TheSamba.com :: View topic - Out With the Old. In With the New. 1970 Squareback

Thu Oct 17, 2013 7:02 pm

So the adventure begins tomorrow. My wife and I are laving Colorado for Arizona to pick up a 1970 Squareback.

My theory is this; If you want a car know for rust, without rust, head for the desert.

Here are the pictures I have so far. As far as I can tell, everything is going to be great.

From what I can see, from 2 states away, is that I am getting a true Arizona car. I am hopeful that she looks as good in person as she does in the pictures. I am quite confident that I will not be disappointed.

Thu Oct 17, 2013 7:21 pm

Its been resprayed, beware!

look in the front trunk picture. evidence is in your face.

Thu Oct 17, 2013 7:22 pm

vlad01 wrote: Its been resprayed, beware!

look in the front trunk picture. evidence is in your face.

He told me it has been repainted. I saw it. That doesn't mean I am going to find a rust bucket. That just means they cared enough to keep it up to date and rust free.

Thu Oct 17, 2013 7:34 pm

one4house wrote: vlad01 wrote: Its been resprayed, beware!

look in the front trunk picture. evidence is in your face.

He told me it has been repainted. I saw it. That doesn't mean I am going to find a rust bucket. That just means they cared enough to keep it up to date and rust free.

I disagree. Painted on the cheap means its likely got stuff hiding.

I did the same thing, bought a car which looked perfect and had a paint job. Now i am faced with the decision to either scrap it or try to give it a home though ebay that is if anyone will take it. It had so much damage and dodgy repairs that one would be amazed if they see it with paint and now stripped of paint.

My advice it never buy a resprayed car, always try to get original or where you can at least see where "repairs" were done. That way you can judge the car for the condition it really is in.

my 2c

Thu Oct 17, 2013 7:36 pm

vlad01 wrote: one4house wrote: vlad01 wrote: Its been resprayed, beware!

look in the front trunk picture. evidence is in your face.

He told me it has been repainted. I saw it. That doesn't mean I am going to find a rust bucket. That just means they cared enough to keep it up to date and rust free.

I disagree. Painted on the cheap means its likely got stuff hiding.

I did the same thing, bought a car which looked perfect and had a paint job. Now i am faced with the decision to either scrap it or try to give it a home though ebay that is if anyone will take it. It had so much damage and dodgy repairs that one would be amazed if they see it with paint and now stripped of paint.

My advice it never buy a resprayed car, always try to get original or where you can at least see where "repairs" were done. That way you can judge the car for the condition it really is in.

my 2c

Noted. thanks for the tips.

I will be picking it apart when i am there. That is for sure.

Thu Oct 17, 2013 8:22 pm

take a fridge magnet. And look over it with a fine toothed comb.

Thu Oct 17, 2013 8:24 pm

vlad01 wrote: take a fridge magnet. And look over it with a fine toothed comb.

Funny you say that. I just packed one :-)

Thu Oct 17, 2013 9:20 pm

I would be looking, under the carpets, back seats, inside the engine bay for cracks broken engine mounts and rust, under the engine bay around the fenders, inside the fenders and every nook and crany.

poke and prod everything, feel the inside of the fenders or any place you can to see if you can feel bumps that are otherwise not there on the outside. Thats bog!

stick you finders behind the front section of the hood, prime rust area! seen them bogged often there.

its a SB, check the roof especially the rear corners as they rust there often. Mine was swiss cheese there.

Fri Oct 18, 2013 7:17 am

With the poorly-fitting hood and overspray on the spare well, it must have been hit in the front. Check for unresolved damage at: doors, fender sealing, front axle, front alignment.

That's not a GEX sticker on the motor is it? And are those cooling ports in the shroud open?
Ruh-Roh.

Fri Oct 18, 2013 7:24 am

KTPhil wrote: With the poorly-fitting hood and overspray on the spare well, it must have been hit in the front. Check for unresolved damage at: doors, fender sealing, front axle, front alignment.

That's not a GEX sticker on the motor is it? And are those cooling ports in the shroud open?
Ruh-Roh.

It is a GEX motor. 30,000 miles on it and still going. I know they have a bad rap, but I am none to concerned about thati. I have an extra 1600 sitting in the floor of my garage.

Thanks for the tips on the fit. I do not think it was hit in the front. The seller told me that it used to be an orange type 3. It was a full respray to make it blue, but I will be checking everything before I throw down cash.

Keep the tips coming though. I am soaking it in. I am listening to all of them. I already bought a bad one, so I already learned my lesson. Although it was a $275 lesson that netted me a complete car to part out. ;)

Fri Oct 18, 2013 7:27 am

"Are those cooling ports on the shroud open?"

What are you referring to with this comment? Are you pointing to the missing heater tubes? The ones that go from the shroud to the heat exchangers? If so, I don't think that is a worry. I am pretty sure you don't need a heater very often in Tucson. Do those tubes missing cause some kind of flow issue I should be worried about?

Fri Oct 18, 2013 7:53 am

The tubes don't just provide your heat, they also run air through the heat exchangers, reducing head temperatures, even if you have the heat shut off. They are an important part of the cooling system.

And I don't see plugs in the shroud, so the cooling air intended for engine cooling may be blowing out into the open engine bay.

The warning signs are there for a car that has been dressed up for sale after years of abuse or neglect. It sounds like your mind is made up, though. If you have engine replacement in mind, and you find NO rust (look hard, it's probably been hidden well), then it may be worth a bargain price.

Fri Oct 18, 2013 8:08 am

KTPhil wrote: The tubes don't just provide your heat, they also run air through the heat exchangers, reducing head temperatures, even if you have the heat shut off. They are an important part of the cooling system.

And I don't see plugs in the shroud, so the cooling air intended for engine cooling may be blowing out into the open engine bay.

The warning signs are there for a car that has been dressed up for sale after years of abuse or neglect. It sounds like your mind is made up, though. If you have engine replacement in mind, and you find NO rust (look hard, it's probably been hidden well), then it may be worth a bargain price.

It is a great price. I will say that.

But I am not 100% till I put my own eyes on it. I have the advantage of having had many phone calls with the seller to alleviate some of the concerns that you guys have. I am working with more info than you guys.

That said, I do have a second vehicle on the line in the area of this one falls through or looks to be a patch job. Always have a backup and think with your head and not your heart.

I will update with pictures of my own sometime tomorrow. We have an early evening meeting to look the car over.

Fri Oct 18, 2013 1:19 pm

i think that most of the body stuff has been covered, but don't forget to check out the ELECTRICAL. i mean ALL OF IT. fuses, fuse box, relays, all the grounds, wiring, ALL OF IT! don't be afraid to crank the engine over and run through every on off switch, turn signal, horn, high\low beam, braks, running lights, interrior lights, door "ajar buzzer", and instrument lights too! pay special attension to the grounding strap that connects the transmission to the body. make sure that this strap is corrosion free, and in good repair. you will get all KINDS of problems if that strap is hanging on by a thread or two! make sure the generator is cranking out decent voltage too! don't be afraid to put a volt meter on it and verify before you put $ down! there's my 2 cents. i hope that you get a good deal, and that you experience is a good one!

Sat Oct 19, 2013 8:15 pm

For anyone that was wondering how the viewing went....