“The vehicle needs work and is not regularly driven” opines the seller. Really? Glad we got that out of the way. Had I not read the listing’s identification of this car, I wouldn’t have known that it is a 1970 Chevrolet Chevelle Malibu convertible. So, is there anything here with which to work? Let’s find out, this slightly used Chevy is located in Manahawkin, New Jersey and is available, here on eBay for a current bid of $2,020 with the reserve not yet met. There is a BIN price of $18,000 available too. Larry D found this gem for us.
Decoding the VIN tells us that this Chevy is a ’70 Malibu convertible, that was originally powered by a six-cylinder engine (“35” in the VIN) and was assembled the first week of May (from the trim tag) at Chevrolet’s Broening Highway assembly plant in Baltimore. The seller claims that the frame and firewall are solid but the images of the rear boxed (convertible enhancement) frame tell a different story. The floors are shaky and the body has that usual GM A-body rot-thing going on. I guess it’s New Jersey’s northeastern geography, but of the thousands of cars that I have reviewed, those with Garden State residency are usually in the worst condition from a surface rust/full deterioration perspective. Digging around, the folding top frame is still present but the front inner fenders and other clip components, including the hood, are gone. Essentially, this car is a frame and a VIN.
Having been powered by a six-cylinder engine means a 155 gross HP, 250 CI straight-six, probably tied to a Powerglide automatic transmission, though that gearbox inclusion is not known with certainty. Regardless, neither are present any longer though the ten-bolt differential is still holding up the rear end.
Inside, I have little to share, there are blue bench seats front and back, but nothing else is photographed. The rear upholstery panels are dissolving – no included images of the dash or instrument panel. Underside images tell us that the floors will likely need to be replaced, though patching might be an option. The trunk pan is heavily corroded, but it doesn’t look as if it’s perforated, yet.
It is suggested that this convertible “needs resto” but I’d suggest that there’s not enough here to restore. We all know about “Mopar Mania” and the absurd values being assigned to old Chargers, Challengers, Coronets, etc., and with a BIN price of $18,000, we’re now witnessing “Chevelle Craziness”. I don’t know what one could do with this former Malibu convertible or even why, there are certainly better, more reasonable examples available. That’s my two cents, what’s yours?
We all can appreciate a project car…but really? $1,000 max, its not a unicorn.
$18,000 ! I guess nowadays the money is growing on the trees. Merry Christmas to ALL
When Richard Nixon closed the gold window in 1971 money started to be grown on Keynesian Macroeconomic trees from that juncture.
That’s why the Dark Pool Derivatives universe is estimated at $3 quadrillion all denominated in U$D.
Bob
It’s 100% scrap metal, worth about $200 at the scrap yard. Someone would be a fool to but it.
Seller must be hoping Santa delivers a buyer!
… and a giant brick of the crack they’ve been smoking
Both the seller and any buyer must be smoking crack. Something this bad should not be allowed on Barn Finds. Whoever is responsible for this junkyard P.O.S. making this page must be smoking crack himself. lol
I’m the guy responsible, and I’m hardly smoking crack, lol or not! Too bad you didn’t like it, thanks for the snotty comment.
JO
I think it’s a POS too but it’s important that BF provide a broad view of the hobby. I am totally for putting it here. If you don’t like it, don’t click on it.
I find it fascinating that it’s bid up to $6,600. That blows my mind.
Nick, I totally disagree about the parts for this car! Yes, you can purchase the cheap made in China parts, if you choose. However, if you are willing to pay for higher quality parts, made in America, they are readily available. I have rebuilt numerous Chevelles, with American parts only and paying the higher price. It is a hughe selling point, and you will make more money on the back end when selling with American made parts. So this car could and should stay American.
Thanks. Can you give us the sources for American restoration parts, and how you are able to tell that they’re actually made in America? I have asked vendors a few times over the years about this and I get a cagey answer usually.
Bids to $5800…for this…..
The benefit here is simply being a 70 convertible. Relatively rare in any form and surely destined to be an LS6 4 speed clone. Every part is available to build it. The elephant in the room that really stinks is the 6 cylinder vin. But maybe being a known clone anyways, that won’t matter. I’m a believer that every car can and usually should be saved. But yes, I think he’s shooting for the moon here.
