over my head

i have kind of a predicament. i happened across a 69 charger r/t in a guy's back yard. i needs a hood, grille, right front fender, engine, transmission, and rear axle. the body, however is straight, the paint not bad (hemi orange) and the interior is in tact. now im a student and i have a job, and i should be able to get the car for about $400, and then i have to ship it from Connecticut to California, but after i can get started. i dont think i have any illusions about the money and time thats involved, and im in no hurry to get it done. my dad says im in over my head, but i get really upset when i see cars rotting and those ass holes who keep cars and say theyre gonna restore them and then never do. i really wanna save this one, but i dont wanna make a mistake. worst comes to worst i cant part it out whichh in this condition would make good money... what to do?

i meant the body is straight, and in good shape

Take lots of pictures, and then, go to a website called www.dodge-charger.com. They should be able to tell you if it's a good deal.

Chances are you can buy one in CA for less than saving this one will cost you.
On top of your list, likely the ehaust, brakes and tires at least are gone. Allow for some unforseen items such as possibly worn steering/front suspension and it will cost you $10,000 (including transport) just to get it half-assed done and driveable.........not to mention countless hours of your time.
I am sure $10,000 can get you a decent old muscle car in CA, so you had better be sure this is what you want to do.

For 400 bucks you can't go wrong. If you already know that you don't want to be one of the assholes that holds onto a car like this and lets it rot, you know what to do. I'd say take it. Take your time and do things right. As long as it eventually gets fixed, it's way better than it not being fixed at all...

Best of luck.

Engine, transmission and rear end too? Did you find it stripped and burned and rolled on it's roof too? Unless this is your total dream car, forget it, way too much work.

For 400 bucks you can't go wrong. .
Read the post again. It's not just $400.
He would have to ship it across the country.
Shipping a 2000 lb body shell not driveable and with no rear wheels is big money, since specialized equipment and labour will be required to load and unload it. I figure at least $1000 shipping alone, door to door, plus the $400 purchase price.

i agree. financially, it is not a smart decision. while i agree with your feelings towards seeing a car rot when you could possibly fix it, i think this is just a bad idea. if you have the money, you are better off buying something else that is in better shape and needs less work. restoring a car basically all the way like this is extremely taxing on your money and time.

I'd still go get it. If I wanted one of these.

I'd still go get it. If I wanted one of these.
If yopu lived nearby, and had the space to store it, it might make a useful parts car, but for a first-ever project car...too much money, especially since this guy's home state is full of rust free alternatives.

If this is a first time project stay away from it. $400 may sound like a good deal but when it comes to rebuilding a mopar start with the best platform you can.
I made the rookie mistake of paying 1200 for my charger simply because it was so hard to come by in my area, plus I wanted to save it from rotting away in a barn.
I have had to replace the entire suspension, drivetrain, most of the body, all of the interior, trunk floor, gastank, drivers side floor pan, rear window channel, all of the electrical, and rear frame rail.
If I were to sell the car right now I wouldn't be able to get close to how much ive invested in the car.
so take my advise and leave the lost causes to the pro's save your money and find a charger in better condition. you will save yourself way more cash and headaches

If the body is actually all straight, and the frame rails are rust-free, I'd go for it. You don't get into restoring/rescuing musclecars for the money, it's a labor of love. I bought a basketcase (same condition as yours, but rolling) '70 Supberbee a while back...I lost a lot of money on it, but would I do it again? hell yeah. By the time I let it go in '01 :crying: it was running with a fresh and hopped-up 383, and halfway to painting, since been painted it's original Plum Crazy. It was a car that only a select few could see the potential in, but now it's a Monster!
I just bought a pretty rough '70 Coronet 440 that I'm going to clone into a 'Bee. I know it's going to need a LOT of work (both quarters, new trunk floor, new fenders, new engine, etc etc etc) but I'm doing it for my own enjoyment and to learn more about these magnificent cars.
Cary, if this is a real R/T (awesome find, by the way), and you really love it, go for it. Don't let other people tell you you're wasting your time/money, because they just don't understand....You can see through the dents and rust to the bad-ass beast that's waiting underneath. Have no illusions about it...it won't be cheap, but it will be all sorts of fun (and frustrations) and learning.
Especially since it's been stirpped already, you can make it the car YOU want it to be...you don't have to worry nearly as much about molesting an all-original car. go crazy! throw in a 500hp 440...make it a pro-streeter...make it handle like a lotus...whatever. it's YOUR dream!
See if you can get the guy or someone else to hold onto it for a while (AFTER you bought it, so he can't back out) till you can get a good deal on shipping (maybe even find a buddy with a truck willing to pull a trailer cross-country), since you're not in a terrible hurry

another thing, if you're serious about restoring this car, go to http://www.moparts.com . the boards there are very active, and jam-packed with good information and knowlegdable people. Just keeping up with it take a lot of time, and the archives are HUGE. just about anything you'd ever need to know about mopars is there, plus a huge classified section, and anything else mopar you could ever want.