To build or not to build (meaning sell)

Build it, hang on to it, or sell it

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70chall440

70chall440

Mopar or No Car...
Joined
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Location
Yelm WA
Since this is an A body forum I suspect that the natural reaction will be to build this car but there are some issues involved. First off, I have 2 E bodies (a 70 Challenger and a 73 Cuda) and 2 B bodies (70 Roadrunner and a 71 Charger, both ongoing project cars). I am not "that" old (60) but already semi retired. My master retirement plan is to finish the cars I have (Es and Bs) and this rotate them through the shop tweaking and refining them along the way.

I came into this 68 FB Cuda through a trade and have a minimal amount into it. It will need a full trunk floor, lower (or complete) quarters, remove and fix the roof and I think one floor section (at least) not to mention some sheet metal up front. Al this along with the normal drive train, brakes, wiring, etc. In other words, this is pretty much a complete project.

I am fully capable of building the car myself and my original intention was/is to put a 5.7 and an AT in it. However after getting this car I fell into a 71 Charger that I am going to build as a Super Bee clone with a 5.7 and a 4 speed.

While I really do like this car, I am concerned that I will hold onto it for too long and never get to it. Putting time and money into this car takes away from the 2 B bodies. I am fully cognizant of what it will take to fix this car and on the one hand I see a jewel, on the other I see a money sponge (like all of them).

I guess the "ask" here is more about opinions (which I know will be varied and I am sure colorful). Perhaps I should pass it onto someone who doesn't have anything but then again it would be badass....Not looking for "the answer" here, merely thinking out loud and looking for some other opinions.

Here are some pictures of the car. Its a 68, original 318 AT on the floor, had a white interior (didn't they all of this era...). I really like the buckets, console and interior layout (my favorite thing about them). I don't know if it runs or not, I did hook a battery to it and got nothing but I think the starter is toast.

Oh and yes those are Fast Back Mustang side louvers.

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those louvers fit in there real nice. i kinda like them on there.

personally i would pass on the amount of work it needs. they just dont bring that high of a return still.
 
I’d say build the barracuda and bring the 70 Roadrunner down to me lol. In all seriousness I’d just sell the barracuda and focus on your other projects. Dustin
 
You have the same disease I have, we see the potential in every car that comes our way. "If I had that car , I would do this and that and it would look great!" STOP COLLECTING CARS! Backup and concentrate on the few cars you like best. Just my two cents.
 
Nobody can answer this but you.... You have the skills so that's not a road block. Time and money. Maybe you need this type of project in your life since you can do the work. Any of this cost money. And truth be told if someone could add up all the hours to restore something like this they would be better off working part-time at Wendy's and something further along and be ahead.

I let a car go in the early 2000's and was in worse shape. I regret it as it had the bones for a big return if I ever sold it and was crazy rare. Today no way would I touch something like that. I would save up, write the check, and find a car that didn't need that type of work.

In the end it's all about you....
 
I'd be selling the barracuda plus a couple others to concentrate on only one or two projects. But hey thats me. 60 isn't very old but isn't so young either. Hate to see ya not get any of them done.
 
Many of us suffer this addiction. We never see the cars as it sits in front of us. We see them as they could be. Looks like the general consensus is to sell it to someone worthy and catch up on the others already under way. I concur, sell it. I face similar questions in my shop. At 60 I think to myself realistically how many more years can I physically do this, at best twenty. Takes me about five years per car. Answer 4 max on property.
 
Sell it. Focus on one car and get it done. Otherwise you pick at this and at that and you never get one done. If you fish your current cars, then you can decide if you need or want another project.
 
I'd sell it so fast it would make your head swim! Putting the Gen III Hemi in the 71 Bee clone will be so much easier that it ain't even funny. There's just too much work in the Cuda for not enough return, IMO. Best of luck with whichever way you decide to go.
 
JDMopar said:
I'd sell it so fast it would make your head swim! Putting the Gen III Hemi in the 71 Bee clone will be so much easier that it ain't even funny. There's just too much work in the Cuda for not enough return, IMO. Best of luck with whichever way you decide to go.
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Jackie would know this.... Just a good a guy for an answer as you would get from the question answered.....

JW
 
I am one of those guys that always have to have 3-4 of the same models of Mopar. Never could stand to have just one, matter of done and perfect or a project. So I relate to anyone with multiple projects. ie. the OP!
This is me. I can not afford to pay someone to do work I can do. So I clean up a project, get ride of the rust and seal my work till I an think about getting it smooth and paint. Then it must run, If it can't what good is it. Then it must drive down the road, otherwise what..... Fortunately it does not have to ever be a show car as I care less about taking it to show for a trophy. As we know, this all adds up to lots of my work an $$$$$$>
Now comes to age deal. I am 72 and the last few years it gets harder all the time t get up off the floor Is her a lift in my future!? Are we going to win the lottery!?? NO So IF the OP is 60, IF he has good health his time is maybe limited to be able to work hard on 5-6 cars.
Try to thin the herd maybe? Or some people just love having a lot of projects sitting around too.
 