Don’t forget that many of those restoration parts are made in China. So unless the person is going to painstakingly source NOS parts, this thing is going to be as Chinese as a Wuling Hongguang when it’s completed!
Not a clone, more like a clown, BF……where rust turns into gold!
Just another seller who thinks their scrap is valuable.
Worth your 2 cents only.
Very nice, honest writeup. Thank you, Jim.
That is going to be a monumental task returning this to life 😂
Interior, engine bay, underside- this car has better photos than some of the 6 figure offerings!
Mark Worman could probably have his staff bring it back to life for well over 100k. But he just resurrects Mopars right?
Looks like a parts car that has already been parted out!
Well…Mmmm I am always looking to bring all these old muscle cars back to life, and I am a big chevelle fan, owning a 68 Chevelle SS and 70 Chevelle SS. However, this car is too far gone in its current state! That being said, with the value and rareness of a chevelle and being a convertible, this car should be brought back to life again, in one form or another! The buyers price is the potential it will have, not current state. I do hope the car is returned back to its glory days.
Folks, the price is outsized due to all the restoration shops that bid on these wrecks to increase their inventory of stock for customers. If the restoration shops had plenty of choice to choose from we would see these cars going for the high dollars that they go for these days.
Restoration shops want low cost wrecks of classic car value when finished. This Chevelle would be a high dollar item if it was restored and that’s why we see the crazy asking prices, frankly.
Most restorations look this bad before they get started.
Merry Christmas to all on BF.
Bob
Could be an anazing car restored or even restomodded. But after replacing everything, is it still the same car? Ship of Theseus rule applies here…
Elvis, you could debate that question with every car that has been in a major accident down to someone who replaced a front clip. As long. As the car has the vin and firewall info intact, which it was gave birth with from the factory and never removed original rivets it’s the same car…Period!!!
$18k? Who knows, P.T. Barnum had a saying back in the day that might apply on this one.
Merry Christmas all!
Ya, he needs money for his other build.
2 words: Hurricane Sandy
Before i bid i would like to take it for a test drive.
The world has gone mad. Read something the other day that is actual fact. 1 in 3 people, including those making at least $100,000 have trouble paying their bills monthly. And average credit card debt is almost $10,000. Yet those same buffoons will buy this.
Would you really want a car “restored” by a flipper that started like this?
Chuck, really in the big pic, does not matter what it started out as? It is the final state the car ends up that matters. Please get real here, you are talking about 53 year old car, all are rare anymore. Pretty soon these will not exist either for people to complain about…then they will be complaining about their battery operated plastic cars…which they deserve!
Unfortunately the “final state” isn’t always what it may appear to be. Buying a car from someone who bought it with the sole intention of flipping may come with nasty surprises. Start with more than a VIN and body tag for better outcome.
Try not to get any buffing compound on the glass or interior
I didn’t know so many people still do LSD
They don’t have to do LSD anymore, it’s all the legalized drugs that makes them happy
A fool and his money are soon parted!! It will take a fool to pay $18K for this pile of rust!!!!!!!
I see nothing wrong with the ad on ebay other than a very vague and misleading description and it’s kinda obvious that quite a few of you know nothing about the Chevelle condition, these especially convertible Chevelle’s are going for 6 figure plus $$ a lot of people cannot afford the prices on a restored Chevelle however they have the talent and desire to build their own now a days even clone SS convertible especially a 1970 will bring 125-160k I have a very rust free 72 conververtible and have been offered $50,000 just for the body.. I paid 5k and will never part with it.. please do a little research before putting anyone’s project hopes down. .. I agree car is very rough but you’d be amazed at how easy it would be to rebuild… Every piece needed is available to put it back together aftermarket and OEM parts are at a premium I can personally see the diamond in the rough and possible dollar this car can bring once completed
Get real does anyone know how much time and money it will take to make this pile of scrap metal and rust into a useable vehicle?
The shop i use could do all the metal work to this car replaced at the spot welds and replaced properly in about 100 hours. Then body and paint. I do my own engine rebuilds,, mechanicals and reassembly. Done a few in the past couple years and the car is basically brand new when completed. Lotsa pictures with nothing to hide. And its just a hobby. You could make a lot of money doing it full time.
A 100 hours of metal work doesn’t even get you started on something like this!
