57 Bel Air value

[dhutton]

My neighbor has an unrestored 57 Bel Air that he has owned since 1966. It is a hardtop powerglide power pack car with the original engine, trans, rear end etc. A couple of years ago some guy came by and started to strip the car to bare metal but he never finished and the car has sat in his shop half stripped and disassembled since. The car is rust free including the floors and trunk. All the stainless is in good shape etc.

Tonight he came by and told me that he has realized that he is getting to the point in life that he will not be able to complete the restoration and asked me if I would be interested in buying it. I think he would like to be able to some day see the car finished and back on the road. It's a shame that they started to strip it because the car had a nice patina and would have made a great project to keep original.

I told him I have no idea of the value of the car so I am hoping that some of the members here might have a good idea of the value.

Thanks,
Don

[Musclerodz]

truly rust free, straight metal, nice trim, complete $8k-$10k. tri five metal is expensive to replace.

[DENTGUY]

I think you may have to shell out a few more bucks than $8000-$10K, A RUST free car with all the parts might be worth a bit more....

Well, I know I paid that for a car that was NO where near as clean as that one. Man- it would have been great to get that pre-the-stripping of the factory paint..

Let us know if ya pick her up!

[Musclerodz]

A guy local to me picked up a perfect rust free 57 bel-air out of CA 2 years ago and paid $10K. I would never beleive any car that old rust free but I saw this one in bare metal and it was truly rust free.

[214Chevy]

I say start low. The $8k may suit him just fine if he hasn't got bit by the restoration bug and wants to get rich of the car.

[jy211]

tri five metal is expensive to replace.

:hail: :hail: :hail: ain't that the truth! :thumbsup:


if you don't pick it up let me know. a 57' is the last one I need to have one of each years.

[69x22]

10 to 15K depending if everything is there and it is truely rust free. Replacement sheet metal for these cars is very expensive along with all of the trim pieces. The aluminum inserts on the sides are around $450.

[dhutton]

Thanks guys. I also posted over on a trifive forum and the range was $8k to $14k with the average being $10-12k.

I've talked to him a little since but we have not struck a deal. He seems intent on the car going to me, probably because he wants to watch the build and go for a ride when I'm done. :D I'll get a little more serious in a few months when hopefully the GTO is on the road. I've still got a 70 Z28 project sitting in the shop that I was planning to start next so this would throw a bit of a monkey wrench into that plan.

Don