I think the first step would be to call the seller and get the story on the car. For all we know the car is from out west. Convertibles tend to have survived better here as they weren't practical in the winter and often got stored.
Hi guys, all good points and that was kinda my thought too that if anything was taken off the road in the winter it would be a convertible. I know my previous 68 convertible and spent it's whole life in Medicine Hat AB, where I'm sure it's not as bad as the East Coast but I understand it was garaged it's whole life.
I do have the luxury of time, but now that I have sold my other car I'm itching to buy something even though I should slow down and really take my time. I can't say it's the "only" car I'm looking for but I do really like the 68-69 Beaumonts / Chevelles, and you are correct that not a lot of convertibles around in either of those models.
As an aside I just received a transport quote from TFX for the transport and it was quite at bit less at $3470 door to door with full insurance etc., $700 less than the smaller outfit on an open deck...a no brainer there.
As a point of interest I noticed the fellow with the 68 from the original discussion is still selling his and raised asking back up to $26,900, presumably to give room to move?
"1969 Chevrolet Malibu convertible soft top (power) Candy apple red with matching red interior (buckets - floor shift) Automatic - 4 speed street fighter transmission 10 bolt rear end 496 ci professional build engine (stroked 454) over $20 K build. Dyno at 557 HP. Front tires: 215/70 R15 Rear tires: 255/60 R15 (BF Goodrich Radial T/A's) Front disc Rear drum Glove box stereo sound system/car alarm Power top, power steering, power brakes with additional electric boost operate flawlessly Paint and interior immaculate, tons of extra chrome goodies. Folder of receipts for much of the recent work. Sorry, not interested in trades and please I do NOT need assistance with selling. Serious BUYERS only please. Phone only please. 604 209 3376 Asking: $45,000"
"For those who wanted to know what my bottom line would be there it is at 33000. Final reduction before winter storage in 7 days. Then will be back up for sale again next spring at 40K. Unless US prices spike up again then maybe 50K. Best priced restored convertible GTO in either Canada or US. Rare opportunity to own one of these iconic cars at way below market value. Real deal 242 GTO restored at the Guild of Automotive Restorers in Toronto. The same people who do the television shows Restoration Garage and The Guild on Discovery Velocity channel. Done 20 years ago and tons of money spent with full documentation binder of the work and bills on the car. Plus PHS documentation as well. Car is now again showing some age with minor flaws, but is still a nice condition driver, Stunning Palladium silver paint nicely done in the car's original color. Great condition black interior. Period correct 69 GTO YS400 motor with lots of torque and power with a turbo 400 auto transmission. Non numbers. 355 Posi rear end, hood tach, rear wing and factory 15 inch PMD wheels. No trades, internet offers, low ballers or dreamers. SERIOUS BUYERS ONLY. Rare chance to buy a real GTO ragtop at a once in a lifetime price. US market is sky rocketing these cars at above 50K US and continue to climb making it impossible for the average Joe to afford one. Check Ebay and you'll see. And if you have been seriously looking you already know this. Don't waste what may be a last opportunity to own the iconic 1969 GTO. This car does exactly what it was designed to do and garner lots of attention, admiration, adrenalin, pride and smiles. It is an absolute blast to own and drive this car. Which will only increase in value over time. If you want to know more about the car and more specific pictures please leave a phone number for a reply. No phone number. No reply."
Not exactly what you were looking for, but I thought this GTO clone with 428 tri power and 4-speed was kinda neat. Still expensive at $35,000 (all these high prices make the NS Beaumont look even better...), but looks like the work is done with drivetrain and disk brake upgrades.
428 6 pack, 4 speed. power top, power windows, power seats. new rims and tires. upgraded to front disc brakes. excellent interior. car shows very well.
"1969 Buick GS 400 convertible for sale. 400 V-8 w/Ram Air. Newer top. Power brakes, steering, windows and convertible top. Owned since 2003. Solid car - not a show car but a solid summer cruiser. Have original bill of sale from 1969 also. Appriased at 20k in 2015, asking 14000.00 FIRM."
