>Bottom line: about $2K. It's either a project or a parts car, IMO.
Dave, I'll have disagree with you on this one. I would say that it's
worth closer to $3K, based on what I know about Europa values with my
(admittedly) low exposure. Phil Ethier paid about the same for his
('71?) as I did for my '69, about $3500 -- and I paid a little too much,
considering the condition mine was in at the time.
>Looking at it from a buyer's point of view,the poor cosmetics are going to be
>really expensive to fix.
Not necessarily -- depends on what you're aiming for: I did the
'glasswork and repainted mine myself, shooting at a minimum of a
ten-year-old paint job look, and was able to achieve an exterior that
looks about five years old (first time I've painted a car). It sounds
like this Europa is in about the same state as mine was (or better -- I
didn't see any mention of holes punched in the body or a paint job that
looks like brushed-on Weatherbeater latex... .)
I think mine looks pretty good, all things considered, and at least 100%
better than it did when I bought it. [Dave -- Ask Nancyci what she
thinks -- I believe she saw it both before and after.]
> A new windshield will run about $800 plus labor.
Now come on! I also need a new windscreen, and I done some checking
around: I can get a new one for about $300 from several different
sources, or could have about a year ago (haven't checked lately).
>It needs new paint, and before you paint you'll want to sand down and fix the
>stress cracks in the body, a multi-grand job if you pay for someone else's
>labor and a real pain in the ass if you do it yourself (I hate fiberglass
>work).
Well, granted: If you pay someone else to do what you can do yourself,
you're bound to get reamed. (I agree about the glassfibre -- just
thinking about it makes me itch... .)
> I'm not sure what "no interior" means -- are the seats still there?
>How about the dash? -- but it doesn't sound good. A carpet set isn't too bad,
>and the dash itself is a flat piece of wood, but getting all the gauges
>and switches and installing it all is a ton of work. It's easier without
>the windshield in place, though, and that needs replacing anyway so that's one
>good thing.
Good question about the meaning of "bad interior." Taken one way it
means an empty hulk, another way it means something like mine... cracked
finish on the dash, door panels that were barely acquainted with the
doors, and sincerely ugly brown shag carpeting. However, I didn't think that
replacing the dash was any worse than underdash work on any other car, and in
some respects easier, since once everything's disconnected, the whole thing
just pulls out.
>
>The mileage isn't given, but the engine will probably need work if it's sat
>for nine years.
I read this differently -- I thought that Larry was saying it hadn't
been run *in a race* in nine years.
> And that the pistons were reused in a balance job isn't a vote of
>confidence in the rebuild; between that and sitting, I'd budget a couple of
>grand
>for a complete teardown in the not-too-distant future. 72 is before the Big
>Valve head became available, if memory serves, and it's a 4 speed, so it's not
>a sought-after engine/tranny combination either.
This I'm not too clear on: I'd assume that dual carbs implies a twin-cam,
which could boost the value into the $8K range, from what I've seen. The rest
of Dave's evaluation I can buy into, with the priviso that DIY is always an
order of magnitude cheaper than having a shop rebuild it.
>
>On the plus side, if the alloys are factory "Spider" mags that's good, since
>they're getting to be hard to come by. The Konis and adjustable lower links
>are
>nice additions, although I'm not sure how many buyers would appreciate them.
>The hydraulic clutch is an ok mod, the custom pedals could be a nice addition
>depending on how they were done.
I'm ambivalent on the clutch -- I prefer hydraulic, but don't mind the
cable in my Europa, although it would be one mother to replace if it
ever broke... . I'd have to see the pedals -- IMHO, it'd be tough to
improve on the ones that Colin installed.
>
>All in all, you've got an average condition powertrain (with big question marks
>around it because it's been sitting so long) in a ratty body, a body that's
>going to cost major bucks to fix up. Are you buying or selling?
It looked to me like Larry was looking to buy, since it sounds like he's
listened to it run, and perhaps driven it. And, since he didn't know
the year of the vehicle it sounded like he'd just looked at it -- tough
thing to forget about a car you own. Also, I have access to additional
information in the form of the SOL survey, in which he claimed only a
TR-250... OK, so I'm cheating. ;^) (Survey results will be available
sometime this weekend folks.)
BTW: Larry, the 12" diameter steering wheel is likely stock, or if not, is
the same dia. as the stock wheel.
-coryc
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