Hi everyone thank you for accepting me at your home.
I was one of those kids that grew up watching the Dukes of Hazard, in a land far far away and dreamed of coming one day to America.
At some point I did an in 1990 I came within a hair of buying a white Dart with a 318, but it was not meant to be. It would not be until a few years ago I bought a Hemi Orange 2010 Challenger, but the love for old Mopars would not be satiated.
So, I would like to build what I think is called a restomod for a 70-74 Cuda. I love and respect old cars, so I don't want to get a complete, mostly complete, or running car and then gut it to do something else, so I would prefer to find a rolling shell in decent shape.
So, what would you guys advise me to do?
Any pointers?
What do you guys expect a decent shell to run?
Thank you all for any help or pointers.
Welcome to te site from Panama !
I recommend buyin te best most complete car you can find / afford , searcin out all of te missin parts costs a fortune
:iagree: Yes, building a resto mod is getting pretty expensive. You'll be money ahead if you can find a done car. But then you lose the fun of doing it yourself.
Welcome from Sweden! :sweden:
What they said, try to get a complete car.
I bought a 73 Challenger rusty shell, and a 5.7 Hemi + 833 manual. Lots of parts (most parts!) where missing and it gets expensive buying those parts one by one.
I bought this car because I got a very good deal on the shell, but I see after collecting all parts that it would have been way cheaper to get
a complete car.
First and foremost I'd look for a car needing no, or at most 'very little', body work. This stage is where so many projects go to die. My Cuda spent almost a decade in body shop jail and absolutely derailed the project for my parents.
Buying a complete car saves you from getting nickel and dimes over small bolts, fasteners, or sub assemblies that you could restore yourself.
:welcome: to the site :cheers:
Yep a complete car to start with .These cars are so popular around the world and getting harder to get. But welcome to the best place for our beloved ebody . :australia:
:welcome:
Welcome!! As most others have already suggested, I'd get the most decent car for the money that you can afford. If you have a bodyshop or mechanic shop at your disposal, then taking on a car that needs a little more help may be worth it to you but that's all up to you. :wrenching:
I'm doing the same with my 73 'Cuda and just replacing old parts with new ones (not necessarily factory or NOS) and it's gotten quite expensive....but, it's worth it because you'll have a nice ride in the end.
Good luck on your hunt for your car and be sure to start a project thread so we can all follow!!
You'll pay more up front for a finished car vs a rolling shell, but once finished you'll have way more money into building your dream car.
They both have advantages and dis advantages.
Buying a finished car will cost less in the end, but you don't know what you're getting and because you want a "resto-mod" it might not be 100% modified to your liking.
Building your dream car, you'll get exactly what you want, but quickly learn how expensive things are, and it takes a lot longer. :alan2cents:
:welcome:
Welcome.
Being in Panama, part availability is likely more difficult than in the states. Just guessing.
Another reason for buying a completed car.
If you do decide to dive in yourself, please don't 'destroy' an otherwise valuable collector car. Start with a 6 cylinder or 318 car.
After having friends work on restomods, you are essentially making a streetrod. Even in this world where people have done it, there are so many differences. Electronics and mating everything to an old chassis is a lot of work if you want it to work well. I would venture to say that anyone who says they spent XX time or $$ is probably off by 50%. Then there is the overall balance and vehicle dynamics that few people seem to think is important. The auto industry spends a lot of time, money and testing on making sure a car is stable at speed, or stops in a certain distance. Many people seem to think as long as it moves and stops is good enough.
Welcome from B.C. Canada.
:welcome: from Riverside California
:welcome::from central Oregon :wave:
My car didn't need much in the way of body work, but I did get it stripped and repainted... then "mission creep" set in and the long list of parts I ended up replacing instead of re-using started to get filled out. I'm on year 8, and just got my engine started for the first time 2 days ago. It can be a long process depending on how much work you're going to take on. A dismantled car can take up a lot of room, so plan accordingly for possible long term storage.
Money, hard work, patience, How much do you have?
Thats a real question
First of all welcome to the forum.
