To What Level of Restoration insanity

[KiwiKid72]

I suppose it depends on the person. After all, it's for their enjoyment. Some will spend megabucks to get their vehicle to their idea of perfect, just so the car can sit in a shed for decades simply for the owner's viewing pleasure. Good on them.

I like the idea of young folk getting their first car that has patina paint, worn out seats, carpet, headlining etc, and just driving it because they love it. Good on them.

Some will go Mad Max. Good on them.

My 1972 Satellite is completely stock except for the paint. With 318, bench seat, ice-cream stains (I hope) on the back seat, worn carpet, crack in the dash, a rip in the headlining and that funky smell of 1972. I love it. These are all easy fixes but I like the originality of it and none of that takes away from my driving experience...it adds to it if anything.

 

[dadsbee]

Some will have a child die and spend 4+ years hiding in their shop, put over 2500 hours into a car to make it damn near perfect and they'll name the car Therapy. Then they'll run the **** out of it just like they did when they were 17, gravel road and all. That'd be me... call me DILLIGAF!

 

[Budnicks]

I'm day 2 all the way now...
& I have to confess
I'm a drag racer at heart still since day 1 getting my permit...
I did the OE route too, I respect those that do it, if they enjoy it
I didn't get much enjoyment out of it or use...
But that's just me
&
To me personally, unless it's 'a real survivor' of some rare car
low production #s, a Hemi or a 6bbl/Six Pack, a factory lightweight
or a real Hemi Dart or Hemi 'cuda, a T/A or an AAR etc., then leave it alone...

But if it blows your skirt up to cut on one of them
it's yours not mine, I have no problems with it...
I won't judge you...

otherwise;
I say do with it what you will
it's your car, it's only a car

I know some will disagree, but that's my true feelings

some stuff people do
I don't like, but again it's not mine...

most the stuff I do now
can easily be turned back to org.
if I wanted to or the next person/owner in line
that IF/when they own it, could easily do so too...

I build mine for me, not the masses...

Very few cars are don't touch them in my mind...
I still relish the days when they were just used cars
people had fun with them & didn't worry about
"some number stamp on a part or every part"

IMO; in today's market, quality professionally done resto-mods,
are selling for as much
if not more $$$, than #s matching stuff
&
if it's done professionally or tastefully at a min.
& using great quality/skilled labor or great quality parts...

If it makes you happy go for it...

They are only original once, once restored 'it's not, it's been restored',
it is no longer how it left the factory...
But that's OK too...
To each their own...
I won't judge you negatively...

Good luck
& have fun... or why even do it ?

 

[Don selleck]

Car went to the Glimore for a year and Justin sold it...
View attachment 1457624

Talked to him, his wife, and mother while it was there, he seemed a little stressed for what most people exhibit, but way nice people, and an extremely nice car

 

[dadsbee]

Talked to him, his wife, and mother while it was there, he seemed a little stressed for what most people exhibit, but way nice people, and an extremely nice car

You're talking when it was "reviled" at MCACN in Chicago? It then spent a year + at the Gilmore Museum in Michigan on display and then Justin sold it.

 

[Black_Sheep]

I like mildly modified with a stock vibe. I'm sure self-appointed Mopar experts could pick it apart, but I don't care. I'm still having fun...

 

[Don selleck]

You're talking when it was "reviled" at MCACN in Chicago? It then spent a year + at the Gilmore Museum in Michigan on display and then Justin sold it.

At gilmore at the red barn event

 

[YoungGun87]

The main reason I prefer original parts over repopped ones is the difference between Made in the USA with better quality materials vs. Outsourced to China with inferior quality materials. As far as restoring one, unless it's some super rare 1 of 100 or less (as others have mentioned) then it wouldn't be worth it, imo, to make sure every single part has the correct QC paint markings and what not on it for a 10,000 point resto unless some people just have the means or enjoy doing it. That being said, I do like to have as much originality as possible with some modern upgrades where it matters (suspension/gauges/wiring). I couldn't see spending 10's of thousands of dollars restoring a vehicle only to throw 40 year old wiring back in it.

 

[68BabyBlue]

I'm a product of my age on this one. I had just turned driving age when my '69 GTX was a brand new car. I test drove it when it was almost two years old and had 17,000 miles on the odometer, two PA winters behind it. The first GTX I bought at age 24 was a completely stock, original paint, 72000 mile car, not perfect, but still nice. This is still the way I like them - not OEM concours, but the way they really were, when I drove them for the first time. Stock, no modifications, but not perfect. I am really glad the previous owners of the Demonstrator didn't detail the undercarriage correctly. I will be driving it to Carlisle this summer, I've never owned a car trailer.

 

[gtx6970]

Yep, like I said in post #2 I'll still drive it down a gravel road. MY HP2 had less than 10,000 miles on it when I bought it. It gets no special treatment.

Ive put a little over 10,000 miles on mine since Oct 2020 purchase

 

[mmissile]

I like cutting them up, for racecars. I've had to sell a bunch of really nice/rare cars....just so I didn't do it to all of them.

 

[hemi*guy]

Had mine restored to how I remember driving around with my dad, the way it came out of the factory. Between work and the grandkids not alot of time to drive it, but I
do drive it every chance I get.

 

[Moms68]

I prefer a day 2 car. Very few people that owned these cars originally, kept them as untouched jewels.

 

[WileE]

It all boils down to each individual owner and what they like the best. Personally I'm old enough to remember when they were just used cars that hardly anyone wanted (mid 70's). We bought them cheap and used them (up) for what they were intended.

I prefer a day 2 car. Very few people that owned these cars originally, kept them as untouched jewels.

 

[gtx6970]

This car ?

1969 Plymouth GTX at Indy 2023 asS108 - Mecum Auctions

You're talking when it was "reviled" at MCACN in Chicago? It then spent a year + at the Gilmore Museum in Michigan on display and then Justin sold it.

 

[dadsbee]

This car ?

1969 Plymouth GTX at Indy 2023 asS108 - Mecum Auctions

Yep! Appears the current owner wasted some money and put incorrect red lines on it... and slapped the caps on, yet is still using the pictures of the caps still in wrappers in the trunk.

 

[Dave6T4]

I refuse to buy a muscle car that doesn't have date coded air in the tires..

It's funny you mentioned that. I used to fantasize about taking balloons to a major Chrysler swap meet and have them labelled as having original air out of certain year and model of Mopar tires for the "numbers matching" crowd. Of course, Hemi tire air would be 2X the regular price. LOL

 

[gdrill]

Build how ever you see fit........but don't hide the damn thing.

 

[BearDodge67]

It's funny you mentioned that. I used to fantasize about taking balloons to a major Chrysler swap meet and have them labelled as having original air out of certain year and model of Mopar tires for the "numbers matching" crowd. Of course, Hemi tire air would be 2X the regular price. LOL

Don't forget to add the Mopar Historical Society of Canada Proof Of Existence letter highlighting which number baloon out of a bag of 20 was filled from that tire, in that color, and the knot tied in that way, with the string 1cm longer than the others known to exist..

 

[Islandkent]

All I know is, that I’m building one hell of a car for the next guy.