Time to Sell (or Trade?)

On March 21st, I got a call from the body shop. The body guy told me that my car was beyond financial feasibility to fix, and that I should find another car. I was heartbroken, to say the least. I feel cheated in so many ways!

I traveled to Oregon on April 13 to pick up the car. I picked up the car, parts, and was on my way home the following day.

Here's the car before I picked it up:

Here's the trip to Oregon:

I worked out a deal with Kirk Evans on a replacement body shell. It turns out the replacement body shell is a 1973 L-model, but equipped with a dual pod dash just like #1998.  We agreed to swap body shells and titles, but I had to also give him a good amount of money. I would keep my hood, but he would provide the doors and decklid, pre-fitted to the car. The car was presented in black epoxy primer, bare, and was orange originally. It was in a small crash, but Kirk really straightened it and massaged the sheetmetal to look excellent. The shell turned out, well, stay tuned and I'll continue the story.

I debated the cash I spent on the swap with multiple people. Here's a few summaries of various conversations:

• "Do it, immediately. If it's really ready for paint, it seems like a good deal." (conversation with three people, one a trusted friend who just went thru a similar issue with his car and spent too much repairing his Pantera body. Another was a Pantera owner who just spent much, much more on fixing his wrecked Pantera)
• "Be extra careful. Watch for excessive body filler. It doesn't seem like a good deal for a swap." (this is from a guy who charges tens of thousands for a restoration.)
• "Be careful, but it sounds like a good way to get out of your present situation and jump years ahead." (Trusted Pantera Vendor)
• "You're not getting a good deal. Wait for a barn find or some sucker who doesn't know the car's value and sell all of your parts. You'll be better off" (Pantera Vendor)
• "Well, you're stuck. You can jump out now but you'll never get your money out of parts and the time it takes to sell each one. You can find another car or just buckle down and spend the cash on the trade." (Restoration expert)

Stay tuned for the follow-up story of swapping car bodies and an update on parts.  I was very close to having a complete car before the body swap, but the body swap took all available cash and now I'm not as close!