Is This '78 Black Pearl Worth Saving

[Black Pearl]

All great advice. Thank you.

I already have a '78, so my sole motivation for buying the car was to put it back on the road for resale. After inspecting it, however, it does not appear there is any money to be made on the car. I hate to see a car that original wither away, particularly a black pearl which I have a fondness for.

Unrealistic projectitis kicked in of course.

Mechanical, interior, and paint I can do, and I am pricing out the needed parts. I have not welded enough to be decent at it, but a $500 car would be a good place to learn.

My decision is coming down to is the satisfaction/experience of the project worth what will probably be break-even (me working for free of course) financially?

I'll keep you posted on what I decide.

[ZCurves]

If you have the space to store it and could take your time working it over, it might be worth it. It has more than $500 in parts value for sure!

[kenz240z]

If you have the storage/work space, time and the skills, I think the car would be a suitable project. Granted, it will take a lot of work, but you will learn a lot in the process.

The one caveat is the rust monster. While I am not averse to tackling metal repairs, even with my limited welding skilz, I think there is definitely a point where a car is beyond salvage. But, even that depends on your ability and your determination. For instance, consider the rust repair done on this car:

http://www.classiczcars.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17399

Most people would walk away from a car with rust issues like this. I truly admire Mull's spirit and determination and fabrication skilz!

If this car is not outside your comfort zone, then I say go for it.

[Black Pearl]

Kenz240z, thanks for the link. Nice restoration, but that car was a mess. This one is solid, other than the passenger side frame rail and fender. The passenger floor is rusty, but I could not get a screwdriver through it. Paint is original.

I have the space, but I am trying to decide if that is where I want to spend my free time.

Cozye, your repair work is motivating.

[torker]

Kenz240z, thanks for the link. Nice restoration, but that car was a mess. This one is solid, other than the passenger side frame rail and fender. The passenger floor is rusty, but I could not get a screwdriver through it. Paint is original.

I have the space, but I am trying to decide if that is where I want to spend my free time.

Cozye, your repair work is motivating.

My sons 260 was 650 dollars. It ran, sort of. It had a hole in the pass. floor. Rails are fairly solid. Rust after grinding/cutting bottom of both fenders and the front of both rear wheel wells were probably 4" x 4" holes. Luckily a friend had a shop with a mig. Biggest cost was actually rubber. All the rubber. Every line, bushing and weatherstrip. Of course you also need a hood ,door and fenders. I would do a compression check and if it passed that then maybe offer 3 or 4 hundred. Just me.

[cozye]

Kenz240z, thanks for the link. Nice restoration, but that car was a mess. This one is solid, other than the passenger side frame rail and fender. The passenger floor is rusty, but I could not get a screwdriver through it. Paint is original.

I have the space, but I am trying to decide if that is where I want to spend my free time.

Cozye, your repair work is motivating.

Yeah, my car was really solid as well with the exception of the bottom of two front fenders, the hatch sill, and a frame rail that rusted due to being crushed with a jack. One thing I have discovered though is that you will still find a few small areas of rust that aren't obvious at first that will turn into 5 hour repairs. I'm still glad I got the car I have, the floors are very sold and not even any surface rust. The car has never been painted, wrecked, or repaired, so I know exactly what I've got. The majority of the car is very solid. I rescued it in time I think.. For me, I purchased a mig welder because I've always wanted one, and this car gave me an excuse. It's already paid for itself 4 times over I'm sure. It really hasn't been that big of a deal to cut out and weld in some new metal. Sure, when I've found a spot that turned into a metal repair, I wasn't too happy but after a few hours of work I'm past it and admire the progress.

[kenz240z]

The hood, doors & fenders all look salvagable to me. A little welding work to patch the rusted areas. A little hammer & dolly work to bump out the dents. A stud welder tool would be handy for some of the dents.

To my DIY way of thinking, you could end up with a real nice car for under 3500 if you do the work yourself. A few rough numbers:

seat covers - 250

carpet kit - 250

bushing set - 250

struts - 400

brakes - 300

weatherstrip kit - 300

clutch - 200

battery - 60

starter - 80

ball joints

[kenz240z]

Oops, some how posted prematurely...the rest of the list:

ball joints - 75

tie rod ends - 70

front wheel bearings - 50

rear wheel bearings - 130

alternator - 85

paint -500

misc - 500

Total for all this would be $3500. Granted, the car may need additional parts/materials that would add to this. Major engine work, for instance. On the other hand, the car may not need all of the parts I listed.

[ZCurves]

Kenz240z, thanks for the link. Nice restoration, but that car was a mess. This one is solid, other than the passenger side frame rail and fender. The passenger floor is rusty, but I could not get a screwdriver through it. Paint is original.

I have the space, but I am trying to decide if that is where I want to spend my free time.

Cozye, your repair work is motivating.

I would probably go ahead and get it then. As time rolls, even Z's with no rust will be difficult to find (let alone a Black Pearl). You already have a good example of what it could eventually become. Besides you have all of us rootn for you!

[zed2]

I'll donate the ball joints (I have a couple pairs of new OEM 14mm waiting for a Black Pearl restoration project.)

Keith

[jellobob777]

In the Northeast thats a nice starting point for a restoration In the southwest its questionable purchase . I guess "One mans ceilling is another mans floor " Interesting that it had the SAP stripes and appears to have the SAP Mirrors but not the Louvers and I cant see any of the holes in the hatch where they were either? Are there any Repro stripe kits on the market for these cars??

[Black Pearl]

Thanks for everyone's input.

The holes are all there for the louvres. I haven't even started pricing those nice to have items yet.

Kenz240z, thanks for the parts break-down. $3500 is a good guess, though I would have to at least add a fender and door (the picture must not show how truely bad the top of that fender is). Hood I might be able to fix, but black is pretty unforgiving.

Regardless, price and parts is in the $4k neighborhood. I can get a much nicer example for that kind of cash, though it would not have all those new parts.

I am going to offer him $400 and go buy a MIG welder. I can't make it much worse, and if I sell it before fixing up the interior/suspension I should be able to get my money back. I think just putting the bumpers back on and vacuuming the interior would double the price.