automobiles. Same thing as a buggy repair!!!😂😂😂😂😂
My buddy rolled his 51 Ford shoebox 2 door sedan on graduation day 1967. Easy roll just caved the top for a ways behind the windshield, which also broke. So we torched (never heard of a sawzall or hand grinder in 67) the roof off just above the door seam on the B pillar. Winsdhield as well, but left the A pillars. Welded a 36 Ford windshield to the driver side A pillar and a home made angle iron extra A pillar to hold it on the drinker's side as it was about a foot short of the real A pillar. He drove it all summer, but eventually the highway bulls nailed him because the top of the windshield was about 2" to low above the seat...(they claimed...like who ever heard of that???) so we took out the seat bottom padding to lower it LOL They were not amused, but had to sign off on it. But they were out to get him after that.
No one runs Vin numbers through old forums or Marti reports for ford cars. So it will be a given that more and more people buy old cars that are bolted together from other cars etc. I found a 69 torino that was closed to be a cobra and the guy refused to send me a Vin. So when I came to check the car out I decoded the vin there and it was a 302 car cloned to be a cobra. Only thing he did wrong was left the vin cards, sad mistake on his part but good effort on mine*** keep up the good work in teaching Tony, I'm 21 and have a mopar mentor myself and it means the world to experience cars this age and not have to worry but it's 2022
The worst paint and body work you'll ever find on a vehicle will be on the bottom edges of body panels. Bondo runs/cracks, paint runs or no paint at all. Its always a good tell tale sign of some fishyness goin on
This is why people my age dont really even mess with these older cars. Finding a good starting point for a personal build is almost impossible either due to the car being rare or all that are for sale are hacked up bondo wagons.
Dude you should have stopped that Aries K lil blue wagon and filmed it. I had one 88 model 2.5 it hauled all kinds of mopar crap back and forth to the swap. Fun was had by all. I miss that car good fuel mileage and room to boot
That 72 Camaro looks nice!!!!
Almos had me one back in 73, manual trans. Opted for a Chevelle instead, automatic.
if he really bought it at a dealership. he needs to make them handle it. they would have known it was unsafe and cant sell that. he could sue or most likely settle out of court as they could get in big trouble for it.
OOOooo Big Trouble!
I'm in Australia but we have dodgy cars here which is why we have statutory write off laws, well one time we had a cut and shut car in at work, which is a two cars welded together. My boss at the time just turned a blind eye to it because if we got involved it would come back to bite us. I think we just did an oil change and sent them on their way.
This is a problem with society, the law system and trades, tradesmen don't know law and don't have access to legal advice without due cost.
Governments don't want to help because insurance companies and the banks that bank roll them don't want people out there more educated on legal matters.
We do lots of mechanical work for a big smash repair company and they rely on people being ignorant to get away with poor work to turn profits.
@@shanerorko8076 oof size large.
it sounds like your country is infected with capitalism too. id always hoped that the land down under wasnt a blunder cause its somewhere id like to be for atleast part of the year frequently.
@@chehystpewpur4754 it's worldwide. No one cares any more.
@@chehystpewpur4754 If you dislike capitalism so much drive a car from a communist country.
Surely it will be the highest quality and have been maintained by happy workers that own the means of production.
I knew a guy from high school that was killed when a brake collapsed causing the car to go sideways into oncoming traffic. The original car had a 6 cyclinder in it that was swapped for a 351C. ALWAYS check the brakes and make sure they are up to dong the job
The old muscle car scene was always a big grift because of all the old people spending their retirement savings on overpriced American cars from their childhoods.
If you think a fixer upper is expensive then try a "restoration".
At least if you do the work yourself makes you feel confident but people buy turn key and drive
Tony sounded like beavis near the end, “I want play with Fords.”
I wrenched in a Milwaukee Pontiac garage in the early 70's. A used late 60's Ford wagon was brought up from Chicago. The Ford wagon was a real hot ticket on the used car lots, they sold fast & high$. I was told to check this wagon over, especially brakes. Put it on the lift , took a quick look & RAN out from under it. It had been welded straight across the "B pillar" area, top, sides and bottom They took the front of a sedan & the rear from a wagon! It had blue seats in front & green seats in back. It was a Frankencar!
