15 Jul 12 09:32, Mark Hofmann wrote to Roy Witt:   
      
      
      
    RW>> Andrew and I went into San Antonio this morning to visit Harbor   
    RW>> Freight, an import tool store. On the way back, we stopped at a   
    RW>> place that takes old cars and rebuilds them, then asks thousands   
    RW>> more for them than they're worth. The new-looking 1968 Camaro   
    RW>> RS/SS-396, 4spd coupe identical to mine back in 1968 was priced at   
    RW>> 10 times what I paid for mine. All I had to do was cover one zero   
    RW>> with my hand and the price was magically tranformed to 'like new' in   
    RW>> 1968 at $4350 ($43500)...   
      
    MH> We have a Harbor Freight here, too.  I typically buy all my tools at   
    MH> Sears. I would love to have all the stuff in the tools/hardware   
    MH> section in Sears.   
      
   I would too, but they've decided to stock Chinese made tools. I buy odds   
   and ends at HF that aides in the products I build, which can't be bought   
   at Sears for any amount of money.   
      
    MH> Makes you wish you still had your 68 Camaro, I'm sure.   
      
   Well, not really. It was a great car for a 28yo in 1968, but it was a gas   
   hog and that wouldn't be very good today. At 0.32/gallon for premium in   
   68, it was a deal and made driving something like that a lot of fun!   
      
   Today I have the Z28 which can outperform that 68 and get 27mpg when it   
   needs to. Now if we can get premium down to $2.32/gal, I'd be over-joyed.   
      
    MH> There is a big collector market for certain cars and they do pull in   
    MH> some big money.  I watch Mecum Auctions all the time on TV and dream.   
      
   I hate those...none of the commentators know what they're talking about.   
      
   They all think the ZL1 Camaros came with an all aluminum BBC that made   
   475hp. In reality those had to be ordered special. Know what I mean?   
      
    MH> There area some vehicles that you don't need Jay Leno money to buy on   
    MH> that show.  Mainly the late 70s and 80s vehicles that don't have the   
    MH> big collectors on the market, yet.  I would have loved to bid on a   
    MH> few of them.   
      
   The east coast guys in your area on maliburacing.com are always posting   
   about g-body 'finds'...trouble is that all of those finds are east coast   
   rust buckets. Now, there are a few of us in the south and southwest there   
   who have g-body cars that have 'no rust' problems at all. Go figure.   
      
   My 79 Malibu was originally a Jacksonville, FL car and has one foot-well   
   with a hole in it, plus a bit of surface rust underneath...but no rust   
   problems that require the car be rebuilt from the ground up. That hole was   
   due to a leaking seal under the hood, just over the left side of the brake   
   pedal...I cleaned and re-sealed that area with RTV and that was the end of   
   that.   
      
   BTW, the rarest of them all are the 78-82 Gran Prix, g-body. With an   
   original Pontiac engine, they're priceless, but still affordable. Then   
   there are the Olds and Buicks...and, if you want to build a fast street   
   car, they're already lighter than the earlier Chevelles and Novas.   
      
    RW>> Make sure that you buy a southerun car, one that isn't from Florida   
    RW>> and no where near the Gulf coast. Texas cars, if they're found   
    RW>> before the sun bakes the paint off of them are OK, but you'll find a   
    RW>> lot of surface rust that has to be removed before you can paint it.   
    RW>> Lots of dead roadhogs and former muscle cars sitting along side of   
    RW>> barns, garages and in fields here.   
      
    MH> What I have noticed is the cars that look good and run good - even   
    MH> with really high miles, they are high priced.  I saw a 2004 Monte   
    MH> Carlo SS with 189k on it for $4000-$5000.  I then saw one that the   
    MH> body was fine, but the motor was blown that was listed for $1500.   
      
   You can buy a decent 79-82 Monte (high end g-body) for that price and have   
   a car that isn't smogged down and no FWD to contend with...   
      
    MH> I would rather get the $1500 one - and have a new motor for around   
    MH> the same price when it was complete.   
      
   8^) Put a Buick V6 into the earlier Monte and have a faster one too.   
      
    RW>> 8^) They come in handy for hauling stuff, towing stuff and seeing   
    RW>> over ordinary automobiles in heavy traffic...   
      
    MH> That is exactly why we are planning on keeping the Durango even after   
    MH> my wife gets another vehicle at some point.   
      
   Or sell it and use the proceeds to buy a pickup...   
      
    RW>> Nope. Texas requires a 'safety inspection' every year. The GMC was   
    RW>> recently registered and inspected and is good until March of 2013,   
    RW>> so won't need an inspection until then. A successfully passed   
    RW>> inspection only costs $14, and you're allowed to take it home and do   
    RW>> any needed repairs yourself if you want to and there is no charge   
    RW>> for a re-inspection.   
    RW>>   
    RW>> When I did my own pre-inspection of the Z28 in April, I found that   
    RW>> it needed a new windshield wiper to pass, so I bought one and put it   
    RW>> on myself. Tires (plenty of tread from low mileage) were good from   
    RW>> being stored in the garage, all lights and horn worked fine, so it   
    RW>> was good to go.   
      
    MH> It has been awhile since I bought anything used that needed to be   
    MH> inspected, but I do believe you can do the repairs yourself.  Most   
    MH> people don't. Typically they hit you for headlight allignments,   
    MH> windshield dings, and things like that.   
      
   I wouldn't stand for it. I have my own headlight allignment tool and   
   windsield dings can be repaired with an epoxy mix found at your local   
   auto parts store.   
      
    MH> I would imagine that if I took my car tommorrow to a place that was   
    MH> very anal, they would fail it - since it has a very small window ding   
    MH> in the corner.   
      
   See above.   
      
    MH> We only have to get a car inspected when it changes hands to someone   
    MH> not in the family.  After that, you can drive it forever with no   
    MH> inspection - other than our every other year emissions test.   
    MH> Basically, that is a "check engine light" test.  Provided you don't   
    MH> have that light on and you have an exhaust system, you will pass.   
      
   8^) You've got it easy compared to those poor Californians...   
      
    MH> Years ago, my brother bought a 69 Chevelle that he was going to   
    MH> restore. He took it to a friend that did the inspection, since it   
    MH> would have never passed since it had a hole in the floor from where   
    MH> he was going to move the shifter. He got it passed..  Only problem   
    MH> was, when you smoked the tires - all the rubber fumes came back into   
    MH> the car.  Couldn't have the windows rolled up when you did that.  :)   
      
   That sounds like California, many, many years ago. Take it to a shady   
   mechanic, he does a 'look see' equipment test, passes it whether they're   
   there and working or not...   
      
                   R\%/itt   
      
   ... besides, IMNSHO, Ward Dossche should resign as ZC2 and surrender his   
   ... net node-number to the ZCC !            - Cato the Elder -   
      
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   ... On Friday September 8th 2006, Mike Godwin's 16 year experiment was   
   ... concluded and Godwin's Law was officially repealed by a popular vote   
   ... among millions of individuals.   
      
   ... http://repealgodwin.tripod.com/   
      
      
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