To BEE or Not to BEE??

[Monsterzero]

I recently picked up a 1970 V code 4 spd. w/ a Dana 60 3.54 rear Super Bee. Originally, it was an FC7 (Plum Crazy) with white interior Bucket seats. It's gone through some changes and is currently a yellow driver condition car, with a non-matching, but date code correct, 440 six pack installed.
Since I do not posses the time or skills required to do the body work and restore this car, I'd probably be looking at 50-60K to have a shop fully restore it. I love how the car has been optioned out, even though it does not have the optional N96 ram air hood, but the "bee wings" hood instead.

The question is, is it worth restoring for the kind of $$$ it will cost to do it right, since it's not a numbers matching car? I am completely hung up on the issue of the motor being non-matching. Am I being too picky? Is non-matching engines the death of future potential appreciation for these cars? Thoughts & opinions welcome.

 

[daytona kid]

Resto-mod cars are a hot item right now, or so I've heard. Watch some of the Mecum or Barrett Jackson auctions. Some resto-mods sell for big bucks depending on the car's details. IMO, As for money and time invested, resto-mods can be a better investment.. And IMO, keeping the car reversible (able to go back to factory stock) is a factor as to it's future value. So I say no, you're not to picky, you're but being smart and researching. And no, a non-matching motor does not kill the car. 99% of the people who see the car won't know if it's original or not, unless you tell them. Just make it look as original as you can/or want. And you'd be surprised at how little skill is needed to restore a car, with all you can learn here and elsewhere on the net. You'd probably find you can make time to do a lot of the work on it when you find how enjoyable it is, and it is very therapeutic. Do what you can and farm out what you can't.

 

[slepr1]

Number matching anything means nothing unless the potential owner wants it that way. There are a smaller amount of purist buyers then people who just want to buy a bitchin car. Just look at all the car shows on tv and 99% of them build them custom. They wouldn't be doing that if the market didn't dictate that. Build it the way you want it but do it right. Don't cheap out on parts and don't set yourself up to do things twice.

 

[Seventy]

NO RETRO ROD V CODE!!!! SEND THAT TO ME AND ILL SEND YOU A CORONET 440, lol...


Heres the thing, semi scat pack (or super scat), vcode bee, with your color is a nice car, restored and done right, not numbers matching with no bible of papertrail, is worth around $68K. Sadly you can spend more than this restoring it, lol.. BUT there is a way to do it cheap too, (a member on here, prides him self in this and may chime in), find a shop willing to work with you, you are at the advantage of having a driver, so drive it to the shop, with a box of parts and have them do the suspension and brakes over, then drive it to an interior shop and have them do the gut, etc etc etc, and you will quickly learn the more you do the less it costs you...

OR, send me some pics, I will buy the car off of you and bring it to life then give you first option to buy it back for 15% above my costs after I own it for a year restored... (I show them 1 season and get rid of them)...

As for your car not being a fresh air car, I think that is more rare than a n96 car, I havent seen many v-code/dana cars with out fresh air!!! Do you have the fender tag?


send me pics or post them, PM me, I am interested, I have cars all done, I have a GTX 440/6, show quality, 500hp, wrapped in breathable cloth and plastic, your car and the money you were going to spend restoring it may get it to your door... also have a 69 bee same condition 4bbl car... and another gtx... OR a 70 chevelle ss , or 69 z28. PM me what documentation you have on your car and I may really want it... I have 2 vcode 70's and both are fresh air scat pack cars, one super one not., I would have one in hemi orange, lime light, and plum crazy....

 

[747mopar]

I say forget what is deemed to be correct and ask yourself what do you want? You can't sink money into something unless it's what you truely want and will enjoy. My car is extremely far from correct but I'll bet you money knowbody has more fun in their correct numbers matching car than I do and you can't compete with that. Just my 2 cents

 

[Superfreak]

Either way you chose will cost you money. Doing the work yourself will still cost you money due to mopar parts having the same perceived value as gold and most wanting to retire with the proceeds of the parts.
Good luck with your project.

 

[dla4567]

I think you just described my car. And no, the numbers don't match. I agree with Seventy, don't resto-mod a V code. And I also agree with him on value. I believe a non numbers 70 V code recently sold at one of the auctions in the mid 60's.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Any time you install a 1969 Coronet front clip onto a 70 Coronet, the value and desirability increases dramatically.

 

[69 GTX]

In the mid 80's I bought a 69 RR that had a 69 RT front end, made a lot of people scratch their head. Later I put a RR back on it when I repainted it to match the 69 RR I raced.

 

[super-bee_ski]

My 70 superbee is F1 (FY1) with Black vinyl top and the reverse C (2 hockey stripes, 1 top, 1 bottom) with a 383 and I installed a 70 Hemi
I DONT play the numbers game anymore.

Build it the way you like and drive it.