This 1964 Restored Belvedere 2-dr post  is for sale in Michigan. Inspected by certified classic auto appraiser Jason Phillips,  It’s a high end, very showable car. 440/bored472 C.I. engine, mated to a stock 4 speed, 8.75 rear 3:91 posi, which have all been fully rebuilt (receipts viewed). Resto pics show car stripped down to bare metal. Very clean, all steel original survivor body hand blocked straight and flat. Impressive, right down to  the rocker bottoms and jamb surfaces. Excellent magnetic adhesion all around exterior and underneath. Fully rebuilt suspension front and rear. Collision free, rot free underbody with no patch panels. Nicely restored period interior with great glass and trim all around. Very high quality rebuild/restore on a radio delete car. 17″ American racing wheels in rear, 15″ matched fronts, are like new, mated to Mickey Thompson ET street radials in rear, show virtually no wear. Upgrades away from factory (other than wheels) include the bored 440, MSD/billet distributor, disc brakes and gages. Rest of car looks bone stock.  In today’s dollars, it would cost well over $80,000 to do one up this nice out of a solid survivor body. Car rocks down the road, tracks and brakes nice with plenty of power and aggression in throttle. See videos posted on youtube.com of test drive and walk around. $1800 rebuild on factory 4 speed completed in July 2011. Rear end rebuild done in 2010, engine approximately 2000 miles ago. This owner has spent a lot of money to build a very nice car. We’re asking $45,000.00. 800-301-3886 or 810-691-2664. email cars@autoappraise.com. Request a well written, narrative report, along with over 300 photos completely detailing this car. Feel free to come yourself and drive it, or send your own KNOWLEDGEABLE Mopar inspector.

Update: Thanks for looking, we have sold this car.

Technorati Tags: 1964, auto appraisal, auto appraiser, Belvedere, classic car, for sale, Mopar

1976 Cadillac Eldorado convertible for sale, original documented 6,300 mile survivor. Firethorn red exterior with white leather. 4 hour long comprehensive inspection conducted for the estate on each car (3 Cadillacs in all) with full written detailed report, 300+ photos, video walk around and video test drive. Email our office for links to all of these. cars@autoappraise.com. Report highlights listed below:
PAINT: Original factory applied Firethorn metallic red finish. Digital paint meter measures 2.0-4.5 mils consistent throughout fifty spots tested on vehicle. No amount of aftermarket body filler or paint located. Reflective quality is excellent for original factory applied paint. Large bold print can be read in reflection from 10-12 inches away (common for paint of this era). Small nicks, chips, blemishes or scratches documented; please see photos for area and locations. Paint is otherwise in excellent showable quality condition. Paint inside door jambs and sills is factory original throughout entire vehicle. Underbody paint still presents nicely from factory. Urethane bumper extensions are noted to have typical color fade.
BODY: showable quality, beautiful, original 6,000 mile survivor body. All factory spot welds visible. No repairs ever. Doors close with two finger effort. One small door ping. Paint isn’t broken here, so it could be removed. Stain free white top operates perfectly. Hard parade boot has likely never been used.
FRAME/FLOORS: Excellent original collision-free frame, with no rot or decay visible. Original fuel lines and brake lines installed, with original clips all along frame rails. Original bumper mounts to frame indicate no visible collision or towing damage whatsoever. Floor pans are visibly clean and stout, with original factory paint color still present where original undercoating was once installed. No level of fresh detail or clean-up work has been done underneath vehicle. Some cosmetic oxidation and surface rust buildup on some original non-factory painted parts; see photos. Clean quarter panel splashes and trunk extensions. No active leaking seen on bottom of vehicle, other than some dampness on transmission pan, but no active dripping noted on floors. See photo of floor under vehicle.
BUMPERS AND TRIM: All is very nice, no re-plating required. No missing components.
GLASS, RUBBERS, LENSES: All date coded original Saf-t-plate GM glass. Good motor speed and tight regulators function nice. All original rubbers are free of tears and still supple. No vertical roller scratches.
INTERIOR: No stains, cracks or color fade. Excellent 6000 mile well preserved everything. All options and lights work as designed, except power antenna.
ENGINE/BAY: Original 500 cubic inch starts easily, idles properly. High idle kicks down works as designed. No knocking, ticking, or smoking noted upon startup after long-term cold storage. Oil is clean and full. Engine runs very tight. Engine bay is all original with factory crayon markings on backside of hood, original stampings on alternator, exhaust manifolds, cruise control unit, wiper motor, and original paper tags on brake lines, just to name a few. Once detailed, engine will be of showable quality.
TEST DRIVE-Easy start, good acceleration with no hesitation, Suspension handles well, floats nicely. Tranny shifts well up and down, fluid is clean. Brakes apply smoothly, no pull or pulse. A/C operates, but needs recharge/service. Asking price is $35,000.00. Currently, there is one lower miles comparable car for sale in market for $60,000. This is the lowest miles car available in the market in the mid $30’s price range. An excellent investment grade car described in an honest as is fashion. Request link to report and 300 pics by emailing cars@autoappraise.com. Or, call 800-301-3886. After hours, 810-691-2664.

