[wayner]

About 15 years ago when old 911s were just old, my circle of friends all agreed that an old 911 is only worth what the motor is worth.

The reasoning was that a rebuild was in the $10k ballpark and a used motor in good condition was worth about $5k. An old unloved 911 was worth at least $5-$10 we reasoned, so we bought them before they were called long hoods.

With other assorted parts, Maybe you have a $5k car without doing any work?

A tranny rebuild is $4k-$7k, so if yours is good you may be 2/3rd of the way to owning a nice $15k car without having spent that much?

Meanwhile a mid year roller ( and even some SCs are $5k shells or less.

If your car is me mechanically sound, $5k for a new shell can save you thousands of hours and dollars.

As you explore your chassis keep that option on the back burner in case you discover the worst.