John Buchtenkirch
Well-Known Member
Got up at 4:30 this morning and drove down to look at the Egg Harbor, N.J. 73 coupe http://southjersey.craigslist.org/ctd/1889508566.html I was disappointed because it didn’t have the sunroof that it was advertised as having. However it was probably one of the most solid coupes you would ever find in the North East --- I would have made them a strong offer if it had a sunroof and changed the automatic for a 5 speed and just lived with the paint that’s on the car.
Other that the re-paint of the outer skin I would consider this a survivor car, I’m 99.9% sure it has the original front fenders, no floor pan or spare tire well rust thru, all the bracing under the front fenders looks intact and the bottoms of the rocker panels had only 2 spots with very minor jacking damage. The only place I could find any visible rust was some very minor bubbling that hasn’t quite broken thru on the lower rear corner of the driver’s side fender.
The re-paint isn’t bad, most people could live with it as is, that is what I would have done till I painted the car white 5 or 10 years down the road. I’m not a big fan of 2 stage metallic paint jobs, I consider them expensive and hard to maintain on a street driven car but I do admit they have a lot of brilliance or what I call pop when they are correct. Admittedly my judgment is soured by working many a late night trying to match or blend them, not always with success. The administrator says we have to keep positive in our posts but many of these early coupes are so poorly redone I find that nearly impossible at times but here is a car I can be positive about, it’s structurally sound and can be used & enjoyed as is without a restoration, at least body wise.
I didn’t drive the car or even start the engine and I don’t claim to be a mechanic but have 39 or 40 years in the collision and sheet metal shaping businesses. Finally I will add that Frank & Greg seem like 2 nice non high pressure guys, they let me look at the car for a half hour by myself, I would have liked to do business with them. It’s a heart breaker for me, I doubt I will ever find a coupe this sound without going out to the West coast. ~ John Buchtenkirch
Other that the re-paint of the outer skin I would consider this a survivor car, I’m 99.9% sure it has the original front fenders, no floor pan or spare tire well rust thru, all the bracing under the front fenders looks intact and the bottoms of the rocker panels had only 2 spots with very minor jacking damage. The only place I could find any visible rust was some very minor bubbling that hasn’t quite broken thru on the lower rear corner of the driver’s side fender.
The re-paint isn’t bad, most people could live with it as is, that is what I would have done till I painted the car white 5 or 10 years down the road. I’m not a big fan of 2 stage metallic paint jobs, I consider them expensive and hard to maintain on a street driven car but I do admit they have a lot of brilliance or what I call pop when they are correct. Admittedly my judgment is soured by working many a late night trying to match or blend them, not always with success. The administrator says we have to keep positive in our posts but many of these early coupes are so poorly redone I find that nearly impossible at times but here is a car I can be positive about, it’s structurally sound and can be used & enjoyed as is without a restoration, at least body wise.
I didn’t drive the car or even start the engine and I don’t claim to be a mechanic but have 39 or 40 years in the collision and sheet metal shaping businesses. Finally I will add that Frank & Greg seem like 2 nice non high pressure guys, they let me look at the car for a half hour by myself, I would have liked to do business with them. It’s a heart breaker for me, I doubt I will ever find a coupe this sound without going out to the West coast. ~ John Buchtenkirch
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