72 Coupe (2F01F) - To buy or not to buy.. opinions please

[Gonzo1970]

In my Intro thread:

http://www.7173mustangs.com/thread-possible-owner-72-coupe

I explained the 72 Coupe I found that looked in pretty good condition, at $4,500.

I went and saw the car today, and have some concerns/questions/observations I need some advice on.

I will go over the car a section at a time:

Interior

9.0 out of 10. Fantastic Condition. However, there are White Gauges (with Tach - but it didnt work) and the three gauges above the radio. I didnt think this was correct with a 72 Coupe. (not a major concern, just an observation). It also has Factory Air, which is a big plus.. But, the interior really is in great shape.

Engine/Trans

Started right up, ran good. No ticking, etc. 302 2V - C4. Put it in gear, went Right in gear.. no hesitation.

The guy did say it had a 351 in it at some point. This had me walk straight to the VIN and tell him "well, if it had a 351 in it at some point, it SHOULD have (and does) a 302 in it now". I didnt know where to look for a block number to decode later. But, it did run really well, so.. to me, this is sort of a moot-point.

Body

Overall, OK. Not good, not great, but OK. There is some bubbling under the paint, and the magnet I brought did not stick in a few places (Rear quarters - this was to be expected). Under the battery, inside the engine compartment is rusted out. The Floorboards, Cowl, shock towers, inner fender wells.. All remarkably solid.. I did have some concerns about some of the places. The post next to the windshield had some bubbling, and where quarter panels are typically welded in (seams) were bubbling. Around the wheel wells had bubbling.

All that, taking into consideration its a 42 year old car, is not un-expected at all, and I Dont have an issue with it. For $4,500 Im not expecting a Showroom Car, Im looking for Structural Integrity. So far, Im pretty dang satisfied.

Brakes

Disc Brakes. I thought these cars had Drums up front? Disc is great, but I thought Drums were stock.

Then I started looking at the rear end of the car, and here is when I started having questions.

1) Under the car, the leaf springs had an extra spring - kinda like a traction bar? Looked like a "1/2 of a leaf spring" from the rear differential back about 1.5ft long, and a U-Bolt holding it on at the rear... But they ALL looked Really good. Leaf hangers looked good. Frame Rails looked good.. Almost TOO good..

2) The rear end is a Ford 9". I thought they had 8.8's. If I'm wrong, please say so.. but this also aroused my suspicions..

So, those things had me questioning.. why?

Then I opened the trunk.

The Trunk Floor looked Damn Near Perfect. The trunk deck itself looked Damn Near Perfect. Then I started looking around...

Around the trunk seals is... bad. The rear panel with the taillights is... bad.

Now, its coming together.

At some point in its life, the car was rear ended.. rear quarters replaced, and there is bubbling where the quarters were welded in new (on both sides). However, this had to have been done some time ago because the rear quarters were bondo'd a bit around the wheel wells, re-painted, and it was bubbling. The rear center panel (For lack of a better term, I dont know the "real" name of it - the panel with the tail lights between the rear quarters) looked like nothing more than painted bondo across the top.

So, its been rear ended. Quarters replaced at some point, rear leaf springs, rear end, new trunk floor..

What I want to know is:

Does it "Crab Walk" (car looks at a slight angle but going forward) - this would be a deal breaker. I didnt get to follow the car to look... yet.

Did they have Salvage Titles back then? I thought to ask on my way home, but didnt know if Salvage Titles even Existed back then.

Is the rear end being replaced a deal-breaker in general? The rest of the car looked pretty damn good.. but the trunk... wow..

So, take a look at the pics, and please give me your opinion. Good, bad, or indifferent.

Going around the trunk:















By the battery inside the engine compartment



Cowl Pics







Post next to windshield



Rear Quarter Seam



Rear Quarter bubbling



VIN Showing 72, Coupe, 302



Thanks for your time and opinions!

-Gonz

 

[Paul of MO]

That is pretty pricey for a rough coupe. You could get a better fastback or a convertible for that kind of money.

Lots of issues hidden under a cheap paint job.

Real quick search found this:

http://nashville.craigslist.org/cto/4355118710.html

There are many much nicer cars on the net for about the same money.

Have fun hunting!

- Paul

 

[caspianwendell]

You did not mention the condition of the frame rails, or torque boxes. Those should be checked for damage, and rust for sure.

 

[Gonzo1970]

The torque boxes and frame rails looked in very good condition.

That is pretty pricey for a rough coupe. You could get a better fastback or a convertible for that kind of money.

If the trunk did not have its issues, I wouldn't even come close to calling this Rough.. with a 45 year old car, you expect some body issues. My main concern is structural integrity.

Lots of issues hidden under a cheap paint job.

There is always that possibility. I brought the magnet, and it did have some bondo, but if I had to whittle it down to percentages, I would say 85% of the car was Rust Free.

As far as price, I didnt even negotiate.. I wanted to check with this place and a couple people I know and get opinions on whether or not a car thats been rear-ended and repaired would be something to just stay away from.

Thanks for the reply!


Still wondering if the cars back then had salvage titles I would also like to know why the lines around the trunk... you can see the mis-matched color and lines.. Im not a body guy, so Im not entirely sure were those lines came from.


