possible car purchase-thoughts

[1930artdeco]

Hello,

I contacted Rich Muise about looking at some photos of a car that I am considering buying but I can't send them to him apparently, so I thought maybe I would post them here. Here is the background on the car:

California car-parked in a barn for approx 25 years.
He has some parts to get it running-rad, carb, dist,
No major rust just surface. Not sure about the rockers though
No major damage, just some shallow dents on the left side.
I think this is a Fairlane 500 Town Victoria with 3 on the tree and 312
Ext color-white, interior not sure

From the pics tell me what you think. My goal is to get it drivable and safe for now, it will get a full restoration when I retire (which is why I am getting it). Hopefully the pics come through and I have more. I know I have to dig into the following right off the bat:

fuel system
brakes
fluids changed several times to flush things out. I know they are going to leak like a sieve at first
steering/suspension

Mike

[abe_lugo]

Looks like a nice car.  Have them take Pictures of  the engine compartment
The underside of the doors and the rockers.  Also pics of the upper corners under the dash. 

Also ask for photos of the truck area at the corner where the rear panels are above the wheel area. 

I just tore down a Santa Barbara car and had a bit more rust that usual.  But not totally  thrashed.

As far as the engine ask them it it can be turned of know IG had been run.  Seeing the rocker covers in the rear seat seems suspect.

[1930artdeco]

Here is the trunk shot he sent me. The engine has not run in 25 years and it has t-bird covers on it now. I will see if I can get some more pics. It is only two hours away so a road trip may be in order.

Mike

[RICH MUISE]

Thanks for posting the pics here, Mike. First and most important, yes, a road trip is absolutely in order. Only two hours, I'm grinning because I've driven 400+ miles ea way many times just looking for parts, lol. Could be a real pretty car when done, and from the pics, it definitely has possibilities. "No major rust"? There's probably a 90% chance you will find some..remember, rust almost always starts on the inside and works it's way out, so what looks minor may be the tip of the iceberg. I'm for sure not trying to discourage you, but the majority of us here have had rust issues to deal with...these cars are 60+ years old. For example, if you enlarge the pic you show of the front end and look closely at the headlight surround, you will see what appears to be bubbles. That's on of the most common areas to rust on our '57's and a difficult area to repair because of the poor quality of the repo replacements. The dogleg under the side of the windshield is another area. Rockers? Not that hard to replace, but the only way to see how far inside the replacement work is going to go is to get a good look under the car...very hard to do with pics because you really need to get under there and poke around with a screwdriver or whatever in the areas behind the floor support ends where they are spot welded to the inner rockers. Those areas usually got packed up with mud and road debris. That front floor mat, to me, doesn't look like it's been sitting in that car for 25+ years, so maybe hiding something? The front toeboards and floorboards were common areas to rust because of a poor cowl drain design. Also, the rear foot wells. A look under the car in those areas will help a lot, but pulling the old floormats back to the metal would be good too.if the owner would let you do that.
If you find the rust issues that are normal for our cars, then I'd be negotiating a lower price for the car. If it's solid, that will save you years and thousands of dollars, so with that in mind, the asking price isn't too bad......for example, cost aside, it took me 3 1/2 years to get mine rust free.

[1930artdeco]

Thanks Rich. I will definitely be getting as far as I can under the car. I do have a question and it is probably terminology. I know where the Outer rockers are but not sure what the Inner rockers that have been referred to here are. I am thinking they are the support brace that is perpendicular to the outer rockers.

I have been reading a lot of the tech posts here and am aware of the poor drainage problem. I am hoping that it being a barn find from the Central Valley where it doesn?t rain much this car escaped that. Well one can dream I guess. And since he is only asking 3800 OBO I can deal with surface rust. Any cancer may be a deal breaker as I don?t have the facilities to deal with that.

I forgot to mention the engine turns over so if that is the case then I am hoping nothing is broken. I might get very very lucky and be able to fire her up and she will run fine-fingers crossed. Thanks for all of the tips and places to look at. I will bring a clipboard and a camera. Keep chiming in with other thoughts and ideas people.

Mike

[terry_208]

I would also check the drop offs on both sides of the trunk.  As seen in you post #2 under the 2x6 on the right and under the jacks on the left.  They always seem to collect "stuff" which plugs the drain holes. There is a brace for the floor near the rear of the trunk.   The rear body mount bolts extend through it and the rear of the frame.  Mine had rust near each end just outside of the body mounts.

[Lgcustom]

On that car the inner rocker refers to the vertical flat plate on the back side of the outer rocker. The floor braces Rich refers to are welded to the inner rocker and bottom of the floor pan. The floor braces at their outer ends are where dirt collects and rusts out over time. That car looks like a good basis for a restoration. Don't be afraid to tackle the rusted metal. You're going to be retired. Get a wire welder and learn a new skill!

[1930artdeco]

The car is supposed to have a come with a T Bird engine. How do I confirm that-aside from the vin#?

Mike

[mustang6984]

Junior Colleges and trade schools offer welding classes all the time. There is one this March near me for welding with both MIG & TIG. I have a MIG and will be taking both. Cost is $100 for each. Go for it!!!   

[RICH MUISE]

Learning to mig weld is simple compared to other forms of welding and will open all kinds of doors for you. my main advice there is avoid the flux core wire and get a welder set up for gas, which is just a shielding gas actually, not flammable. Almost impossible to get a good weld with the flux core. The only time I would use that is if I had to weld something outside on a windy day and had no way to block off the wind from the welding.
Thunderbird engines are what the Ford designation was for at least the 312s (not sure about the smaller 292) that came in all fords, not exclusive to thunderbirds.
Learning to do as much as you can YOURSELF will give a self satisfaction that is hard to compare to anything else. There is so much help from knowledgeable guys on the forums nowadays, especially this one, you can learn to do almost anything with their advise if you are not afraid to ask questions. When I started "fixing up" my car, I didn't know how to weld, had never built a car before, and in fact had never modified anything on any car in my lifetime. I am so proud of the fact I built mine 100% myself, I still smile when I look at it after finishing it 5 years ago. I couldn't have done it without the help I got here. I can pretty much guarantee whatever it is you want to do, someone here has done it and is willing, if not anxious, to help!!
GO FOR IT!!!

[1930artdeco]

The welding doesn?t scare me too much. It is welding new rockers in while on my back. I won?t have access to a garage as the Model A resides there.

Mike

[Hoosier Hurricane]

If the rocker covers on the back seat are the ones off the engine, it is a 312.  On the body tag, look for the first letter of the vin number.  A 312 would have a "D" , "E", or "F" designation.   John

[59meteor]

Maybe it`s just the lighting, but to me, it looks to have had a rather poor repaint at one point in it`s life. Looks like overspray of the VIN tag on the drivers door jam, as well as the door weatherstrip rubber. Did they say anything about a repaint, and if so, when? A repaint could hide a bunch of ills underneath.

[57chero]

Unless your specifically looking for a 4dr I would save your money and put it towards a 2dr. It seems a little over priced for what it is.

[1930artdeco]

Got more pics. Odo is showing 32k and there is ?some? record of having that mileage when it got parked. Rust on the rust I can see isn?t too bad and the drain holes look clear. It is possible this car has a OD as well.

Mike