Advice Needed! '88 Victoria Restoration

[GJustus]

I've been stalking these boards for a while and finally joined today since I'm on the verge of being a proud hearse owner!
Here's my dilemma - the purchase of this beautiful 1988 S&S Victoria will be finalized on Monday and I'm going to be knee deep in some rusty mess. Rear bumper, rocker panels behind the second doors, bottom edge of all doors, and paint bubbling in various spots. Windshield cracked and vinyl top tears as well. But the interior and extend table suckered me into buying it. No dents in any of the body panels and where the paint isn't rusty, it still shines.

I'd love to find someone here who has taken on restoring one of these and can lend some helpful advice and tips. I was originally told not to even try saving this car but I can't say no. The pics of the table and full body are not recent.

Thanks!

[Guest]

it looked perfect until picture number 3!

If that is a commercial glass windshield, it will run you about $500 to replace. It looks to me like it is, based on the corner. the part you need is DW-881 and is available from pilkington classics. you will need to contact a professional glass company with access to a warehouse and have them place the order. pilkington does not ship to residential addresses.

i can't really help you much on the rust. hope you're getting this one for a good deal.

[GJustus]

Yeah, the first two are what I got when I signed the contract. The others I snapped yesterday when I finally saw it in person. Thanks for the glass info! I think it was one of your threads I was browsing earlier today about using lexan. I might go that route temporarily.

I'm paying 500 bucks for this car, which I think is a fair deal.

[Guest]

yeah that sounds decent.

[60Crown]

That coach has definitely spent time up north or near salt water. Do you know the area where the coach originally served?

Can probably source a bumper in NC. Many here have restoration experience. Tricky part can be knowing when to stop on a coach like this. '80s Victorias are commonplace and FWD models (of any type) really have never caught on from a collector standpoint. Unless doing all the work yourself, you can easily surpass spending several thousand more than it's worth. $500 purchase is fair. Already closer to $1500 once windshield, installation and rear bumper are figured in though noninclusive of any rot repair nor paint. For $2k-2500 a really clean sharp original Victoria can be located.

Extend table is a nice option.

[GJustus]

I was told the car was taken in on trade from a rural funeral home in northwest Missouri, but it has been sitting in a back lot for about 6 years.
I'm fortunate to have an in-house auto customizer who has a metal fabricator on payroll. So I'll be saving a lot of $$ with that. I'm not looking to own a show car, so it'll probably be cruising around with primer patches for a while. As long as we can stop the rust and the 4100 doesn't give us too much grief (and I would certainly rather have a RWD but it is what it is) I think I can have fun with it.

There were at least three other '80s Victorias at the same location but they all had issues and not nearly as pretty inside.