when most people see a hot air wh1, they are seeing a cheap car that they can drop an LC2 into...>They dont want to spend money on a real GN, or a real IC car, so they think they can buy up a cheap hot air WH1 and do whatever they want with it, in the mean-time, sell the motor and trans out of it on ebay for about the same money they spent on the whole car!!! We all know what parts we need for our hot air's, and their very limited availability. It is people who take the hot air cars for granted that really burn me up!!! I took my wh1, that I have been restoring for 5 years and summed it up like this:
1984 Black WH1 -- Minor rot in floor pans. Minor door rot. Typical.....
Needs new transmission. needs total motor rebuild...Has bench seats, hard top, column shift, dented hood, dented right fender, stock posi, poor brakes in the front, shot driver side door (brake in and cut up from Newark NJ)....
My twin brother has this:
1984 Garnet Red WH1-- NO rot at all under car. NO door rot. minor surface rot around STOCK moonroof. Needs total motor rebuild, has brand new trans, MINT bucket grey seats, console shifter mint, digital guages, digital climate control, flawless doors and pannels with CII speakers, brand new unpainted hood, flowmaster catback, with all atr pipes up front, stock posi rear.
Four years ago, I got a motor for my car with the intentions of making it a roller motor for 11 sec. I have since collected a ton of spare parts, thinking I could help my bro at the same time. As it turns out, my goals were a bit out of reach with my limited funds, and it made NO sense at all to keep two cars off the road, when I could at least have one pretty quick one to work with.
I gave my brother everything....My motor with a 204/214 cam, 100 lb spring, ported heads, ported intake, 42.5 injectors and three chips, poston headers, alky kit, adj fpr, adj wastegate, bored throttlebody and turbo compressor housing by Jerryl, and lastly, a ton of highly detailed parts to match the color of his car.
My car was sold just a month ago, as a rolling chasis, to a very nice, very hard working GN enthusiast. He has 5 Gns and a WH1 now, and my WH1 is his very first hard top TR ever. All his GNs were LC2's (4) until he got an 85 Gn, but with a v-8 in it (another ebayer got it before he could, motor long gone!!!), so, he is restoring the 85 and removing the v8 for a T6, and my car will be an LC2 conversion. I never, ever had the intention of selling that car....ever. but when I thought about it, I could have a really fantastic car for my brother. His car looks so clean, and would just shine when finished, as well as be quick as hell when all is said and done!
So.....If you get 2500 for your car, that is about average...5 years ago, I paid 2500 for my car....After all this time, I settled for less than half of that with no motor. I got an LC2 car, that needs minor work, but my concentration is solely on an 84 T-Type in my brothers garage, and when his car is finally finished, I will be the first to drive it, I will be the one breaking it in, and I will be the first one to ride it through it's first 1/4. My twin will use it whenever i am not....lol....and eventually, I will have enough $$$ to get my LC2 up-to-snuff, and fast enough to just beat him, and that is it. I want to enjoy these cars, not beat the piss out of them in the 1/4....That is why I want at least 1 hot air on the road instead of none.
So...i sold my car. I got all the parts except for one to finish my brothers car, and that is all. i will have two running TR's at one time, and I will finally have some fun in a pretty quick hot air, which has been my goal all these years. The total cost for my brother's car thus far, with purchase price, new motor, and all the other stuff I have gotten over the last 5 years: about 4000 TOTAL, excluding the sale of my car, and the sale of other parts. The most expensive parts so far were the engine and the exhaust!!!
I think if I could find a 14 second hot air for 4000, i will sell my LC2 and buy that car....If I can find a nice hot air with minor rot again, but with a decent motor and turbo, I will sell my car in a heartbeat to have another running hot air....but if it is not running, or needs a ton of TLC, I am just not interested. i dont have enough $$$$ to sink into something that someone else abandonded.....I am NOT saying that is what you did at all!!! I am only saying that this is exactly what happened to me, and I wont do it again....My first TR was an abortion from the second owner, and I almost fell for it again this past december when I got real excited for that WH1 for sale locally by me....But then it turned out the car was a wreck!!! car wouldnt run, had a hack (yes, HACK) of an eletrical system, and the seller kept lying to me!!! and he wanted 4K for it!!!! I offered him 1000 for a non-running TR and the guy got mad and left me. i would have offered him 2K which I think was fair for a car that wont start, or run, or drive, but at that point, I was so tired of his lies, and me getting stuck with cars that I dont have enough $$$ to fix, I just low balled him to see what would happen!!!
So...I turned to the cold side, at a HUGE bargain thanks to Jim Accardi, and the car I have now only needs a tiny bit of work. It already ran some sweet times for a totally stock set-up with the exception of a front mount IC (no power difference, but very, very consistent), and hooker exhaust.....I do not have $$$ to sink into a turbo, injectors, chip, alky, and all, so I just want a nice, clean, running TR that I can enjoy!!!!!
So does my bro.
I think your car is worth more than 2000, heck, more than 3000 since it is running!!! I would NOT settle for less than what you already have into it. Timing is everything, so I say hold on for just a bit!!! it will come!!!
Good luck, and believe me, as soon as I get my brothers car going, I PROMISE it will be worth the waiting I have done!!!!!
(sorry bout the length....me venting)
John :biggrin:
