Anyone near San Juan, CA, can check out a car for me?

[Dave]

Hi Guys and Girls. I am one of your Aussie members (from Castlemaine, Victoria, Australia!) and am looking at a right hand drive 40 Ford convertible that is currently for sale in San Juan, California after coming to the U.S. from Argentina. I have seen plenty of photos etc. and am happy to buy the car and send a deposit if the car is okay. I have a friend going over in 3 weeks that can pay the balance, collect and take it to his shipping yard in Long Beach. I am not in a position to get there personally.

I need someone nearby to take a quick look at the car for me, preferably in the next few days, and see that it exists and that it is okay before I send a substantial deposit! I have been told it is about a 7/10 which is fine by me but I do not want to buy a car sight unseen that ends up being a 2/10! Is there anyone near San Juan, Capistrano area that can help? Will certainly shout you some beer, nice barbecue and somewhere to stay if you ever get to Aussie in return! You can email me direct dave@kustom.net rather than PM me. Thanks in anticipation!

[zzebby]

Dave
Your post has been up for four days now and no offers??? Nobody in that area ??
I can't say for sure if I can check it and I don't know if you'll see this post in time,  but I'm flying into San Diego wed morn and then driving up to LA.  I will be going right past Capistrano and will have a camera with me.  I would have posted earlier but this just came up tonight.  Because of the short timing you should just call me on my cell, it's always on except during the flight which is only an hour so if I don't answer then try again in an hour.    If you get this after noon Calif time then I'll have driven past ................try me anyway,  I have to spend the night in LA so maybe...........depending on where I stay.
zzebby
480-225-4991

[Dave]

Thanks Zebby will try and call the cell. Yep no response so far except yours! Thought here might be a few near there!

[enjenjo]

Well Dave, I am more than willing to check it out for you if you are willing to pay gas money. It's only about 2500 miles round trip.  I promise to send lots of pictures.

[parklane]

Well Dave, I am more than willing to check it out for you if you are willing to pay gas money. It's only about 2500 miles round trip.  I promise to send lots of pictures.

Ya, and I'll go with him to keep him honest, honest!!  

[Crosley.In.AZ]

Well Dave, I am more than willing to check it out for you if you are willing to pay gas money. It's only about 2500 miles round trip.  I promise to send lots of pictures.

Ya, and I'll go with him to keep him honest, honest!!  

I'd almost pay 2 dollar to see you keep ol Frank honest...... at least inline

Frank did not say what the pictures would be of

[river1]

Well Dave, I am more than willing to check it out for you if you are willing to pay gas money. It's only about 2500 miles round trip.  I promise to send lots of pictures.

Ya, and I'll go with him to keep him honest, honest!!  

I'd almost pay 2 dollar to see you keep ol Frank honest...... at least inline

Frank did not say what the pictures would be of

as long as the grass doesn't need mowed i think we are safe. just to be safe open all pic attachments without the kids around.

later jim

[Dave]

Well thanks Frank and crew. Spoke to Zzebby on the cell before he left Az and he was going past there today and was going to try and take a look for me if he could. Waiting to here back. I have seen plenty of pictures which all looked good but it is a long way from here and a fair amount of money to outlay if it ends up being a bondo special.

[zzebby]

Well I saw the 41 conv't.  The owner was in transit to Texas so called his buddy who lived nearby to come over and show me the car.  Turns out that his buddy is a great guy and I go over to his house where he offers to sell me one of his half finished hot rods.  I'm trying reeeeaaaaal  hard to resist the temptation.
Anyway,  took lots of pics of the 41 (underneath) but stopped at work and left the camera there so will do that tomorrow.  The 41 has had rust patched but the patches are same gage steel and I would not say they are hammerwelded pro work,  but they are not gobby messes either.  The welding was oxy acet torch and my best guess is that it was with steel rod,  but everything had paint so it might have been brass,  but I doubt it.  In retrospect  I should have scraped some of it off but didn't.  There has been about 18 inch x 4 inch piece welded in the inner wheel tub on rear of both sides.  The drivers side door has a new bottom skin but you can only tell on the door jam.  The door bottom inner skin has a patch about 7 inches long right at the front of the door.  Both doors do have bondo,  but not unreasonable.  The rear tail pan has been replaced and has bondo in it but does not look shoddy.  Where it rolls under the body it is not like the original,  but you can only tell if you lay on your back on the ground.  Door alignment is  so so . About 1/4  inch gap at the top and near touching at the bottom,  but this is typical of an open car.  Was maybe 3/16  out of flush with the quarter.  The front fenders, grill and hood did not line up will but again I felt it was not serious.  None of the seams were welded or bondo'd over.  It is an original car that looks good from 6 feet away.  Up close there are some cracks in the paint and the paint does look very thick,  probably many coats.  Interior was fair to good, looked original.  but the small things were not genie type.  Generic weatherstripping,  carpet etc.  Carpet was glued down and I did not want to peel it up to check the floor.  I crawled under the car and cannot really give you an honest opinion on the body floor.  It was totally black gloss paint and I could not tell if there had been any repairs there.  It was a really bright sunny day and the black paint made it hard to see.  I guess since I could not see any welded area it must be original............but could have been black paint over undercoating.  The frame was original except for about a 2 x 2 inch area of the X that had been torched away for the exhaust to go thru.   Probably just a hurried muffler shop many years ago.
One thing that really * me off was one of the door hinges had been gas welded to the outer door skin.  I had this on a pickup recently and that is not easy to undo.  One rear fender and I think one front fender had a rust hole about the size of your little finger but it was actually on the bottom edge where the fender rolled under.  You could feel it but only see it if you laid on your back.  The top was  fair to good,  some of the snaps would not snap and of course big gaps at the windows.  (Normal for these).   The top bows were excellent and I'd assume that the top would fold down very well.  He offered to fire the  flatty, but I passed.  I wanted to check the inside of the trunk,  but every where there was carpet and it was glued down.  Chrome good.
He has all the parts to convert it to left hand drive and some extra stuff that you could sell stateside as you won't need it.
Overall I'd say it was worth the money, probably more based on a buddy that sold a 41 coupe.
Pics tomorrow if I can figure that out.  Call me if you want a verbal dissertation.  I'll be back in that area in early sept if I can help then.
I'm still struggling with his buddy's offered deal.
zzebby

[Dave]

Zzebby, thanks so much, will continue the discussion with my wife after seeing the pictures. At least I know it is real and actually exists, though the owner certainly sounds very genuine. It is a very long way for me to turn up if it was not! Right hand drive obviously suits me just fine! May call you later. PM or email me (address up in top post) if you have another number I can use instead of the cell.
Thanks again,
Dave