Project Cars from the Past: 1936 Chevrolet

Multiple layers of paint, blotches of rust, spotty primer, dry-rot tires and fogged glass. Must be a “barn find.” Permanently chained down to a trailer at a swap meet, to boot.

Fall Carlisle, to be exact, back in 2007. According to the card stock on the passenger window, this is a 1936 Chevy Standard Coupe, complete with a clean Montana title and an $11,000 asking price. “Four good fenders, front and rear bumpers, four Coker tires and tubes, left and right taillamps, original 206 engine, new brake parts, NOS hood bird and many accessory parts” were also included; though clearly the front bumper was not attached (nor were the new Cokers). Nothing was said of the missing grille, or just how bad the interior might have looked.

Back in 2007, a Standard Coupe in average condition – think most cruise night cars driven as much as two or three times a week from May to October – was commanding an average asking price of $10,000. A project such as this could have conceivably been priced under $7,000, or even $5,000. Which may have explained why it turned up a week later at Hershey, less than an hour’s drive to the east.

Note that the front bumper and grille were still MIA.

Time has not been that much of a factor since these pictures were taken. Current trends indicate that this Standard in – again – average condition now commands a loftier $11,000. Production of this model was north of 59,000 – not exactly rare when new. But then there was the wartime scrap drives, circle track drivers and the hot rodders who no doubt cut surviving numbers, so it’s not unusual to find that values of more vintage metal are skewed from book versus actual. Then again, condition #1 examples today are showing to be $20,000; only $2,000 more than two years ago. Which begs the question: Was this ‘36 worth the restoration fees?

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But to help prove our point for soon-to-be collector car owners (or any ...

Regular readers of our Hemmings Classic Car title can tell you that we periodically publish deals under X-number of dollars - that’s then-current average book values for select collector cars that tend to fall a very distant second, third, or even tenth in demand statistics behind something like a 1970 Chevelle SS LS6.

But to help prove our point for soon-to-be collector car owners (or any number of hopefuls waiting for things to turn around), I’ve put together a very short list of running, driving and presentable cars that I found for sale at the recent Spring Carlisle event this past April. This is aimed for those of you who are on the fence; want an old car, not sure what, and think everything is way over priced. If you’re thinking that the only real cars to obtain and enjoy is a Hemi-packed Road Runner or the like, skip over to another post.

First up is this 1976 Chevy Vega GT with what was touted as 13,000 original miles. Automatic, buckets, air conditioning and complete owner history since new. It was also advertized as “mostly original.” The asking price nearly hit our ceiling at $9,950, which at the time was nearly spot on ($9,000) for a condition #1 example. This one was closer to a high #2. Fits in for any cruise night, car show and even a wagon meet!

Pardon the shadow and off lighting, but I could not resist including this 1968 Buick Sportwagon. The asking price was $6,500 here, and the seller - or someone prior - had done some work to it. Whoever applied the paint “about 10 years ago” did a bad job of masking. Though the badges said “400,” under the hood was a 350 from 1973… gauges were added under the dash and a modern CD system was well hidden. New seals would be needed and rust was starting to show in the “Oregon” body. Anyone could go down one of two paths here: just drive it without fear; rip out the 350, apply a proper paint job, fix the seals and return it to stock or implant a big 455 for some extra fun after the show.

How about a 1962 Buick Skylark for $5,500? That price is way under the current market value for a hardtop in condition #3 - by close to $6,000! In place here was the aluminum 215-cu.in. V-8, and although a little detail work could have been used, it didn’t exhibit and seal failures. Likewise for the overall condition of the interior, and the paint was a recent recoat. But these are desirable among certain circles, and a Skylark edition of the compact Special for this price is cheap money. Drive it for a few years, and then restore it!

Finally, there’s this rarely seen 1968 Mercury Montego MX wagon - perfect for my Wagon Snippet feature, but it serves a point here with a $6,700 price tag. Probably negotiable, like the others mentioned, but not far off in value for a condition #3 example. As a whole, it fits the bill as another solid, presentable car that more than four people can enjoy - comfortably. With just over 54,000 on the odometer, the suspension had been rebuilt and aftermarket air had been added.

Need more proof? Look for my upcoming post on cars I found for sale under $5,000 - and they don’t look like this either:

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