You own and love an original 69 383s, what’s next?
Do you undo and or change all you have done and spent countless $$$ to resurrect and keep an original or modify to the next level? Or do you sell a mostly original car and start over again? Knowing you will never get the return on the dollar to sell for what it cost to get it there.
Seems I want to move forward and at a personal delima! Car has been back on the road now for 6 years as such. It has won many awards over those years at the shows.
I know you can pull the drive train and replace without totally changing the fabric of the car per say, but I also know As soon as you do that it all leads to more mods. Bigger wheels and tires, mini tubs or full tubs, and or much more, and perhaps a late model Hellcat Hemi and wiring and such.
Is a restored original uncut “very” solid rust free 69 383s Fastback auto trans car worth enough to save? One of 272!
Or is a killer low riding late model Hemi with air and all the creature comforts more desirable enough to mod a real BB “S” car.
Would you do this or try to sell at a loss and start over with a lesser car?
Opinions are welcome.
I don't know what your budget(or fab skills, desired work effort, timetable) is, but here in Texas on Facebook marketplace you can start over with notch or fastback Cudas that need mild bodywork for around $8,000, Duster bodies for $2-7,000 and build a car that was going to rot/die to begin with, anyway you want without any guilt of destroying original history.
Get some beaked 73-76 Dart, swap the front clip, install (here in south tex cheap as hell) a 400 big block, ebay $600 turbo and keep pace with the big boys on a double rustyratrod budget. Speedmaster sells the heads for the BBM assembled on black friday for $500 something dollars shipped.
Inkjunkie thinks an LS would be cheaper, but 400BBM might actually compete with a Chevy budget-there is a reason RRR picked that build. Either way, you get it all, cheap, fast , fun, no guilt. Rustoleum oil based enamel paint for $30 a gallon and GO! I once used that rustoleum paint as my baremetal primer, with tons of sanded coats (instead of bondo), got the body lines perfect, and sprayed Y2K urethane epoxy over it.
The Urethane actually held onto it well (for years, no problem -{like moparofficial says, just get out, do it, and make mistakes}),
kinda sealed it (although you can get urethane sealer {recommended})
and then just rustoleum enamel spray 3-4 top coats and now they make a clear oil based enamel as well- it doesn't get cheaper than that!
Guilt free, Cheap & fast as hell, and you won't have to care or worry about perfection with a separate rat-rod-Mopar. SOme one keys your car? Rusoleum spray and done.
Honestly, what do the rest of you guys think of this idea?
