forgot one thing rewelding is alot cheaper

One warning. If you do go the frame swap route, I can almost guarantee a whole lot of extra expense you didn't allow for. It will be the "well, since it's apart now, I might as well do this and this......." and soon enough it turns into a serious resto project.

However, it's certainly a lot better repair than patching.

thanks ray i really should just patch her up and when i do have more money tube frame and a 502 maybe but thats 20 years in the futrure


thanks for all the advice guys really made my decision easier

Depends on your perspective. In this case I think Ray's advice is very good - get it on the road and use it. Once you tear it apart it may be apart for years and there's not much enjoyment in that.

But I'm not completely aligned with Ray on another point. I appreciate that some people are quite happy to have one car they really like (that's what my wife wishes for me just so we wouldn't have so much stuff), and in a way I envy that.  But for those of us who have diverse interests one car won't cut it.

In fact I would say that despite all of the nice cars I do have, every one is a compromise - the closest I could get at the time to what I really wanted, but either couldn't find, or couldn't afford. So I'll probably always be looking for something else. And I'll likely have more than one car until the state tells me I'm no longer fit to drive - which I hope won't be for many, many years.

gparis7 wrote:

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Depends on your perspective. In this case I think Ray's advice is very good - get it on the road and use it. Once you tear it apart it may be apart for years and there's not much enjoyment in that.

But I'm not completely aligned with Ray on another point. I appreciate that some people are quite happy to have one car they really like (that's what my wife wishes for me just so we wouldn't have so much stuff), and in a way I envy that.  But for those of us who have diverse interests one car won't cut it.

In fact I would say that despite all of the nice cars I do have, every one is a compromise - the closest I could get at the time to what I really wanted, but either couldn't find, or couldn't afford. So I'll probably always be looking for something else. And I'll likely have more than one car until the state tells me I'm no longer fit to drive - which I hope won't be for many, many years.

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Agreed. For me, a long term project car is therapy. I love to spend my evenings in the garage. Some guys like old cars but just want to drive them. That is fine. We each look at the old car hobby from a different angle.

I'm not a TV guy. Later evening, computer time but I like to try to accomplish at least some small thing pretty much every evening if there is time.

A car needing frame repair will likely end up being long term, for sure.

 

73SC wrote:

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Let me give you some fatherly advice. I don't think you want to be repairing this car your entire life, you'd rather be driving it. To be honest I never understood the concept of taking 4 or 6 or 10 years to get a car on the road. I don't even get having a dozen cars that don't run lying around. So on that basis patch it up as best you can so it can be properly saftied and drive it. One day you will have a career and good income then you can do whatever you want with a better starting base. Don't waste  a lot of time and money on this car.

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Bingo ! sound advice-drive it

 

Jonathan, I would really have to agree with Ray (73SC). When I was your age, I dreamed about what my first 67 Chevelle was going to look like and how it needed to be restored. In the end, I dropped in a 300hp 350 with a turbo 350 and 3200 high stall. For me at 16, this was plenty of car. The body was a little rusty and I had to patch the trunk to keep the gravel road dust out but I had more fun with that old malibu than any other car I have owned and it was not pretty. Don't worry about how it looks. Make the car mechanically sound, so it passes safety, and then have fun. The pretty cars will come to you in the years ahead.