If you're over 40, this probably isn't for you

[verdelaw]

myself,ive had about 20 cars in the last 5 years alone and not one of them ever made it to completely finished stage.
i just dont have the Time,between life,missions,other peoples projects,etc etc...

Wow that's a lot of cars in a short amount of time. All for fun? Or trying to make money?

3 or 4 years ago, I decided to finally get my "dream" Mopar. Had a '68 Runner brand new, then a '68 GTX - loved 'em both. This time around, at the tender age of 66...[/ATTACH]

Beautiful car there moose, glad to hear you're loving it. What happened to those two other cars from only 3 or 4 years ago? The Runner and the GTX? Did you sell them? Why?..

 

[jmpric]

The only thing I'll say about buying a project car is that you can restore it exactly how YOU want, especially if you want a resto-mod. And you don't have to do everything at once. Part of the fun is upgrading things over time. I bought my '68 Coronet with the engine/tranny out of the car. Talk about a gamble. Probably not my best decision, but it was cheap enough. Anyway, I'm having fun (so far) with the restoration/mods. I drive it around town in its primer state, and still get a lot of thumbs ups. There's still a ton I want to do, but all in good time. I've had it for 2 years and it's probably 40% of where I want it to be.

 

[alsant]

Well I am 54 and read this thread and don't see why its not for me. Some good thoughts from all.

 

[Destroyer Doug]

The part of the original post that I connect with about not having the time. We all have the same passion and respect for these cars, so it's not about not wanting to learn. I can can buy a library and tools, but I don't have time to do all the training that it takes become a mechanic or a welder. I read the forums, watch the videos, do all my research in advance until I feel comfortable that I can tackle a simple project. But like the original post said, when it should take 30 minutes and I try to bang out it before dinner I end up covered in grease, bleeding from my knuckles, and angry at the world because my wife expected me back in hours ago but I'm just so close to figuring this thing out. I would love to be able to do all the work myself, but that's not realistic when I already have a full time job that has nothing to do with cars, and weekends are better spent with my young and growing family. For me, with the car I have, I've learned it's better to do all the research so I can diagnose and not get scammed, but then hand off to a real mechanic to do the work. There's an extra cost, but at the end of the day still learn something new about the science and machinery, and I get the fire up the car and take the family for a cruise. So, I guess that's a long way of saying I understand where Verde is coming from with the advice of looking for a finished car. Restoring them is more than a side project, and you can still be connected to a car you love even if you didn't torque every bolt yourself.

 

[Speedbird]

Once upon a time, it was said that the smart money will buy a car already restored, drive it some and then sell it.
Only high end cars stood a chance of actually being profitable to restore.
Like a Hemi car.
Let me try and condense it. "Don't bite off more than you can chew."
To restore a car one needs time, space and ability.
The less they have of ability the more money they need.
I've seen cars get bought, sit and then sold because of lack of any of the three.
And many times the car is sold as "some assembly required" which cost the owner in the sale.
I like being able to say I built it myself.
I'll never go to Pebble Beach, show off a car I paid someone to restore and get a trophy.
If someone wants a MOPAR that they can actually drive everyday, buy an A body.
Can't beat it. Perfect size and balance.
Ask me how I know.

 

[verdelaw]

If someone wants a MOPAR that they can actually drive everyday, buy an A body.
Can't beat it. Perfect size and balance.
Ask me how I know.

How do you know?

Yeah I've toyed with getting a Dart for a while now. But I can't rationalize spending that money when my true love is a Charger. What's wrong with driving a B body?...

 

[Car Nut]

That's a VERY good price for the seller to ask, but not for a buyer. There is no way in hell that it's worth that much.

Thanks there Car Nut, but 83 large is a bit too rich for my blood. And besides, there are some very specific things I'm looking for in my next purchase.
Agreeeeeeeeeeeeeeed

I know the price is too high, these car flippers or delusional sellers think they're sitting on gold mines. That Charger has been relisted for a year now. I agree, buy the most complete car for the money.

Here's some different delusional sellers.

View attachment 342934

Gorgeous 66 Moose1

 

[Speedbird]

How do you know?

Yeah I've toyed with getting a Dart for a while now. But I can't rationalize spending that money when my true love is a Charger. What's wrong with driving a B body?...

Nothing would be wrong with it.
But do you drive the Charger everyday?
You live in Illinois?
It's not a fair statement to you then.
I'm in Georgia and salted roads aren't a consideration to me.
But I get 23 MPG highway with a cop 318, lock up transmission and 2/76 F body rear.
I built my A bodies, kept them all Chrysler parts and never have any trouble.
One belt to drive the alternator.
Bullet proof.
Get the Duster/Sport body style if you are over 6 feet.
The head room makes a difference.

 

[Dennis H]

Yeah, I'm curious wtf age has to do with this thread. Buying the most/best you can or can afford almost always pays off.

