WANTED: AAR CUDA

[CudaHolland]

I am Jacob Schipper living in a small village called Opmeer ( 55 km above Amsterdam) in The Netherlands. I am looking for an AAR Cuda that is good ( no bag of tears) and runs and drives well. I am a private buyer and for all a Cuda lover. Now I want to buy my dreamcar. I am no dealer, trader or scam. The car must be orange or red (my preference). It must have an automatic transmission (not on the steering console). Interior must be black with bucket seats and a center console. It must be a real BS23J0B car and no clone. An original #'s matching TA 340 engine 6BBL. The car must be solid and hard, no rustbucket or bondo car. Who wants to sell his AAR Cuda or knows anyone that has the plan to sell ?? The car will get a good home. Send me an email at : schipper40@zonnnet.nl
I do not need help from traders or dealers. Just want to speak wit the real owner of a car !!

[anlauto]

Check the "cars for sale" section of this web site. There is a red automatic car listed for sale.

[CudaHolland]

I have seen that car already but a red interior is not my favorite. And a little bit over my budget  .
Thanks for your message

[anlauto]

Would you consider having a project car completely restored in another Country over a 12-18 month period with easy monthly payments ?

[CudaHolland]

Well I saw last year in Herten (Germany) the 1971 Cuda sassy grass green that you restored. Your work is great, thats not the problem.  But my plan is to buy this year an AAR Cuda. I started looking for it in the summer of 2017. Found one in October 2017, also in Canada from mr Rob Blair. Finally in November he agreed that I sent an inspector. But when he arrived the car did not start and we could not make a testdrive. A week later he repaired the car ( ballast resistor) but then we were not allowed to make a testdrive because of the snow !! We made an agreement that in the spring of  2018 we could make a testdrive and put it on a hydraulic lift. But in the begin of April,  Blair put the car on the Mecum Indy 2018 auction. He told me that I still could buy the car but no testdrive or inspection on a hydraulic lift. He also bought it like this. I never bought a car without a testdrive or putting it on a lift !!  And I will not do that ever !! My offer was 77K and the testdrive and inspection on a lift !! I don 't know if the car has issues but normally you do business if the car has no problems. So thats the story so far. Really disappointed in Rob Blair
But I will continue my search. I will keep your suggestion in my mind  Maybe I get back to you in December 2018
But if you have an orange car like  Rob Blair (mecum.com), I think we have a deal within a week !!

[anlauto]

When I sold my purple AAR....that's exactly what the buyer did....he sent a third party inspector to check it out. The guy was very thorough, I can probably get his contact info if you ever want a car inspected in this part of Ontario.

Also keep an eye open at Legendary Motor Cars in Milton Ontario, they often get AAR's .

[RUNCHARGER]

I sold a car to Austria and that is what happened as well. They sent an inspector who did a thorough inspection and then we consumated the deal. I can tell you though it was still stressful for both buyer and seller. I had other buyer's backed up waiting to inspect the car (also long distance) so I was getting pressure from all sides as I waited for the inspection and final commitment. I don't know as I would do it again. I can see why Mr Blair finally just put it to auction.
In your case, you know you will get a good job for the money by using Alan to restore it. You might be far better off buying a project and getting Alan to restore it for you. That way you won't end up buying a finished car with issues. I myself don't think I would ever buy a finished car unless I had watched it being restored.

[AAR#2]

. . . You might be far better off buying a project and getting Alan to restore it for you. That way you won't end up buying a finished car with issues. . .

So I"ll ask, what does Allen charge??
I know there are lots of variables but we all know a project car will need some percentage of metal work and certain pieces found. I'm not talking a perfect car, but a car as described " a finished car without issues", or does this description mean everything is correct to include bolt heads, and finishes that may be painted over?

Never just paid someone and curious if I'm wasting my time. The wife sure would be happier with me freeing up time.

