By Chris Bicknell

Bick66

This auction gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “put out to pasture.” With my Impala rebuild well underway I can’t help but feel for this poor car left sitting out to rust. Come on, basket-case rescue anyone?

More pictures after the jump and check out the eBay auction here.

Continue reading "On eBay: '66 Impala, Cattle Not Included" »

By Austin Gaddis

1lowscort

As some of you might know by now, I have a hard time passing up a good deal. So when this extremely ugly beige 4-cylinder Mustang coupe showed up for 400 bucks on Craigslist in a town where I have friends, I couldn’t resist. I called the owner and talked to him, and was told the carb needed rebuilt and the rear shocks needed replaced, but the car came with both the shocks and the carb kit. So, naturally, I called up my friend and had him take a look at it.  The car was just as ugly as expected, but ran and drove and didn’t seem to make any bad noises. Despite the owner’s $400 asking price, when I called him, he talked himself down to $350. I told him I’d be there to pick it up just as soon as possible.

Continue reading "Basketcase Rescue: The Craigslist Special That Kept Getting Cheaper" »

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

This basketcase rescue actually involves a whole bunch of cars that otherwise would likely have been junked. Robert started with a 300-dollar Civic that had been run into a fire hydrant. Then he picked up a VTEC and 5-speed for $200 from a friend who’d wrecked his own Honda. Then to fix the mangled front clip, he got forward sheetmetal off yet another Civic that a guy was parting out. Then he picked up a junk Integra for 200 bucks, changed his mind about the Civic’s nose, and is in the midst of swapping over the Integra’s front clip. When Robert’s ride is done, it’s going to be a great example of built-not-bought. Cool project! Don’t forget to check out his page.

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Yesterday, Chris asked if you had misgivings about cars you’d sold. It seems like a lot of people do, which is part of the reason I can never let go of any of my rides. But what about the flip-side of this equation: what car do you rue the day you ever laid eyes on? Typically, the car you regret will be a major basketcase–that mother of all projects, the car that will always have you broke and stumped–the ride that, demonically, develops another catastrophic problem each time you fix the one that’s currently disabling it. And yet, you can’t let it go.

My ultimate basketcase is my ’84 diesel Escort. Sure, it’s been fun learning how to work on diesels, and I haven’t stopped working on this car since the day I bought it. It’s got a Mazda motor–the parts for it are incredibly rare and obsolete, and anything I do to it costs me about five times more than the equivalent repair on my Ford-powered Escort, which generally runs like a top. The diesel has demanded major overhauls, presented me with massive parts failures, and generated huge bills. It’s left me stranded and once even caused me to wreck. In short, the diesel Escort is the bane of my existence, and it’s a car that needs to be gotten rid of. But I can’t–and I regret it more with each successive drama.

How about you? Ever had a car you wished would just be destroyed by an act of God? Do you still have it?

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

While this isn’t the first 2nd-gen Camaro we’ve had on Basketcase Rescue, it’s probably the one with the greatest potential for a gorgeous resto. CarDomain member Manuel picked it up this weekend for 500 bucks. The car’s got no engine, no windshield, a caved-in rear quarter and a mashed roof. Fortunately, Manuel’s got a spare 350 lying around, and has brought Camaros back from the dead plenty of times before. Sounds like it’s in the right hands! Check back on Manuel’s ride page to follow the build.

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Whenever I start to worry that my junk car habit is getting out of control, all I have to do is ask my ex in NY what he’s working on. Some of the cars he drags home–they can make a pile of dinosaur bones look roadworthy. This weekend he sent me some pics of his latest acquisition: a Ford Model A doodlebug that was thrown in free with a bunch of Model A parts he bought off Craigslist. He’s super stoked about it–he tells me a doodlebug refers to a Model A or similar car that’s been cut at the cowl and shortened. Apparently a lot of folks modded their cars this way during the Depression to serve as home-built tractors. Well, it’ll be pretty sweet if this one ever gets to the point where it can plow a field. I have faith! More pics below the jump.

Continue reading "Doodlebugging" »

By Austin Gaddis

1lowscort

My friend, Jason, happens to be an air-cooled VW nut. So he was the first person who came to mind when I received a text message last Friday from a friend saying that his co-worker had a VW Baja Bug and a split-window van that he was trying to get rid of.  He said the guy wanted $200 for the pair, so I got his phone number and then called him immediately to tell him I’d take the VWs. Right after that, I called my friend Jason and let him know that he’d just bought a splitty van and a baja bug for $200. He didn’t seem very interested in the bug, as he likes his Beetles to be original. I had gathered over the phone with the seller that the VW sale was kind a package deal–so, being the good friend I am, I split the cost of the pair and took the Beetle off his hands. We went for the 65-mile drive North to Ronan, Montana, to look at the cars on Saturday. The van was pretty rough and the bug was ok–at best. More…

Continue reading "Basketcase Rescue 2-for-1: 200 Bucks Takes Both" »

By Jen Dunnaway

Editor

Well, this Nomad isn’t going to be winning awards at car shows any time soon, and this shot sure isn’t going to win any photography awards, but what can I say—nothing melts my heart like a basketcase rescue. So I figured that the owner of this rest-in-pieces Nomad, entry # 1467 in our Amoco Ultimate Your Car Is Worth It contest, deserved a special shout-out. Here’s what he says about it:

My two lifelong dreams have been to own a 1957 Nomad and to do a complete frame off restoration. Yes, it’s a basket case now; but a future dream come true deserves only the best.

There are still more chances to win, so if you haven’t already thrown your hat into the ring, make sure to enter the Amoco Ultimate Your Car Is Worth It Photo Contest!

As rust goes, this is just about the worst possible scenario: vinyl-top car sits out in the rain under trees. Top retains water, and rots out the metal beneath. Once the roof’s perforated, the water runs in and rusts out the rest. I’m just glad that someone has decided to save it—Marc has spent months tackling the rust, and has blasted the whole body just about clean. He’s primed it over in rust neutralizer and is hoping that’ll keep the cancer at bay. I’m almost inclined to think that the car would’ve been a better candidate for the dip tank, but then Marc might have gotten nothing back but a flimsy piece of Swiss cheese. Best of luck, man! Check out the Challenger’s ride page to see the whole transformation.

Baca got his 1980 Malibu wagon "practically for free," and after tearing down the roasted V6, realized he had nothing but potential on his hands. He’s built a substantially modded 355—check out all the engine parts he’s got in it—and is currently test-fitting the twin turbo setup he’s building. The turbos will come back off to be ground down and polished to a shine, and I haven’t even gotten into the gorgeous suspension yet. Check out the ride page for this interesting project—Baca’s got a ton of great build pics and detail shots.