1971 Road Runner Help & Questions

[CoronetRTguy]

Hey everyone,

well in my search for the right MOPAR I have come across a 1971 Road Runner that I think may be the one I go for and buy. I love the color combo and I love the 1971 cars, oh and did I mention its a numbers matching car!

The car needs a new roof, but the owner has one and will weld it on for me. He is a master at metal and body work. He does a lot of restro mods on cars that are more or less parts cars....If that. He has a shop that will be open to the public very soon and a 1966 Charger that will be hitting the auction block very soon, so his name will be out there. This is his site http://www.musclecarcreations.net/ check out the project page for the 66 Charger restro mod.

The car may need a drivers side fender and hood but he does have those to put back on the car.The drivers side fender (something fell on it) may be able to be repaired.I'm not sure whats wrong with the hood but will know more later on.

My question is I have been decoding the car and I'm not sure if it had a full white vinyal top or half viynal top. Also I'm not sure of the stripe package.

So here is the fender tag, tell me what I don't know or what I think I might know and I'm just not sure of.

END
H21 N41 R11 V21 V8W 26
V4W U A87 B11 G11 R51
GB5 H2B5 GB7 A22 151654
E65 D32 RM23 N1G 134008

[CoronetRTguy]

Okay so I got word in what my total investment will be on as follows

The car is $1700 and then to fix the floor pan with a full floor pan, fix the roof with a new (donor roof) and fix the fender that is on it and if there is any rust in the fire wall and wiper area I'm looking at a total cost of $4,619.00.

That is the price of fixing the roof, floor pan, drivers side fender and if there is any rust in the cowel area. The hood is extra for a perfect hood and I also have the choice of replacing the drivers side fender.

I asked what and how bad the original hood is and he is going to check it out again and tell me when he gets back home. I can't tell from the pictures what if anything is wrong with the hood.

So that gives me something more to think about and to figure out. I really don't think that is to bad to do all that work for a numbers matching car. I know I still have the motor, trans, interior and paint to do to the car.

I think when all said and done I could be looking at $20 to $25 thousand to return it back to stock form and have a restored car. That would be with me getting the car ready for paint and doing the interior work, wiring and small detail work.

So tell me what you think.

[CtownRunner]

Keep looking. It will be way more than your estimate to rebuild/replace every nut/bolt, suspension, seal, motor, tranny. Nothing on that car is usable in it's current condition. EVERY thing needs rebuilt.

Put the money down on a DONE car and get a loan for the balance.
JMO
Good luck with what ever you decide.

[71bird]

Kinda depends on what you want to do. Show car, driver, weekend cruiser, race car.I'd try to get it for $1,500, but if you think 20-25 for a good restoration, forget that.Most shops around here ( the south) are $40 an hour, give or take by location.To do a show car will average 1000 hours, so do the math and thats just labor.BUT that is SHOW car.You might get by and have a driver for 25.Now on the other hand, that car needs saving.If you want it and you know going in what it is, go for it.

[71ChallengerSE]

Kinda depends on what you want to do. Show car, driver, weekend cruiser, race car.I'd try to get it for $1,500, but if you think 20-25 for a good restoration, forget that.Most shops around here ( the south) are $40 an hour, give or take by location.To do a show car will average 1000 hours, so do the math and thats just labor.BUT that is SHOW car.You might get by and have a driver for 25.Now on the other hand, that car needs saving.If you want it and you know going in what it is, go for it.

He is not paying someone to restore it, just the stuff that he can't do himself. Chrome, paint, etc.

[71bird]

I'm sorry I miss understood. But still after looking at the condition it will take 20-25 in parts alone.Thats what I meant by asking what kind of car he wanted. To restore a car, is to make every part like new.Every nut and bolt, they told me $13 to 15,000 in parts on mine, more like 25.Example, front and rear bumper $800 to re chrome. Even if he did the work his self after looking at the car,it is still going to be high. BUT, the car deserves it.

[71ChallengerSE]

BUT, the car deserves it.

Exactly! The guys on FBBO are saying its no more than a parts car and can't be fixed.

[71bird]

Sorry, whats FBBO? I'm not up on a lot of this stuff. I don't care what THEY say, anything can be saved.And that car deservers it.Just like the 71 SSP close to me, high option car, it deserves it too.

[71ChallengerSE]

[71ChallengerSE]

Sorry, whats FBBO? I'm not up on a lot of this stuff. I don't care what THEY say, anything can be saved.And that car deservers it.Just like the 71 SSP close to me, high option car, it deserves it too.

For B Bodies Only.com

What I have noticed on that forum is they are more snobish than E-body owners.

[71bird]

So, Coronet RT guy, what do you think, still wanting to do it? I say go for it.If you need help looking for stuff we are here for you, we've all been there.What part of the country do you live? I guess I out of touch, I would have thought the E body guys would be the ones with their noses in the air,guess I don't get out much.

[CoronetRTguy]

Thanks everyone,

I'm located in Harrisonburg Virginia. I do know of some B body cars in the area 71-74 that I'm sure I could get parts off of. I know of a 74 Charger with the rally dash that is perfect I could get, its on my uncles car and that car is to far gone right now to make worth restoring.

I do still want the car I'm just trying to figure out how to get it and do it. I had a stroke a few years ago and right now I'm on a fixed income. I do have the money to buy it straight out from the sell of a Corvette I owned and let me say I will never own another. I will never again leave the MOPAR fold. I should have kept my 1 of 1 1970 Coronet R/T but you talk about a car that was and is a high dollar car to restore man that was and I have every magazine in the world calling asking when that one would be done. Galen Govier even wanted to see it after I sent him pics and fender tag info. I also stumped him for a month on a code and was offered a job (back before I had the stroke) of helping decode cars after I told him what I thought the code was.

I come from doing some body work like sanding, priming, putting parts on and small things like that. My dad was the body man and was and still is a great body man. He is legally blind and so a lot of metal work (he could do it I know he still could) is something we both want to stay away from.

This car will have all the metal work done it would be up to me to get it ready for paint and then I would do the interior, wiriing, vinyal top (after paint), decals and then the things I would farm out would be motor, trans. chrome and paint.

I'm really not worried about a 100 points show car I've been there and done that and always worried about it and never enjoyed driving them. I want to enjoy a car for the way it was meant to be enjoyed.

[71bird]

Good to hear that still want to do that car.Good luck.

[CoronetRTguy]

Good to hear that still want to do that car.Good luck.

I still do as long as something doesnt happen I'm going to do the car. There is a 73 Duster in my area that is going on ebay 1st time 2000 and as of right now its up to 1800 and needs quarters, trunk pan and rocker panel work.

So I think once when this cars metal work is done it is more then a good deal.

[kenny]

check it out good, all the cars ive ever seen with a roof problem have problems all the way through. its had nothing to shed the weather so it runs through the whole car. i looked on a map and harrisonburg va was not very close to danville va however there is a guy down town in danville that comes up with a lot of 71/72 satellite parts cars, his salvage shop is parts unlimited, and he is flexable. i have bought some used parts from him and been pleased i live on the tn/va border so he is a few hours from me as well. i think 20k is low for putting it back together, the car i bought was more expensive, but needed far less work. i was shooting for 20 with purchase price and will hit that a while before i have it running. i have chose to save the engine/trans for last because if i could drive it i wouldnt spend half as much time working on it.