FE sedan

[DAN83]

hey guys,
i cant afford anything at the moment(not even this) but is this a reasonable price for something in the condition?
im just trying to understand what things are worth
cheers.

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/HOLDEN-FE-BUSINESS-SEDAN-RARE-FE-FC-FX-FJ-FB-EK_W0QQitemZ130272615286QQcmdZViewItemQQptZAU_Cars?hash=item130272615286&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2%7C65%3A1%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318

[Johns]

Hi Dan.

It is rare and has been for sale for a while. Trouble is that to capture the value - and this assumes it is worth more than a standard or special, which is arguable - it would have to be restored (not modified) as a business sedan.

It has no running gear, the wrong interior and I assume the usual (generally extensive) rust. In short, this is a huge job and you'd really have to want to do it.

If you are simply after an FE/FC to play with and don't want a business sedan, it may be better to buy a complete car.

It's up to you, but you do get what you pay for.

Cheers
John

[mcl1959]

I agree with everything John has said - the car is rare but very few people are interested in this model especially now that a few good 217's have been found and put back on the road. This makes it even harder to attract a buyer keen on building another one.
It is on the other hand, starting to be a pretty good buy at $1200 just to turn it into a modified sedan. It's getting hard to pick up a restorable sedan now under $1000 and fate could determine that this will be where this car ends up. It's a real shame it is missing the interior and especially the rare taxi bar :-\
My current FE 217 started out like this with no interior and no taxi bar - mine is now modified and whilst it still retains the 217 ID plate, it does not rate as a collectible car anymore as a business sedan.  Doesn't really worry me too much as I have owned an original low miles FE 217 in really good nick as well as getting the FC 217 army sedan up and running.


Ken

[DAN83]

cheers guys, thats exactly the kind of responces i wanted, thankyou for your honesty(also hard to find these days)
yea, all I have in my head a resto with all original interier lowered and whitewalls, and also has to have a grey with 3 sp coloum shift.
what whould be a good price for a minimal rust sedan?
once again cheers guys!

[Johns]

That's a difficult question too Dan. Generally, but not always >:(, the more you pay the better the car should be. In most cases, you can't restore or build a car for the price of a first rate one.

As with most old cars, the primary issue with these cars is the body condition. They rust just about everywhere. The most critical area is the bottom of the A pillar and adjacent inner sills. Rusty outer sills is a give away, but they may have been repaired without fixing the inners. Rust in the front subframe in the cross member under the radiator is normal and fairly easy to fix, rust in the rear subfame legs where it joins the body is also common. Rusty floors are fairly standard and if bad can result in rusty underfloor braces. Then there's the front guard peaks near the headlights, round the front and rear screens, doglegs, bottom of the rear quarters, boot floor and of course doors themselves :P

You need to get under the car near the A pillar and carefully examine the lower guard, inner sill and A pillar, subfame and under floor cross brace. The good news is that if this is good, chances are the car will be good elsewhere.

In my experience - others may disagree - for a pretty decent car without a lot of rust $4,000 - $6,000 plus seems to be a starting point. From there it depends on what needs to be done, how original it is etc.,. Restorers will pay more for a decent original interior and original engine, modifiers don't care. Generally though, buy the best car you can afford, it will always cost less in the end.

Hope this helps
John

[CraigA]

Very nice summary John.  8)

[Geoff_K]

Guys,
I had a good look at the car yesterday.
It is an early 1956 Sydney Built Car, (Sky Grey with Taurus Red Trim)
It has been resprayed several times, and has small patches of deep rust.
The key items for an FE-217 exist: B pillars, dome light switch, extra leaf rear springs, maybe heavy duty battery carrier and ID Plate.
Missing: door pulls, taxi bar, front guard 'Holden', engine
Changed: Headlining (green FE-225 with grabs), seats, door linings, speaker grille.
Added: FE-225 front and rear screen with s/s trims, indicator accessories.
Without another donor car, the lack of 'original trim' would preclude a full restoration.
As a rebuild, it is only suitable for someone with rally good body repair skills.
It would be a much bigger job than I had with the restoration of my FE-217, but not an altogether impossible task for someone really keen.
Geoff_K

[FC427]

Geoff how much rust is in it ??? ??? ??? Thanks......FC427......