Whats it worth? 56 Belvedere

MidWestMopar

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I've always had late 60s or 70 mopars, though I've kind of been looking for a mid to late 50s gem. I really have no idea what some of these are worth or what they normally go for...here's a couple options I've found.

1956 Plymouth Belvedere 4 Door, 270 V8. Looks pretty straight and solid, surface rust and maybe more in a few areas, trying to get more detail and pictures, probably hasn't been running in some time. The '56 body style is growing on me.

1958 Plymouth Belvedere 4 Door, red...I think the Christine-ish look gets me even though it's much different than the '56. Straight 6, 3 speed. Engine was recent gone through, some rust in the fenders, but looks mostly straight and solid.

1955 Chrysler New Yorker 4 Door, White, love all the interesting chrome they put on these. 331 Hemi, not running, Solid and Straight.

I know that doesn't give alot to go by, but those that have watched these more closely than me over the years that have input on what they typically go for would be much appreciated.
Thanks!
 
Some general observations: Non running cars present a sizable risk to the buyer. For starters, there was probably some significant need for repair that caused the vehicle to be parked and stored in the first place, tired engine, bad transmission, no brakes etc. After a car sits for several years, the brake system hydraulics go south, fuel in the fuel tank rots the tank from the inside out. electrical components corrode, belts and hoses rot and so on. Vehicles are sometimes stored with inadequate freeze protection and the block may be cracked as a result. The point of this list of potential woes is that you can easily spend far more that the vehicle is worth just to get it road worthy. I am always very skeptical of any car that does not run and price them on a low ball basis.

FYI, the '58 Mopars were famous for being rust buckets, they rotted out A-Pillars (Difficult and often expensive to repair), tops of the fenders to the rear of the headlights, all lower body surfaces, rear window channels and trunk floors. If you inspect this vehicle check all these areas carefully and look for any previous bondo applications over rust. You can easily spend $15k or more just to bring a rusty car back to solid. The flat head six with a three speed manual makes this car an easy one to restore mechanically if the body is solid.

The '56 Plymouth with the 270 V-8 were good, reliable cars in their day. Be advised that about 100k was all the engine and transmission would usually go without needing a rebuild. The engine still has good parts availability for a rebuild if needed, the transmission is a cast iron PowerFlite which is expensive to work on and parts are getting hard to come by. That having been said, as two speed automatics go, it was one of the best ever produced.

The '55 Chrysler also has the Power Flite Transmission. The 331 Hemi is always a good conversation piece. Again these cars would usually run about 100k on the engine and transmission before needing an overhaul. Parts for the 331 are still available if a rebuild is necessary. Plug wire kits for this engine are often hard to find and expensive. These cars had an abundance of chrome trim which can run into big bucks to restore.

My advice to you is to avoid rust like the plague on any of these cars, what you can see is usually only the tip of the iceberg. The three cars you featured are worth a lot less restored than what it will cost to bring them back, so pick one you really like and start the restoration as "a labor of love".

Dave
 
I have watched this fellow out here who has been trying to sell six Pontiacs, between 1955-1957. all in grade 5 condition. None run, all need interiors, some rust in trunk pans, and he now has them from $1250-2000. Of course this is now going into his second year of listing them on Craigslist where they used to be closer to the $3000 mark. In short, they will never sell at any price other than scrap metal price.
 
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