13K for a "Clean Metal Solid Body" has anyone on here purchased?

[Simmo]

I've been in touch with Mizfit Motors who supply these "Clean Metal Solid Bodies" (69 Camaro)

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=200634235957&viewitem=&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWAX%3AIT

For a PT base running aftermaket Sub/Rear End and a LS motor, seems like the perfect start. As a complete roller I'd be left with piecing together an interior/column via a wreck or Classic Industries and picking up lights etc, which most of us would replace anyway. I mean how much would be useful from a 42 Y.O donor car anyway?

Am I underestimating the bits still missing? I'm trying to find a reason not to put in an order!

I'd really like to hear from anyone who has purchased one of their bodies. They do Nova's Chevelles etc aswell so surely someone has!

Sorry if it seems a little out of place to discuss on a public forum but as I'm on the other side of the world popping down for a look isnt really an option. Feel free to PM - Cheers.

[Rod]

if you order one get it with all the door and window hardware you can get, and yes, you are underestimating the amount of bits needed

[muthstryker]

LOL I love their feedback from the items they have bought, Nail Polish, Halter Tops, Boots..

[Rod]

Nail Polish, Halter Tops, Boots.... sounds like a bad hooker party

[muthstryker]

Haha! Maybe you can have a hooker party IN the car?!

[Simmo]

muthstryker
Haha! Maybe you can have a hooker party IN the car?!

I think your on the wrong website for that champ...but yea, the feedback wasnt exactly what I was looking for either!

So for those of you stateside is 13K still considered steep for a roller with sheetmetal work complete? If you spend 15-20K on a "solid" driver as a base for your build, I reckon you would be spending 5K + in a media blast/coating and bodywork getting it to where their roller would be to start with yes/no?

Then I suppose you would have all the little bits but with the roller you might have 5 grand or more to pick up a column/door/window hardware etc from a wreck and the bits you want like electric windows/tinted glass etc.

I guess I can't do bodywork for s*it and shipping a potential rustbucket across the pacific freaks me out! If I go with a roller it will mitigate that risk. (hence wanting reviews on them)

Also consider over here this is what a 68 project goes for... (23K US)

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/chevrolet/auction-398172666.htm

and a 69 nothing special driver... (34.5K US)

http://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/used-cars/chevrolet/camaro/auction-398298765.htm

[novaderrik]

you could buy a complete solid driver that runs for that kind of money and not have to track down the thousands of little parts that complete the car.
it might have a 6 cylinder that burns more oil than gas and a rodent infested interior, but it would be complete..

[shortrack]

you could buy a complete solid driver that runs for that kind of money and not have to track down the thousands of little parts that complete the car.
it might have a 6 cylinder that burns more oil than gas and a rodent infested interior, but it would be complete..

agreed....

[muthstryker]

Me mentioning the feedback is important, I wouldnt buy it from them. Unless I talked to them on the phone for hours and had even more pictures. I wouldnt buy anything from someone that only has 22 total feedback since 2008. But yes, 13k for a solid car is a pretty decent deal. It was 15k for my to get my GTO ready for paint. And the rust wasnt that bad..

[MoonMan]

I guess I can't do bodywork for s*it and shipping a potential rustbucket across the pacific freaks me out! If I go with a roller it will mitigate that risk. (hence wanting reviews on them)

Looks like you'd still need to do bodywork....what the are providing are clean/replaced panels. I doubt they are going to be ready for paint.

From the Ebay ad:
"Car is clean, aligned, gapped, and sealed ready for Body and Paint work!"

[MuscleRodz]

Mizfit has been around for awhile. They used to be a sponsor over at Lateral-G. I would personally check out the work before I made the purchase.

[Simmo]

Cheers for all the feedback guys, appreciated.


Looks like you'd still need to do bodywork....what the are providing are clean/replaced panels. I doubt they are going to be ready for paint.