Update: Thanks for looking, we have sold this client’s car.

Technorati Tags: cadillac, convertible, eldorado, for sale

This 1963 Ford T-Bird is a wonderful survivor car. The owner, who recently passed purchased it in 07 for close to $50,000, according to the records.  It has excellent magnetic adhesion all around with visible factory spot welds present everywhere. It’s had one nice repaint in the original medium blue metallic. Paint underhood and inside trunk appears original.  All trim is still very presentable, some with varying grades of patina present, but all very acceptable on a 2-/3+ show-able driver car. The complicated top system has gone through the typical $3000.00+ rebuild of all the solenoids with a replacement canvas that is very nice. This top works flawlessly, see pics. You’ll see in the YouTube test drive linked below that the 390 c.i. engine runs very well and the tranny shifts nicely. The underbody and trunk remain very solid. No patch panels, no repairs, no rot. All is very solid underneath. It could use a good long day’s worth of steam cleaning and paint detailing to the underbody on a hoist, to really make the bottom stand out. All dye holes are clean and uniform on the frame rails, and the spot welds from the rail flanges to the pans are easily seen. It’s obviously a collision free body. Interior is a combo of mostly new vinyl components and carpet, mixed in with well survived original pieces. The whole car presents in a really nice fashion. The previous owner, spent a lot of time and money in upkeep, and it shows. Links are posted below to youtube videos of the car. Autoappraise.com conducted a 3 hour long inspection on this car. We have over 200 photos and a well written detailed narrative report that will soon be viewable on our blog, see link below. The best thing about the car….just get in and drive, it’s ready for summer without delay. We are asking $35,000. 800-301-3886 or 810-691-2664, or email cars@autoappraise.com. http://www.autoappraise.com

Technorati Tags: auto appraiser, classic car, Classic car chat, for sale

This 1963 340 HP Chevrolet Corvette has been meticulously frame off restored over a 3 year period by an experienced Corvette enthusiast. It’s a correct, original red on red roadster with it’s original number’s matching engine, transmission and rear end. Look closely at photos and you will see the real difference when someone spends over $125,000 doing up a rock solid original car. This car is right, down to the correct color fuel line clips. Bonding strips and fiberglass from under are clean and clearly visible.  The restoration has less than 3500 miles of road time logged. It’s truly a beautiful car….as close to a show car as you would want to drive occasionally. From date coded hoses to paint daubs, this is an amazing car. In today’s dollars, it would be difficult to even do this car again due to the lack of  NOS chrome available. Aftermarket parts are just not the same.  Another 200 photos can be studied along with a comprehensive inspection report at http://www.autoappraise.com. You’ll need to email cars@autoappraise.com and ask for a password to additional info. Here’s a shorter version of what’s in the report. Please access and read the report before you call, as I am on the road often and am not always easy to reach. 810-691-2664. We are asking $67,500.00

Casting numbers, casting dates and stampings were located and photographed. BODY TAG: k3 build date, 490m trim, 923A paint. ENGINE: 3787820 casting, F253 julian cast date, F0630RE assembly stamp, with corresponding VIN stamp 3120xxx. Brioche marks are visible on pad surface. Other engine component numbers were documented and can be accessed in report. TRANSMISSION: 3831704 main case, 3788421 scatter shield, vertical flange stamp corresponds to VIN 3120xxx. REAR END: Stamped “CE” code, dated 7 15 63. To summarize, the vin tag is correctly spot welded and the trim tag correctly riveted, and all the numbers above correspond and are correct for this car. Links to youtube.com are posted below, including cold start and test drive. If they don’t connect directly, just copy and paste them into youtube.com.

