To go orig. colors, or not to go orig. colors. That is the question

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J-MacsMopars

J-MacsMopars

Shade Tree Vintage Auto on YouTube
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So as some of you know, I just picked up an all orig. 340 4spd dart sport with less than 80k orig miles. I will also be getting some unique dealer paperwork with the car and I am trying to decide to go orig colors or not. It is that nasty yellow, cream color with a green houndstooth interior. Had no stripes and nothing flashy with the exception of tips. It's a manual steering, non A/C car but does have power brakes and a fold down rear seat. It is a numbers matching, un modified car. All the body work and paint will be done this winter.

I plan to drive the car and enjoy it for the first little wile, but then will probably sell it. My question is, do I paint it original or a different factory color? Do I put headers and my LD340 intake on it or leave it stock? what will get me the most in the end?

I am thinking of switching it to black houndstooth interior and not 100% on exterior color yet.
 
You said your self that you were going to sell it.
Keep it stock.
If you decide you are going to keep it forever build it how you want it.
 
Make all of the modifications easily reversible, so if and when you decide to sell it you can simply bolt on the original stuff and put the for sale sign in it.
 
I don't know that I have a problem keeping the drive train orig. with the exception that I will be adding an 8 3/4. But I just don't think I can paint it that color. I don't know how soon I will be selling it. Could be next year, could be 10 years. But as with everything I have ever owned, I will sell it.
 
if your selling and want top resale then leave it original (including the rear) .

if you plan to keep it and fun with it i say do whatever you want with it.
 
The rear is a 8 1/4 with a wore out sure grip. Works about a 1/4 time. Plus it may be bent as it was hit in the 1/4 (may be why the sure grip doesn't work. I heard the auburn sure grips can't take an impact). As far as I am concerned, those kind of upgrades won't hurt the value at all.
 
Do what you want, just keep all the original parts then you can still give the buyer all the original stuff to make it stock again except for the paint.
 
J one question Do you want do a correct restoration or paint it a color that you know people will buy it at?
 
Even if I do it custom, it will still look mostly stock. I was thinking of going green, but I am not sure. I don't want a flashy high impact color because everyone that changes color goes one of those colors. I will put on a factory style black stripe either way. As for the 8 1/4. I am not going to spend the time trying to find a correct one and then pay for it when I have an 8 3/4 with 3:23 sure grip already. If I do decide to add headers, and other stuff. I won't get rid of it.

I guess the main reason I have been wondering weather to go stock or not is due to it being an ordered car and I actually get the original dealer order form along with some other dealer stuff. It also happens to be the latest 340 car I have ever seen as it has a build date if Aug. 73. That should have been the 74 model year. The sequence number also starts with a 5. Very high number. So this is one of the last 340 cars ever built, and a four speed too.
 
J-MacsMopars said:
Even if I do it custom, it will still look mostly stock. I was thinking of going green, but I am not sure. I don't want a flashy high impact color because everyone that changes color goes one of those colors. I will put on a factory style black stripe either way. As for the 8 1/4. I am not going to spend the time trying to find a correct one and then pay for it when I have an 8 3/4 with 3:23 sure grip already. If I do decide to add headers, and other stuff. I won't get rid of it.

I guess the main reason I have been wondering weather to go stock or not is due to it being an ordered car and I actually get the original dealer order form along with some other dealer stuff. It also happens to be the latest 340 car I have ever seen as it has a build date if Aug. 73. That should have been the 74 model year. The sequence number also starts with a 5. Very high number. So this is one of the last 340 cars ever built, and a four speed too.
Click to expand...

How this color green?

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/showthread.php?t=152938
 
Nope, I am thinking this color of green. I miss this car.
evenmorepicsofthedamnwagon026.jpg
 
Is that FE5 Green? That color would look great on your Dart.
 
I can't remember if it was FE4 or FE5. I will get my friend to get me the fender tag codes. I have really been considering buying it back
 
That is a nice wagon. I like them but can't find them cheap enough.
 
J-MacsMopars said:
Yes, kind of. In 73 it was a bit more pale.
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I take it you mean the color my Scamp was when I bought it. That was an easy choice for me to make (the color I went with, as in my sig, is ford chrome yellow).

I agree with Purple Haze. And, afaic, a 'nicer' color (as long as a prospective buyer agrees that it's a nicer color) won't hurt resale value- as long as the car hasn't had major irreversible changes made to hurt the ability to turn it back to stock.
 
Actually, it wouldn't be FE anything. It would be EF4
 
That interior/exterior color combo is unique enough I would definately keep it original. I can't tell by the pics if your car is yellow or Honey Gold but it's hard to imagine what the colors originally looked like nearly 40 years later. Most colors we now think of as dull or drab actually looked nice when new, they've just bleached and faded so much they don't look like they did.

I would also add a black 340 stripe down the side, the black stripes on the tail panel, a black hood scoop and a black go-wing. I would also probably add a vintage set of 5 spoke mags with the spokes painted black. All of these changes would really set the car off and keep it from looking 'plain', yet would be fairly easy to put back to stock if desired.
Dallas
 
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