I agree that cars should be saved when possible, but this makes absolutely no financial sense to continue especially since it’s not a significant car.
This is crusher material.
You’re using the wrong shop
You’re looking at well over $100,000 to restore this, worth maybe $40000 if we’ll done, people have been conditioned by the flipper tv shows that all these cars can bring huge money.
Not this one.
Can you post your shop and hourly rate? And will your shop guarantee 100 hours as a cap on price? I’m not trying to be a smart bleep or call you out. I’m just sure a lot of people here would be very interested If you could fix complete rust buckets that quickly and cheaply!.
It looks like the average shop charges $50 for body work. So you’re saying this body could be brought back to new for $5,000 or so. Yeah, please post your shop, and their guarantee.
The shop we use is actually $75/hr and I know of others in the $50 range. The difference is in their skill and efficiency. So far, we have had them do a 70 Cuda, multiple 70-73 trans ams, and 2 70 chevelles. The Cuda was the most extensive. Both chevelles got 1 piece floor, 1 piece trunk floor, inner and outer wheel houses, both quarter panels and clocked in at just over 100 hours labor. We’ve spoken with them in the past about notoriety but are happy with their customer base and choose not to be named or nationally recognized.
There are others out there. Many talented bodymen round the country. You just need to find them
That’s kind of a non answer answer. Anyway, I don’t think you’d be able to get this car’s body shell restored anywhere near 100 x $75 an hour. I think it would cost 5 times that. The shop that my friend’s girlfriend’s cousin’s sister works at told me that ;-)
Well, you’re welcome to think what you think and I’ll continue to know what I know. People who don’t Do will never know what it actually takes to get it done. After you’ve Done many, many times, you will. Or you can continue to Think you know, which is much worse. Good luck to you.
I really hope the seller gets the help he needs for his mental condition. I would love to know just how this car got to this point!
It’s worth a shot, I can picture the seller and his buddies sitting around laughing that anyone bid on this at all.
Most people just have no clue as to what they’re getting into with something like this.
He already has a 5800 offer for this crusher bait. He’s doing fine. If Timothy Quimby is accurate someone who has access to the right parts can have the car built the way he wants it and get most of his money back if needed. I dont know the ages of the responders, but it’s hard for me to grasp the prices of some of the 30-50 year old cars that I remember as clapped out used cars going for a couple paychecks.
There are projects like this scattered all across the country, thanks to the flipper shows people just think ” I’ll fix it up” and be rich!
Looking at this car all I see that even might be worth something is the convertible top frame, $300 bucks and I’ll get rid of the rest for you
Yea, if it comes thru. More and more scams on eBay. People run up bid to chase off the real buyers then pull out at the last minute. Had it happen to me once in the early days. I’ve heard it’s a lot worse now. I have 4 to sell, maybe 5. I’ll give eBay a try on one and see how they it goes.
Definitely a top ten title!!!
Fools and their money easily parted. This is laughable at 18k.
Ran when parked
A car in this condition is only really needed for the vin tag
This car is lacking a desirable vin.
This car rebuilt or cloned is no way worth the kind of money mentioned above.
Collectors aren’t going to be fooled by something like this.
This is pure junk.
My rust free 71 project car can be had for a cool $200k
Got a 98% rust free 72 SS project that I’ll let go for a reasonable 150K 👍😁
John, yakey yuck, with your flipper idealiog. That dog is not hunting anymore, along with your Vin comments. This car can and will be marketed into 2-3 different markets, first as a highly sought after 1970 chevelle convertible, restored .. Or a very highly sought after chevelle convertible restored with a major engine upgrade (396) or a total restored resto mode, updated for today’s car enthusiast. Your approach to this current market is yesteryear, outdated, and please do not go into the business restoring and selling these rare cars, you will not be successful!
Dream on buddy.
John, now that is a response I would expect from someone not currently involved in the muscle car market or platform, which I do respect…typically clueless!
Grow up Danny, if you can’t handle a different opinion then maybe you should rethink posting on here.
My remarks on the viability of this as a high dollar restoration is my opinion and probably shared by many of the people posting.
Lucky for me that I couldn’t care less what you think.
Good day.
John you are so typical of those who think a piece of junkyard detris is worth something, it’s pure scrap with ambitions and an unrealistic value.
