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Hi Peaches,
The dipstick shows super clean oil that looks and smells fresh out of a container. The battery is an Autozone Duralast manufactured January 2011. Although the car has not been registered since 1984, it appears to have been maintained somewhat.
This is very good news. Buying any used car is a gamble. Buying a fifty year-old car that has been off the road for 30 years has risks and certainty. The risks could be stuff like a seized engine, or transmission. The certainty is replacing rubber: tires, brake hose, clutch hose, fuel hose and fan belts. The brake booster is highly likely. Rust repair is another certainty; the extent is not yet known.
It took about sixty seconds to spot evidence that Dolly had a bad re-spray before 1984. The exterior rubber gaskets all have paint on them. I remember commercials on television for Earl Schieb who would "Paint any car any color for $89.99". That type of paint job would be quick and dirty. Treating rust would not have been included, so I expect some rust to be hiding underneath. Long term plan is to remove all the bright stuff, repair metal and perform detailed preparation for paint.
Short term plan is to make run, stop and not leak. Cosmetics come after mechanical issues. I am in the planning stage. Making lists of tasks and researching part numbers. I have a spreadsheet to collect what I am spending, time and projected costs. I follow the auctions, hemings, eBay and Craigslist so I have an idea of market values. Spending $35,000 on Dolly would not make her worth $35,000.00. My restoration has to have a budget that does not exceed value. I don't have enough information to know what it would cost to achieve different levels of condition or what is practical. But I am having fun.
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