Bad omen for the value of 69 M-Code Cudas

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I've spent waaaay more money on the rack then I've ever spent on any car....fact!!!!
 
I've spent waaaay more money on the rack then I've ever spent on any car....fact!!!!

Whilst on the subject, consider this:

Stay with the original imperfect old worn out body, or trade for the model that is all shiny and new and perfect......
 
I am not sure what they called the 68 440 Darts......M code or what? They were made specifically for Landy and a couple of other teams and that was it. They would be worth a mint I am sure.
Quote from the gtsregistry.com website:
"Dodge ordered up 48 383 GTSs that were to be converted to 440 GSS cars for Grand Spaulding Dodge. The 1968 440 GTS/GSS cars were all true "M" codes too! They were shipped to Hurst without engine. At Hurst, the 440 was dropped in, the battery was located in the trunk, and the car "finished" before being shipped to the corner of Grand and Spaulding in Chicago".
There are only three GSS' known to exist listed in the registry right now!
Jim your M 'Cuda is coming along very nicely!!
 
Just remember a talented builder WILL have all the numbers transferred from the original body to the rebody shell and it will damned near impossible to tell that it has been done. Scary....but true.
 
Just remember a talented builder WILL have all the numbers transferred from the original body to the rebody shell and it will damned near impossible to tell that it has been done. Scary....but true.

And now we've come full circle.

Jim had two body shells. One was original but rooted, and one was perfectly placed to become the rebody.

He decided to cut up the second shell and use parts of it to repair the original shell with the addition of new AMD metal and a signature on a big check. And all because he has been brainwashed by the VIN Nazis.
 
Whilst on the subject, consider this:

Stay with the original imperfect old worn out body, or trade for the model that is all shiny and new and perfect......
So now I'm going to make a point here. Let's say both racks are equally impressive with their cloths on but one of the two of them had some plastic surgery and other work. The other was a 100% natural beauty with everything she was born with. Which one would you pick. Me personally love born with body!
 
when it come to high end mopar collectors/lovers/hobbiest, yes there is a difference to them between a survivor of all original metal and a "quilt car". not that I am one of those guys, , I have had and have a survivor . the are cool.
do not want to get into politics, but I have noticed our economy has been slow in many areas since last Nov. perhaps it has affected our mar market somewhat.
me, I have little faith in anything that goes on on Feebay.
the M code car group is a small one, and best way to keep up with what is happening there is have a group of those guys to network with to keep up.

my idea is anyone that can drop $50,000 $60,000 into a mopar can afford to lose some buck. I don't care. sorry.
 
I think the naill has been hit on the head a few times here!! For one, the car was too fresh on the block, and the resto done and then rushed to market may have hurt it some! More so tho, and this is just my opinion, when a car needs a lot of metal work, it diminishes the value exponentially!! I know there is good metal out there, and people are doing better than factory jobs on replacing that metal, but to me, when metal is replaced, I tend to shy away from the car more so than I would an original metal car! The more metal replaced, the less I become interested!

I have been actively looking to trade my all original metal GTX for a 70 Roadrunner, and came across this 44k original mile example near me! It was going to be a 3 car deal, he was going to trade me 3 cars for mine, but the RR needed every panel replaced from a bad storage situation, and the other cars (68 Cuda and 67 Coronet R/T) would not have paid for the resto! Not to mention that I would've gone from an all original metal car to a car with every panel replaced!! I really want a 70 RR, but not at what I consider a trade down for one!! Does that make sense??

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I think buyers at that level are less and less hands on and have lesser abilty to identify excellent quality detail metal work. And less abilty to ID original metal replacement vs AMD replacement.

So the safer kneejerk bet is to pick a "original metal" car. Or whatever a buyer believes or led to believe is original metal.

And people think they know this car's bones/history from the public project car sale and maybe other stuff. Its fresh on their minds. Time will muddle that and the car can stand more on its own. And on the flip side, get embellished as it passes owners like a kids game of telephone.
 
...and all of this ^^^has been happening since the beginning of time, and will continue despite our spirited discussion! I'm not a numbers Nazi, and don't have a true "numbers" anything, and probably never will! Mr.Gorsky is right, the numbers don't mean anything, until the establishment puts a value to something! Then, the cost to restore it to its full value level will always meet or exceed that level!! Despite our personal opinions, we will not change that fact!!

In my personal endeavor to trade my GTX for a Roadrunner, I simply feel that I need to be apples to apples....your relatively clean and mostly unmolested 70 RR for my GTX in likewise condition!!

And, I like em natural....my Mopars too!!! :)
 
[QUOTE="cosgig, post: 1971731518, member: 7035"

In my personal endeavor to trade my GTX for a Roadrunner, I simply feel that I need to be apples to apples....your relatively clean and mostly unmolested 70 RR for my GTX in likewise condition!!
:)[/QUOTE]
 
[QUOTE="cosgig, post: 1971731518, member: 7035"

In my personal endeavor to trade my GTX for a Roadrunner, I simply feel that I need to be apples to apples....your relatively clean and mostly unmolested 70 RR for my GTX in likewise condition!!
:)
[/QUOTE]

I know we re off subject somewhat, but I night reply this to Cosgig on trades. horse trades are always really hard to do with these old cars.. only thing that matter is: is one car worth more than the other and if so is that guy willing to make up that difference!! people never can get figures out of their head, as in..., " I want x $$ for my car but the other guy only wants y $ for his.
I did make a million on a trade once, I traded my million dollar turtle for a million $ frog! even up..... ha
 
What I find amazing is the credence some folks place in a build sheet or "window sticker". Remember if it was made once...it can and will be made again as long as the money warrants it.
 