 

[Brandy]

Hmmm....all good points. As for me, i'm having fun just tinkering along bit by bit, doing it myself and learning as I go. I have all the time in the world but little money, and that's ok. I'm doing what I want to do to it and i'm happy.

 

[metaldad]

well, i had multiple cars, back when i was a teen. 68, 70 chargers, 70 gran sport fury, 73 satellite
married, work, kids, work, and more work. never really had time for anything, other than werk.
got bit hard by the car bug last year, started looking. cant understand why would someone buy sight unseen on ebay.
drove personally to view several cars......... they turned out not as advertised.
'found' this one locally, i think i paid a really good price. @MarPar seems to think it's a good deal. mechanic i brought her to, also seems to think so. not the color i really wanted, has a green interior (i hate green, except in my wallet), wasn't looking for a 'vert, but, the opportunity presented itself.( i really wanted a roadrunner or gtx) car is 99% complete. i was given the stack of receipts, which i know isnt complete, but, wow, the munney this guy spent! i would never consider sinking that much into a car. and, if the situation arises, i have already come to the realization, it's for sale.

 

[Destroyer Doug]

Yeah, I'm curious wtf age has to do with this thread. Buying the most/best you can or can afford almost always pays off.

I think age has a few factors. If you're retired you have more time to spend learning the trade. If you're under a certain age you were never exposed to these cars until your purchase. The first time I saw a carburetor was when my brother bought a Classic when I was 14. I didn't grow up in these cars so I don't know how they're supposed to feel or sound like. It's a little thing, but it makes a difference.

 

[MarPar]

ive seen @metaldad's car, and its a beauty!

personally, I dont care if it does have green interior or not. it's the overall vibe of the car that matters to me...and this car has a great vibe to it. and who the hell doesn't like a 'vert?!?

 

[Richard Cranium]

Nice looking car there Metaldad!

 

[moparnation74]

That coronet is Beautiful!

 

[ws23jrt]

That coronet is Beautiful!

That coronet does bring back memories.

A friend of mine drove up to my house in a 68 white with green interior coronet 500 in late 68.
It was his parents new car. We both drove it like it was our own.

This memory is what moved me to buy a 69 superbee new. --- Then some time went by.----I don't look the same but the coronet body style is as nice as ever.

 

[747mopar]

After building my first full resto I can somewhat agree but to me there's 2 ways to look at it, if wanting a correctly restored Mopar or lacking the ability to do it all yourself then yes I think spending the money upfront is the smart approach. If wanting a custom build then trying to find a solid shell minus motor, tranny, interior, etc is the smart choice... not a restored specimen. Now the other way to look at it is for those that don't have $$$$$ laying around buying a basket case is the only option, invest as money comes in and eventually get your dream, in the end it will likely cost more but much like a loan you can afford it easier over time.
The big thing I see being left out of this thread is the fact that most of us buy basket cases because we enjoy putting them back together, sometimes the journey is the most rewarding part.

 

[Bruzilla]

One delta between old timers and the new kids in the market that wasn't mentioned is an ability to overcome problems when they come up. In all honesty, our cars are the definition of simplicity. They were designed to be built by hungover guys with minimal skills and minimal tools and last for two to four years tops. Compared to the complex sensor-laden vehicles of today, our cars are essentially model kits.

Keeping this reality in mind, a lot of us older guys can remember dealing with little time-consuming setbacks by rolling right over them. If a wire was too short, you spliced in some more. If you lost a washer, you dug around in the nuts/bolts/washer peanut butter jar for one that would work. Coat hangers were a car owner's best friend. Got a dent... Bondo! Nowadays a lot of these workarounds are seen and new owners say "what the Hell was that guy thinking when he did this!" and see nothing but some lazy sumbitch who didn't want to take the time to do things right", but what they are really seeing is the work of someone who needed to get their car running to get to work, didn't have access to thousands of re-pop parts and their vendors, and didn't have time or money to wait weeks for a part.

When I work on my car, I do it the same way as I did back then. If I see a couple of lengths of bad wire, I don't race to the computer to price out a new wiring harness and try to find the time and money to buy and install it. I race to the tool box and grab some wires, a wiring tool, and connectors. If I have to replace a washer, I don't go looking for an OEM or re-pop one... I go to one of my now dozens of peanut butter jars. When I installed my Slap Shift console brackets and didn't have access to a welder, I used pop rivets.

So my issue with the new guys is many of them just fail to manage their expectations. They keep getting drawn into wanting to treat their fun driver car like a museum-bound restoration. A fun driver should be just that, fun and driveable. It doesn't have to be perfect, doesn't have to be "like it came from the factory", and if it's taking you days to get stuff done, you're likely doing something wrong.

 

[Richard Cranium]

When I work on my car, I do it the same way as I did back then. If I see a couple of lengths of bad wire, I don't race to the computer to price out a new wiring harness and try to find the time and money to buy and install it. I race to the tool box and grab some wires, a wiring tool, and connectors.

Why do I have visions of this?

 

[Bruzilla]

Why do I have visions of this?

Just remember... at some point, it worked great!