It's amazing how many people spend a pile of money buying a 55 year old car and don't bother to have it checked out or inspected.
IMO before making a purchase of anything, check all around to see any flaws and especially do your research. Better than spending thousands on a car that is advertised as restored or well kept, but ends up being a big project that it will take thousands more to fix. Thankfully none of our projects we bought were lemons or mis-advertised.
Some people have piles of money(inheritances) and have a problem (habit) of spending $$. They don't care about quality its quantity. Look what I have issues. Then Karen/Kevin cries when
Wow!! a 1 of 1 spec R Stang with loads of weight reduction done to it. Probably was in a Stallone movie in late 80s.
The big block just became Big Bullocks
Hydroboost the breaks on the bigblock and save a huge headache trying to make room for the booster
Half a century ago when I was young, I had a 67 fast back S code 390 4speed. It was kinda tired. So I built a 68 302 4bbl to put in it with the same Trans.
As I remember I only changed the motor mounts and it dropped right in. Left the Trans in the same place, same mount and all.
Very easy swap....
Not a mustang I know but years ago we bought a 1949 Morris minor convertible as we loved it,it didn’t take long to realise that something was up with this car,on the occasional bump in the road the drivers door would pop open!
We found a Morris expert and he told us once inspecting the car that it had no bracing whatsoever. It was in fact a two door sedan with a chop top roof. We paid good money for this and we were pissed off to learn that it was going to cost us another couple of thousand to make it right and legal. We had it fixed and it was much better after this and even drove better so I feel for this mustang owner as I’ve been there,done that. Still sucks though
Ford mounted the dual quad carbs backward because the throttle linkage was progressive. The front carb opened first and for normal driving speeds was the only carb in use. Mounting the carbs backward placed the primaries of the front carb closer to the center of the intake for more equal fuel distribution.
He looks like such a Amiable and smart man. I subbed to his channel. Looking forward to watching his videos.
Yeah, saw that faux-convertible on Kiwi's channel last night, yikes. I hope the owner decides to get it fixed so that it's at least made safe to operate. Hadn't seen the '68 big block swap... wow. And ha - I always get a kick out of your working to find dramatic camera angles, Tony.
When buying a car, you have to be so careful and know what to look for ! "Flipper Farm" ... Just hate these people.
My high school car was a '70 Z28 4 speed in that same color, but no vinyl top. I loved that car and drove it into the ground in just 5 years.
KIWI/UT- is that car really not salvageable? What would it really take to make it a usable car? I know they make frame mid sections for these so they can basically body on frame and unibody. If they secured the seats and everything they need to in there they might be able to add frame midsections under it, sway bars and strut bars front and back, and maybe a roll bar to stiffen it up. I know it would stick out but if it makes the car usable then why not?
oh my god i cant get enough of this channel ,outstanding and Mr Kiwi is great,is there no way you could strengthen the ol mustang at all ,weld in some braces perhaps
In the 43 years of owning and driving a 68 gt coupe I've never seen any thing so poorly constructed, I can't help but wonder what outcome they expected ,cutting the roof off removes 60% of of structural integrity, feel bad about owner, if I were to buy another mustang, I would get a Marti report on it,bummer.
Marti reports aren’t available for the 65/66 mustangs. However, the door tag if available would have provided the buyer with all the information required to figure out it was a coupe and not a convertible. Having a little knowledge and researching would have saved the owner a ton of cash. Just looking at the car it’s also easy to tell it’s not a true GT as this was also faked.
I've done the hack the roof off convertible, thing, to a couple of VW rapids and about half a dozen mk1 Fiat Panda 4x4s
That is like the MAACO of engine swaps!
We had both a coupe and a convertible when I was a kid. The factory convertible seemed much weaker even when it was only 4 years old.
It's not a lemon. It was common to chop tops back in the day. I'd say they did a pretty fantastic job for the most part. Does it suck? Sure but these old cars are always hacked over the years. How to fix it? Weld the top back on and if it's a true gt car this will add to it's History
The side oiler had cross bolted mains like all of them but screw in code plugs. The engineering number wont be C3 something it should be C5 something.
The first thing they ought to do is look for the cross-bolt mains. Only 427's and 406's had them. That engine could easily be a 390 or even a 352, and it is highly unlikely that it's a 406.