Help!...Need some opinions and a few ?'s

That's the question that i think the majority of people ask when they get a classic, to restomod it, keep it original or totally customize.

The answer is do whatever makes you happy. IMO unless there is something drastically rare about your car, do whatever you want to it. However, it does raise the resale value if you can make it back to stock anytime you want, so i'd suggest doing bolt on upgrades and keeping the stock parts in your garage or something, so if you do ever want to go back you can, easily.

In terms of burnout with my stock engine and tranny and steelies/ pizza cutter hubs i was able to burn out at will, after i upgraded to foose nitrous legends, its not so easy.

If you want reliability i'd say restomod, things like disc brakes, points conversions, head rests, stereo system, alternator, seat belts, suspension (if its shot), new set of pipes, etc...

My .02

I agree with Suki. If you decide to go the restomod way then don't do anything that can't be undone.

I took the restomod approach with my 65' coupe. It looks, handles and sounds totally different from the bone stock car I bought over 2 years ago now. The best thing is that aside from doing the "Shelby" drop on the front suspension, I can return it to stock if I wanted too. It's amazing what some new wheels and tires can do for the look, new suspension parts with lowering springs and lowering blocks can do for the stance, headers and exhaust can do for sound, and Granada brakes up front can do for stopping and peice of mind. These upgrades alone have made it so much fun to drive. And with the new gears in the rear I can burn the tires at will.

I think that if you're in the body/paint field as it is you're several steps ahead of most of us in the hobby.

Good luck and have fun with whatever you decide!

Call me an old fuddy duddy but burnouts are only cool at the strip. With enough water or slick pavement, I can make an old four cylinder car smoke the tires.

The eternal question. I was doing a search for suspension posts and ran across this conversation and decided to give my two cents. I have a 68 Shelby GT350. If any car should be on the list of keeping it stock it would be this car. The purists say you should leave the car "stock" as it came from the factory. I have tended to do that except for the engine mods. Recently I had an exciting experience needing to stop suddenly with minimal notice. That told me I needed to upgrade the braking. I could have repaired the single piston Kelsey Hayes that was on it. Or replaced that set with a aftermarket Kelsey Hayes copy. One of my car friends suggested checking out the Wilwood classic 4 piston set. Turned out the Wilwood is a superior brake and cheaper. Plus they are more compact than the single piston on the car so they fit my 15" rims very well. I kept the old parts just incase. It's your car though. I'd say upgrade the suspension, braking and engine to new standards for sure. I expect if I ever sell my car, the new buyer will be pleased with the Wilwood brakes. If not I will hand him the old parts.

DBegley said:

The eternal question. I was doing a search for suspension posts and ran across this conversation and decided to give my two cents. I have a 68 Shelby GT350. If any car should be on the list of keeping it stock it would be this car. The purists say you should leave the car "stock" as it came from the factory. I have tended to do that except for the engine mods. Recently I had an exciting experience needing to stop suddenly with minimal notice. That told me I needed to upgrade the braking. I could have repaired the single piston Kelsey Hayes that was on it. Or replaced that set with a aftermarket Kelsey Hayes copy. One of my car friends suggested checking out the Wilwood classic 4 piston set. Turned out the Wilwood is a superior brake and cheaper. Plus they are more compact than the single piston on the car so they fit my 15" rims very well. I kept the old parts just incase. It's your car though. I'd say upgrade the suspension, braking and engine to new standards for sure. I expect if I ever sell my car, the new buyer will be pleased with the Wilwood brakes. If not I will hand him the old parts.

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I tell my story based on your ownership. In 1971 I spotted a steel-blue GT-500 sitting on a used-car lot in my hometown! I was 29 then. Inquiring about it, learned the owner had been told fixing the engine would cost more than he cared to pay, turned it in for something else. I started it up, drove it around the block. It was running awful and the clutch pedal pivot was shot so bad, the pedal hung crooked, to boot! The guy asked a Grand for it; I bought it for $750!

428 dual-quads, 1967 model. #7 cylinder was not firing at all. Took out the plug, a major undertaking to begin with, found broken-away ground electrode, porcelain broken, but can't recall anymore if I removed the head. Anyway, it ran perfect when I finished, turned to the clutch pedal. Plastic bushing gone, metal to metal all but destroyed the pedal hole roundness. I got a Torrington needle bearing in there, had an extremely smooth clutch action.

Then I drove it! Pulled out onto a thoroughfare left from a stop sign, sliding sideways, at about half-throttle, compared to my '65 "K" the power and torque was monstrous! My wife intervened. "Sell it". Agreed. A Japanese young man, maybe 20 or so, looked at it, gave me a couple hundred bucks deposit, had to reach his Dad who was in Tokyo on business, for an OK. He hadn't driven the car. Came back next day, paid in full, $1700, then confessed he did not drive stick! I explained best as I could to carefully feather the clutch, little gas, I showed him a few easy starts, then grinned as he lurched and jounced away, his friend a passenger! Regrettably, back then I had no interest in picture-taking..

Throughout my lifetime: missed or misplaced opportunity; had I kept that car..........imp

oy that hurts me just reading about it

shem