These cars is a hobby and for most folks between work, family and other obligations, the amount of time you get to work on the car is limited in a given year. So beside cost you need to think about time. I got a running car to start with original body that did not need work. Exterior paint was not perfect but in good shape. After driving it for may be a year, I started the mechanical, cosmetic and interior work. I did not get to drive it again until almost 6 years later. Some of the time I did no work, saving money and think about what I should do next.
Depending on your situation, these are some of the things to think about.
Welcome to the site from Ontario, :canada: I see many have counseled buying a "done" car. That can run into money and there's also the issue of determining that it is, indeed, properly "done". As mentioned, body/paint work can be a large cost, but cutting up a "done" car can also be somewhat sacrilegious to some. At the end of the day, it'll be your car and your wallet, so try to balance a realistic appraisal of mods and their costs on said car. If they add up to where it'll cost you more to "re-do" that "done" car than building from a shell, well then you'll have made an informed decision. Good luck either way. :cheers:
For a restomod, definitely look for a 318 car that does not have the collector value that other engine/trans combinations will have. If you are unfamiliar with body work, have any potential purchase looked at by someone who knows auto body and you can trust. I know very little about body repair and was happy that the California car I purchased did not appear to have any major rust issues. After getting the car back from the dipper, I wound up replacing both front fenders, both inner fenders, both door skins, roof, both rear quarters, and the taillight panel due to swiss cheese sheet metal. A competent auto body guy could have warned me that the metal was not near as solid as I thought it was. Know that any project will snowball in cost and time invested, but can be worth every dime and every minute if you enjoy the end result. Good luck on your quest.
If your not restoring, pick a car that no longer has it's fender tag and or build sheet.
Lots of great advice in this thread!
@journeycuda (https://forum.e-bodies.org/mlist/journeycuda_8151)
Not sure why this thread was brought back up. This guy was on the forum for 1 post and 7 minutes in July and not back since. There's no one listening on the other end!
I honestly did not notice the date. I usually just read the most recents but obviously found this thread somehow. I don't really post much because I am not an expert in anything. I just jumped at the opportunity to actually add something useful to a conversation :D
My thoughts, having done this and getting close to getting it driving...
How much money do you have to dump into it?
How much time do you have?
Do you prefer the process of building or driving?
Money is a big factor in many ways. You can buy one ready to go ranging from super expensive all original prime shape, sky's the limit restored, or relatively expensive running. $20k-$150K or more depending what your looking for. I think a hemi convertible toped a million many years ago.
Buying one that needs lots of work doesn't really save money. It'll need parts and many aren't cheap or even available. A air cleaner is $300-$500, the rear finish panel is near impossible to find and usually go for a grand ( though someone on the site had one super cheap). Belt molding clips aren't made anymore and were a hundred bucks last time someone made them. Antenneas are over $100 and the washer fluid bottle is close to $100. Little things all add up. So think long and hard about what shape the car is in before lumping down some money.
If you don't have the time to work on it, then you have to pay someone to do it. That isn't cheap. If you do have the time, but it's limited to weekends, expect it to take years depending on the shape. Mine took at least 5 years. Lots of body work, painting, redoing the interior including seats dash headliner, etc. I had a lot of fun working on the car. I made LOTS of mistakes and some people wouldn't be ok with them but I am.
There is a lot trade offs and really depends what you want to do. Assuming you do most of the work yourself and you don't want to blow a fortune, I would get something that would be easier to build up. Paint is VERY expensive so you may consider getting something with a decent paint job or at least something with no major dents or rot. Rot on panels that are replaceable will be simpler and easier to deal with. Focus on something that has most of the major parts. I would polk around and try to figure out what parts are expensive, hard to come by, or not available and make sure you have those or you don't care about them.
just for the record, I put in probably close to 10K including complete interior, paint, body panels, engine rebuild, exhaust and headers, etc. I went with lots of cheap parts, things on sale and did everything myself with the exception of the motor rebuild. I was lucky and bought it for $1000 back when you could still find them cheap.