Hey guys - yes, the car wasn't perfect - and was advertised as such in the auction catalog. The ralleye wheels did come on the car - so I kept them on - and painted them black instead of body color because I liked it. The aluminum radiator was taken out and the original re-cored and put back in. Yes the ORIGINAL NUMBERS MATCHING BLOCK was re-sleeved and built to put back in the car - what is wrong with that.... it was done professionally, and is as good as new with a dyno sheet to prove it right at stock specs. The interior does have a ton of original parts - I didn't post pics cause I simply didn't have time. The inner fenders were cut by the P.O. to clear headers that were on the car. I went to great lengths to find original manifolds.
The larger question here is why do some think that a $43k hammer price is bad for the hobby? Everyone who has this car just got a bump in value of theirs. These are under-appreciated cars as you all know - and they will rise in value more over time. There were some other very original mopars there that should have gotten more and didn't - look at the results.... someone stole the Mr. Norms Demon, and I watched a 11,000 mile roadrunner with a fresh restoration hammer for easy $25k less than it should have.
Also, remember that $43k hammer price has another 8% taken off for me (BJ charges the seller that - then get's 10% on top from the buyer) - Plus a $1500 entry fee, + transport, + the car wasn't registered since '83 so there were DMV fees - + the $18k in parts + a ton of labor. I did not make a ton money on this car - I rescued it and sold it to a guy who's going to have a blast driving it as I did post resto for a while.
My specialty is restomods - but I knew this was a rare car, so I didn't go there. The purists here are lucky I didn't hack it up more!
Let's just all have fun. Cars are cars, people are people - it's all good.
To the guy asking about the inner fender cutting - PO did it, but if you want it done, bring it by and we'll do it (at the risk of bumming out the purists here).
I also sold a 73 dart restomod and lost my *** a bit - but got a ton of TV coverage and my shop mentioned several times on tv - along with thousands of very positive comments on the build quality and paint.
Keep an eye out for the very unpure build I'm about to take on with a '69 roadrunner 383 4 speed. Car is too far gone for restoration, so I look forward to a bunch of pissed off purists - and some really happy restomod fans.
Happy driving.
-Geoff from Alloy Motors
