Please tell me I made a smart commitment....

-
DaveBonds said:
I wouldn't twist the original paint scheme up on that car or put anything, other than a 67 383 in it. Any 66 date code 383 will be good to go.

Black is nice, but if you don't paint cars, it's not easy. That car is extremely rare and it would be mistaken for a '68 or '69 with a bumblebee stripe.

The car also has the GT trim, which I don't think would carry well with the stripe. If I'm not mistaken, a Scat Pack stripe car never got any kind of trim, going front to back on the car.

Any other dart, per se. slant six, 318 or anything else with a clutch in it would be fun with a 360 and some custom work, but I personally wouldn't do that to a 1/500 car. Especially not one that still had it's trim and everything that made it rare.
Click to expand...

To be honest I don't *want* to do anything other than a 383 with this car....the only hesitation I have is that I spent so much money with this whole 360 deal I started on last year including parts/labor, that I'd almost want to throw it in the car just because--UNTIL I get some cash flow to really get the 383 project going.

I don't want to morph this car into something other than it is. Long term goal--original restoration. Short term goal-- get the interior squared away, a running motor/trans, decent paint job and make sure all the other under the scenes stuff is squared away.

Maybe I shouldn't be thinking that way with this car, I dunno...
 
JohnnyRingo said:
To be honest I don't *want* to do anything other than a 383 with this car....the only hesitation I have is that I spent so much money with this whole 360 deal I started on last year including parts/labor, that I'd almost want to throw it in the car just because--UNTIL I get some cash flow to really get the 383 project going.

I don't want to morph this car into something other than it is. Long term goal--original restoration. Short term goal-- get the interior squared away, a running motor/trans, decent paint job and make sure all the other under the scenes stuff is squared away.

Maybe I shouldn't be thinking that way with this car, I dunno...
Click to expand...

Why not? Sounds like a plan, you can get it squared away and drive and enjoy it until you get the 383 done. It certainly isn't going to damage the car in any way by temporarily installing the 360.
 
Bad Sport said:
Why not? Sounds like a plan, you can get it squared away and drive and enjoy it until you get the 383 done. It certainly isn't going to damage the car in any way by temporarily installing the 360.
Click to expand...

What do you say about the tail stripes? Man, I keep getting excited thinking about how slick that car will look with that trunk panel deal and clean black paint.
 
Wouldn't you have to change the K to get a small block to work? I say by the time you buy decent headers for a small block you could afford big block ones. I think you could build a 383 or 400 for the cost of a 360.

Edit: I see you have a 360 built all ready, I say run it.
 
dano said:
Wouldn't you have to change the K to get a small block to work?
Click to expand...

Still won't hurt the car, it can be changed back when the time is right, especially if he takes everything out the bottom.
 
dano said:
Wouldn't you have to change the K to get a small block to work? I say by the time you buy decent headers for a small block you could afford big block ones. I think you could build a 383 or 400 for the cost of a 360.

Edit: I see you have a 360 built all ready, I say run it.
Click to expand...

Yep..but I have $3k in parts from Summit out in my garage right now that need to be broken open for that 360 :)
 
I believe the VIN should start LP23H7 as a the GTS was a package on a GT in 67.I also think the 383 in those was drilled on the front of the block for the motor mounts.I've seen some other 67 & 68 blocks the had the bosses but were not drilled and tapped for the bolts.Around 1992 I helped a friend of mine take apart a Black on Black original paint 4 speed 67 GTS.When we pulled off the trim panel from the trunk,the lower rolled edge of the panel was lined with 1967 pennies that slid right in the edge.I dont believe the panel had ever been removed before.He still has the car and I still cant talk him out of it.:banghead:
 
JohnnyRingo said:
Yep..but I have $3k in parts from Summit out in my garage right now that need to be broken open for that 360 :)
Click to expand...

If you have not used the parts send them back....
Build a 383 and please keep it the original color, the car in my opinon is too rare to deviate much from stock.
 
That's where I'm coming from, too.

My argument on the 360 is that it takes all sorts of work to get something like a complete engine install and tune done twice. There are costs that you don't see yet, coming your way that will only hit you two-fold, should you decide to mess with the engine compartment.

