7 Items I Bring When Buying a Project Car
After years of scrolling, countless unanswered messages to sellers, and even a little tiff with the significant other, you finally have the green light to go pick up that project car you’ve been dreaming of. A quick trip to the bank for an envelope of cash, and away you go to bring home that hunk of crap that only you can save. You’ve got everything you need: cash, trailer, and time.
Well technically, yes, you might be lucky enough to pull off a successful retrieval of a project car with only those things, there are a few items that I have come to trust in my years of buying questionable project cars and motorcycles. I recently pulled home a 1985 Corvette and had a laugh when social media sent me one of the “on this day seven years ago” messages with photos of me towing home a terrible 1967 Corvair, including the tool kit I packed. I got a good chuckle seeing how similar the assembly of tools and other items were that I carried each time. Here are seven key items I won’t pick up a project car without.
Real tools
Usually you don’t need tools right away when picking up a project since it’s not like you’re going to fix the whole thing in the person’s driveway, but if you end up in a pinch, trying to use that Leatherman that’s been rattling around your glovebox for the last decade is frustration you don’t need. You are buying a project and that means you have tools at home. Grab a bunch of those and bring them with you. Think about what, if anything, might need to be secured for transport. If nothing else, it might help deal with small problems while loading up or properly securing loose parts that the previous owner hastily reinstalled to make the car look more complete that it really is.
Also, if you’re towing a trailer, having real tools to deal with problems that often pop up with wheel bearings or blown tires will save you a lot of time and headache if something goes wrong on the journey.
An inflator or spare wheels and tires
Moving non-running cars is hard. Moving non-running cars that are also on flat tires would be one of the levels of Dante’s Inferno had he been alive to see how hard it is to get a B-body Chevy to roll on three flat tires. Sometimes those old dry-rotted rubber donuts have just enough composure to still hold air, and only need inflating to hold at least long enough to get on a trailer. Other times, the rubber is at peace with its deflated state, and outright replacement is the only option to get rolling.
Come-along or winch
Even a good rolling project is no fun to push up ramps onto a trailer. Project cars don’t always run and even if the owner is kind and fit enough to help push, there is only so much a couple people can do against Newton’s third law. That project car has been sitting for some time and really wants to stay that way. Have the right tools to move a powerless car and it’s not such a big deal.
The Corvette was dead on arrival, but I was lucky enough that the trailer I managed to borrow included a winch and the driveway was flat. That Corvair involved more manual labor with a come-along to get it out of the area it had sunk into the field near a barn.
A jack
While your friend named Jack might be helpful, we are talking about the hydraulic or mechanical kind here. Most cars are low enough to the ground that even getting down there yourself really won’t let you see much of what might be hiding just out of sight. A small jack can let you get a more honest glance at what you’re buying—just make sure you know the safe jacking points so you don’t punch a hole through the floors—if they are still there.
Extra space
Someone selling a project car is more than likely a person who has all kinds of other interesting things, and you are showing up on a day when they are prepared to let things leave the property. You never know what a seller might toss in with the deal, and if you don’t have the space to get it home it’s hard to capitalize on the opportunity. When buying a parts motorcycle years ago, the seller gave me two mopeds because I was interested and knew what they were. Luckily I had space for them, unlike the guy who came to buy one of my project motorcycles years later and put the whole bike in the back of an already full Chevrolet Cavalier.
A trustworthy friend (or two)
I get excited about the potential that is a rusty or otherwise dilapidated vehicle, so much so that that I often forget to ask good questions or take the time to do a thorough inspection to know that what I’m buying is indeed what I think it is. A good friend will provide a counterpoint to all the pre-purchase excitement and generally be the voice of reason since they have no skin in the game. Be sure to at least buy said friend lunch.
A jump pack or battery
Cars that have been stored a long time, especially improperly, more than likely have a dead battery—if they have one at all. Taking a minute to connect power and confirm what works or even just that nothing at all works is absolutely worth the effort. Knowledge is power, and it’s always better to arrive with the capability to answer the question of what works and what doesn’t.
I once picked up a Harbor Freight otoscope on the way to get a TR6 that was challenged. The scope let me see that the car had an overdrive unit and a decent frame. I could also see what crap to avoid under the car without crawling around on the ground.
I always bring the portable tire inflator with me on trips. The one I have can be powered by a wall plug or the 12V plus in the car.
A shovel or an entrenching tool often come in handy, especially if your trying to extract a vehicle from the north 40 or an old barn with a dirt flood. Half a dozen 2 by 6’s, 18” long also come in handy to put under the jack or under the frame of the vehicle while you get another bite with your jack. The sad part is that even if you bring everything mentioned in the article and comments you will still need something you don’t have,
Bringing a wise friend is a big one for me. When I go to look at a car I really want, there is some “dazzle” factor that enhances the car in my eyes. A smart friend can inspect trouble spots objectively while you are transported by visions of the car in its “future” state.
Jump starters are perhaps the greatest automotive service innovation of the 21st century. Completely eliminates the anxiety of an iffy battery.
Recommendations for recovering a vehicle with a large rats nest under the hood..?
I cleaned out as much as I could, went back the next day, opened the Silverados hood and watch as a
large rat dived down under the engine.
Don’t know where it went… Managed
to start the truck later that day but had to shut it down when the engine reved uncontrollably. Turns out the rats chewed through the throttle position sensor harness wires. Now I’m wondering if they have another hiding place in the frame or elsewhere… I really don’t wanna bring those suckers home to my neighborhood.
Straps from Mac’s. And the knowledge as to where the closest Harbor Freight store is.
How about what to look for in a project car that is advertised as ‘rust free’? Speaking from experience, if you have not finalized the sale after which it is too late, take a strong flashlight and look everywhere for repairs on both sides of the panel if you can. If there is thick undercoating be VERY careful, it can hide a multitude of sins.
Look at the engine block and other castings for signs of welding. If you are not familiar with the model find out beforehand the typical rust areas & problems. Try to get someone who is experienced with the model. They can spot things that are not right that an unfamiliar person will miss.
Almost any project car will have a few ugly surprises so don’t expect things to be better than they appear. Some sellers may not know or understand how bad their car really is.
Have fun, just don’t get snookered with ‘it only needs some paint’!