Hello All
I recently acquired a 1966 230SL. I was not actively seeking this car, I stumbled on it and it was offered at a low price that in the end I could not resist. Of course, I was aware then, (although I am MORE aware now), that restoration costs would likely well exceed the market value of the final product, (although the selling prices of these cars seem to vary WIDELY with, however, a general consensus that these cars will continue to appreciate materially for the foreseeable future).
As I live in the East Coast, my example is fairly rusty. I know that many members here would not undertake a restoration on a rusty car in the first place, but I talked to many shops in various regions on this subject and the ultimate prevailing opinion would seem to be that "all of these cars are worth saving".
I am not a person of infinite means and, as such, am attempting to restore the car as efficiently and economically as possible, without cutting corners and doing the car an injustice. As such, I am looking to be somewhat creative in undertaking this project.
In researching my options, I have come across a redone shell, which is ready for paint. In talking to a few people, including a gentleman who owns a bodyshop, it would appear that my buying this finshed shell and moving forward with the restoration from that point would save me $10K+ (at least) on the whole project.
Of course, there are some inherent problems with this approach; the most obvious being that the numbers would not match on the car. (With respect to my car, it is silver - which I would like to keep, with a blue interior - which I would like to change to red. The original color of the shell is dark green - which I would not keep in any circumstance). At the end of the day, I want a quality driver, not a museum showpiece that I would be afraid to take out on the road. I am also definitely not looking at this as an investment. That being said, ideally I still would not take a course of action that would highly compromise or destroy the car's market value at the end.
So my question and request for opinions from those with experience....Would the acquisition of the shell be a constructive move as a short-cut toward the restoration of the car? Or would I be better off in the long-run tackling the car that I have, knowing that the rust challenges could escalate almost endlessly, although the eventual, final product would be original, (save for the interior color)??
Thanks very much in advance for any advice given.
