My 67 Formula S Resto. thread

jim,

i have just spent at least twenty minutes looking at your resto thread and i am just amazed! i finished my 68 340 4sp fastback s this past summer having spent a year and about 2500 hrs on the project. i did a panel area at a time and finally painted the car with acrylic lacquer. the car is a duplicate of the turbine bronze fastback that appeared on the cover of the 1968 "new cars" literature. i've got around 45 yrs of car rebuilding experience and owned a body shop for three years at one point. however, i must say, i have NEVER seen any car restored to the detail and quality that you have put into your car! i am speechless. i "loafed" at a plymouth dealer in high school (69-72) and use to watch "new" plymouths coming off the transport trucks. new plymouths DID NOT come from the factory as detailed as what you have done with your car! it was not uncommon for the new cars to be run into the body shop at the dealership to be "touched up" before they hit the showroom. and as to paint/sealer being applied correctly to "hidden" areas - forget it!!! most buyers "back then" had their cars "undercoated" at ziebart or "steel shield" because everyone knew there was no paint under the car and around hidden areas. i laughed at one guy's comment on your thread when he said you were building this car like you were going to keep it for life - he was right!! the only thing i can say is that i HOPE you finish this car and then try to find a museum or private collector somewhere to keep this car. in my opinion, your car should never be driven further than off a trailer at a car show and never in bad weather. with what you have done to this car, this car needs to be preserved as an example of what a 1967 barracuda would have looked like if it had been built by rolls royce. i would take a number of pictures of various parts of this car and create a display and then put this car and the display pics together as a permanent display somewhere. i just cannot believe how much work and detail you have put into this project. my admiration and respect is offered for what you have accomplished.

jim coster, pittsburgh, pa