I have a friend who does this with Fords. He's never owned a numbers car, and I'll be the first to admit his stuff is more fun to drive than most OEM stock set ups.
Or god forbid you come home and find them upside down on the beach like that poor guy in Florida after the storm surge from the hurricane a couple years ago....
Always had a soft-spot for the Shelby Mustangs. I drove one eons ago, GT500 vert, 4sp, triple black. It was when everyone was dumping their HP rides for Japanese stuff. The car lots were chock full of awesome cars for cheap, was like a kid in a candy store looking at them. And the sales guys were hoping to get rid of them. I test drove maybe half dozen elite muscle rides. I was in my early 20’s and when I’d be on the lot looking, sales guys would come asking if I wanted to drive it? LOL! They didn’t even ride along most of the time.
Very cool wagon. Great body style. Read an article recently about a rare ’71 Ford wagon, 429 police interceptor vehicle in red. Years ago my brother, working at a Ford dealership then, bought a fire chief’s wagon, a ’69, that was ordered there and being turned in. Had the 428 motor and remember the 140-150 speedo it had. While not a mopar, it was an attention grabber.
) It's an R/T clone. (No way do I have the money for a real R/T, or want to drive one on the street!)
I've posted my story on multiple threads over the years. Test drove my dream car when I was 16, and it was brand new. Could not afford it then, or later. Eventually owned others that looked like it when they got cheaper. The original car, a heavily optioned 440 GTX, was nearly sacrificed for a pro street build by the second owner. Luckily, someone like yourself bought it, and preserved its history. I am friends with the original owner's son, and he gave me all the original documents from the dealership, which his dad owned in the 1960s. It's now probably one of the most thoroughly documented GTXs in the country.Just to throw in my perspective I'm into numbers resto for cars that should have them, like an A12 69 1/2 or a Charger HEMI R/T. Or a rare combination you can prove. If it's a base car, sure go for it, as long as you don't try to cheat or trick someone!
But for me it depends on the car and what you're doing to it...
Since you're asking in the early B forum, I owned a 65 Coronet for 28 years. Bought in the early 90s for a driver classic Mopar. (I'd always wanted a 68 Charger, but back they out of reach for me, even the drivers.) Picked up the Coronet for $5K. 500 dress trim, a 383/727, and AC, PS, PB. Original Arizona Car, now in CA. Paint still had some shine. NO rust, couple of slight dents and one bondo'd quarter crease.
The car was more than I expected though... It was close to a survivor. 80K original miles. Great interior (intact seats, perfect door panels, headliner, etc.) AND I was the third owner. The second guy gave me original paperwork. No window sticker, but service docs going back to the 60s. Original manual, warranty card. Heck even the paper label to hang on the AC knob to tell you which way hot and cold turned for those unused to AC!
And I kept everything I ever took off the car (radiator, fan, starter, etc.) Because I thought of myself as a caretaker. Yeah, it was just a 65 500, not a Max Wedge or HEMI, or high-buck late 60s muscle, but it's a time capsule.
When I moved and decided to sell it, I wanted someone who felt the same. The right buyer said "We're just taking care of these cars until we pass them on to the next guy" I knew I had my man! He kept in touch for a while, showing me the good resto work he was doing.
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2021
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I got my dream 68 Charger. Had to sell the Coronet and sink a chunk of change from our house sale (now cost 10 times more than in the 90s!
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That's fantastic! I know it must be scary to drive, but you can't beat having THE car you always wanted!
Why is it in a barn? Go get it back.
I already have two old Dodges. I think too much sand has run through my hourglass to take on a third one again. I used to have four, and thinned the herd.
I would proudly drive that wagon daily as my work van all summer long!!