"1968 Chevrolet Malibu convertible Maroon Body and paint fully restored No rust or dents on the car New brakes Floors are in good condition Original black front bench seat with no rips or tears After market steering wheel & column mounted shifter Gauges and dash pad in good condition AM-FM radio Big block Chevrolet 8 cylinder, 468 cubic inches, large CFM Holley 4 BBL, mated to a rebuilt Turbo 400 automatic transmission Motor has been re-built and runs smooth and smoke free Factory dual exhaust with free flowing mufflers and tailpipes and tub exhaust headers Light tinted original scratch/crack free windows New black top - power mechanism and motor works as it should Blackwell BFG, 225/70 (front and rear) tires - wheels are 15x7 polished aluminum with 90% tread $32,500 OBO
Thanks for all the posts MC! The 69 red Chevelle has been listed for a while and is less than an hour away. I love it but about $15K more than I want to spend, if he swapped out for a mild small block and dropped price $10K I might even consider it. I've seen the 68 Chevelle too and I could have sworn it was $35,000, so maybe negotiating room, but it's quite far away too.
Regardless thanks for doing some digging for me, very nice of you! It's my normal evening pastime these days!
I need to find some time to phone about the NS 69, so busy at work these days I'm not usually leaving office till 5:30 at earliest and don't want to be phoning after 9:30 their time. Maybe find some time during lunch?
Thanks for all the posts MC! The 69 red Chevelle has been listed for a while and is less than an hour away. I love it but about $15K more than I want to spend, if he swapped out for a mild small block and dropped price $10K I might even consider it. I've seen the 68 Chevelle too and I could have sworn it was $35,000, so maybe negotiating room, but it's quite far away too.
Regardless thanks for doing some digging for me, very nice of you! It's my normal evening pastime these days!
I need to find some time to phone about the NS 69, so busy at work these days I'm not usually leaving office till 5:30 at earliest and don't want to be phoning after 9:30 their time. Maybe find some time during lunch?
I'd concentrate on the Beaumont (Canadian).
Mark is always trying to spend other people's money.
Hey Mark got any more Canadian '64s lined-up on the east coast for me?
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Prince Edward Island
'64 Parisienne CS "barn find" - last on the road in '86 ... Owner Protection Plan booklet, original paint, original near-mint aqua interior, original aqua GM floor mats, original 283, factory posi, and original rust.
Thanks for all the posts MC! The 69 red Chevelle has been listed for a while and is less than an hour away. I love it but about $15K more than I want to spend, if he swapped out for a mild small block and dropped price $10K I might even consider it. I've seen the 68 Chevelle too and I could have sworn it was $35,000, so maybe negotiating room, but it's quite far away too.
Regardless thanks for doing some digging for me, very nice of you! It's my normal evening pastime these days!
I need to find some time to phone about the NS 69, so busy at work these days I'm not usually leaving office till 5:30 at earliest and don't want to be phoning after 9:30 their time. Maybe find some time during lunch?
I figured you would already have seen everything in your interest range. I was curious myself, and actually found more A-body convertibles than I thought I would. I only posted the choicest ones.
Good luck with your decision. I'm off to Toronto for a week, probably won't be online much, so maybe I'll be able to read what you've decided when I'm back.
Regarding phoning him - maybe reply to his ad asking when is the best time to call. You never know he may do shift work or something.
Thanks for all the posts MC! The 69 red Chevelle has been listed for a while and is less than an hour away. I love it but about $15K more than I want to spend, if he swapped out for a mild small block and dropped price $10K I might even consider it. I've seen the 68 Chevelle too and I could have sworn it was $35,000, so maybe negotiating room, but it's quite far away too.
Regardless thanks for doing some digging for me, very nice of you! It's my normal evening pastime these days!
I need to find some time to phone about the NS 69, so busy at work these days I'm not usually leaving office till 5:30 at earliest and don't want to be phoning after 9:30 their time. Maybe find some time during lunch?
I'd concentrate on the Beaumont (Canadian).
Mark is always trying to spend other people's money.
Hey Mark got any more Canadian '64s lined-up on the east coast for me?
LOL... Darryl, you mistake my willingness to help for wanting to spend your money!
And no, I haven't seen any 'new' '64s, but I'm always looking...
