Overhaulin'

Value of this particular classic car?

Hello everyone, I am restoring a 1977 Chevy El Camino. There is a lot of work to be done and I want an estimate of how much YOU would pay for a completed ’77 El Camino and how much a finished ’77 El Camino would be on the market. Features include: Dual Exhaust 350 Small Block Engine (not original engine) Professional body work and $1500 Metallic Red Paint Job Completed Interior with $1000 new sound system Good condition transmission and suspension Solid frame/body (had some rust and welded patches) New rims and wheels are planned but I do not know which yet. Let’s assume new wheels will be purchased. It’s a very simple list just to give a rough idea since the car is not complete yet. Please give me a rough estimate of how much I could resell this car finished. I want to know how much of a profit (or loss) I will make if I spend the time & money fully restoring it.

Public Comments

1. Restore it for yourself to drive and enjoy. This is not a popular year among enthusiests. . 1978 up is nice styling in the new body style. Other people want the ElCaminos from 1972 and back. Those came witrh 396 and 454. Also this is a bad time to try to sell classic vehicles. Everyone is holding onto their money in case they get laid off. Or trying to sell their classic because they are laid off Also , if I were to want to buy a classic, the $1000 worth of stereo equipment would not impress me,and would detract from the value, especially if interior and trim panels were cut/ chopped up in order to install speakers. Besides everyone taste and preference in stereos is different. I know guys who love their Kenwood units. I bought a used vehicle with a brand new one in it- biggest piece of crap I ever tried to use. Got rid of it pretty quick, made the dealer improve/ change it out to something much better in quality. Fix it up, restofy it to suit yourself , then drive it and enjoy it.
2. Personally, you would have to pay ME to take a '77 El Camino -- domestic cars and trucks built in the dark '70's were horrible vehicles -- rusty, creaky, heavy, s-l-o-w, terrible build quality, even worse materials and even WORSE engineering. That said, there is a huge but specific market for El Caminos out there. It's basically a Malibu station wagon with the top lopped off so parts are plentiful in the salvage yards plus there are dozens of aftermarket suppliers that sell every single piece to totally restore or customize your ride. My advice would be to keep custom work to a minimum (22" wheels will NOT be a selling point -- a nice set of 16", classy aluminum wheels will look much better and won't tank the resale). I would also go for the minimalist look vs the outrageous -- check out some of Chip Fooze's custom jobs -- classic, understated and very, very cool. I doubt you will ever get enough of a return on your build to break even, customizers seldom do. It's the trip that's the fun part, not necessarily the destination so enjoy it. Remember, a thing is only worth what someone else is willing to pay you for it...