When buying an older mopar what things do you check/look for?

[Nutso]

Hello all. I’m pretty new to the site and am currently moparless (unless you count my 2005 Powerwagon). I have lurked here for a while and have been impressed with the range of knowledge and some of the member’s projects. I had a 69 Roadrunner for 14 years and it was time to let her go…it did not suit my needs anymore. I sold her to a member here that has done good things and fixed her up.

This leads me to the question…I still love the old mopars and after looking at Hellcats I just wasn’t excited driving them the way I am with an old car. I’m looking at getting another classic and I was wondering what do you look for when you’re inspecting a potential purchase?

I look at the oil fill and dipstick for mayo, leaks underneath, and body rot. Listen to the engine. I like to check all the wiring to see if lights and indicators are functional. I usually check to see if it brakes straight or pulls. What else do you like to check?

 

[Armyvet25]

leaks of any kind, I like to hear it run cold and warm, can tell a lot as an auto tech for many years just by the sounds it makes.

 

[Nutso]

I always look to see if it smokes on startup. I’m more familiar with big diesels but it’s pretty easy to hear something majorly wrong, ticking lifters, exhaust leaks, etc.

Any spots on the body you key in on? I look around the rear window and trunk but those are pretty well known.

 

[Budnicks]

Rust around the windshield base bottom corners, under the trim
seals around the window, wet carpet, or mold smell in the car anywhere
rear windshield lower corners & bottom track same deal
but usually worse for rust
trunk floor, under a matt/spare tire & jack (if even still has one)
if it has one, or the carpet if glued down a bit harder to check
get under it with a flashlight
frame rails up front & the trans crossmember,
where the rear of the Torsion bars are held
suspension components, worn or squeaking, all easily replaceable
a lot of rust under that area too
if it's not from a known normally dry state or Calif. western or southwestern state
you can bank on there being rust
check out behind the rear wheels wells & lips of the wells
or rockers too
under the front fenders lower sides, where they meet the doors, also
leaves falling down from the cowl area, latches & the chrome (rusted & pitted)
they all were/are prone to rust, from rocks & mud when they were daily drivers
wiring under the dash, is often hacked, especially by the radios or fuse blocks
rear frame sections prone to rust,
suspension/bushings or sway bars squeaking, or worn badly
so are the old fuel tanks if it sat for any period of time
brake hoses hard as a rock, (any rubber lines hard) probably partially clogged
if not clogged all the way
dirty brake fluid, usually means it wasn't taken care of, not recently anyway
leaks (oils or fluids) of any kind all around the car
wheel cylinders are prone to leak after sitting, pitted & rusty
look on the underside inside bottom of the tires, rear seals or brakes
brake Master cylinders don't do well after sitting for long periods too
fuel sending unit working or gauges working, usually means
fuel tanks or radiator full of rust or hacked wiring
all of that is basic & normal stuff
lights, trim, grills or interiors etc.
(a lot of stuff like that will $1,000 bill you to death, now)
& it's all probably worn, many of them area all needs attention

50-60+ year old cars have issues, lots of them, need to go into it eyes wide open
don't let your emotions make really bad financial decisions for you
it's not 1977 anymore, they ain't $350 anymore either, 100 times that easily
if not a total basket case
can be a HUGE investment, especially paint & body,
HUGE HIT to restore, a year or more is very common to have to wait for paint jail
or to resto-mod 'Day 2 style' correctly, & not devalue it, mechanical is easier IMHO,
replacing parts...

 

[Nutso]

Thank you. Lots of good stuff to inspect there. I have a couple leads locally and both have been ‘restored’ at some point so knowing some problem areas to check may save a lot of headache and $$ in the future.

 

[69conv]

If its high dollar check numbers matching, fender tag matches hidden vin numbers and see what documentation is available for maintenance or restorations.. If the paperwork is available double check with the servicing company.

 

[Nutso]

I’m looking at a cloned 69 Superbee with a really nice new 600 hp 440 and fresh paint. It is a nice car, not a perfect clone as it says Coronet 500 on the dash. It doesn’t have any emblem on the trunk lid. Interior is clean and there are pictures of the work done. I would be tempted to take the stripe off and make it back into a Coronet 500. It’s pretty expensive for clone.

