Chassis refurb and impact on price/saleability

[Grey Ghost]

I am in a position where I am able to have my chassis refurbished. Now I am fairly confident there are no real major issues as after 4 MOT's I have not had any advisory notes on the chassis but we all know there could be something hiding away when the body is lifted off.

So, if I get someone decent (probably Willow or someone similar) to lift the body, clean and rub down the chassis and outriggers, repair/replace where necessary and then repaint would it be reflected in the price I could get for the car ?

I know we all encourage people to buy on condition so I would anticipate any advert to sell the car headlined "Refurbished Chassis" would get more attention than those that haven't had this done and also allow me to be less flexible on the price I wanted.

Car is a '98 450 and in very good condition generally.

[portzi]

Its the old addage grey ghost if it's a keeper then get it refurbed. If your thinking of selling in say 2-4 years don't bother as you won't get your money back with current sale prices. I am well out of pocket with mine.

Mark

[mickh32]

It will make the car more attractive for buyers to view but probably not much of a bargaining chip.

[Bobhon]

Probably wouldn't add a lot to the price. But may help it to sell quicker.

Shows a caring owner who looks after their car.

[davelittlewood]

I'm having mine done next week,

Even if I sell it in 5 years time I took the point of view that I would sell it in better condition than I bought it.

I don't think that you can do a good job on the chassis without the body off. So many places you can't even see, never mind get to.

[portzi]

davelittlewood said:

I'm having mine done next week,

Even if I sell it in 5 years time I took the point of view that I would sell it in better condition than I bought it.

I don't think that you can do a good job on the chassis without the body off. So many places you can't even see, never mind get to.

Never had any words been more truthful, body lift is the only way to be sure all those nasty blackpool rusty bits have been condemned forever !!!!

[steve j]

I bought mine 12 months ago, it had a full chassis refurb by Willow, including wishbones etc. It came with a CD with all of the pics of the work carried out. Knowing that the car has a very good chassis is a big bonus to me and no worries about the dreaded tin worm.

[OleVix]

I suppose if you do 90% of the work yourself, it will be worth it. A full chassis job car might be worth 1-2k more. You have to consider that after you begin, things will pile on, like Ive found out:

Stainless outriggers
All new bolts suspension and body
Brakelines, hoses, fuellines, hoses
Refurbing wishbones and uprights and new bushes (pig of a job)
Diff refurb and diff bushes
heat shields in engine bay + extra shielding and sound proofing
rubber hoses engine bay
Full new carpets (found mold)
Bearings rear
steering rack gaiters and seals + PS hoses
blasting and painting of all rusty brackets
Handbrake cable
Fuel pump/filters

Then theres the new bigger front brakes(888s) and discs
And the new engine being built
Refurb alternator, starter, wires, new waterpump, serp belt, tensioner

Edited by OleVix on Thursday 12th February 22:10

[Grey Ghost]

Thanks for the input chaps, very much appreciated.

The consensus is what I thought it might be; i.e. it won't add too much value to the car but will certainly make it a more attractive option to buyers if I ever did put it up for sale. I totally agree that the body off approach is the only way to do this and that is why I will almost certainly go and talk to the team at Willow as their work is highly praised on here and the picture file provided will be a good thing to have and pass on.

The quote from Ole worries me a bit in that I am confident my car is good in most ways as I have never questioned any work recommended by Dom and his team and know it has been done and done well; rear diff bush, fuel lines etc. However, should anything be revealed that is a "nice to do whilst we are here" I know I will just say yes

I may be adding a post to the Willow chassis porn thread in a month or two....................

[OleVix]

Grey Ghost said:

Thanks for the input chaps, very much appreciated.

The consensus is what I thought it might be; i.e. it won't add too much value to the car but will certainly make it a more attractive option to buyers if I ever did put it up for sale. I totally agree that the body off approach is the only way to do this and that is why I will almost certainly go and talk to the team at Willow as their work is highly praised on here and the picture file provided will be a good thing to have and pass on.

The quote from Ole worries me a bit in that I am confident my car is good in most ways as I have never questioned any work recommended by Dom and his team and know it has been done and done well; rear diff bush, fuel lines etc. However, should anything be revealed that is a "nice to do whilst we are here" I know I will just say yes

I may be adding a post to the Willow chassis porn thread in a month or two....................

Then it wont be ready for spring!

[TWB86]

When i was looking recently i would only consider cars that had the chassis refurbished, i had done plenty of research and my feeling was that as it was a case of "when" not "if" with these cars then there was no way i could consider buying one that hadn't been done and then finding later that that £6k+ bill was now my problem! There are plenty of cars on the market with refurbished chassis so from my perspective as a buyer it was a no brainer, but that was just my approach.

However, clearly both the referb'd and the unrefurb'd cars sell eventually and not for hugely different prices so the only way you could consider it to be personally "worth it", at least financially, is if the year's you keep it for at least equal the £K's you spend refurbishing it. But then if everyone followed that line of thinking then the model would probably die out before too long so it's a good thing there is such a strong community of enthusiasts around the Chimaera where people will invest the time and money having that kind of work done for the satisfaction and interest in putting them back as they should be. So i would say that if you're of the mind to do it then do it! If it were up to me referring TVRs would be tax deductible!

T