1970 Road Runner Value

[greg86z28]

Hello,

I'm new here and new to Mopars in general. I'm looking to buy my first car to restore now that I'm out of school. Just looking to go back to an original look that can be driven (doesn't need to be numbers matching and I'm ok with doing a clone).

I'm having some troubles determining the value for these cars however. Does anyone have any suggestions or recommendations? I've found the following car near me on CL:

http://janesville.craigslist.org/cto/4598087297.html
(note: this car is listed on this site, but I don't know who else to ask for advice)

I just missed a 69 Coronet (318) on CL that was said to be "rust free" for $5k. This RR seems to be rougher and is priced significantly higher. I've seen other cars on this site and on eBay go for lower. What am I missing?

Thanks in advance!

Greg

 

[eagleone1983]

I'd say he's a steep on the price, although there is only one pic to go off of. The only increase he has is the fact that it's an air grabber optioned car. Non original motor drops the value quite a bit. I like to use this site when judging a car's worth. http://www.collectorcarmarket.com/makes.html.

 

[greg86z28]

Here is the thread on this forum:
http://www.forbbodiesonly.com/mopar...uth-road-runner-383-factory-n96-car-barn-find

I am going to call him tonight, because I really don't know much about the car.

 

[bigmanjbmopar]

I paid that for my 69 and it was in better shape, but if this is what you want it will cost you another 20k to restore yourself or 40k to have someone do it.

 

[greg86z28]

I paid that for my 69 and it was in better shape, but if this is what you want it will cost you another 20k to restore yourself or 40k to have someone do it.

I've definitely realized that it would be cheaper just to buy one that is already done. I do plan on doing everything myself and I thankfully have a friend who has restored a few Mopars who will provide guidance and advice. I've always liked cars and DIY stuff. I have a 1986 Camaro Z28 that I did a motor swap on, but nothing to the level of what a project like this would entail.

Thanks for everyone's input so far.

 

[bigmanjbmopar]

Oh god I just threw up in my mouth uke:

I have a 1986 Camaro Z28 that I did a motor swap on

 

[greg86z28]

Oh god I just threw up in my mouth uke:

It was all I could afford in high school. I was just trying to point out that I have some mechanical knowledge.

 

[RJS]

Don't listen to nonsense about having a Camaro. Good for you, you could have bought a Honda or Toyota instead. That Road Runner is super rough and overpriced IMHO.
Ron

 

[super-bee_ski]

Welcome aboard and thanks for joining the Forum!

I have 2 important things to say to you:

1. Do NOT let your emotions interfere with your decision to purchase any specific car.

2. As another Forum member always quotes:
"Fill your library before you fill your garage"

 

[bigmanjbmopar]

I'm just giving you **** man no worries lol

 

[snakeyes]

hi and welcome to the site ,with every ones info on this discussion, your the one that has to pull the trigger and live with it and down the road you might feel that you might of made a wrong one ,one do you have the money to start this project and see it through ,do you have the talent and drive to stay with it to the end ,a lot of guys have started only to lose the drive when they find out they bit off more than they can choose ,are you going to be able to have a place to store and work on it for the long run , its going to be a big investment ,your only just getting out of school what do you have in line for your future schooling , I wouldn't want to see you jump into something only to get discouraged and then stay away from the hobby ,sit and think this out cars are a lot of fun and this hobby is a big adventure look through a lot of the guys threads on there builds and see what they are up too !

 

[greg86z28]

Thanks for having me and for all the help. I have a lot to learn.

While I like this car, I'm not set on anything (unless it's a good/fair deal). Although I do really like the 70 Belvedere look. I also like the 69 Coronet look.

My list of cars I'd consider are
69 Coronet/Super Bee
68,69,70 Belvedere/GTX/Road Runner
68,69 Charger
70,71 Challenger
70,71 Barracuda

I'm trying to do as much research as I can. Basically with any of the above cars, I'd like to build it the way I would have bought it. I just want something that looks factory correct (reproduction parts are OK but not aftermarket stuff) and I can drive around, I have no intentions of having it graded for correctness at Mopar event or anything.

- - - Updated - - -

hi and welcome to the site ,with every ones info on this discussion, your the one that has to pull the trigger and live with it and down the road you might feel that you might of made a wrong one ,one do you have the money to start this project and see it through ,do you have the talent and drive to stay with it to the end ,a lot of guys have started only to lose the drive when they find out they bit off more than they can choose ,are you going to be able to have a place to store and work on it for the long run , its going to be a big investment ,your only just getting out of school what do you have in line for your future schooling , I wouldn't want to see you jump into something only to get discouraged and then stay away from the hobby ,sit and think this out cars are a lot of fun and this hobby is a big adventure look through a lot of the guys threads on there builds and see what they are up too !