My boss is in the same boat. He just picked up a car that cost him about the same coin and doesn't have enough to put in it, so he's thinking about how to get around the cost or bailing on it.

This kind of buyer's remorse is easily cured with a single plan; Restore the car.

There are plenty of things that you can be doing on it right now, that won't even cost you a dime, like documenting it's breakdown with a camera, bagging, shelving and tagging everything, while you get it ready for paint.

Forget the engine, entirely, right now and focus on the body. No matter what you do, it's going to need paint, which is the first thing that needs to be done on a restoration, anyway.

Getting the car into a stage of primer should give you plenty of time, without wasting any, on what color you want to do (I'd go by the color code) and you won't be wasting money to get it there, regardless of what your plans end up being, once it's time to buy basecoat.

This will give you the amount of time you need to weigh the pros and cons of your options on everything, while still making awesome progress on the car.

I've flip-flopped on color choices like crazy for my '68 Charger and after my tastes grew over the years, I ended up deciding to keep the original color, because it happens to be my favorite color as of now.

I think once you get more familiar with the car, start doing research online and start doing body and paint, to get the shell ready for a drivetrain and interior, you will have a good idea about how and when you will budget all of it.

Do it once, man. You will thank yourself in the end. This is coming from someone who has restored over 20 cars, top to bottom and has done countless paint jobs. That's where you start for lots of reasons.
 
'f I had the money I'd be all over this car. And it would get a B/RB, too, and THAT is after having said, LOL, that I kinda like SB A bodies.

I say, if you want a SB, find another car that's not worth so much, potentially.
 
Yes, I would buy this car in a heartbeat for that price if it were near me and is as solid as stated.

Don't bother with the 360 in this car, just do what Bonds said. The cool thing about you having the 360 drivetrain about ready to go is that now you have an excuse to pick up another car for it.
 
Denny is correct that the original 383 had two holes drilled in front of block for motormount to bolt to. These mounts are hard to find, good luck with project,Joe
 
While looking for a magazine today for someone. I found an magazine ad for the 67 383 GTS. I'll have to buy a scanner and start posting some of the ads I have from the old days.
 
WS001.jpg
 
I like the line in that ad..."a sound that your mother in law wont understand and your wife will eventually get used to...."
 
Is it to late send for my free "Tune-up Tips"
 
You did very very good. I had one years back missing the original block' mounts and manifolds. I installed a small block K-member and the put every thing out of 71 charger superbee. including manifokds. 70 or 71 b-body will work not 69 back I used /6 mount biscuits beause they are thicker. And I notched the K-member for the oil pump. and used manual steering and moved the outer column back. I drove it like this until I found the correct parts.
 
Thanks guys.

I met with the owner this morning and saw the title to the car along and made a down payment before I pick it up. The VIN does in fact start with LP23H72XXXXXX. The car was originally red with black interior and the black vinyl top.

DaveBonds--I appreciate your advice, that makes me feel a bit better about everything now. I suppose I'll shelve the 360 for now and maybe give it a shot again another day. I don't really want to send all those parts I bought back to Summit, as I had the engine work all done at a machine shop specifically to those parts.

Either way, I'll get the car up here and start breaking it down. What sucks most of all is I have to take off at the end of this month to flipping Altus, Oklahoma for three months of training, so I won't even have a chance to really do anything with this car until I leave.

I've never broken a car down before to where the whole thing needs paint and I really have no idea what all it entails. I suppose this is the best way to learn though--by doing it. I'l enlist my dad's help or something and when I get some time, I'll tackle it towards the end of the year.

-Kyle
 
Oklacarcollecto said:
Altus, Oklahoma.... OH NOOOOOOO not Altus!!!!!!!!!!
Click to expand...

Thanks :(

I've been told there is nothing to do there except to go to a Super Wal-Mart and possibly the one gentleman's club that is literally in a double wide.

Looks like I'll be playing a lot of video games there when I'm not studying.
 
JohnnyRingo said:
Thanks :(

I've been told there is nothing to do there except to go to a Super Wal-Mart and possibly the one gentleman's club that is literally in a double wide.

Looks like I'll be playing a lot of video games there when I'm not studying.
Click to expand...


They didn't lie to you, it is one dead place. There is a great steak house in Blair... about 10 miles north of Altus.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
-

Back
Top