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Showing posts with label under $10k. Show all posts
Showing posts with label under $10k. Show all posts

Thursday, January 7, 2010

Another Seattle Find, Vintage-Style Hot Rod Project: 1923/1981 Model T Ford Replica, $5500


Although I am something of a purist when it comes to original, metal-bodied vintage cars, (or fiberglass in the case of Corvettes, Kaiser-Darrins and many older low-volume American and imported cars), making hot rods from or otherwise modifying fiberglass-bodied kit cars or proprietary body shells is more than acceptable to me. This 1923 Ford Model T replica (titled in Washington State as a 1981 homebuilt) is a great example of a 1950s/60s-style hot rod built with more modern and more reliable chassis and mechanical components. Everything looks great from what I could see, the Buick V6 engine is partially disassembled but ready to put back together, and the asking price is very affordable at $5500. All that I would change on it would be to either replace the shortened pickup bed currently on it with a color-matched "turtle deck" rear boot assembly or to replace the track-roadster front nose and associated bonnet with a color-matched or chrome (not brass) repro Model T grille and repro Model T hood in the same color as the body in order to improve esthetics. The low asking price provides a lot of leeway in making changes and/or upgrades to the car, since I estimate the value of this as a finished car to be at least $15,000, leaving nearly $10,000 to play with as far as changing or upgrading.


Find this project, located in Edgewood, Washington here: 

Extremely Rare Steel-Bodied Dune Buggy: 1963 National Refuse VWEEP



(This image and the one below were found on TheSamba.com, since this particular eBay auction wouldn't let me save pictures, but this is the same car.)



UPDATE, 1-14-2010: This VWEEP failed to sell, with zero bids and a starting price of $1,295, with no reserve. Keep posted to StreetShots & More for possible updates!




This oddity was apparently manufactured by National Refuse Company in Tucson, Arizona (possibly a manufacturer of garbage-truck bodies?), with few made and even fewer around today. While the engine is missing and it is in rough condition, it is still restorable, and with the original decal (shown above) preserved, or better yet, reproduced, a new coat of refrigerator-white paint, some original low-back VW bug seats in plain black vinyl, a stock VW flat-four of 1500cc or 1600cc displacement and a quality restoration, this would be a great conversation piece among VW and off-road vehicle enthusiasts alike. A clear Wisconsin title is included with the vehicle.

If I had the money and time for a proper restoration, I'd be all over this one.