1970 Chevrolet Caprice

Wagon

400 V8

Automatic

Clear

Gasoline

This is a relist of this vehicle from an auction that initially ran the first week of July of this year. That winning bidder did not follow through on payment or pickup. After 73 days, my thought is that neither payment nor pickup are forthcoming, so here again is the vehicle. As an update, the vehicle was dragged outside of the barn so that a new overhead door could be installed at that end of the barn. The car has now been outside only a week, and after some rain showers, all the barn dust is now nicely rinsed off:) Other than that, no changes to the car or anything regarding the car have occurred since the last listing. Here it is, up for auction is a 1970 Chevrolet Caprice station wagon in really, really rough shape, like pound on the sides and hear rusty bits pattering down to the floor, that kind of rough. There are several reasons I am listing this car here on Ebay: I will not be expending monies to restore it, if it is even still restorable. It does not run and has not run for many years (about 1995-96), I can use the space in the barn. The main reason it is here on Ebay and not at the auto-crusher is that this is my family's original family vacation, family truckster vehicle:P My parents bought this car brandy-new in April 1970, I was born in March of 1971, this is the first car I ever rode in, from the hospital as a newborn, to home where we lived then in the state of Maryland. The car came from Gladding Chevrolet of Glen Burnie, MD, for anyone who (by some miracle) is local to that area and can remember back to then. An internet search yields that Gladding Chevrolet is in fact still there! Anyway, I know perfectly well that sentimental value is exactly, and only, that...sentimental, not financial. The pictures will verify that this car is ROUGH, my Dad kept it in the barn when we moved here to NY in 1978, and he/we used it regularly until the mid 90s or so. One day he went out to put gas in it out of a portable can, opened the fuel filler door to discover the fuel filler neck wasn't there. One of the fuel tank straps had failed, allowing the tank to settle 3 or 4 inches. I was in my mid 20s at the time, and wanted to jack up the tank and replace the strap, or fashion a strap (bubble gum and bailing wire) to get it to a garage for fix. He absolutely forbade me to mess with it, thinking there was-or soon would be-gas leaking, so nooo messing with the tank or even thinking about starting/running it to be fixed somewhere. My Dad was an extremely authoritative guy (he's in a nursing home now, severe dementia), so even when I was a grown young man, what he said went. His plan was to have someone come to him and fix it, and it was 7 years or so before his health really went downhill (2003), but he just never got around to it. By that time the car was pretty far gone, certainly beyond just replacing a tank strap, firing 'er up and driving away, and the money just wasn't there for it by me, and my mother wouldn't jump into that money pit either;) About two years ago I started seriously thinking about selling it, and, here it is. I'm embarrassed to see it look the way it does, but I know plenty of us are guilty of big plans and simply have time get away from us. I remember an old bumper sticker or T-shirt, something like that, which read "life is what happens while you're making other plans" Well, this car is a sad example of that tidbit of wisdom. Now, I know the car can't have much of any value as a car, I wondered if any motorheads out there would like to get their hands on that original 400 V8 motor, on the air cleaner cover, still barely visible is "265hp turbo-fire`", I don't know what that means, the turbo fire part, hp I understand perfectly:P It has on or about 132000 miles on it, and my Dad had it rebuilt around 70000 miles. Clear title, my parents have been the only owners, it was never wrecked, I don't think it was ever even in a fender bender or hit a deer. It had plenty of bodywork back in its running days, but that was all rust-oriented in nature. Those of us who know about having salt put on snowy roads know that it does cruel things to bodywork, that and as admitted, a damp barn (no animals) only adds insult to injury. Actually, my Dad used to hook up the hose to the hot water heater and and we would wash all the cars ourselves right through the winter, not every day mind you! For all I know how to do mechanically (which isn't much regarding cars and trucks, I can turn a wrench on mowers, chainsaws and such), I CANNOT get this motor to move. I can't turn it manually, hands on the serpentine belt, AT ALL. Brought one of my trucks around to the back side of the barn with jumpers, the car would do absolutely nothing--I knew it wasn't going to start, but if I could get it to at least crank, then I could report as such. It would not, no turning over, no cranking, no loud humming like the starter motor was rust-frozen, nothing. Nothing, except the dash lights which all came on beautifully. Talk about bittersweet, good Lord, I saw those old idiot lights glow good and strong, saw them thousands of times growing up of course, now Dad's 82 and in the veteran's home, you all know what I'm talking about. That's why it's taken two years to get here to Ebay with this old girl. So it won't even crank, one friend said maybe the starter is locked up with rust, all that copper in a damp environment. Another friend said maybe one of