What I find amazing is the credence some folks place in a build sheet or "window sticker". Remember if it was made once...it can and will be made again as long as the money warrants it.
it is not that hard for anyone to take a 69 belvedere and make it into exactly what the mother mopar sent down the assembly line AS a 69 ROADRUNNER back in the day.???? right. and so back when the clone was born, or the t ribute car. basicalyt it was a way for th e flipper to make a car to sell at BJ for a quck buck. back in lets say the 80,s 90's when ifnding a decent 69 roadrunner complete decent project c ost you make $1000 1500 tops, why would anyone build a bogus belvedere into a relica runner!!!// generally NOT. maybe a few racer built a belvedere into a d rag car.
my take is these old mopars of our hobby are cars, not something to worship, not something that belongs in the Smithsonian, but cars to enjoy, drive, wharever trips your trigger. if build sheet and matchng numbers give ya a fuzzy warm feeling, that is great.... if building a slant car into a fire breathing tire roasting monster, that is OK too! ha
 
And now we've come full circle.

Jim had two body shells. One was original but rooted, and one was perfectly placed to become the rebody.

He decided to cut up the second shell and use parts of it to repair the original shell with the addition of new AMD metal and a signature on a big check. And all because he has been brainwashed by the VIN Nazis.


have to agree with Mr. Gorsky on this one .....who cares what it was or wasn't as long it IS your dream car NOW.

In my case, my holy grail is a pink 70 duster, I cant find one so what I am going to do is take a 72 duster I have and change the markers and interior to make it look like a 70 and paint it pink. To a vin Nazi that should be just as bad as a rebody even though I am not changing any numbers because I have a good title but I am still altering the car to appear as something it originally was not and I don't care as long as it drives like a 70 duster and looks like a 70 duster, and looks to others like a 70 duster. What difference does it make that it was made in 72, when it does everything and looks the part for what I want.

it is basically a legal re-body but no one is going care what the numbers are when I am in glory because I will have my pink 70 duster I always wanted.
 
That actually makes it a custom build.

No VIN swapped - no legal issues.
 
That actually makes it a custom build.

No VIN swapped - no legal issues.

fair enough but that would mean a rotted original car that has been "restored" with extensive use of AMD panels would also be a custom build and not really a restoration because even though the numbers remained the same, the car will have been heavily altered.
 
If the original car is rotted junk , it has already died.

Putting the numbers on a different body or using extensive reproduction panels around the numbers will never bring the original car back.
 
Call it rebuilt or reconstructed. Restored is a stretch.
 
Well,

This thread is completely off topic of M-code 'Cuda values.

But now has everything to do with projecting ones personal opinion of what specifically interests them in the hobby onto everyone else.
 
Well,

This thread is completely off topic of M-code 'Cuda values.

But now has everything to do with projecting ones personal opinion of what specifically interests them in the hobby onto everyone else.

This thread was never about M code 'Cuda values.

This is a thread about restorers remorse.
 
But now has everything to do with projecting ones personal opinion of what specifically interests them in the hobby onto everyone else.

It started that way. Read the first sentence in this thread again. ;-)
 
It started that way. Read the first sentence in this thread again. ;-)

You got me a little there ;). A 68 or 69 Dart GTS 383 4 spd convertible in the right color combo would give a M-code a run for its money...actually I'm pretty sure a 383 4spd conv would sell for more.

But title and first sentence talks M-code.

Not why a /6 belvedere with an added Hemi should sell for the same price as a number matching original. Nor about the rebody debate.
 
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It is what you will pay for it. (or anyone else) Whatever the market will bear. I probably overpaid for my Swinger but it's a nice car and I like it, and I had the money to buy it. If I keep it long enough I will get my money back. We all hope for that although it doesn't always end up that way. What I think a M code car is worth doesn't make a bit of difference to you if you are buying. Many gauge the value on what one will sell for at one of the big auctions. I think that's inflated and you probably do too. You can look up old car prices on the net. That might be a sampling of the price but not a real world value. I have a couple businesses within a hour drive that sell old cars. One is Barrett Jackson prices and the other is Mecum prices for lesser quality cars. If you are looking to buy a old car it's good that you ask around for opinions as to value but everybody has their own opinion. Hell, my 66 Dart, HP 273, 4 speed, 8 3/4 Sure grip is one of 1237. I wish it was worth $15,000 unrestored. I know it costs $20 g's+ to resurrect a car. Is it worth $35,00? Nope. See my point? See the car in person, bring a knowledgeable friend, and wheel and deal. If you have $30,000 to spend and you find a nice car that you really like, and it's not way out of the ball park in price, pull the trigger and make yourself happy. Not rocket science. Just what trips your trigger and is within your budget. Sorry for the rant. tmm
 
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