There are still plenty of good body shells out there for under $5K. I recently came across a guy with 20 of them stored on a farm. Keep looking and remember, as my dad always told me, old cars are like trains...if you miss one, another will come along shortly.
I bought mine (pic above) in 1983 for $1800. Restoration and 1993. Lots of fun!I hope you find what you are looking for.