Cost of shell

[snack]

Going to look at a 60's shell, body work done and primed.  Covered storage indoors for several years. No doors or bonnet.  What would be a fair price?
Steve

[94touring]

$4000 give or take is my guesstimate. 

[MiniDave]

Really? even with no doors or bonnet and still needing paint?

[94touring]

Doors and glass 5k.  But that's just what I'd charge.  Painted 8k.   I can't import a new shell for less than 8. 

[94touring]

Another thing to consider is the cost of metal work if you farm it out.  An old rusty shell is potentially a couple thousand in metal after shipping and a couple to several thousand in paid labor.   

[MPlayle]

Pictures would probably go a long way to helping narrow the range.

I also note, there is no mention of whether the boot lid is included or not.  Only that there are no doors and no bonnet.

[snack]

Thanks for the replies.  I'll get some pictures when I go to take a look. I believe the boot lid is included.

Steve

[Mudhen]

A couple years ago there was a big local auction - guy had a bunch of Minis - and a shell that sounds like you describe - included doors and hood, though.  Sold for $5k.

[snack]

So I took a ride out to look at the shell. Apparently it was stored inside a garage on pallet racking covered with a tarp and getting it  out of the garage was the first time he'd seen it in ten years.  It was definitely not what I was expecting.  The whole floor was pretty well rusted with tin worm holes.  Surface rust was starting to poke through the primer and as noted earlier no doors, bonnet or boot lid.  But you have to at least go look.  You never know what you are going to find.

Steve

[MiniDave]

I looked at this one this weekend.....floors and sills needed, but the rest is pretty good, and it does have the doors, boot lid and bonnet......

[94touring]

So I took a ride out to look at the shell. Apparently it was stored inside a garage on pallet racking covered with a tarp and getting it  out of the garage was the first time he'd seen it in ten years.  It was definitely not what I was expecting.  The whole floor was pretty well rusted with tin worm holes.  Surface rust was starting to poke through the primer and as noted earlier no doors, bonnet or boot lid.  But you have to at least go look.  You never know what you are going to find.

Steve

That's too bad.  What was he asking?

[snack]

I don't think he had thought that out after seeing the condition the shell was in himself.  He was looking for me to give him an offer.  I told him that I had bought a shell in similar condition with doors bonnet and boot lid and two engines a 850 and 1100 With floor cut out for $350.00. He started telling me his was still in pretty good shape but never told me what he thought it worth, but I got the impression he still thought he had something worth a least the value of half a new shell.

He also had some rubber bumper Midgets and a MGB sitting outside. The best Midget of the bunch was driveable and he claimed the 1500 engine had been rebuilt and was worth $1500.00 by itself.  The other Midgets he was looking for $250 a piece.  I didn't look close enough to see if they would even be worth that. 

He is trying to clear out  a lot of the stuff he has acquired over the years and may be more interested in selling lower at some point.  But for me my current project has less work needed than his shell.

[94touring]

Yeah typically shells that need a fair amount of work but aren't too bad I value them at about 1000 bucks.  The maroon car build I got for $2500, though redid a bunch of the welds but it did come with parts.  I've also been known to overpay lol.  But I can get away with it.

[94touring]

Looks like it's pending sale but Cranium has a 62 shell ready for prep n paint and a big pile of nice looking and new parts for $3750.

[MiniDave]

Cranium?

So is a rusty shell with some good parts like quarters, roof and boot area  worth say $1000? Or the cost of a strip and seal?

[94touring]

He's a member here but posted it on MM.

Hard to say.  I mean a car is only worth what someone is willing to pay.  I got that free 61 shell and sold off a few hundred in panels and parts.  Could have brought it back to life for a few thousand invested and made a few bucks more.  A half rotten shell isn't worth much to the average person.  I've tossed out the trade in idea as an incentive to bring in business.  It helps I can fix up rot boxes and come out ahead though.  My clubby is a good example of a rot box.  Who else would have bought that thing and for the money I spent?  Practically a charity buy but I know what I'll have in it and it's fine by me.