I make some pocket change by doing pre-purchase inspections on restored and resto-mod vehicles, often for overseas buyers. I've seen some outrageous asking prices for hotrodded Chevy pickups, but when it gets down to actual selling price, few if any of them actually sell for what the seller is asking. I test drove a 1954 Chevy 1/2 ton in Indiana that was for sale for $70K. It looked fantastic sitting on the showroom floor, with immaculate paint, new upholstery and carpet, "Ididit" steering column, custom dash gauges, air conditioning, hotrod 350 V8 engine, Turbo 350 transmission, independent front suspension, alloy 20" wheels with band-aid tires etc. Within one block of driving, I discovered a deadly dangerous flaw in the steering system- - - -every 1/2 turn of the steering wheel, the steering tried to lock up because of a too-tight bend in a steering shaft universal joint. It also had a fuel pump with a bad oil leak. I doubt if the buyer paid the asking price after he got my inspection report. A few feet away was a similar vehicle, a fully-restored 1951 3100 with all-original running gear, looking like it just rolled off the assembly line. The asking price on that one was $28K, and I'm pretty sure someone would have been better off buying it than shelling out twice as much for a dangerous to drive resto-mod.
Jerry
