If I have a car that’s a survivor

[Mopar Hunter]

These cars were daily drivers back in the day, and weren’t built to last five years.

 

[Richard Cranium]

These cars were daily drivers back in the day, and weren’t built to last five years.

It's a miracle that some have survived relatively unscathed and/or rotted.

 

[Rusty knuckles]

So... if my car had a dent in the fender 35 years ago, and I repaired and painted the fender, it disqualifies survivor status ?

Just my opinion but it wouldn't be fitting of the title "survivor" anymore under that condition. 35 years ago is early 90s when these cars were getting collected and fixed up. The dents and imperfections are part of surviving.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Just my opinion but it wouldn't be fitting of the title "survivor" anymore under that condition. 35 years ago is early 90s when these cars were getting collected and fixed up. The dents and imperfections are part of surviving.

Fair enough, but what if the panel was repaired 50+ years ago when the original owner owned it?

 

[68BabyBlue]

It's a miracle that some have survived relatively unscathed and/or rotted.

The stories that go with these specimens tend to be pretty good. I’m thinking of Harry Carson’s ‘70 GTX in particular.

 

[moparedtn]

A survivor can have some life scars.

I sure do!
Parts of me look like that dude in those Friday the 13th movies had at it...

 

[68BabyBlue]

Fair enough, but what if the panel was repaired 50+ years ago when the original owner owned it?

That puts my car in a twilight zone. All sheet metal except doors was replaced with NOS before the dealership sold it. Not a “survivor” as such, but sold as a “new” car 15 years after it was built.

 

[moparedtn]

A manufacturer produced a car....it was sold through a dealer and released into the world...
and here it now sits, exactly as it was built, showing the resultant, expected aging and usage the years have
inflicted...but still intact, just as it was when constructed.

There ya go.

 

[eldubb440]

With original metal?

cant have original paint without original metal

 

[toolmanmike]

I once thought my 66 Dart was a survivor but it's more a "unrestored original" although the engine has been rebuilt and the seats have been redone. Oh, and I added a mirror. LOL

 

[68BabyBlue]

I once thought my 66 Dart was a survivor but it's more a "unrestored original" although the engine has been rebuilt and the seats have been redone. Oh, and I added a mirror. LOL

Well maintained, never allowed to fall into disrepair, but driven daily. Baby Blue was similar. Really hard to find them in that sort of condition.

 

[toolmanmike]

Well maintained, never allowed to fall into disrepair, but driven daily. Baby Blue was similar. Really hard to find them in that sort of condition.

Yours is a beauty and has shiny paint. Mine was a true barn find. Sometime in it's history there was a accident and it has a red drivers fender. They repainted the whole car. With Lacquer! The paint is dead but looks so original. The body shop that rebuilt my lower quarters even tinted the primer to try to match the faded lacquer.

 

[Rusty knuckles]

Fair enough, but what if the panel was repaired 50+ years ago when the original owner owned it?

Maybe I guess. It's all subjective and the opinion of the owner and buyers. One thing that does drive me crazy is a car advertised as a "survivor with 1 repaint". I always think to myself, that's a disingenuous way to say it has a poor quality paint job.

 

[68BabyBlue]

Yours is a beauty and has shiny paint. Mine was a true barn find. Sometime in it's history there was a accident and it has a red drivers fender. They repainted the whole car. With Lacquer! The paint is dead but looks so original. The body shop that rebuilt my lower quarters even tinted the primer to try to match the faded lacquer.

View attachment 1684691

Reminds me of my daily driver back in the day. Picture taken in 1980. Car was well maintained, re-painted twice. Not a survivor, but not allowed to become junk either.

 

[Rebelrouser]

These cars were daily drivers back in the day, and weren’t built to last five years.

Funny the classification of a survivor today is what years ago we thought was a good candidate for a restoration. Now a good candidate for restoration needs to be left alone, and only fix up the rust buckets? Don't get me wrong a good original car that you can drive and enjoy many times is better than an expensive restoration that you are afraid of getting paint chips. I guess it is all relative, if you have enough money that getting a new paint job chipped up, and engine paint turning colors from heat, doesn't bother you then you can enjoy the restoration just as well as the survivor.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Funny the classification of a survivor today is what years ago we thought was a good candidate for a restoration. Now a good candidate for restoration needs to be left alone, and only fix up the rust buckets?

That a perfect analogy.

 

[eldubb440]

perhaps there are "degrees" or "levels" of survivor status

not a car, but this was/is close to 100% survivor

https://hosting.photobucket.com/albums/n248/eldubb440/petunia/67petunia001.jpg?width=1920&height=1080&fit=bounds]

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[WileE]

So, with some good points mentioned here, I now offer this: what is the difference in a "survivor" to a "time capsule" ? Since one may be of the opinion a survivor must have ALL original metal, paint, no repairs, etc.

 

[Runcharger]

A few years ago the definition described a certain percentage of paint be original but who knows. I don't see why the Corvette ideology should be taken as rules for the Mopar hobby anyway.
A nice car is a nice car and it's up to the owner to be happy with it or choose to change it if he feels it needs it I think.

 

[WileE]

Way on the other end of the spectrum, one may say mostly ALL our cars are survivors, in a sense... since they've survived half-century+ and still operating as they did when they rolled off the line. So, where does the needle fall on the "Survivometer" ?