I appreciate all of the responses. Some days I want to sell it and then others not so much. I think that my answer is somewhere in between, meaning that if someone comes along looking for a car and wanting it, then I would sell it. If however I get the 2 Bs done and have energy left over then perhaps I will build it.

You guys all know the deal, if I actively try and sell it everyone who looks at it will claim its a pile of crap and not worth a dime, however if I wait and find the right buyer I can get what I need out of it and make them (and me) happy. Yes, it is a lot of work but not all that horrible, I looked at the floors again and they are pretty decent except for the trunk floor.

I can build a car in a relatively short amount of time given the financial resources, but currently I am building a 69 Wagon for a guy and have a 70 RR on deck for a friend in AUS that will need a complete back end and drive train install. So my Charger has to wait a little while as does my RR. The RR has a tilt front end and is getting a 66 426 Hemi and 4 speed in it.

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That '68 Barracuda is pretty close to what I would call My Ideal Car. However, you're on the other side of the continent, and I'm not ready. Personally, I'd be letting a few of the B's go to focus on the A. Roll with your passion!
 
to bring it back to original yeah a few Grand more than I'd want to spend.
Though I wouldn't do it the sunroof , not bad in 1976 ..
the Louver things.... if I was in Australia .
 
If I do decide to build it, it will not be original as in restored, it would be a restomod build. The problem I have is that I can clearly see the end result in my head and know the path to get there which makes me "think" I should do it. However reality and past experience tell me that it will be a lot of work and not nearly as quick or east as my imagination sees.

I was about 14 when I got into cars seriously, my closest friend at the time was becoming a Chevy guy and I was pretty neutral but as kids of that age in the time, I got into models and one of the first (if not the first) model I ever built was a FB Cuda. Over several years I put a engine in it from a TF dragster, straight axle from something else, etc. I still have the model to this very day (a bit worse for wear). Now, I have no intentions of trying to duplicate the model (no gassers or blown hemis for me) but the body and more importantly the interior design still speaks to me; and there lies my problem.

I have always had a very hard time getting rid of my good cars despite many people telling me I should do so for one reason or another. I have had my 70 Challenger for about 20 years and have probably driven it like 50 miles total; but again driving them is not my passion, building them is.
 
mpgmike said:
That '68 Barracuda is pretty close to what I would call My Ideal Car. However, you're on the other side of the continent, and I'm not ready. Personally, I'd be letting a few of the B's go to focus on the A. Roll with your passion!
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Thanks but I would definitely not sell a B to finance the A. Everyone has their favorites and while I like the 68, I don't like it more than either of the B's although I would say it might be a little bit of a toss up between the 68 and the 71, but the 71 is virtually rust free.

I have always been a devoted E body fan but the 70 RR with an air grabber and a pistol grip is about as good as it gets to me. My 73 Cuda has a 4spd with a stroker 340, my Challenger is a 440 AT car, but both of the B's will be 4 spd cars. If I did the 68 it would be a 5.7 with a A518 I think.
 
As soon as I see one of them asinine sunroof abortions I will walk away. Personal preference and experience, but I think I would probably sell it and concentrate on the other projects.
 
^^ I would patch the sunroof hole, some body filler, spray the underside of roof with Body Schultz (undercoat)!!!!
I rather drive em than make them perfect!
 
My comments above weren't knocking the Cuda at all. I think it is a pretty decent car to start with nowadays....it ain't the 80's anymore! That being said, AMD discontinued a LOT of metal for A body Mopars. If you want a full drivers side quarter....you'd better order it first thing in the morning. They have no roof skins. No passenger quarters, no quarter skins for either side....but they do still list floor pans and trunk floors. The cost of the Gen III swap will be about the same for either the A or B body, with the exception of not having to use headers in the B body. I was swapping my 70 Duster to a 5.7 Hemi with a 545RFE automatic when I got side tracked on a camper restoration at the beach. Got it all fitting good and looking good.....and just fell out of love with it because I didn't like the idea of paying $2K for the harness and computer to make it run. I'm gonna sell all the Gen III stuff and stick a 340 and 4 speed in it like I planned to start with before I stumbled into the 6K mile Hemi....lol. Looks like you do awesome work, so please make a build thread for both the Bee and if you decide to keep it, the Cuda! :)
 
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