Why restore??

[sixtiesmuscle]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2446735507 Where do we go from here?

[sYc]

Mike, interesting to say the least. Talk about opening a can of worms. This could make the practice of "selling tags" big buisness. Talk about buyer beware, on down the road.

[sixtiesmuscle]

Things were quieting down around here, so, it seemed like we needed a new hot topic.

[T Billigen]

I guess its time to make a Yenko convertible! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/3gears.gif

[Pantera]

I precect that anyone with half a brain will be able to tell the difference between one of these and a real car. If it is anything like the aftermarket body parts I have seen they are just not the same. If you should lean too hard on one of these you just might leave a dimple in the body.

[SamLBInj]

Kit car, No Vin??..How about insurance and registation? 2004, 69 camaro Z/28/RS/SS/427 ZL-1 JL-8 convertible..what a car!! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/naughty.gif
Now if only someone would start making new DZ302 cross ram and L-88 Motors...
Sam /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/burnout.gif

[camarojoe]

I bet everything will fit up really nice too... /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif... the money spent for fixing rot on an original would probably be doubled in paying a bodyman to get anything to bolt together...anyone ever work with reproduction stuff? If you ever have, you know what I'm talking about... nothing even comes close to fitting. Personally, i don't think that shell pictured is what they say anyhow... it looks like a real car to me... with about 4 coats of the correct "taiwan black" sealer/primer on it. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif First sheep, now this! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif

[68SSCamaro]

They already do this for the popular Model A. Just natural that other popular body styles follow.

[Mr. T]

This is what I think of this
idea! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbsdown.gif
Reproduction parts are a joke, not just for assembly reasons, but the quality.
I just hope we don't start seeing more and more of these reproduction shells starting to float around. This would be a great business for the companies that restamp vin #'s and cowl tags.

[resto4u]

They would be good for a drag racer, lightweight body. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/haha.gif /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif Roger

[55chevy]

If they're marketed and sold as "kit" cars and always labeled as such after being put together by someone (such as the Cobra kit cars we're all familer with).. I don't see a problem with these.. I think it gives the "little" guy a chance that can't afford the real things with all the good numbers. I think it could also stand to make the "real" cars change hands for higher dollars.. Just like the REAL Cobras do today. Therefore I think it's a good idea, just make sure there are some noticable differences built into the structure of the car so greedy low lifes don't make a profit on swapping cowl tags and vin numbers from a DEAD car to one of these brand new bodies. Sell them as kits. Treat them as kits. Build them and drive the ever-loving Hell out of them /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[camarojoe]

Well, if no one can make any other repro items indistinguishable from original, (are there really any reproduction items that are truly "exact" reproductions?) I seriously doubt there will be much difficulty in determining a complete repro body from a GM piece, even if they were TRYING to make them exact. JMO.

[Don_Lightfoot]

I find this very interesting when considering the seller. "The Parts Place" has a good reputation from my standpoint and I have purchased items from them in the past. Maybe I didn't read down far enough, but does it include the rear frame rails? It will be very interesting to see if this takes off and will a hardtop be far behind /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif

[1967Z28]

It is just like most things that guys end up arguing about in this hobby. Its sort of a double-edged sword. There are some potentially good aspects and some potentially very bad aspects. There's nothing anybody can do about it. If the market is there, it will sell and if not, it will go away after awhile. If it ends up being a good quality body, I would much rather have a brand new Motion/Berger/Whatever in one of these first-gen bodies than in a 2002. The 4th-gen cars do not have the same appeal to me personally. Carroll Shelby decides he wants to crank out a few more Cobras or Daytona Coupes and he just starts 'em up again. Something like a new Motion car on a original style body that you could buy brand new would be pretty awesome to my way of thinking.

-Jon

1967 Z28 street car
1967 Z28 Trans-Am race car
1967 Z28 Registry

[SamLBInj]

[ QUOTE ]
It is just like most things that guys end up arguing about in this hobby. Its sort of a double-edged sword. There are some potentially good aspects and some potentially very bad aspects. There's nothing anybody can do about it. If the market is there, it will sell and if not, it will go away after awhile. If it ends up being a good quality body, I would much rather have a brand new Motion/Berger/Whatever in one of these first-gen bodies than in a 2002. The 4th-gen cars do not have the same appeal to me personally. Carroll Shelby decides he wants to crank out a few more Cobras or Daytona Coupes and he just starts 'em up again. Something like a new Motion car on a original style body that you could buy brand new would be pretty awesome to my way of thinking.

[/ QUOTE ]

I Agree, I always thought that if chevy brought back that body style and dropped in some 427's and 302's and kept the costs down to a bare minimum with a couple of different options they wouldnt be able to build em fast enough.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/burnout.gifSam

[MikeA]

[ QUOTE ]
If restoring a Z28 / RS / SS / Copo / Yenko these body shells will save a lot of time for the end user.

[/ QUOTE ]

Based on that statement from the ad it appears that they may not be marketing these things only as "kits".

[sixtiesmuscle]

I'm sure they'll sell them to anybody with the money to buy one. It's not THEIR business what the end user does with it. It will be interesting to see how many "kit cars" actually show up. I don't like the fact that these are being made, but, I am impressed by the man's ingenuity, and, resoucefulness. If he can get them made without doing anything illegal, and, they sell well, it's a great business innovation. Kinda surprised nobody has done it before.

[SamLBInj]

This is the same as a Shelby 427 clone or even an old 32 ford coupe clone. If I had a Shelby, got into an accident and wiped out the body and frame, I then get an aftermarket frame, drop on an aftermarket body, put in the rear,hook up the nom 427 and nom trans that was in the original car and Wala! I fixed my original Shelby or did I? would it still be a Shelby? the only original part is the rear? you decide.

The problem is that they are Marketing it as "REPLACEMENT PARTS" which is wrong.
I was recently at Hershey and saw a Duesenburg that had 40,000 hours of resto time, I was thinking I could build that car from scratch and manufacture all the parts myself in a lot less time than that, But it would not be a Duesenburg, it would be a Sammy Special! and im sure the duesenburg would sell for alot more money than the Sammy even though they are identical.
Half the fun of restoring a car is trying to find the parts.
They should call it a different name and they might do alot better, people would still want the car style and wouldnt be afraid to modify it.jmho.
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/burnout.gifSam

[Mr. T]

Just curious what that 69 Camaro "shell" sold for? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif

[Stefano]

[ QUOTE ]
This could make the practice of "selling tags" big buisness. Talk about buyer beware, on down the road.

[/ QUOTE ]

The sale of trim tags has been a "big (legal) business" for quite some time.

[NCGuy68]

[ QUOTE ]
The sale of trim tags has been a "big (legal) business" for quite some time.

[/ QUOTE ]

Trim tags as well as riveted VIN plates and paper titles.

Many years ago, I routinely stripped 1st. generation cars simply for parts when I could find them. While dismantling a 'plain jane' 69 Camaro, a potential buyer "begged" me for the VIN plate and title. I refused!

As Al Colvin has said, " a correct original car should be able to stand on its own merit", meaning its component casting/part numbers and they're date codes should be within reasonable limits.