These are all great points. As for talent and money. I don't have what would probably be $30-35k on hand in cash finish it ASAP. I consider this a long term project. I will need to acquire some tools as I go.

There are lots of things I haven't done before that I will need to learn/practice (ex: bodywork, painting, etc). I've never rebuilt the bottom end of a motor before or a transmission. (I did the heads/cam/intake of the 400 small block in the Camaro). However, locally I will have support and guidance for the tasks I need to learn. Plus, the internet has proven to be an invaluable resource for things like this.

 

[snakeyes]

some guys start with a car that they feel is a drive in process but end up going here and then find out there in over there head pick and choose wisely , there are a lot of guys that had some big builds ,some are done and some a long way away go thru these threads read and look at the photos study them ,you don't want to end up here like some have with some thing like this car

 

[greg86z28]

some guys start with a car that they feel is a drive in process but end up going here and then find out there in over there head pick and choose wisely , there are a lot of guys that had some big builds ,some are done and some a long way away go thru these threads read and look at the photos study them ,you don't want to end up here like some have with some thing like this car View attachment 203217

A friend of mine had a car like that that he never finished. 1988 Camaro IROC-Z. I like the 80's Camaros, but I can't say they are worth the time and money involved in a complete tear down. He ended up losing the drive to finish.

 

[snakeyes]

a lot of guys got to have some thing so bad that they make the wrong decision with there purchase and then don't have that feeling for the hobby ,don't have the money or desire to finish what they started because they jumped into ,you will see a lot of good projects fall and end up for sale

 

[greg86z28]

So just to clarify, the project becomes big when there is substantial corrosion to the frame? I was heading into this car restoration thing thinking welding in new quarters and floors was part of nearly every project. I also thought that the frame should be solid and not require "much" work.

Thanks again for all the help. I'm really learning a lot.

 

[eagleone1983]

I would say so. My car looked fairly solid when I got it. I knew before purchase I'd have to replace both quarters, outer wheel houses, the trunk extentions, and rear window corners. When I tore into it I ended up having to replace all that plus the floor from the firewall pinch weld to the torsion bar crossmember and make a patch panel for the rear lower window channel. I also found that the car was once jumped or something as the passenger front frame rail was about a 1/2" higher than the driver's side. I think I got away with a restoration on the easier side as far as corrosion goes.

 

[Photon440]

Hi Greg86Z28, welcome! Why not pop over to the 'new members' section and let everyone know you're here?

If you see something like the first link you posted, but think it's worth less, then offer less. You'll see where it goes from there. Good to know that you're aware that this could be a long term project, because they rarely ever get done in a hurry unless you have a huge wallet!

What sort of welding are you capable of? It's fine to get experience while putting in floor pieces or a trunk, but you'll want more expertise with exterior panels and especially where strength and safety are involved, say a frame rail.

Good luck, hope you find what you want. I'm biased, and so am rooting for you to get a '70 road runner myself.

-=Photon440=-

 

[greg86z28]

Hi Greg86Z28, welcome! Why not pop over to the 'new members' section and let everyone know you're here?

If you see something like the first link you posted, but think it's worth less, then offer less. You'll see where it goes from there. Good to know that you're aware that this could be a long term project, because they rarely ever get done in a hurry unless you have a huge wallet!

What sort of welding are you capable of? It's fine to get experience while putting in floor pieces or a trunk, but you'll want more expertise with exterior panels and especially where strength and safety are involved, say a frame rail.

Good luck, hope you find what you want. I'm biased, and so am rooting for you to get a '70 road runner myself.

-=Photon440=-

I have limited MIG welding experience. At this point, I would feel uncomfortable welding any sort of structural points. I would probably need to do a lot of practicing, invite a knowledgeable friend over, or take a class at the local tech school.

My gut told me the said 70 RR was more like a $5k car, barring anything special about it that I don't know yet. Phone call to come tonight. I'll get more info and get a better idea of the pricing. I'll post an update. I try and take things slow and make calculated decisions.

 

[greg86z28]

Well I called about the 70 RR for $10,000. Nice guy.

He said it'll need floor pans, trunk pan and rear frame rails.
It runs and drives (but not exceptionally well). He said the car is 99% complete, but pretty much everything needs to be redone (interior is there, but not great).

I'm guessing he'd take $9-8,500.

Seems too expensive but what do I know. He did say that for a true RR, 99% complete, you probably aren't going to find something for $5-6k, that isn't just a big bucket of parts.