John,
a restored body is the way to go. the restoration, once you have remediated any rust is a relatively fixed number. the difference between getting a rusty car to the point to do the remediation varies greatly. the cleaner the car is initially the fewer variables (cost) there will be. this is something that is in store for any unrestored coupe - to make it ready for the future. if i remember correctly, the sunroof drains can be done at the same time as the c pillar drains. i believe they run to the same place.
my 71 is very close to the condition of this 74, but doesn't have the little surprise at the rear wheel. mine has a little rust dust in a few places and a tiny bit of surface rust (under the rear window / parcel shelf) that this one doesn't have.
what is good about this 74 is that the wood is pretty good, doesn't need to be replaced in the near future. the dash is NOT cracked on the upper pad. the bottom vinyl needs to be replaced to get rid of the plate where the gear position indicator was. and all of the parts are there. i never mentioned that this car has the original flashlight too.
the old adage is still true - buy the most rust-proof coupe you can afford. the same is also true about buying the most complete coupe you can afford.
a restored body is the way to go. the restoration, once you have remediated any rust is a relatively fixed number. the difference between getting a rusty car to the point to do the remediation varies greatly. the cleaner the car is initially the fewer variables (cost) there will be. this is something that is in store for any unrestored coupe - to make it ready for the future. if i remember correctly, the sunroof drains can be done at the same time as the c pillar drains. i believe they run to the same place.
my 71 is very close to the condition of this 74, but doesn't have the little surprise at the rear wheel. mine has a little rust dust in a few places and a tiny bit of surface rust (under the rear window / parcel shelf) that this one doesn't have.
what is good about this 74 is that the wood is pretty good, doesn't need to be replaced in the near future. the dash is NOT cracked on the upper pad. the bottom vinyl needs to be replaced to get rid of the plate where the gear position indicator was. and all of the parts are there. i never mentioned that this car has the original flashlight too.
the old adage is still true - buy the most rust-proof coupe you can afford. the same is also true about buying the most complete coupe you can afford.