69 chevelle convertible 350 4 bolt main 5 speed manual transmission all new brakes front and rear all new body panels email or call after 6pm weekdays 1 902 384 2885
Finally connected with 69 Beaumont owner from NS. He's the 3rd owner and previous owner did bodywork and paint and he figured it was some time in the 1990's! but still shines nice and felt it would be drivers quality. Of course those are subjective comments as everyones opinion is a bit different. He said there's no rust and he didn't think it was ever in an accident, though said quarters were replaced and work was done on drivers door. He also stated previous owner installed a refreshed 327, and then he replace PG with a turbo 350, all positives. I asked him to send pics, and is going to send more tomorrow. I've uploaded those received for any comment as I'm certainly no body guy but noticed a few items of concern. I'm trying to be respectful in case he happens to see the posts someday.
I can see a couple patches at the wheel tub, and the seam at the inner and outer wheel tub looks a little 'rough'? He stated passenger side untouched but no picture
Looks like some rust or ? in the seam at top of pic?
Looks like quite a bit of 'mud' at bottom corner and a crack in it?
I mentioned it was hard to see thru all the undercoating and he said floors and frame were good. Is it me or does undercoating look very recent?
Looks like it was sprayed with used oil, a real mess to work around. I don't mind that on a crappy old daily driver/winter beater, but not on a vehicle not being driven in the winter. That door repair is scary as well as the lip rust. I'm with Todd.
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63 Parisienne sport coupe (The Big GTO), black, maroon interior, 409 4 speed; former owner of a 59 El Camino, 63 Corvette SWC, 62 Chev Bel Air SC. 1963- Pontiac top selling car in Canada
Mahone Bay, NS Still not old enough to need an automatic
Thanks guys for the honest opinions, that was my first initial thought when I opened the pics but then second guessed myself if I was being too picky. And yes Todd, those issues would drive me nuts too!
I agree with Todd's and Don's comments. The current owner is probably telling you all he knows about it since the work was done by a previous owner. You'd almost have to have pics from while the repair was in progress to know what was actually done.
If the undercoating is lighter oil product that doesn't skin over then it probably will look wet for a long time. For example, it's been over a year since I've applied Krown to my vehicles and they still look wet. The undercoating on this Beaumont looks thick enough to be able to hide any rust issues or frame repairs, and almost impossible to know for sure unless you start removing undercoating. A dirty process that I'm sure the seller wouldn't agree to.
I'm often frustrated when cars are being sold with the claim of "no rust", but have obviously had rust repair. For me, "no rust" means original panels that have never been rusted, but others may think it has no rust because it's been repaired. IMHO you can never correctly claim that the vehicle has no rust in this situation without at least qualifying that it has had repairs (which this seller has done). I would be more lenient on my opinion if the car has had a frame-off rotisserie restoration where everything has been stripped and bad panels replaced, however. As you said, opinions vary widely within the hobby, and I think in general people try to make their cars sound better when they are trying to sell them, which is why I tend to err on the side of caution.
From the pics you posted, it looks like the trunk was patched and then the patches were painted over. Looks a little shoddy IMHO, but I do recall that people were a little less fussy about that sort of thing years ago when replacement panels were not readily available. Nowadays, it would be more likely that they would just replace the trunk pan rather than weld patches over it.
The door/quarter area scares me the most. It looks like there is a lot of fill in there, and it's cracking now. Convertible bodies will flex more than others, I realize, but regardless the cracking is not ever going to look any better - more likely it will continue to look worse. If the fill starts falling out or bleeding rust you are going to be in for more bodywork and paint.
The info you gave supports my comments about the trim. I would guess that when the quarters were replaced that the decision was made to not drill holes and replace the trim. Who knows, it might have had fenders replaced with Chevelle parts or something as well.
I'm curious if he gave you any data tag info - just wondering if it is the original colour, etc. More just out of curiosity than anything else, though.
Either way, I think you are making a good decision to pass on it. Good luck with your search - I hope you find what you are looking for. It wouldn't hurt to keep nagging the person you sold your old car to - he may have a change of heart in the future...
wants to spend. 
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