the wheels-in congruence with the serpentine belt-along the way is frozen up. I don't know, I DO know that the car was running the last time it went into that barn, if it is indeed seized in one way or another, it is NOT from being run/overheated without sufficient oil/coolant, etc. My dad always had oil, fluids and filters changed religiously, he was not the mechanical sort, but he WAS the "take care of your stuff and it will take care of you" sort-aside from the tank strap obviously:( Also, it doesn't roll, I tried to push it ahead with the tractor some years back, tires wouldn't turn. The inside is moldy and mildewy, pretty bad, probably every last service record is in there, my dad was a stickler for accounting and service history. One thing at least, at the very least, the barn is solid and dry regarding rain and snow, it has never been rained on while in storage. The dampness I speak of is condensation, the barn is 118 this year, when it's humid, the ground-level floors get wet. There are or should be some useable parts on this car for those restoring similar vehicles, all the glass is intact, all the seats are present and as I recall only the driver seat was coming apart notably. The original hubcaps are all there, this car even has a cargo carrier on top, and I think it is a factory original accessory, but don't quote me on that. I think it goes without saying that this vehicle is being offered AS IS, with no warranties or guarantees expressed or implied. The bottom line is this: I hate to think of the old girl in the auto crusher, but in any case I know it won't be ME who takes her! That being said, I could go on forever (already have!!) describing this and that, but in the end, as mentioned, I'm confident the only remaining value in this vehicle-if any-is in the motor. Whatever the winning bidder wants out of this vehicle is ultimately not my business, however, the winning bidder MUST TAKE THE ENTIRE CAR WITH THEM at the time of pickup, I will help in any and every way I can:) The pictures will tell the sad tale here, but hopefully one of you car-loving, Chevy-loving, challenge-loving Ebayers will see this car and say "Sign me up" :) Normal 0 0 1 90 518 4 1 636 11.1539 0 0 0 Interested bidders are encouraged to ask any questions or request additional pictures. Please read the ENTIRE item description before bidding, so that any possible confusion or misunderstanding(s) can be minimized. I cannot ship this vehicle, this auction must be LOCAL PICKUP ONLY. Please pay 10% Paypal (so I can pay Ebay's fees right off) at auction close, the rest in cash or cashier's check at time of pickup is fine, thanks for looking and Good Luck! On Jul-02-13 at 14:35:06 PDT, seller added the following information: I've had a couple of questions regarding rust, specifically undercarriage and floorpan rust, I took 7 additional pictures and they are now posted. As for my diagnosis, I went out and tapped my foot in each footwell, then thumped, then actually stomped pretty good. My foot did not go through anywhere, there was no noticeable 'give' anywhere, and I didn't hear any crispy crunches either. In the added pics you will see I rubbed on the seats in a few places, they really don't look half bad. As for underneath, I really couldn't fit under there to really look at floorpans or such, with all the tires flat, the car is obviously sitting very low, so I'm sorry but I can't comment on the visual condition of the undercarriage. The underneath pics I did get, well they certainly tell the tale of woe. It appears to me that the muffler is resting completely on the floor, whether or not it would come up with the car if the tires were all inflated, I have my doubts:P In the underneath shots, plenty of rusty little bits and pieces are visible on the floor, but the frame (remember I am NOT a mechanic or restoration expert) honestly doesn't look as bad as I thought it might. Now, I'm not changing my description, I'm still calling the car ROUGH, POOR, NOT GOOD! But maybe, just maybe, the new owner will be pleasantly surprised (just a little) regarding a few aspects of this car, when they get it home and really start looking/poking around. I hope so, in the spirit of fair trade:) On Jul-04-13 at 09:14:26 PDT, seller added the following information: IMPORTANT NOTICE: I had a question specifically involving the title for this car, and in asking my Mother who bought the car together with my Dad in April 1970, she states that they were never issued a title by the dealer or state of Maryland DMV for that car. Some research on her part indicated that cars made before 1972 are-or were-exempt from title requirements in the state of New York. When we moved here in 1978, they (my parents) simply purchased NY plates for the car, at the DMV, without a title. That being said, I honestly don't know how important this may or may not be, but I'm sorry I didn't look realize it and submit the information in the initial item description. I just found out for sure about the title matter this morning from my Mother, after I asked her about it yesterday. The winning bidder WILL RECEIVE a letter from me, signed by her, that the vehicle is hereby sold to "______" with no liens or holds, etc on the car from any source by any party, so on and so forth. She and my Dad are the only people the car has ever been registered to or insured by, and she is duly, lawfully appointed as POA for my Dad, and I am for both of them. Hope this clears up any confusion-