Ok, I know, it's worth whatever I'm willing to pay.
Anyway, I went and had a look at a late 40's M yesterday.
The good:
It's relatively complete. Has rear wheel weights still, and running gear is all there. The rad looks decent still, though I have no idea if it will hold any liquid. Has a halfway decent (only a few small dents) grille that would replace the 420 grille on my M. He apparently has some "new" manifolds. Front end is complete, cast wheels, and original cast hub caps. One rear tire is good, and there's some kind of other spare rear.
The bad:
It's tough. No paint left, 3 ROTTEN tires. Engine stuck, manifolds rotted out. Throttle broke off. Rotten along bottom of both fenders. Both lights are rotten and/or wrecked. I'd assume the starter and generator are not much good anymore either. Electrical most likely pooched. Has some kind of cobbled together seat. No filler neck on the tank, tank is likely rotten.
The ugly:
The whole thing.
Apparently it pulled a trailer and was used for plowing snow. After that, it sat outside for at least 10 years. This guy picked it up thinking he would restore it. I think he's starting to realize that by the time he restores it, he could have bought a nice one cheaper. He had it listed up for $900. I offered him $400. Scrap value, after transport is next to nothing, not that I'd consider scrapping it, but it's a factor in figuring out what it's worth.
My thinking is, I'll take the parts I need off of it, dismantle the rest and put away for spare parts for my M. The stuff I need for now is the front grill and some rear axle parts.
So, what would you guys say it's worth? I'm saying not more than $500. I paid $1500 for mine, running nice, but cosmetically a bit tough and some 420 parts instead of M parts. Others around here are listed from about $2500-$3000. Nice ones from $5000-$7000.
Anyway, I went and had a look at a late 40's M yesterday.
The good:
It's relatively complete. Has rear wheel weights still, and running gear is all there. The rad looks decent still, though I have no idea if it will hold any liquid. Has a halfway decent (only a few small dents) grille that would replace the 420 grille on my M. He apparently has some "new" manifolds. Front end is complete, cast wheels, and original cast hub caps. One rear tire is good, and there's some kind of other spare rear.
The bad:
It's tough. No paint left, 3 ROTTEN tires. Engine stuck, manifolds rotted out. Throttle broke off. Rotten along bottom of both fenders. Both lights are rotten and/or wrecked. I'd assume the starter and generator are not much good anymore either. Electrical most likely pooched. Has some kind of cobbled together seat. No filler neck on the tank, tank is likely rotten.
The ugly:
The whole thing.
Apparently it pulled a trailer and was used for plowing snow. After that, it sat outside for at least 10 years. This guy picked it up thinking he would restore it. I think he's starting to realize that by the time he restores it, he could have bought a nice one cheaper. He had it listed up for $900. I offered him $400. Scrap value, after transport is next to nothing, not that I'd consider scrapping it, but it's a factor in figuring out what it's worth.
My thinking is, I'll take the parts I need off of it, dismantle the rest and put away for spare parts for my M. The stuff I need for now is the front grill and some rear axle parts.
So, what would you guys say it's worth? I'm saying not more than $500. I paid $1500 for mine, running nice, but cosmetically a bit tough and some 420 parts instead of M parts. Others around here are listed from about $2500-$3000. Nice ones from $5000-$7000.