Originality-does it matter?
- Thread starter Captainkirk
- Start date
-
Had a friend who acquired a 70 440-6pak GTX. By the fender tag It was beige with a black vinyl top and green interior. He said oh no and painted it white with the black top and black interior. He didn’t care about color matching
I've seen this same car at Don Rook's Father's Day party's back in the early 80s. Not my idea of cool AT ALL but, I do remember it. There were a lot of rare Mopars there & he owned quite a few himself. I wouldn't be surprised if you attended some of them yourself.
I built mine pretty much period correct original......Like something I would have bought and drove in lets say 1979. Not anal about the squeaky little details of a show car. But, for the most part, to the untrained eye.....It looks original. But, I'm sure it would have the heck reamed out of it if I posted it here and asked for opinions.......No fender tag, well, that's 10k off the value LOL.
I'm the odd man out here. I was never in the market for an early A body until I came across my car in the parking lot of an industrial park in Newark CA. It had "for sale" written across the windshield, and being a Mopar guy that has owned 16 Plymouths, just had to have a quick look. It turned out to be a real Formula S car (I like rare cars), one of 2,994 FS cars built in '65. Not only that, but it was a San Jose CA car, kind of beat up but very little rust, with the original high performance 273 with correct date code (12-2) built 12 days before the car's scheduled build date (12-14) Factory tach was still in place and had remnants of the factory black stripe as well. I have stuck to originality for the most part but have made concessions for upgrades including radial tires with 15" rallyes, 1.03 torsion bars, Borgeson steering box, flip top gas gap, and updated the factory radio. I'm nearing the end of a 15 year project that included complete disassembly with paint in the factory colors.
Dartswinger70
Well-Known Member
For me it comes down to is it a driver or a show car? A driver is going to get stone chipped and scratched up. Harleys are the same, either you want to ride it or wax and polish it all day. With a car you have guys that want to enter shows and win trophies...then you have guys that want to cruise and then the drag racers etc. so its different levels of fuss and muss over maintenance etc. I am right now contemplating do i go with original Plum Crazy metallic or the modern Plum crazy pearl on my dart the Pearl is a nice color...nice deep purple.
Dartswinger70
Well-Known Member
There is truth to this I have the 14 inch ralleys on my 340 Dart I cant imagine the car will even want to hook up with 70 series tires on it...
Dartswinger70
Well-Known Member
Yeah ROI some guys are into that I purposely didnt keep track of the money spent on mine, I simply do not want to know I just know the car is worth more now than it was in the condition I found it.
I know that I have more fun owning and driving non-original cars. That's just me.
Dartswinger70
Well-Known Member
Yes and they were modded when new... Day 1 mods dealer performance mods etc.
Dartswinger70
Well-Known Member
People are unreal any more with their lack of class, manners and intelligence... I'd say something like "ya wanna buy it? 40 grand..."as he was running away...OR " ya know if you are going to check numbers they make a telescoping inspection mirror ..."
Our 1st 67 was \6, automatic, hubcaps, reverb radio, nothing more. I made what I wanted of it. Years later when I shopped for another I shopped for another clean slate to again make what I wanted of it. There just aren't any clean slate sirvivors available today. My neighbor and friend Ray has finally decided to retire. Why? Dang internet. He's been lurking in a Chevy truck forum. He's spending money to ruin a absolute CHERRY Solverado. LS engine, mentioned QA1 suspension, 9 inch Ford rear, and more. Last we talked he was in the middle of a power window kit install. Said he paid 68 USD for it. I have to wonder what he will pay someone to undo his screw ups. My Jr ain't cheap. Ray doesn't have one.
Last edited:
I was there. I travel yards with Don collecting 56 chrysler parts. A friend bought his 70 Coronet Hemi car . and another bought his Superbird.. Always wondered who got his sons 71 Cuda conv. that sat by the house.
Yep, that's the place. I was told about it by his son Drew who owned the Cuda & even let me drive it once. I'm glad I knew him. I remember that huge garage in front of the Superbird in the first photo, being packed with cars Don owned, a couple factory 4-speed C-body's & the cars behind the garage! Good memories.
Last edited:
IMHO
If you are building a car to sell.... Restomod will fetch a higher sale price than a restored car.
Our A bodies have not come into their own yet
(Caveat.... Excluding the super I'm high value 1 of 1 E body or B Bodies)
If you are building a car to sell.... Restomod will fetch a higher sale price than a restored car.
Our A bodies have not come into their own yet
(Caveat.... Excluding the super I'm high value 1 of 1 E body or B Bodies)
like_A_pike
that's not factory
I like working on it
Driving it
Showing it
Tuning it
I go to the Smithsonian to see cool old machines and I buy $NVDA dips for trading.
Driving it
Showing it
Tuning it
I go to the Smithsonian to see cool old machines and I buy $NVDA dips for trading.
i'm building my dart to look like it rolled out the factory that way (down to the hose clamps)...if its going to look stock it needs to go all the way
the shop truck ,want it to look like its been a work truck for 40 years
it's all in what YOU want ....i'm a detail guy if its done needs to be done right hate hacked wiring ,miss matched bolts hose clamps that are two sizes too big
someday would like to build a "hot rod" maybe a 30s 40s dodge sb mopar ..but need to finish my projects first
the shop truck ,want it to look like its been a work truck for 40 years
it's all in what YOU want ....i'm a detail guy if its done needs to be done right hate hacked wiring ,miss matched bolts hose clamps that are two sizes too big
someday would like to build a "hot rod" maybe a 30s 40s dodge sb mopar ..but need to finish my projects first
On something like a numbers AAR Cuda or TA Challenger, yeah originality matters.
harrisonm
Well-Known Member
LOVE it!! Brings back memories. In 1969 I bought a 69 F8 green fastback. It was a great car at the drive in and for watching submarine races at the lake at night.
Kendog 170
Let the boy go !
You are lucky. I wanted my son to have my Hardtop. He loved that car. Rip Kirk.
My car doesn't even have a Mopar colored paint on it. It's a Ford color... '98ish Ranger I believe the previous owner said. I think it looks great on it. But for some people, they would puke because it wasn't a Mopar color. To each his own. Stock, modified, it's whatever "floats your boat"
I'm not understanding where this thread went from "personal preference" to "it's all about money". But anyway, I don't go within a hundred feet of a modified car for sale. The last thing I want to deal with is un-doing some clown's cut harness wires, hacksaw holes in the dashboard and doors, and home-made engine configurations that don't operate as they should. I learned that when I was a teenager to run away from modded cars. Sure, it's your personal preference to remove vacuum hoses, block off orifices, and hack off the stock exhaust which frigs up the back-pressure and causes other problems, but it's just double/triple work to have to un-do all that crap to put it back to stock. The drivetrains were designed in laboratories and tested and fine tuned for many years before they came out from the factory, I think those guys knew what they were doing. So that's good enough for me. I would prefer to buy a rusted out original and correct hulk, than to buy a nice looking/running Frankenstein that was modded to a preference that only the seller liked.
Its all about being done right
-
Similar threads
