1969 Dodge Dart Swinger 340 Sold at Mecum today for $40,000
Both my cars were rollers… the Barracuda set me back $700 and the 340 4 sp Swinger was a whopping $1200 and I got a trany with it ! Probably have $20k in each . But the Dart really didn’t need a 4” stroke ,ported W2s and solid roller cam . Probably could have saved 8k just building a hot 340..
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I just do simple math. Cost of roller, prefer now days to come with good running engine, I can check compression on, prefer to be able to run it down the road or across the pasture to check out trans/engine, (Sorry, NO machine shop bill for me), new small, underhood accessories as in maybe carb, usually radiator, sheetmetal (repop stuff or/ and 18 ga sheet), all the body/paint materials, NO not paying retail, interior, probably bumpers, front end rebuild parts, brake parts, u joints, shocks, tires, glass (windshield only ) ????,
missing small parts (better not be much.) But as we know it all ads up!
Costs get out of hand when a guy buys a BAD builder ( too rusty, to bent up, missing too many parts) , then has to pay for an engine build and trans bujld, and pays more for the project car than it is worth. Then the guy has to have all the BEST parts for his baby!! Costs from one build vs another can be crazy different.
Base coat in general runs maybe 50% more than single stage, 3 coats of a good clear is not that many $$. You can shoot clear over single stage AU. Can he get it straight without $1000 worth of primers. Does he waste $120/can filler? Did he buy a project that is not beat to heck? or rusted to heck?
But yea, it all adds up.
In general, it costs just about the same to build most any engine, trans, interior, body/paint, front end, bumpers, rear end, glass, shocks, tires....all of it...... for a slant car or a hemi....the difference is in cost of the project and HOW good it is to begin with!!!
Does the guy building the project have a box of spare new little parts? Can he shoot perfect work with a $50 gun and not a $500 gun, Does he have a GUN!??
I don't think anyone cares if it's a reproduction fender tag as long as the information is correct and accurate I see no problem at all. Is it worth $300 I would think so but that's up to you and that's the bottom line. Most fender tags are stolen so that nothing special cars can be cloned into a more desirable model. I know of six pack cuda fender tag being purchased for thousands of dollars I think it's b******* but I know what to be true.
Heck years ago, I know of people that repoped vin tags, a felony, but I have seen it done.
Back decades ago, I wonder just how many good cars I ran up on where the owner swapped out the dash (E body) and did not swap over the vin. He then had a car with a good dash but wrong vin!!!!!! Or the guy that starts the body work ( yea he took it apart and that's as far as he got), took off the fender tag and LOST it!!!!!
Way back in the late 80s, I went to look a what was supposed to be a 70 Hemi Cuda, roller. The PO owner blew the hemi, pulled it, cut the k frame and dropped in a 318. He swore he knew the car to be a real HEMI Cuda. NO vin on the dash, BUT..... I found the vin laying in the trunk under a bunch of crap!! Go figure.
A $1500 hemi cuda that day. Just another old beater it was! 1988.