Yes, I know a lot of eyes immediately went to the Plymouth on the left. Since the seller doesn’t list it as well, and states that they are selling this for a friend, I’m guessing it’s not for sale. What is for sale is a barn find shell of a 1975 Chevrolet Caprice convertible, that if you get to in time you might be able to keep the original engine for! More about that later. It’s located in Burton, Ohio and is offered for sale here on eBay with an opening bid of $400 and no reserve.
We don’t see much else of the Caprice apart from a few interior shots. I’m surprised to see the upholstery as nice as it is, though, so hopefully it’s been indoors for a while. It does come with a clear title. We really don’t know anything else about the car, although the body looks pretty decent in the fuzzy picture we have. However, we are talking about a car that will probably stay below $1,000 with a clear title–so how can you go too wrong? (assuming you are geographically close or own a transport company!)
Here’s the problem: the seller’s friend wants to keep the engine! If I were really interested in this car, I’d immediately call the seller and see if I could negotiate supplying another big block Chevy engine instead of losing this original one from the car. It might mean supplying an engine in more tested condition, but I think it would be worth it to hang on to the one it came with (and it’s in the car already–that way fasteners, cables, and other connections are still there!) What do you think? Agreed on my approach, or would you plan to drop in some other engine?
I can hear it now…”Yes, I sold you the car, but I just can’t seem to get around to taking the engine out…”
This was the final full size Chevy convertible and this one is a fully loaded big block car. Leave the drivetrain in the car. There are plenty of 454 engines around. Why chop up a convertible? Dumb.
Wish they had more pics of the body, it looks like a good starting place of it isn’t to rusty.
I think they’re using the engine as a way to get around some of Ebay’s fees. To the seller, if the engine is half the car’s value, by selling it off the grid saves on 1/2 of the seller fees. In the long run it’s worth it to the buyer to get the whole package, and this saves the seller a little money in the process.
I think when you sell a car on ebay you just pay one flat fee when you list it. I sold a car on ebay years ago and it was $50 flat fee. I’m sure it’s probably more now.
There I no way in heck, I would buy a car and then wait for them to pull the engine. The EBay seller fees, take it off eBay and sell it out right people to the person with the highest bid, people do it all the time. That is why I never use EBay anymore.
Beside why would you not sell it motor and all, it would get you a few more bucks for the deal. Not that I don’t have a crate 454 setting in my shop right now that I bought for 3500.00, but heck I own a parts store.
Will someone explain why someone would take the effort to pull a 1975 chevy BB when the value of it staying with the car would likely pay for most if not all of the cost of a replacement.
No motor, no deal. Ridiculous. But it does bring back memories of Hunter S Thompson’s Fear and Loating in Las Vegas. Great White Shark was it? Or was that the second car in the book/movie???
And if they were really going to remove the engine, couldn’t they have done that by now? Never happen. Someone is going to be awfully mad over this one…
I know he had a similar one in red with a hopped up 400 small block.
Sounds like the owner wants to keep the engine for another project.
A 1975 model 454 is not much more than a low horse power boat anchor. Rated at 215 HP net and 350 ft/lbs torque, its not a performance engine.
“Well, see here. I have this long-abandoned car that I can’t even be bothered to wash, but once I sell it to YOU I’m going to get super-motivated and remove the engine. You can tell by the pictures that I really care for my stuff, so you know I’ll do a good job.”
Dipsh*ts and eBay go together like PB and J. Someone even called him an idiot on the auction page, LOL.
Up to 3 large – read the questions to the vendor – it tries to make (some) sense – Jesus there are some ratbags in this game
I am wondering more about the B platform to the left. Judging by the height of the front end, it too may have had the engine taken out.
JC
Maybe he’s going to put the big block in the Dodge next to it.
Heck, it could be just a 402 big block. I thought the 454’s usually had a decal on the air cleaner. I must be blind. I can’t find anywhere in the ad about it being a 454. Does he ever say it’s a 454?
No Rocco it’s not a 402, the only engines offered on this car were a 350 and 400 small block or the 454 big block.
Thanks for the info. I was just thinking of possibilities.
I can’t believe it’s at $3.5k with no engine.
Seller is a complete moron.
This is one of the nicest driving cars ever produced. I would love to have this one.
I agree Jay they were and very tight to they should keep the original 454 in it. These car are getting very high asking prices now a days up to 20,000 and higher
I bought the last 1975 Caprice classic convertible sold in my home town of Athens Texas in 1975 And I was in the dealership getting some warranty work done right before the warranty expired and they hit me up to buy it back at the exact same price I paid for it 11 months and a few days before. I am still kicking my own ass for falling for it. They had it rinsed off and back on the show room floor before I even got a ride home. I sent a friend in the next day to ask the price pretending he wanted to buy it. and they said it was already sold, and popped off to him they had a buyer for it even before they had bought it themselves, were just trying to figure out how to get me to sell it back too them. They said they were had a driver on the way to the airport in Dallas Texas to pick up a guy from New York, who was going to drive it back. If this one was anywhere near here I would be on the way after it.Just another one Or my regrets of cars I owned and sold. Mine was white all over except the dash and carpet was burgandy. It was a 454 motor I babied it and loaned it out for all the homecoming parades for both the high school and the college, and the christmas parades for the town. I often had two or three convertibles in each parade.
I bought a 1965 Chevy II with a 283 in it with a 3 on a tree for $500.00, basically the same deal they wanted the motor and tranny out of it, why I don’t know, but they said they did, They did offer for $1250.00 with the motor and tranny, I didn’t want the motor or tranny, so I agreed pay $100.00 up front and I said fine as soon as you get them out of it, I will come back look over the body and pay you the rest as long as you have not done any damage to the body.
I was right they got in a hurry to pull the motor, when they went to remove the hood they apparently dropped it on the floor and bent one of the corners, then they used a cutting torch to remove the exhaust and set the fire wall on fire because the old motor had apparently had a blow rear seal and leaking oil for years, the old dried oil/dirt was all over the firewall and down in the tranny tunnel, they got the fire out it but smoked it up pretty bad, which again was no big deal I was going to soda blast to clean up the entire body before repainting anyway. I offered them $250.00 and they took it, I had a better looking clean hood anyway. As we loaded it up on the trailer, I saw the motor and tranny sitting on the floor in a tire and it was leaking oil all over the place, so I figured they had no idea what they were in for, I did not tell them I already had a 327 crate motor for the body anyway and a new 4 speed tranny for it. So I figured, I was going to replace the motor and tranny with it from the start, the only reason I wanted the car was because the body was clean and straight with only a rusted place on the hood.
I figured I made out ok, I paid somebody to remove and get rid of the motor and tranny which I did not want anyway.