I'm considering this 60, any advice? (2 Viewers)

[JustJay]

Hey all,

Hope I'm posting this is the right section. Been restoring a 40 and happened to drive by a 60 on the side of the road for sale. Considering buying it with my son and seems like a good chance to get distracted for a while - as if I don't have enough projects. Anyway, interested in opinions on the value of this 60.

Turns out I know the guy selling it & he's trustworthy. But, the vehicle is new to him so he has limited knowledge. Sounds like it runs well-ish, trans seems okay, was just in to mechanics and they replaced all the safety stuff like brakes, hoses, etc. Inside seems in pretty good shape. Frame seems solid underneath BUT the bottom panels of the frame are rusted pretty bad. Really bad. We'd probably buy it to drive for a bit and eventually address the major rust areas down the road if we were to get serious about a restore.

Asking $8,500 but sounds flexible. Don't want to overspend. Any feedback?

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Too high. Rust galore. Depends what you consider bad. Minnesota is the last place I would buy a cruiser from.

 

[Gimme a 60]

Yea it’s rusty, sometimes you have to take what you can get. The body looks saveable, so if you can get it for the 6,000 range it would be good.

 

[vipergrhd]

I say $4500 tops, a lot of surprises hiding.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Yea it’s rusty, sometimes you have to take what you can get. The body looks saveable, so if you can get it for the 6,000 range it would be good.

If you broaden your search outside the rust belt, you don’t need to take what you get. Need to be open to travel/ ride back or get it hauled. Mud can help inspect it for you. Time is also money. Depends what you sign up for. Rust is not what I would spend time on.

 

[JustJay]

Thanks guys. Good feedback. Kind of what I suspected. Dang that rust. I'm not a body guy - carpenter by trade that likes to fiddle with these. Used to working with wood - it doesn't rust! Where there are entire chunks of body missing, can those be welded & patched back in or does the entire panel need to be replaced from a donor? Just trying to get a sense of what the scope would be if we decided to dive into a full restore.

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Thanks guys. Good feedback. Kind of what I suspected. Dang that rust. I'm not a body guy - carpenter by trade that likes to fiddle with these. Used to working with wood - it doesn't rust! Where there are entire chunks of body missing, can those be welded & patched back in or does the entire panel need to be replaced from a donor? Just trying to get a sense of what the scope would be if we decided to dive into a full restore.

Depends. If there is something to attach to that is also not rusted. Often you are chasing your tail. If you don’t get it all the first time round, it will keep popping up. Someone does make rear quarter patches. Another option is to swap a rust free body….if the frame is not rusted.

 

[Seth S]

$8500 is a great price if you like buying work

 

[onemanarmy]

The rust you can see is just the tip of the iceberg

How many miles are on it? Has a compression test been done?

 

[Roonie]

Yikes the rust.... Unless you like body work and have the time. I have found you will have to spend a little more but you can find one with less rust and be able to then concentrate on the engine. These 35 year old vehicles need everything replaced about now and that adds up fast. The one in the picture is way too much rust in my opinion. Especially if you are having someone else do the work.

 

[kirvesmies]

Thanks guys. Good feedback. Kind of what I suspected. Dang that rust. I'm not a body guy - carpenter by trade that likes to fiddle with these. Used to working with wood - it doesn't rust! Where there are entire chunks of body missing, can those be welded & patched back in or does the entire panel need to be replaced from a donor? Just trying to get a sense of what the scope would be if we decided to dive into a full restore.

wood not rust, but wood rot when the roofer doesn't do his job correctly. i'm dealing with almost exactly the same rot on my 60. patches for these are fairly easy to form as they're fairly straight, i.e. no stupid compound curves. some have started with far worse. how is it mechanically? oh yeah, pun intended

 

[SteveH]

Frame rust is a bummer, because even if professionally repaired, it will scare off 95% of future buyers. And a frame swap isn't most people's idea of fun. I would simply look further and spend more, or buy it at a near-parts-price. Finish your '40 and then poke around for another '60.

 

[JustJay]

Yep. Thanks Mudders. Super helpful feedback - mostly confirms my suspicions and slaps some sense into me! Not sure where its at mechanically. Might be a good donor 60 but probably not something I should get invest my time in.

 

[Seth S]

Yep. Thanks Mudders. Super helpful feedback - mostly confirms my suspicions and slaps some sense into me! Not sure where its at mechanically. Might be a good donor 60 but probably not something I should get invest my time in.

I paid $1250 for my donor 60....thats the kind of money...or even less... you want to be thinking when you are looking at something just for parts.

 

[Gimme a 60]

Well, rust like that is pretty common where I live, I would personally say that it’s saveable, but we live in different geological locations so what’s considered “good” is different. If you want to see rust, look at my $2,500 60 series that came from Alberta! It’s amazing that it still able to drive…… you guys wouldn’t like my cruisers for that reason. I say 6k and go for it!

 

[ceylonfj40nut]

Yep. Thanks Mudders. Super helpful feedback - mostly confirms my suspicions and slaps some sense into me! Not sure where its at mechanically. Might be a good donor 60 but probably not something I should get invest my time in.

Factor in the cost of tetanus boost shot if you do. That might take it over the edge.