125" Altered

I don't know if this is the place to ask about this or not, If not I'm sorry.
I am going to look at a chrome molly hard tail altered tomorrow, it was built and certified in 1999. It has never been completed, it comes with the 23T body and nose, chute, fuel cell, wheelie bar, Mopar engine plates, wheels and tires and a 9 inch with Willwood brakes and master rear only.

My home track tech inspector did the cert on it in 99 and spoke highly of the shop that built it.

My question is what is a reasonable price for it?

How complete is it?

What will it recert too without mods, the rules have changed a lot since it's last cert

The builder of the car remembered it as a car that was built to be a fuel altered, I have no way of knowing if this is factual at all.
The guy that owns it now bought it from the original owners estate, and doesn't know much about the car. He thinks because it's never been run that makes it more valuable I disagree. He was also calling it a slingshot dragster.
The guy that did the chassis certification on it in 1999,  he is my home track tech man and did the cert on all of the cars that were built at that shop. He said they built very nice cars. I sent him some pictures and he said he didn't see anything that would need to be changed for a 7.50 certification " />

Assuming the car will cert to 7.50.....

What are you going to use for a powerplant ??
How serious a player will it be ??

The reason I'm asking is...my 555 ( 940hp or so ) in my old piperack ( 1900lbs) would go 7.51 - 7.53 at will..
Might want to see what it needs for an Advanced ET tag....

Well I went and took a look at it, it's exactly as pictured it's a brand new 15 year old car, tires are 15 years old brand new but I wouldn't run them.
The center section is just an old single rib 9" with a big pinion retainer with unknown ratio or spline count. Needs pretty much everything but body, tin work and the chassis. He wants to sell the car to pick up a 69 Mach I, I asked him what his bottom dollar was and he told me $6500 I said I'm not paying that much for it I offered him $4000 and he declined. Talked to him a while longer and asked what he was into it for, he says $4000. I told him I thought he paid a fair price for what it is.  I thanked him for his time and my search continues. I kind of wonder if it's not going to sink in, in a couple days that he can get out of it and not be out anything.  Maybe my phone will ring if not oh well.

QtrWarrior wrote:Assuming the car will cert to 7.50.....

What are you going to use for a powerplant ??
How serious a player will it be ??

The reason I'm asking is...my 555 ( 940hp or so ) in my old piperack ( 1900lbs) would go 7.51 - 7.53 at will..
Might want to see what it needs for an Advanced ET tag....

I'd be good with 8.50s at least to start with. I don't know how big it will be, all I have so far is a 4 bolt block and a set of SCJB heads. I'm pretty sure I'll send the heads to R.M. Competition for the cnc porting and valve job.
I don't know what the chassis weighs but you can one hand the front up with the bare chassis and wheels.

I said above the builder told me it was to be a fuel altered but there is no way it had plates for a 440 and a 727. So it was a mopar guys wet dream.

As part of the deal I would ask that he get it certified.  If it certs, you repay him for it on top of sales price for it.  If it won't cert, ....you walk away and he eats the attempted cert cost.  

Even though it's new, the age really hurts the value.   As it is incomplete I would be hard pressed to give more than $3000.  You WILL spend thousands not counting engine before it ever moves under it's own power.

A simple way to tell if it will go more than 7.50 is look at the top rail were the front cage bar ties into it
There should be some rosette welds, because it should have a sleeve welded inside the top rail.

since it has no suspension it is worth more if it hasn't been run. Dragsters and cars that rely on the pipe as a suspension wear out the more runs they have on them. but like David says it is older....  probably a wash.  

id rather buy a 3-4 year old dragster that's new,  that needed updates than a current year one with 350 runs on it....  just my preference.  theres a limit though, if its cheaper to just build a new chassis..   do some inquiries   call around ask the price of a new altered.

You can buy a complete new one ( just chassis ) no body mounted or engine for 8-9K

any updates???