UPDATE: Thanks for looking, we have sold this client’s car.

Technorati Tags: classic car, corvette, for sale

1970 Plymouth Cuda AAR for sale 44,000 actual miles in Michigan
Stock original number’s matching J code 340 6 pack motor. Stock original A833 numbers matching 4- speed trans with pistol grip. Original Trans Am fender tags, original build sheet. High end repaint in correct code EF8 Ivy Green Metallic. Metallic flow-out is excellent panel by panel. No evidence of tape lines, run, or overspray. Excellent reflective quality where bold print can be read in reflection from 24” away. Correct style matte finish on top of hood, fenders, spoiler, and doors. OEM replacement AAR decal kit. Amazing example of an un-hit, factory survivor original body. Factory spot welds are visible all along lips of door skins where wrapping shell, all along quarter panel seams and door jams, wheel lips, pinch welds, and the like. No replacement sheet metal and no repair panels evident. Digital paint gauge readings were recorded during this report. No evidence of heavy filler content noted anywhere in vehicle. 95% of body has very good magnetic adhesion. Exterior body is super clean and straight, straighter than production period. Doors open and close nicely, with no notable sag. Hinge pins are original. Sill plates appear to be original units, and show no signs of heavy scuffing due to sagging doors. Original fiberglass hood is in excellent condition, due to its straightness and flatness. (note that most fiberglass hoods inspected have a bow in the center created by hood spring tension). This car has never had hood springs installed (although they are included with car). Impressive interior equally well survived in every way, showing practically no casual wear, well supportive of the miles showing. The exceptions are heat cracks in vinyl dash pad, which was ordered to replace, but never installed, and the hidden aftermarket CD player in the glove box, wired to the aftermarket 6×10 speakers mounted in the rear package tray. Steering wheel, dash components, seats, carpets, headliner and door panels are all in excellent condition. Excellent trunk with solid original pan. Spare, jack, mat are present. Underhood area is detailed to showable quality, solid in every way. Factory matched core support stamp, all decals, and stock ignition set up. Except for intake, underhood is bone stock original. Underbody is very solid. No torn dye holes, no crooked rails, all original ribs in floor panels are easily seen. No patches or decay. Original plugs still mounted in lower ¼ panel splashes. This is what garage kept low miles original really looks like. Recent carb work adds to how well it runs. It starts and idles as it should. The clutch feels strong and the brakes stop nice and straight. It’s a lot of fun to drive. We have a full 5 page written report that outlines every detail about the car, as well as nearly 200 pictures. A YouTube test drive video will soon be available to view the car running and driving. We are asking $78,500, and no partial trades are being considered unless you have a late model, very low miles Corvette. Reply to cars@autoappraise.com or link to our website at http://www.autoappraise.com . 810-691-2664. Thanks

UPDATE: Thanks for looking, we have sold this client’s car.

Technorati Tags: 1970 Plymouth Cuda, AAR, classic car, E body, for sale, Mopar, muscle car, numbers matching, Trans AM

I knew when I was walking up the driveway on this last auto appraisal that there was going to be drivability issues. The left rear tire had some major negative camber issues. This is spotted easiest by kneeling down behind the car from 20 feet away, and looking at the tilt of the rear tires. It can be adjusted some, by rotating the cam washer, or replacing the non-adjustable lower torsion arms with aftermarket adjustable ones. The car had all original bonding strips in place, and a very good original un-hit frame. The dog leg caps had some rust, but nothing structural to be concerned about. On the high side, it had a tank sticker, both tops, and was a numbers matching big block 427 car, with the original muncie and original rear end. The rest of the suspension had been rebuilt, which was nice. It ran surprisingly well, and had really nice paint, for a 20 year old respray. It’s still for sale, the guy want’s $25,000. Contact us if you are interested in this car. 800-301-3886

Technorati Tags: 427, big block, corvette, for sale, numbers matching