Had a '66 Lemans 326/3 speed in Earl Schieb Diamond Ice Blue with White Rallye stripes back in '84. Car was GIVEN to my by a co-worker with a major drinking problem who didn't want a DIU or neg-homicide so he was giving up driving (I'd have given up the drinking myself...).
It cost me about $80 to get it out of storage, needed a radiator, clutch, shifter, and wheels (had aluminum slotted mags that shook loose every 5 miles). Total to put the car on the road was about $200 back then. Drove it for a couple of years and traded it for a motorcycle. If the rear wheelwells hadn't been hacked out to fit over the N-50's that were on it when I got it I may have kept it longer. It got 17 mpg in town, 23 hiway, and would smoke thru 1st and most of second on 205/70-15 radials.
While I was chasing parts for the Lemans I grabbed the front seat and console with vacumn gauge from a 64 or 65 Bonneville with a dual 4bbl 421, 8-lugs, etc that was really nice, but the yard owner wouldn't sell it complete. That was back before I knew what the car was really worth. Only thing wrong with it was a skipped timing chain according to the yard owner. Damm it...
AS for the '88 Safari with the built '76 400/TH400.... I needed something with more room for the family, that would tow my boat, and had most of the creature comforts (power everything, A/C, tilt, etc). Found it on a 3rd rate car lot for $600 with a stock 400 that had a dead cylinder (was originally 307 Olds powered). Bought the hotrod 400 from another wrecking yard for $400 (found out it was fresh and WELL built after I got it home). The selling point for the Safari was the receiver hitch, electric brake controller, and air overload bags (not air shocks). Solid tow rig, that was fun to drive.
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