Restoration vs Modification

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I'm going around 90% stock on my cuda. When it's done and the weather is nice i'll be driving it. Sure it's #'s matching but if it gets some rain, road tar or a couple chips in the paint (that's what touch up is for) so what it'll still be in better shape than it is now. I'm not sinking as much money into this car to worry about dust or finger prints. Sure driving a car that only has 69K original miles might have some effect on the value, But it's not an all origanal survivor. Heck i might change my mind and go bone stock, forget about the polygraphite bushings. When i'm done i'll be able to hop in and feel like i'm in a time machine..... so i can have the feeling the origanal owner got when he/she hoped in and smashed the gas!! After all I (like most of you) will have another project. My next one will be the high-tech (still looking stock) sheep in wolfs clothing....and i wont take pitty on the blue oval, bowtie, or Uncle Ben rice burner.
Adam
'99 Ram 1500
'99 Plymouth Neon
'68 Cuda 340 S fastback
'56 Coronet
'72 340 with out a home
1 wife that's not happy with all my stuff
 
I like both. But modified is more of my favorite. I built mine like I would have back in the day. It's no fun to go in your garage and show your friends what you have and not being able to drive it. I drive mine as much as I can. As long as I can get gas money from my wife! She enjoys it too. Mine is far from original. I made a 70 Dart Swinger from A 73 Scamp. Why? That's what I wanted. I wanted the body to look stock with the exception of the snorkle scoop. If stock is your bag that's good. Each has its place.

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I like to modify the cars the way I want. Stock never really get me going. I respect those who keep the rare cars stock, or any car stock for that matter. But too many people put too much into "is your car numbers matching"? I've had folks laugh at me and walk away when I tell em my car is not an original 340 car. :butthead:

BTW, nice DART 340Dart!
 
Now that someone said, "Cutting them up" I would not do that to a car thats in very nice shape. Theres exceptions to the rule, like still the very easy to get Cordoba, but a Cuda or Model A, Tucker, etc... You know what I mean. Some years from now, the Cordoba will be hard to find and would be spared for a resto fella. But being theres still a few gazzillion around.
Cutting up a hard to find/rare canadate for resto is stupid IMO. Theres plenty of metal still around.
 
This is where I may be a little different. I like the stock muscle car look but I gotta have the extra muscle. We built my sons Dart that way and my 63 will be the same. You know the stock look but runs faster then the 14 second car it looks like. Like my sons Dart you see here. Even the Chevy guy next to us at the track said......that dont look like no 11 second Dart ! Ron

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Even the Chevy guy next to us at the track said......that dont look like no 11 second Dart !
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Bwa ha ha ha. I personally don't mind a stock look or a good rake on the car, but I myself am no big fan of the pro street look for myself.
 
Sitting in a parking lot I like my car to look 100% stock. I run full wheel covers, redline tires (E70-14), original paint, am radio, no after market gauges, inland shifter (is that the name?). My car is a 68 Formula S, fastback, 340, 4 speed with 58,000 original miles. Like I said “I like it to look stock from the outside”. If you open the hood you will see a substantially reworked numbers matching 340 and under the rear you will see a Dana 60. My car looks like grandmas car but has ran a best of 11.78 @ 118 on slicks, and the large crower solid roller just sounds nasty when I start it.
 
Like the stock look. But must have modifications to make it faster. Wheels & tires. Plus all the good stuff under the hood. Rember these things were made to be driven!! Green Duster.
 
ok So here is some input from a person who goes both ways when it comes to cars.

A little about me.I have been playing with cars since I was a child,I am now in my earley 40's.

Since about 2000 I have been playing with vettes. Before that Mustangs.
I have restored several cars over the years .But when I use the term rstored I mean its restored.every part is rebuilt,or renuwed. I mean right down to the door latches making sure they are clean and working as new. Its unfortunate but the term "restoration" is sometimes used for a car thats just been repainted and has a new carpet in it.Its still may have the original ball joints and rotten brake lines. You get the idea. The best way to describe them is an "old lady in a new dress"

So now we are past that "restoration" word.

The cars I enjoy most are what I would call a "factory correct restoration" this is a car that appears as it did from the factory when it was purchased off the show room floor. And from watching the sales of muscle cars thru all of the camps ,Dodge,Chryslers,ford,chevy ect.ect. it seams the buyer also pay the most for a factory correct restoration over a modified one. Not that we build our cars to sell them.

I have been working on a 1966 corvette to build it to a real diffacult judging standard called NCRS flight Judging this is real hard to accomplish. I took a year off from building that car and took a year to build a totally custom 62 Vette with a tubeular chassis and a big block Both cars have been a blast to build,both cars are a blast to drive.But I will always admire a factory correct restoration car more then a custom car. stop by my website at yellowcorvettes,com to see both cars.

So you guys dont think I am a troll. I am here trying to get an education on Darts as I am looking for a 1969 red Dodge dart swinger with a bench seat and 4 speed .
 
I have done both, restoration and modification, and if i start restoration once more my wife and my friends take me to the nuttyhouse... :D

Modification works better to me.

anyway, i like to take a look well restoration of a car and i love to see well made modifications, especially made for a street car...
 
Over here nobody of the classic car crowd or the tech authorities knows anything about stock specs of a 340 Barracuda, but everything about 2002´s and bugs.
It´s just: Classic shape ---> beautiful; V8 ---> fast
So I keep the shape and make it even faster and everybody´s happy.
 
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