Replace vs. Restore - How to decide?

[CudaA39]

Curious how some of you have determined when to restore a part vs. buying a new one.  Items that have date codes or part #s stamped is an easy choice most times to just restore, but I'm talking about items like grills, fenders, original chrome pieces, interior plastic, etc.  Level of restoration would influence this I'd imagine as well.

My 71' grill was cracked and repaired with plastic weld.  It looks "ok", but will still need doctored, some warpage repaired, and another crack fixed before paint.  The lower plastic valiance is the same, needs some good attention and is missing a tab.  With new parts available, it's so tempting to just buy a new one and be done.  Are they worth saving just to say it's original, or is a repop the way to go?

I've also recently seen some people sending out their original handles and chrome pieces to get rechromed.  I never even considered that because what is involved and replacements are available.  Are the originals really worth rechroming instead of just buying new?

Curious to hear from the board in how you addressed these crossroads.

[RUNCHARGER]

Each case is different. I think if you're actually, truly restoring the car that you should try to refinish it's original components if possible. If you're modifying it, I suppose go with the method that will cost the least. I think a problem with plastic parts is that they deteriorate over time so sometimes refurbishing the original parts will not achieve a truly nice part. I will take an original fender for an E-body over repro one anytime as long as it isn't full of bondo. White interior door panels? I used Metro for my Challenger because other than black, factory door panels deteriorated badly and pretty much couldn't be refinished.

[anlauto]

I agree with Sheldon, it really depends on the part and the outcome you're after. For me and my customers, it also boils down to time to repair vs cost of a reproduction...

For years we all had to repair 1971 Cuda grills and lower valance inserts because NO reproductions were available....I remember seeing people stitch two or three grills together to make one good one, and no matter how well they look from the front, most always you see the repair on the backside, and 9 out of 10 times they crack somewhere else when you're installing them. You can spend countless hours trying to make the grill look nice, or you can spend $1000 to buy a brand new one. 

If it's a custom car, resto-mod or show driver, the choice seems simple to me....if you're going for a detailed OEM judged car, then obviously you need the best original parts you can find.

To me, and the argument I propose to my customer's,....."IF you want the car to look new----you NEED new parts"   

As for a door handle....A re-chromed, re-painted original door handle, maybe the "original" parts off of the car, but they no longer look like the factory original part in my opinion, there's nice "cheap" reproduction door handles out there, so why spend more on the original handle if it's not going to look like a factory installed handle ?

[Headjam]

I have owned my Challenger for a little over 40 years and it has remained basically how it was built in 1970. In those 40 years, I put maybe 500 miles on it and moved it everywhere I moved to over the years. Finally, I got to retire in 2016 and started my "project". I had no timeline to get it finished and worked on it when I felt motivated.

I refurbished everything that I could refurbish and purchased new anything that I couldn't refurbish. Some things (rubber components, rusty parts, etc.) couldn't be refurbished or you wouldn't be happy with them afterwards. I considered my project a labor of love and am very proud of the way it turned out. I had some important help along the way from some very good people (@Shane Kelley among others) but basically I did the majority of the engine work, refurbishing parts, and final assembly. It took me a little more than 4 years and a large bucket of money.

It really depends on how you feel about your car. If you watch GYC, those cars are basically all new parts and nothing much is original refurbished parts. That's not what I wanted with my car. If you have the time and some basic mechanical ability, I'd say try to refurbish everything that you can. You'll have a more fulfilling experience than just buying new parts (most of which aren't made as good as original parts) and more pride when your project is complete. 

[CudaA39]

I appreciate the replies.  As I'm getting older, my standards for this project are changing, so I'm constantly reevaluating what level I want to take things.  Up until a few weeks ago, I was completely content with dedicating time to repairing this grill for example, but now buying a new one may be a superior choice.  Part of me always feels like I took the easy way out buying a replacement part, so I really try to give it hell before I throw in the towel.

Sorta not used to a plentiful aftermarket I guess, with my Coronet parts were a bit harder to source.

[anlauto]

Budget plays a roll too, as mentioned, a lot of builders rather spend hours then spend dollars....so maybe the time spent fixing the old grill with worth saving the cash 

[jimynick]

Ask yourself this question- if you're in the oem restoration camp and, as  mentioned, the car is to be judged, do you think the judges will be more impressed by your repaired Frankenstein grille or a new a/m one? Also, are you repairing this car to be a chalkmark trailer queen or a car you intend to drive and enjoy doing so? Thirdly, how large is your wallet and patience and once you've answered those questions, go the way that fulfills your ambitions for this car. Good luck whichever way you go. 

[Dakota]

I started my car restoration intending to restore almost everything.   It turns out that I didn't have the skill to fully go that route.   Unless you're going to have a concourse car, I'd echo the comment above about restoring what you're capable of doing with maybe a little stretch, as you may find out you can do more than you think.  The people on this site and YouTube are your friends in this regard.   i

For me, if it's on the car, I want it to work correctly - gauges, switches, lights - whatever.  And if it was rusty or crusty, it got repaired or replaced.   Some examples:  I  rebuilt my wiper motor, but settled for gold paint on the wiper motor body instead of getting it re-plated.  Is it perfect?  No. Does it work? Yes.   The heater box was a mess.   With replacement foam pieces from DMT and a bit of elbow grease, it's turned out OK.  I had my Hurst gear shift lever re-chromed so I could keep it original, but the pistol grip handle is made of wood instead of plastic because I think it looks better.   Stock 14" wheels and tires?  Nope - I like larger wheels and better performing tires.   Replacement of all the wiring harnesses with nearly identical M&H harnesses bought through Year One?   Absolutely.   Stock steering wheel?  No - too large.   Keep the stock non-Rallye instrument cluster?  Yes.  Ammeter -> voltmeter conversion and replace the vacant clock position with a tachometer?  Yes and yes.   Stock radio?  No - replacements were way too expensive.

Just recognize that any time you decide to use something that's not stock, you're probably going to be creating a challenge to get it to fit and work.   But also realize someone on this forum has probably already figured out how to do whatever it is you're trying to do so don't be bashful about posting questions.

Other than having nearly all original sheet metal, there's nothing particularly unique or special about my car so there was no guilt about molesting a survivor or numbers matching vehicle.   I built the vehicle I wanted, not the one I thought someone else might want some day.

Time, talent & treasure, along with whatever you're ultimately trying to have when you're "done", will likely end up determining the path(s) you take on the car.

Good luck.

[torredcuda]

Depends on the part and for me also the budget, I probably fix a lot of parts most would toss and replace. I also like to restore things myself as I enjoy doing the work and take it as sort of a challenge - anyone can just buy a new part, how many can say they restored thier own car? You also have to watch out for some lower quality parts that don`t work or fit correctly, sometimes it`s less work to repair an original part than to get a cheap aftermarket one to fit/work correctly.