Sorry looks like I got lost in translation. Totally aware the shell would still require "bodywork". I meant sheetmetal replacement/no rust. It's called panelwork over here, also a trunk is a boot and a rocker is a sill and the list goes on!

Yes it will definately involve a long-haul flight before any money was to change hands. There is quite a bit of info on the net about Mizfit, project cars etc but I just couldnt find anything on this particular product. After an Email Taylor mentioned they had completed over 20 69 Camaro bodies this year so I figured someone on PT may have bought one.

[Simmo]

you could buy a complete solid driver that runs for that kind of money and not have to track down the thousands of little parts that complete the car.
it might have a 6 cylinder that burns more oil than gas and a rodent infested interior, but it would be complete..

Granted..but how much work do you think it would take to get it to where their "clean metal" cars are. I might be missing something but from what I've seen over the net, 13k on a driver will still mean sheetmetal replacement etc. If I'm wrong please show me where these cars are! :)

I have the additional problem of having to order sheetmetal ex USA and have it shipped across the globe, which make a 100% clean car attractive.

And would you still go with the driver if you were going to throw away everything below the unibody? ie aftermarket running gear? Cheers for your input btw.

[novaderrik]

Granted..but how much work do you think it would take to get it to where their "clean metal" cars are. I might be missing something but from what I've seen over the net, 13k on a driver will still mean sheetmetal replacement etc. If I'm wrong please show me where these cars are! :)

I have the additional problem of having to order sheetmetal ex USA and have it shipped across the globe, which make a 100% clean car attractive.

And would you still go with the driver if you were going to throw away everything below the unibody? ie aftermarket running gear? Cheers for your input btw.

look around, and you can find some cars that look damn near brand new but with faded paint and shot interiors. i don't see too many of them around here where the roads are covered in salt 5 months out of the year, but cars from the desert areas (Arizona, New Mexico) will generally only have superficial surface rust that is easily fixed.. then if you do decide to go full aftermarket on the chassis, you can sell the stock pieces to bring the budget down some and offset the costs of shipping the stuff you need to get over to you. plus not having to wait for the oddball fasteners, brackets, trim pieces or whatever else you don't get with a bare shell is a good thing, too.


another way to look at these cars is that for about the same price as these bare shells, you can get brand new reproduction shells and build it as a kit car..

[LeighP]

Simmo, how does it go in NZ with a "new" body? In Aus, that'd be "owner constructed" and you'd have to meet all the current design rule requirements for road rego.

[kiwigt]

I live in NZ also and have imported (and kept) two muscle cars over the years for my own enjoyment. Here's my 0.2cents experience for what it's worth:

You need to import a 100% complete car in good original rust free condition if you can't do body work. Otherwise you will have significant work to get it through the VIN process to put it on the road in NZ; you will be required to provide certified body repairs ($$$) from a professional body repair certifier. The old story that mechanical condition is the least of your problems applies here. I rate body first, trim second, mechanical third when I'm looking. Restoring a rusty Camaro with new panels here in NZ is WAY more expensive than paying fair money for a fair condition car out of CA.

Shipping parts from the USA is easy but expensive. Rule of thumb - add 100% to the USA advertised price of the part and that will give you your landed cost in NZ once freight and import charges are paid. If you import a less than 100% complete car it will end up costing you plenty to buy all the other small bits.

If you want to do a LSx powered PT Camaro as seen on here, the most trouble free way to get it vinn'ed and on the road is to put it on the road in NZ with it's original drivetrain, and modify it / certify it with the LSx mods afterwards.

Buy a car from the West Coast of the USA. There is a good reason why nearly every other Kiwi does it that way. They are generally more likely to have fewer rust problems, NZ VIN certifiers are consequently more kindly to them, freight from the West Coast to NZ is way cheaper, and there are great kiwi run shipping companies to help you in LA. My experience is that the money spending doesn't end when your car lands in NZ - that is when the expenditure starts in earnest (especially if you're going PT). So it makes sense to be smart and land the best car you can in terms of completeness, bodywork and trim.