[RUNCHARGER]

I can't speak for Alan but I do think for what he charges you get good value. He is familiar with these cars and the labour he charges is actual work and not for research like a lot of other shops are. That is how he gets a lot done in a short time and that benefits the customer. I have never seen him claim his cars are absolutely concours correct but I bet he could do it if the customer wanted. You can get to the 95% level fairly easily but the extra 5% costs a lot. It depends what the end user wants of course.

[anlauto]

There are many pros and cons when comparing "buying a finished car" to "having a car restored", but first I'll address AAR#2's question.

There are MANY many pictures of the car's I restore on my website www.alangallantautomotiverestoration.com and of course a lot have been posted here.

I do what "I" call an OE style restoration but less expensive and a far more drive-able. You will NOT find any bare metal under my cars, you will not have to worry about things rusting right away. Most of the hardware is correct, however most of it is protected by various paints if they're subject to weather, again only to protect from rust. You quickly notice that things are not just all painted black.....each item is detailed to look as original as possible, several shades of black, several shades of cast grey etc...
Depending on your budget, I strive for correct part numbered, date coded parts under the hood, correct rad, wiper motor , master cylinder etc....

If a car is restored by me, 100% of it is new or rebuilt. Drive train, suspension, steering, cooling system, brake system, you name it, no bolt left un-turned.

Which brings me to the pros vs cons:

Biggest CON......There's really no way to purchase a project car and restore it completely without spending a LOT of money. Buying a done car will ALWAYS be cheaper.

Biggest PRO.......Having a car restored correctly will mean you have a 100% new car and you'll be certain of every inch of it....what's under the paint, in the rear axle/transmission/motor, behind the dash, mechanical parts, you name it.

Biggest PRO......buying a done car, you're saving money, and driving tomorrow !

Biggest CON......this list is too big to type....even restored by the best shop in the world, you still have no clue of how it was restored....I've shown various pictures of crappy brazed in patch work underneath really nice paint....I've seen old tie rod ends painted to "look" new....I've removed sludge from rear axles that look great on the outside....and on and on....

As for cost.....My restos start at $60K CDN not including major rust repair of missing expensive parts.....I would say a total rust bucket could cost near $100K CDN to restore.....THAT EQUALS  $75K USD which I'm sure is in line with most shops.....

[AAR#2]

As for cost.....My restos start at $60K CDN not including major rust repair of missing expensive parts.....I would say a total rust bucket could cost near $100K CDN to restore.....THAT EQUALS  $75K USD which I'm sure is in line with most shops.....

From a guy entering year 12, a ton of $$ into it (and I do most of the work), not finished, and a wife who's about had her fill of my obsession . . . I'll not mention this thread as I'm sure she would vote to head to Allen for the next resto.

As we all know, many start and do not finish, most don't understand how many hours can be spent navigating a search for good parts and avoiding bad ones.

The price doesn't seem that bad to me today but may have made me pucker 10 years ago

[anlauto]

As for cost.....My restos start at $60K CDN not including major rust repair of missing expensive parts.....I would say a total rust bucket could cost near $100K CDN to restore.....THAT EQUALS  $75K USD which I'm sure is in line with most shops.....

From a guy entering year 12, a ton of $$ into it (and I do most of the work), not finished, and a wife who's about had her fill of my obsession . . . I'll not mention this thread as I'm sure she would vote to head to Allen for the next resto.

As we all know, many start and do not finish, most don't understand how many hours can be spent navigating a search for good parts and avoiding bad ones.

The price doesn't seem that bad to me today but may have made me pucker 10 years ago

10 years ago it would have been a LOT cheaper....10 years ago I would have said my restos start at $30K.....The cost of restoration as skyrocketed in the last five years....10 years ago a paint job was $10K---now it's $25K for a nice job....and so on...

[RUNCHARGER]

I agree: Parts have went up but nothing like paint and body supplies.

[HP_Cuda]

Hey Alan

And they say inflation isn't going up eh?

[JS29]

I agree: Parts have went up but nothing like paint and body supplies.

Tell me about It!!!!  A pint of red $130 and up    The tree huggers are killing us.