Whats wrong with starting with an already disassembled car?

[mpane7]

Happy New Year to all. Posting here after a while.

Not sure how rookie the below will sound, but while on the hunt for another long hood project, I came to realise that a rusty complete project is more expensive than a complete disassembled solid car (in the current market)

Provided that everyone can more or less do the math for the type of restoration they want, and the parts they will need on the way, I find it way more risky to get the more expensive assembled car compared to a disassembled option.

My rookie question is (provide that my above pricing observation is correct) - what are the drawbacks of getting a car that yo did not disassemble yourself?
Fitting issues? - New parts might be needed for both cars anyway

Opinions appreciated.

[76911S]

At the risk of stating the obvious, the problem would be knowing what's missing. If you have the knowledge to reassemble and deep enough pockets to buy what's missing, then you should be good.

I bought my car as a disassembled failed project, but I would have totally disassembled it anyway so some of the work was already done, so bonus. I had a lot of spare parts and a complete parts car so I was in good shape there and I still spent a bunch on replacing stuff. I have assembled quite a few 70's 911's and still found myself stuck or taking things back apart, I have 20+ years experience with these cars and I would not consider myself a expert.

So I guess it depends on what you think you are capable of and what your end goal is.

Mark..

[raspritz]

One of the coolest cars I know of on the market (a first-generation CanAm racecar with excellent racing history) was purchased totally disassembled in boxes and restored.

[Gearby]

With the internet being what it is today, buying a dismantled project isn't as big a deal as it used to be. There is a wealth of information and research that can be done to determine what you need, what goes where, and what fasteners are required.
I acquired a dismantled Ford project about a year ago and the biggest issue I faced was an unfamiliarity with the layout of the engine compartment and missing components. A lot of the fasteners used on automobiles are unique to those cars. I strongly considered buying another parts car just for the fasteners themselves which went missing although the previous owner claims they kept everything. LOL, not even close.

[jesseandersson]

Assembling a 911 to Porsche standard/feel is not for the average Joe..

Just my humble opinion.

[mpane7]

I guess the project size each one of us is willing to get involved with varies (most of us of course only realise the actual project involvement on the way)
I don't think anyone would doubt what Jesse is saying, however, with all things being equal I find weird the fact that a disassembled car is 'cheaper' than an assembled project - considering that both cars will have to be bought to the same bare shell state in order to start building and both will need to be restored to the desired standard. More so, with a stripped down disassembled car you have a much better idea of what is going on, whats missing and what you will need.

[michaelaiellosr]

Your premise may not necessarily be correct. When I purchased my basket case, literally a basket case, I had a good idea the most important parts were there. What I didn't know was that there are a ton of small parts missing that are just as important for a nice build especially if it is mfi. And, these little parts combine to add many $ to the project that, that you wouldn't spend had the car been together. If the engine is all in one piece you are pretty well assured that you won't be hunting for those parts. In your post you compare a rusty assembled car to a disassembled car... are we to understand that there is no rust, or that you know where the rust is on the disassembled chassis?

If you haven't completed a project like this in the past get ready to spend a lot of time on the phone , on the net and with the PET

[NorthernThrux]

Most old cars, while seemingly intact, will have plenty of wrong washers, screws, bolts, hoses and other parts, which will need to be corrected. I had early G body turn signal stocks, wrong visors, late G body window cranks, much later Recaro sport seats, and hundreds of wrong fasteners amongst many, many little things. Finding all that takes time wheter the car is in boxes or intact.

So to me it’s a wash. Your time is free (at least that’s what my wife thinks!) and you learn a lot going through the process.

Ravi

[Unobtanium-inc]

A lot of your decision making should be based on your familiarity with the car you are looking at. For a couple of reasons.
1. If you know the car backwards and forwards you can spot what is missing, when the guy says "he saved everything" it isn't always the case. Like the 67S I bought where the guy said he had the matching numbers motor. He did, sort of, he had the case, he had sold off the carbs and the other S engine bits, as well as the 4.5 Fuchs, etc. etc.
2. A complete assembled car is a wealth of info. Before I take a car apart I take a million pics, that way when it's two years later you can have some reference of where things go. Trust me, you'll forget, unless you've done dozens of these cars.

So a disassembled car can sometimes be more of a nightmare than a crapy complete one, not that those don't have pitfalls.

Good Luck-
Adam

[tcsracing1]

You are always better off buying a complete car (as long as it is not molested)

Having all the pieces of the puzzle is important for the restoration and future resale.

I started with a bare tub as a project and quickly realized that it is hard to build it back with nothing as a reference. (i actually have two of them)
It is time consuming finding correct parts and expensive buying one piece at a time.
I will only consider complete cars in the future as result.

Complete 69-73 911T projects can be had for approx $25k.
Bare tubs can be found for approx $10k. (You can spend $15k in missing items fairly quick and still not have everything a complete car would have had)

Either senario will require to be stripped and media blasted. (Expect to spend $20-30k on metal restoration on no matter what you buy unless you paid big money for a rust free car.)
With a complete car, alot of stuff will need to be replaced or restored, but it gives you a base. Nothing is garbage until you know 100%.
Things like the wheels, glass, door guts, seat belts, steering, suspension, wire harness and brakes can add up when buying individually. Especially when looking for correct dates.

A bare tub start is not for the faint of heart and is not a money saver.

If you want a bare tub with all the metal work complete, I have one for $30k.
It is a soild start, but needs everything. A great donor for a rust bucket or ground up race car/hot rod build.