The other one is a real bee, 440 six pack setup but not an original A12 car. It has a decent interior, Dana 60, fiberglass hood, and the paint is okay with some rock chips. Trim doesn’t lay perfect around the windows (front and rear) but I don’t see any rust. It is much more reasonable price wise.

As mentioned above about body jail…my roadrunner looked great when I bought it with a few scratches in the paint. I took it to have it painted…it had dents, rust in the quarters, around the windows, and the chassis was twisted. A year and $12,000 later (16 years ago) it was all metal and not rusty with a decent paint job. I don’t want to go through that again!!

 

[PRND21]

I always make sure that the seller has a good title and the VIN matches the title.

 

[Nutso]

That’s smart.

 

[erickson]

I always try to buy the best body and paint that I can afford. Look at the rear quarters, wheel wells, frames and trunk extensions in the rear If sheet metal is replaced did they trim the rear wheel openings?
Did they put in the drain plugs?
Engine compartment
Did they paint over the shock bolts,
Upper control arms bolts, brake lines, brake back plate and heater box nuts. I usually ask for detailed engine compartment photos and can tell what kind of work/detailing they did on the whole car. A lot of people claim they did a ground up restoration and do a partial or quick flip job. I don’t do paint/body work. If I can I buy a car that doesn’t need paint I can do the rest of it myself. Good luck

 

[Nutso]

Thank you. That’s a lot of good advice. I have looked at several cars for sale here and they are very nice, priced pretty reasonable, and have lots of photos…they’re usually on the east coast or southeast. I’d like to look in person before making a purchase like that…it’s quite a bit of money for me.

 

[DeltaV]

Title in their name. No Bill of Sale nonsense.

 

[gdrill]

Completeness. A lot of Mopar parts are made of unobtanium manufactured in Notavailableistan. Year specific and highly collectable parts can make a project turn upside down in a heartbeat.

 

[68BabyBlue]

Title in their name. No Bill of Sale nonsense.

This is essential. Going a step beyond, I've been a fanatic on documented owner history. The fewer, the better. My better cars typically spent at least two decades under one roof. The best ones were driven regularly during that period. I paid a premium for the current one because it had 15 years with the original owner (Plymouth dealer in my home town,) and 28 with the guy I bought it from.

 

[Coelacanth]

Regarding the stainless windshield trim not laying flat, I had that same problem both with my windshield and rear window. If you're really lucky like I was, the problem wasn't that the channels were rusted out, but that the trim clips were rusted or broken. My body man only had to do minimal work on these areas and my original stainless trim reinstalled really nicely with sets of new trim clips.

 

[Fk5 wagon]

I've inspected all kinds of vehicles for a living, I can tell you 3 quick things no matter what car you're looking at.
1. Buy a decent paint meter. This will give a baseline on how much ( if any) bondo or bodywork was performed on the car. I usually start at the roof but that can be deceiving. Check the paint thickness at a door jam. Maybe 3 mil if not repainted. I've seen over 12 mil on new cars that had damage repaired that wasn't disclosed.

2. Check your panel gaps- hood to cowl, hood to fenders.
Trunk to 1/4s.
Door to fenders
Door to 1/4s.
A tight gap on one fenders to hood gap vs a larger gap on the other typically means a damaged front end .
3. If possible, have a friend follow you when you test drive it. Look for signs of smoke from exhaust. Is the car tracking straight? Is it leaning while driving straight?
Good luck and feel free to message me if you need any more help.
Mike

 

[SlingLow]

Seems obvious but all gears including reverse.

Not so obvious but look at the condition of the home it's at. If you see a run-down property and possessions, it's likely the car has been neglected as well.

 

[Nutso]

Mike - thank you. I’ve learned a few more things to check. I’ll look for a paint gauge meter. The Superbee looks like it hasn’t had much done to it other than an old repaint.

I added a few pictures…it’s a nice car but I think it needs more work to be really nice than I want to put into it.

 

[Fk5 wagon]

PM'd you

 

[kiwigtx]

...rotting corpse in the trunk.....