Would you if you had enough money to do so, which I don’t believe you do, actually waste all the time and money to restore this second rate car?
I’m the guy saying it’s junk, not worth putting any money or effort into it!
Did I miss something?
John, I can handle a different opinion when the opinion is derived from an individual, who is currently participating in this market place that has a clue what they are talking about! Those people who come on this site and judge rare cars based on what they perceive is not viable, totally exclude what is taking place within the industry… You are viewing what is left of ” the greatest muscle cars ever produced”.. These cars will also be gone in the next couple of years.,,and people are paying for the right and option to own a piece of muscle car history…and invest or create their dream or potential future investment. So yes, per your own words, if you cannot accept a reality check, please think about future postings! Sorry do not give closure comments when not deserved,,,
The problem here that you don’t want to recognize, is this particular example is not a rare or valuable car, other than being a convertible this is the lowest spec version offered, it will always have that VIN, which will preclude this car from ever being collectable.
Sure you could clone it, but it won’t bring anywhere near the money that you would have in it.
I personally don’t see any metal on this car that is worth saving, knowing when to walk away is the real skill in this hobby.
John, your mindset continues to stay in the past, which will not allow you to move into the future. Your still looking for viable metal on a 53 year old RARE muscle car, that Does not exist..ZERO..NONE!!!
Also, looking for that special vin,
where only about 1% of muscle cars came with a box of chocolates…if that was the case the other 99% of these rare cars are not viable In the market place! Chevelles always sale,. Look to the movies, commercials, or standard tv shows… What muscle car do they generally reflect?Wait for it…a CHEVELLE!! John, I generally charge for these lessons, however this one is on the house, however one per customer…hopefully you are a quick learner, and start to learn how the current market works..and will be better informed regarding this industry….take care.
Muscle car history was made in 1987. When Buick got the GNB perfect GM decided they never wanted any more made. It was actually faster than most muscle cars made in the 60″s in the 1/4 mile. But they now sell for the big bucks also. But like most people I miss the muscle of the 60’s. There will never be anything like it again. Today it is all RPM’s from the factory.
A new Honda Accord is quicker than a GN and most 60s muscle cars.
Danny you are the perfect living example of ” there’s on born every minute”.
I always suspect so called “experts”.
I am a so called expert and been in this muscle car industry for 40 years. I drove, worked, restored these cars with my father through high school.. Late 60s thru 70 and up through today and grew a successful business model based on the evolution of these cars and the market platform..the market always dictates what is currently viable..Econ 101. What you see and judge is not necessarily what the market relates to current or future. Oil on the world market is purchased in futures demand not current consumption… Currently completing 69 chevelle total restoration no SS no special box of chocolate vin sold, before completion..and making a very nice profit on the back end.. And have 3 on the rotary waiting.. So yes it does take a few so called experts to stop the clueless experts blab blab on here.. By the way this was your second lesson..i do charge for these you know…Econ 101
Danny , you’ve been whining about the posts regarding this “rare muscle car” for 3 days.
WTH is rare about a factory 6 cyl, powerglide powered pile of rust that used to be a Chevelle?
Danny, no disrespect is meant here. I believe you. And I admit, I am not an expert. So, why don’t you buy it for the $18k and make all that money? That will teach us all the best lesson.
Danny you are hilarious.
The beauty of the internet is anyone can claim to be an expert. I’ve found that self proclaimed experts are usually the farthest thing from it. Everyone is entitled to an opinion.
ChasMan, thank you for a realistic question. Currently, I have 3 waiting in line as mentioned above in my latest post and people waiting in line for additional projects which will take me thru the next 2 years. I have a 68 Chevelle SS, another 70 Chevelle waiting behind those, with a firebird following close behind. So yes, I am backed up for a few years. However, my point was an attempt to educate many of the clueless experts on here regarding the evolution of this market and platform.. Which sometimes you just cannot fix clueless. Take care.
Post a link to your business, I would be very interested to see some of your work.
Danny
I just found the steering wheel from a 1969 LincolnMark 1
Do you think your shop can build the car around it?
roflmao
Sold $15,000. Happy New Year.
As PNuts said, my 2017 Odyssey with the middle seats removed could out run most muscle cars of the era.