Posted on 09/25/2017 5:20:04 PM PDT by mdittmar
Any Freeper have info on Insuring a Classic Car?
1979 El Camino.
I love the type like yours. My favorite body style out most Chevrolet trucks. Any photos would be great.
Mine is a 79 and I’d love to pull a full body restoration but I’m just one guy and have to accommodate a job, spouse, 11 year old GSD, and some bouts of aggravating periodically occurring health problems.
The 79 had been sitting in a barn before I ran across it.
My plan is to get it cleaned up as best I can and knock down as much rust as possible. I know I won’t get it all. Maybe one day it will see a body shop for a real paint job and the sheet metal stuff that I’m not really versed in.
I’d frame off restore my CJs before I’d do it to the blazer.
No matter what I plan on keeping the K5. I can fix 95% of the problems myself. 350 V8s and TH350 transmissions are plentiful enough and would replace both if either failed.
It has full time 4WD though.
I’ve got the hood, fenders, and bumpers off. The fenderwells were so eaten up.
There is a slight bit of lifter chatter on startup on one cylinder but shuts up.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VeqaLcAElp0&t=6s
I’m rebuilding my smugmug photo/video galleries and have a few K5 photos there. There are plenty more.
This is info from 35 years ago when I bought a fairly rare antique car (1953 Morgan), but you used to be able to get what was called a “stated value” policy. (Back then we just had primarily local automobile insurers.) The main issue was that you had to get an appraisal of the vehicle acceptable to the insurer which backs the value. In my case, the insurance company accepted an “appraisal” from a British vintage car dealer in L.A. who bought and sold Morgans and other British cars. I put appraisal in quotes because he actually did not see the car first-hand, but the prior owner who sold me the car had done a ground up restoration and made a good record of exactly what had been done including a number of photographs. The review of that documentation in connection with giving the opinion of value was deemed sufficient to support the appraisal. To further support the appraisal, I had the car viewed by the local Rolls Royce dealer who was also an antique British car buff, and in a letter to the insurance company he concurred with the value stated in the appraisal.
It might be easier in your case because there are probably more of your make of car bought and sold so there is a better “market” from which to derive a value. The starting point for pricing collector American cars is Hemmings Motor News which keeps track of sales. The insurer might accept the Hemmings price (although I really don’t know how accurate the Hemmings prices are). (In my case there were only 53 of the specific type of Morgan originally made, so the rarity of the car made it more difficult to value.)
just a few examples
https://www.nationwide.com/cps/affinity-classic-car.htm
https://www.hagerty.com/Insurance/classic-car-insurance-ppc
http://www.classicins.com/lpg/classic-auto-insurance
https://americancollectors.com/
Bump for later. ‘69 Mustang.
I use Condon-Skelly and currently have three cars insured with them. They are reasonably priced and you can choose the amount of miles you want to drive annually. I have a $2500.00 deductible on each car, this saves around 30% on the premiums. They do have a requirement that the cars be stored in a locked garage. I suggest getting an appraisal on the cars value and sending it in with your application.
I drove up to Bend, Oregon to pick up this 69.
The guy who had this vehicle was a hunter who would go off into the woods
for weeks. He had added extra gas tanks and a water tank in the back.
When something would break down he would improvise and make whatever
parts he had work. I tried to work on rear differential myself but hit a
massive wall. The guy i took it to said it had parts from all sorts of
different vehicles. Had to have it completely rebuilt. I too have been
working on it myself but 2 years later I was still working on it. My uncle
has a 68 camero he’s been working on for 20 years. I didn’t want that
to happen to me. I want to enjoy this blazer with my 12 year old
daughter. So i worked many extra hours and saved and saved until I had
enough to take it to my local classic body shop. That was 6 months ago.
I use Haggarity. as well. There newsletter has a lot of interesting articles for those interested in old cars.
What ever you do, never have your average car insurance company cover your classic car!!!!! I know a guy who use his average car insurance co, had an accident.....called the agent......agent turn things over to the company adjusters.....adjusters looked up blue book value of 35 year old car.....here ya go car owner $2500, don't spend it all in one place, now give us the classic car.....my buddy had to fight for weeks to get them to agree his car was a classic & worth over 40K. The adjusters were trying to slickly get their hands on a classic car. As if the car owner would be stupid enough to give up his classic. Only go with true classic insurance!!!! Classic ins co will give you a contract, with an agreed value for your baby.
I have a 1965 Chrysler New Yorker with less than 5,000 miles on it. My father gave it to my mother as a Christmas gift, although she bare drove. It was willed to her five grandsons, but I’m stuck storing it in my barn in low humidity Nevada.
BTW, join “GOODGUYS Car club.” Their monthly magazine has good ads for parts and ads for classic car insurance.
When you insure a classic car its really just how much money you want to give them. If you drive it a lot and if you want a small deductible you will pay a lot. It doesn’t matter too much what the value is. If you move the value up, your premium will go up a lot. And there are lots of exclusions. So get your insurance, but only get what you really need. And take care of your car. Even if you have the insurance you don’t really want to use it.
You and your daughter will enjoy that K5 for many years. I’m happy for you both.
I know about those decades long jobs that never end. A friend or two of mine have had them.
The Jeeps and K5 are slow go but they are all at the point where they need the pricey and somewhat labor intensive stuff.
One of the jeeps and K5 live about 3 miles away at building owned by the inlaws that let me use it as a shop. It’s full of junk but rent free and right around the corner from the local PD. There are other places right there that know FIL really well and kind of know me so there is another plus.
My 65 Willys lives at home if for no other reason there is something in the carport. My Tacoma is too big along with the wife’s Camry.
The Willys will go out to that building maybe in the winter to tackle the worn out steering box, lift kit, and brake system.
I took it for a spin to that building and back. It was a thrill ride of sorts. Willys wobble is no fun.
A blazer was something I always wanted but never happened for a lot of reasons. Some of them were actually practical.
This week I will do some electrical testing, swap out fuses and see if I can get the AC compressor to engage.
If I can’t, the AC will probably get removed eventually.
It’s been way too long, but many years ago, I remember selling a bunch of GM A/C fuses. It was not a normal fuse, it seems like it was about 1 1/2” long black rectangle.
bookmarked
Me too ;’}
AC is an area I’ve never been that strong in.
Between meters, test light, wiring diagrams, and some testing, I’ll see.
It wouldn’t surprise me if there was an oddball fuse like that in the system.
Thanks for the tip.
If State Farm agrees to insure, you will need photos of the car inside and out to substantiate the agreed value to get an antique/ classic policy. Otherwise you are regular private passenger with a actual cash value that is nothing
ooh a 65 willys. Love those. Theres one about 2 miles from my house. Its been sitting in a driveway for a couple years now, beckoning to me. Ive been meaning to stop by and see if the owner has any interest in parting with it. Id love to see a picture of your 65.
Im really looking forward to jumping in the Blazer and taking my daughter up to the mountains for some fishing and kayaking. It’s the reason why i decided to bite the bullet and just get the thing done. I want to spend some time with my girl before its not cool to hang with the old man anymore.
He bought the wrong policy. One must by the special policies for classic cars....they exist. They are expensive but if you are driving it around its worth it
It’s been a long works in progress. One step forward and several back.
I’ve re-wired and upgraded the electrical system, made a 2 bbl Weber finally work, and added an electronic distributor which made such huge difference.
I will adding photos to this gallery. Every so often fodder to youtube like the ones below.
https://cjneil82.smugmug.com/1965-Willys-CJ5-Project/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wWduXkfuXA8&t=4s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4kDxBvvf3w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FMkyAphF7M
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