Ok, just found a 1972 car with a salvage title, so I guess they did have them back in the day.

-Gonz

 

[Gonzo1970]

Just got a pic of the title and it is not salvage.

 

[jeff8877]

I am with some of the other guys that better deals are out there. The price is high for a basic coupe with those types of issues. Good luck.

 

[Don65Stang]

If you buy for $4500 then also expect to pay $5000+ for body work and paint. You'll have over $10k in it and then it's only a 302 coupe.

I'd pass unless you got it for $2500.

 

[Paul of MO]

Coupes are bad for holding water in the channel around the trunk lid and rotting out.

The only reason someone would smear putty in the channel before painting would be to fill in holes. Take a mirror and look up at it from inside the trunk and I bet it is not pretty.

There is certainly better coupes out there for that kind of money.

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/cto/4343208360.html

http://cincinnati.craigslist.org/cto/4316873524.html

http://fredericksburg.craigslist.org/cto/4353717907.html

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/cto/4338510316.html

http://memphis.craigslist.org/cto/4367240921.html

https://denver.craigslist.org/cto/4366514146.html

http://tulsa.craigslist.org/cto/4322705509.html

http://raleigh.craigslist.org/cto/4364892597.html

(these were just from a quick automated national CL search)

- Paul

 

[cudak888]

The apron with the battery tray is so far gone that someone mounted an aftermarket battery tray against the fender, incorrectly. Not that hard to weld an apron in; makes you wonder what other shortcuts they've been up to (other than the already voluminous list of those painfully obvious).

Frankly, none of what has been mentioned above comes close to my main concern in this photo:

No, it's not the rust around the leaded pillar-to-roof joint, but the silicone repair. It reads "rotted out window lip" to me. Expect to pull the front window and weld in patches to the window channel.

At any rate, it is a rough coupe with paint slathered over seam sealer over holes. It is more or less fixable for the man with spare time and a MIG welder, but there are better project coupes to be had, cheaper - if you can overlook a shiny paint job and concentrate on a solid body.

This blue '72 is worth $1,500 - max. That's giving it all the best of it too.

-Kurt

 

[Gonzo1970]

Thanks for the feedback, all! It is much appreciated.

Paul:

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/cto/4338510316.html

That's the one I'm talking about... lol

I'm across the river in Collinsville, IL.

He's pretty stuck on $4,500. I am checking out other options. I think at the end of the day, this has more "hidden problems" than it originally looked like in the ad.

-Gonz

 

[cudak888]

He's pretty stuck on $4,500. I am checking out other options. I think at the end of the day, this has more "hidden problems" than it originally looked like in the ad.

Let him stay stuck with it. You don't want those kind of headaches for $4,500.

-Kurt

 

[Kit Sullivan]

Remember, a like-equipped coupe will never be worth as much as a sportroof or convertible. However, it costs about the same money to restore a coupe as it does thd other body styles. You will reach the threshold of "spending more than its worth" much quicker with a coupe.

And, $4500 for that particular car seems far too high to me. Sounds like a case of a guy who thinks that every Mustang ever made is collectible. We know thats not true.

 

[Boss1Ray]

Yeah. As usual - I agree with everyone here. That is just way too many issues for what you'll pay.

You'd be hard upside down value/investment wise.

There have been many very nice looking Hardtops & Grandes on CL for under $10k recently.

Good luck,

Ray

 

[Gonzo1970]

Thanks all!

As unfortunate as it is, Im going to let this one slide. I say unfortunate because the floorboards, torque boxes, wheel wells, shock towers, cowl, frame rails, trunk floor, interior, engine, trans, suspension and rear end were all in exceptional condition... and thats a lot to say for a 40+ year old car.

At the end of the day, the quarters, rear panel, and windshield pillars will need replaced, then the car painted... and sinking that much into a Coupe just doesn't make sense.

Add to that the fact that the rear end has been hit and replaced with questionable quality and that raises concers with regards to structural integrity..

In fact, a friend of mine (20+ years in auto-body) said it looked like they probably took it to a high school auto body vocational school and had fixed because of the poor workmanship.. Had it been fixed "Right" (he actually said "if I fixed it") you never would have known it was hit in the rear end.

Thanks again, everyone! PRobably just saved me a pretty good migraine!

-Gonz

 

[cudak888]

In fact, a friend of mine (20+ years in auto-body) said it looked like they probably took it to a high school auto body vocational school and had fixed because of the poor workmanship..

I'd expect better work out from a bunch of weed-smoking 1980's high school auto body students.

Why?

Unlike the bodyshop, they don't have ANY incentive to do a rush job. You'd still be ahead

-Kurt

 

[mach71351c]

4,500 is way to much for that car. 2,500 at best.

 

[Gonzo1970]

Welp, I declined his $4500. Listed out the issues, etc.

NOS Quarters are stupid expensive, and the windshield pillar I am having no luck at all finding replacements for (Im assuming they would be welded in? or am I looking at finding a Donor car?)

The wheel wells, rear taillight panel, and radiator core support aren't terribly expensive.

Overall, the car does have some very good strong points..

So, he came back and said "what would you give me for it"

Im thinking to start at about $2k.

-Gonz