First welcome to the site
I hope to be joining your ranks by this Saturday when I buy a 1971 429 CJ. And I'm going to need a LOT of advice so bear with me.
By the way, is there any way to verify the engine numbers on these cars without pulling the motor? The vin matches the door tag and the Marti report but I am certain that the door tag is a reproduction.
Yes the vin should be visible (unless its coated with paint then a little scrapping will fix that) and the trans vin can be reached with a hand and some Play-Do to check that one also. In either case the numbers can/could be altered by someone looking to fake the original parts
I realize this can happen during a restoration but I want to try and verify that the 429 is correct. I suppose it is always possible that someone cobbled together a 429 Mach 1 using a 351 body and messing with the vin so if there are other things to look for let me know.
What else to check for ?? Everything.Inspections should look at every possible weld, panel attachment point and seam, sheet metal and casting date. Signs of any repairs, panel replacement and fender bender. Look for every part and hole that should be there and everyone that is there that should not. Sit back and take the whole car in and it will tell you a tale - not always a complete one but there are clues to everything thing that has taken place, your task is to find them and make sense of them. Putting the car up on a lift is a big help.
Should take about 5 hours to do a fairly complete inspection unless you find something concerning and end the inspection before that point. If your not pretty up on the model or year I strongly suggest that you find someone who does (not some commercial car inspector guy) and pay them well. Its a small investment if it will save you from buying a bad car or a great comfort if you found a good one.
The car lost 22 points at an MCA judged event for things like a non autolite windshield, the wrong finish on a few parts under the hood and a non autolite coil I believe?
So the car has been judged - judging is not there top confirm the car is what it was presented as so it does not eliminate that check but if judged by competeint people the judging sheets should give you a list of some of the things noticed - just depends on who judged the car. Also it should be mentioned that a "MCA Judged event" can mean allot of different things. Was the show a National - not a regional show? Lots of differences between the two
BTW windows and windshields were not originally marked with AUTOLITE but with CarLite
Nothing was said about any other hard parts but I cannot easily verify that they are factory or reproductions I'm doing my best to educate myself.
Thanks for all the future help you give! Looking forward to getting this car.
Sounds like you have already purchased the car - at least in your head or heart, IMHO not a good situation and will not allow you to look at the deal or car honestly and rationally. Another reason to get someone else on your side in the deal
Just my opinions of course - after 40 plus years with these cars and having owned maybe 60 plus or so
Good luck, hope things work out
