Wow! :eek2: Looks like it would have been in a dryer climate had it sat outside. Is that a water line mark on the tire? That building must flood regularly. All that mold.
This garage is out behind the lady's house. It has never been flooded. The driver's front tire has probably been flat for years . I am going back tomorrow afternoon for more pics especially engine pics. It is a low mileage 455 , 55,277 miles. The garage is very humid inside during the summer months causing the mold. Like I said earlier, this car has been garaged since 1985. I am going to try and turn the crankshaft manually.......................Mac
That humidity causes rust in lots of places, even in engines, and corrosion on electrical wires. Thats the main things I'd worry about. Each negative thing should bring the price down. Would be nice to see the car saved though, soetimes these cars only get hauled out to be crushed when scrap price is high.
Air that tire up, put a battery in it, pour some gas down the carb, and drive that baby into the sunshine!
I got a 72 Lesabre out of south Carolina same color combo. Had the same amount of mold growing in it. I would highly Recommend that you wear some sort of mask if you plan on spending anytime inside it. Being it has been sitting in a damp area with some obvious flood issues. I can only imagine what the underside looks like. I am sure the brake system is completely rotted and would consider what it will take to make it road worthy. When you make an offer $500 would be my very top offer! Just my opinion
Finally went back to look at the Centurion some more. The underside is in pretty good condition. The brakelines on the rear are still silver in color. The frame is solid with only surface rust. Jason, I did try to turn over the 455 with a breaker bar on the harmonic balancer ( plugs still in ) without any movement. Maybe I was just wishful thinking that it might move just a little after 25 years. Should I take the plugs out and add some diesel fuel and let it sit for a few days before trying again ? Maybe transmission fluid ? I am thinking of offering $500 now that the engine will not move an inch. What do you guys think ?...............Mac
Yeah, try some trans fluid or, Diesel. I would put some trans fluid down the carb for the valves. And diesel fuel in the cylinders. Like you say, let it sit a few days and try the breaker bar again. Whether it frees, or not should be a determining factor for the price. I like the old car. If, it were closer...... And if, I had some money.........:laugh:
The question is, how ruthless are you? :grin: I find it hard to believe that she would any signifigant amount of money for it at this point based on the new info. Frankly, I'd tell her a $100 bucks at this point. And you'll probably be doing her a favor. Strike while the iron is hot
You may be in for a surprise. My car sat in a barn with a dirt floor since the early to mid 80's. The barn DID collapse on top of my car. We pulled it out of the barn, put a good battery in it, and fed gas to the carb with a coke can. It started on the 2nd try and ran as long as you kept a steady stream of gas going to it. (Of course, we didnt run it that long, just enough to see if it would run) Missed this comment. Try it without the plugs.
It looks like this 1972 Centurion has a POSI rearend. There is a metal tag attached to the lower right differential cover. What gear ratio would be in this rearend ?.........................Mac
Do yourself a favor and remove the v-belts from the pulleys. If the A/C compressor is frozen it can prevent the engine from turning over. And as mentioned before, remove the plugs too. Goodluck.
The more visits you make to look at the car, the more she will realize how interested you are in it... and it also gives her more time to talk to her friends/family about how someone is interested in her old car... which gets other people thinking that they want it too. She may start thinking that the car is worth more than it really is or end up 'giving' it to a friend/family that expresses interest. Like JC says, strike while the iron is hot. I think you should be prepared to buy the car on your next visit if you decide that you want it. If you can't haul it off, at least pay for it and get the title.
My father bought an identical Centurian (even same color and interior) for $300, in running condition. The body was in worse shape though, and this was probably 15 years ago too. And it came with 5 big car rally wheels.
That is what I call heavy "surface rust"... The car has been rotting from the bottom up, no thanks to the gravel floor.
