Opinions on a restoration

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pics of each for anyone to make educated guess.

if no pics, I vote part both, get a decent roller and go from there.

the Dem. said they'd pat $100 for my vote, how bout you!?
 
I think the only way I would do either one of them is if they were 340/360 numbers matching cars.That would probably be the only shot of getting your $ back.Not that I have room to talk as I know I have more in mine than it's worth and keep spending a little more every year.
 
Look at it this way: if either car is "the car of your dreams", then re-building it might make sense.. If it's just another cool old car to you, then you'd be better off saving the thousands (yes, thousands) you will end up sinking into this to make it right (and safe) and putting it toward the car that IS the car of your dreams. Some things you can't put a price on.
 
Honestly, dollar for dollar the best bang for the buck is to save and buy one that is already done.
 
Well my restorer had a similar conversation with me. A big part of his business is flipping cars so he does have a future sale always in his mind of what he will do in a restoration. But we talked hard and he convinced himself and myself that my goal IS to bring one of those 73 Gold Duster slant 6's to a state better than Hamtramck produced originally. He really was making sure I had no problem with the investment and miserable rate of return I was agreeing to undertake. Yes, it will be a retirement gift to myself. The day I retire I will have essentially a better version of the car I bought the day I got my first job after college. And I will have 'sponsored' the rebirth of a car from one of the great periods of America motorcar history. It is one of the things we Americans do (and I do include Canadians here).

I will always second-guess just spending about 1/2 of what I am eventually going to spend on the restore instead of having had him find me one on the auction block. But then I will not have given an additional 70's era Mopar a continued life on the road. Is this a rationalization, absolutely. But I have spent just as much or more on other less worthy rationalizations in my life.

Dennis
 
You could always buy my 1972 Dart California rust free shell for $1,000 and save a lot of work, time and money. My body guy abandoned me on this project. All metal work is done and ready to prime and block. There is always some schmuck like me that you can get a good deal from. Currently licensed also. No title problems. Put your good parts on this one and call it done.
 
So if it might get resold and your not a mopar guy why not just sell them now and get what you really want?
 
How rusty is the roof, if it just needs minor patches to make it solid it is an easy job.
Trunk pan is so simple, I could easily teach my 14yr old kid how to do it.

If the roof is rusted beyond repair than I would put the front frame rails in as a unit.
Both rails, inner finders and radiator support in at one time, it is also not hard but alot more work.

Yes I have done all the above work at one time or another.

X2 So have I, and this would be the easiest way. Drill
Rails from floor and cross member , drill aprons from firewall and take the whole chunk core support an all. With careful measuring you can do it without a rack. The only real finish work is the inside aprons up the firewall everything forward remains factory and à clean looking job. This type of job is done daily on late model stuff. If you can't weld it on without needing a cage, you shouldn't be welding cages either.
 
Having gone through a radical transformation with my car for the roof, I would suggest that you can reskin the roof on that 74 much easier than you could replace the front frame rails on that 72. The trunk is cake by comparison. Just take your time as you work on any donor roof that you use. After all of that work, you could add some finishing touches to make that 74 look like the 72. Just forget about getting your money back in resale. That won't matter whichever route you take.
 
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