Show car vs Muscle Ratrod……..

[MOPARENT]

Which one would you rather have?

I have a 68 charger that really deserves a full resto, complete with numbers matching 383 and trans, but I find myself cutting corners and doing things to it I wouldn't do to winter beaters just to speed up getting it on the road. The guilt is there, but the desire to have an actual running, driving charger is a little overwhelming some days. Especially being almost 50 and very tired of trying to produce a near perfect, numbers everything restoration on limited time, budget, family stuff, etc.

Which brings me to my questions: Is it wrong to simply want a primered, drive-it-in-the rain, walmart running, grocery getting, tire-burning, ok to spill coffee in kind of car or should I bring it to show car standards just to "keep it all original" and never actually use it? What sucks is that either way, its still stupid expensive to put these cars together. It's VERY hard to determine a cut-off point. I'm all about shackles, side pipes, 60's n 70's on Cragars now, but without the fancy paint schemes of the 1970's.

I'm leaning towards the "muscle ratrod" vibe only to get it on the road before I kick or lose interest altogether. I'm just getting starting on this one and looking for ideas and opinions…Who's into "Muscle Ratrods" and do you catch a lot of flack because of it?……..mkay, next beer please!

 

[WP29440SE]

What friggin good is it if you can't enjoy it. Screw the numbers BS and get the thing on the road. I played the numbers game and it sucked all the fun right out of it for me. Now I just drive the wheels off them .Life is too short and I'm too old to worry about whether or not there is a U in the VIN or if I'm going to get it dirty. Besides , it's yours , who gives a **** what anyone else thinks

 

[dvw]

We race them both.
Doug

View attachment 387932

 

[65-440]

I second that, get it road worthy and enjoy the crap or if it ! Absolutely zero fun in having a car and not driving it because of bad weather, don't want it to get dirty, or whatever the reason may be. That's how I am with my dart and it sucks ! That's the reason why I did everything to my coronet besides paint/ body. It's stays outside sometimes, drives in the rain, gets dirty, but I love every mile in it !

 

[Daly]

Mines a driver and always will be. I'm not afraid to take it down a dirt road or drive it in the rain. There was a time I wanted the perfect numbers matching car, but I quickly grew to realize I wouldn't enjoy it as much as my driver.

 

[Sixpactogo]

What friggin good is it if you can't enjoy it. Screw the numbers BS and get the thing on the road. I played the numbers game and it sucked all the fun right out of it for me. Now I just drive the wheels off them .Life is too short and I'm too old to worry about whether or not there is a U in the VIN or if I'm going to get it dirty. Besides , it's yours , who gives a **** what anyone else thinks

My sentiments exactly! Look in the mirror and decide what you want and how you want it. You are only gonna please a small percentage no matter which way you go. Please yourself and do the best you can with your resources. Let the cry babies have their say and when push comes to shove you can tell em that when the title is in their name, they can have it their way. Then, honk the horn, smoke the tires and smile as you drive away.

 

[OH71RRunner]

Do whatever that will make you the happiest. I have to walk a fine line. Cari wants a "pretty show car" and I want a car to drive and enjoy.
The numbers matching thing is cool for a collector's item.
No matter what you decide, enjoy doing it.

 

[dieseldazzle]

Numbers matching is cool and has its place but man modified cars drive run and stop so much better and do way better burnouts

 

[MOPARENT]

I will admit at car shows I always seem to gravitate towards the project cars or the un-molested originals. The super-mint numbers car are nice, but just don't do it for me like when I was a teenager….Show me a charger jacked up on shackles with side pipes and I'll vote that buggy best of show every time.

 

[HEMI-ITIS]

My heap was a numbers matching slanty with 3 on the tree

 

[Ranger16]

This is one of those rare times that you CAN have your cake and eat it too. You've already got the numbers part, but it doesn't have to be a "perfect" show car. Make it yours. That said, I would never make it a "drive-it-in-the rain, Walmart running, grocery geter". After all you put into it, it deserves better treatment.

 

[big_shmoop]

Both are cool for their own reasons, but it really comes down to what YOU want. The cars are meant to be enjoyed, but only you can decide what will give you that feeling.

Some people want to have a car that is like a time capsule and is perfect in every way. Some just want to romp around to cruise nights, car shows, and have fun with it. Some are only concerned with getting to run 1/8 or 1/4 mile at a time. Each has their place and while I fall into the middle group, I respect everyone's choice with their car.

 

[Habib]

I second that, get it road worthy and enjoy the crap or if it ! Absolutely zero fun in having a car and not driving it because of bad weather, don't want it to get dirty, or whatever the reason may be. That's how I am with my dart and it sucks ! That's the reason why I did everything to my coronet besides paint/ body. It's stays outside sometimes, drives in the rain, gets dirty, but I love every mile in it !

View attachment 387943

Beautiful Dart. My dads car looks just like it...well it did 25 years ago

 

[Habib]

The Times we live in now prove that life is way to absurd and Giving a **** really is not worth it. Unless it has Real rarity, good documentation or anything along those lines then i say Drive as is. I wanna have fun when driving and not worry about Things.

 

[Dennis H]

Drive it. Here is mine, filthy and scraped up. Doesn't diminish the smile. Like a time machine. The Coronet does not know that it is not 1969. Don't forget the misaligned trunk lid. Get over it. These cars were purpose built by Legendary Designers. I get the purpose. To be driven and enjoyed. These guys had more creative talent than....All these years later, I still lust after these cars and the sometimes unpredictable lethal performance they provide. Todays Hellcats are Bitchin, but the old cars we enjoy can never be made again.

 

[mmissile]

We all had rat-rods before they were considered cool. It was in the 70-80's, as kids. Then we got jobs and could have nice cars.

 

[Dgc]

ok heres my 2 cents to do a complete restoration on many of our cars is a waste of time and money unless you have a super rare high end car. the cost is so high you end up having twice what they are worth unless you do it all yourself. but I do like original cars, but even my original cars get driven why take the time if you dont enjoy the car nothing beats the first time you open the garage doors and put it in gear except the second or third time

 

[mmissile]

If it's running... I drive it. I don't care how much it cost to restore it, or how "rare" it is. They're just production cars.

 

[Superb Bee]

Build what makes you happy, if a numbers matching eo gold quality car is what you are after then build it that way, if you want something to drive and blow donuts in, then build it...
I like all cars, I spent 20 minutes at a car show, scratching my head looking over an 87 montecarlo ss that had a 92 trans am nose on it, the guy that built it like the montecarlo rear end and the trans am front end, but the best part of the car was it has a grand national turbo 6 in it with a 5 speed manual, lol. He made a list of what he wanted and made it happen, he was telling another guy at the show it cost him $50K to build the car. Now I would think that is a huge waste of time and money, but it doesn't matter what I think. (story of my life)

 

[Riverdawg]

go all muscle ratrod and drive it. I'm working on getting my car on the road this spring so I can finally drive it. It's in pretty good shape for a 50+ years old car and I've been waiting 30 years to have a classic car again. I have a friend that completely restore a 69 Charger day 2 style. He did a fantastic job, but he couldn't leave it alone a car shows, only drove it when there was no chance of rain. He got to drive it for about 5 years but someone sideswiped him just before this past Thanksgiving. So build it how you want to and drive the heck out of it. You just don't know what will happen.