There are still plenty of cars available for Kiwis to find in and around California. PM me for information if you want to know my experiences. I am not a professional importer, just a hobbyist like you.

[Ron.in.SoCal]

How about a clean, recent restore w stock drive train? I know they are hard to find at a decent price but I have seen them in the 20s (USD) occasionally. This would get you past reg/certification and relieve you of all the import duties and project delays when bringing in bits and pieces. Of course, patience and finding the right one and inspecting it before purchase would be key.

If I were to ever have a 'do over' this is the route I would go....

[coolwelder62]

Since they have rebuilt 20 cars do they have a customer list and phone numbers.Also do they photos of the 20 rebuilt cars.And the process that went into repairing the rust and damaged panels.

[Gandalf]

Kiwi's - contact me if you need anything in and around SoCal or just some friendly advice from a US-based kiwi who has been on both ends of these same transactions into NZ. I know the shippers and can advise on many cars/parts you might find over here. But the above advice is solid advice and consistent with my dealings with NZ VIN etc. Get a solid, running, driving car and import the pieces you need either at the same time or separately (suggest at least the big/heavy parts at the same time because they will cut you a big break on the cost of shipping in the same container). Taken one step further, get a PT car that's already been done properly (ie: favorable to VIN/WOF inspection) and maybe needs paint and SOME bodywork. Unfortunately they don't always come in that order but with the economy, I see more and more guys here having to bail on projects they'd already started. PM me for any assistance.

Gregg

[NightDiver]

After coming up empty for a while Ive thought about saving up for one of these as well... Seemed like a good deal when you consider 5-8k for a beat up project car, a few thousand for media blasting and replacement panels, along with the time, energy, and hassle of removing and replacing the rusted out sections. This is on top of the fact you would get an entirely new collection of parts rather than a mix of new and 40+ yr old material just waiting to rust around your new work. After further thought though, unless you really don't like welding and would rather someone else do it, $13k is not worth it when you consider all of the bits that need to be replaced with new such as window glass, all the hardware inside the doors (locks, latches, window regulators, etc.), the headlights, the tail lights, seats (youre looking at roughly 3k for new frames, padding and upholstery depending on your source), steering column and wheel, etc.

During a tour of a nearby performance shop, they told me the 68 convertible project using a Dynacorn body that they were finishing up ran in the 50K range when all was said and done. This was a fairly typical amount according to them and for a car that would typically need to be registered as a kit car. Unless you're set on starting from scratch with all new parts, you would be far better off looking for a run down model and fix up the way you want.

[Simmo]

look around, and you can find some cars that look damn near brand new but with faded paint and shot interiors. i don't see too many of them around here where the roads are covered in salt 5 months out of the year, but cars from the desert areas (Arizona, New Mexico) will generally only have superficial surface rust that is easily fixed.

Thanks, I have seen the odd one go on craigslist/eBay for 20 odd but I'll keep looking then! Is there anywhere else online you would suggest to look?


Simmo, how does it go in NZ with a "new" body? In Aus, that'd be "owner constructed" and you'd have to meet all the current design rule requirements for road rego.

I'm not 100% sure on the new bodies but these come with title etc so anything over 20 y.o here is pretty much exempt from all RHD/impact/emission/design requirements. They just changed the rules here surrounding newer 'special interest' vehicles meaning 500 of these can be registered every year. 2010 Camaros and C6 Corvettes etc no longer require conversion...pretty cool. :seizure:


If you want to do a LSx powered PT Camaro as seen on here, the most trouble free way to get it vinn'ed and on the road is to put it on the road in NZ with it's original drivetrain, and modify it / certify it with the LSx mods afterwards.

True...I was told by a mate who does WOF's that I'd just need an engineers report and a Low Volume Cert. Sounds like homework time...Oh, an PM'd