Modifying Rare Muscle Cars & Value Questions

[socaldodger]

Hi:

What's your guys take on modifying Rare Muscle Cars(Yenko, AAR, T/A, Shelby, Hemi, Copo Etc)? By modifying I mean modifications to original engine (displacement etc), upgrading suspension components, maybe even making it a 5-6 speed?

Also by how much does a Muscle Cars value go down if it dosen't have the original #'s matching drivetrain?

[Donutblue]

IMO if it's original that's where your value is. If your looking to modify it to suit your taste and have fun with it,but your still looking to maintain value, don't make any drastic changes and keep the original stock parts available.

[William]

I find this sort of amusing.

Virtually all Musclecars earned their legendary status via guys who modified and raced them. Can you even look at a 1st gen Camaro and not think of Strickler/Jenkins, Penske/Donahue, Fred Gibb, Dick Harrell and many others? Back in the early '70s I looked at a lot of used Z/28s and virtually all of them had bars, headers, aftermarket wheels.
The Dated Hose Clamp set may not like it but Day 2 is how a lot of Musclecars spent most of their life. I would not cut one but anything else goes.

[Hylton]

[ QUOTE ]
I find this sort of amusing.

Virtually all Musclecars earned their legendary status via guys who modified and raced them. Can you even look at a 1st gen Camaro and not think of Strickler/Jenkins, Penske/Donahue, Fred Gibb, Dick Harrell and many others? Back in the early '70s I looked at a lot of used Z/28s and virtually all of them had bars, headers, aftermarket wheels.
The Dated Hose Clamp set may not like it but Day 2 is how a lot of Musclecars spent most of their life. I would not cut one but anything else goes.

[/ QUOTE ]

Amazing how they all grew their original parts back huh?

[SMGCO]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
I find this sort of amusing.

Virtually all Musclecars earned their legendary status via guys who modified and raced them. Can you even look at a 1st gen Camaro and not think of Strickler/Jenkins, Penske/Donahue, Fred Gibb, Dick Harrell and many others? Back in the early '70s I looked at a lot of used Z/28s and virtually all of them had bars, headers, aftermarket wheels.
The Dated Hose Clamp set may not like it but Day 2 is how a lot of Musclecars spent most of their life. I would not cut one but anything else goes.

[/ QUOTE ]

" Amazing how they all grew their original parts back huh? "

[/ QUOTE ]

Very good point.

[12bolt]

I did some cool stuff to my 67 GT500. Ceramic coated hooker headers through a Pypes X exhaust with a 428 warmed up nicely Aluminum heads, MSD ignition and Distributor, Comp Cam, and to retain the original look, I put the Factory Dual quad intake with Holley Replacement Carbs on top so the average Joe has no clue when he is looking. they usually oooh and Ahhh and tell me what a nice "Eleanor" I have!!! the original Engine and Power steering are boxed up nicely and put away in the Garage for Safe keeping.

[camarojoe]

[ QUOTE ]
I find this sort of amusing.

Virtually all Musclecars earned their legendary status via guys who modified and raced them. Can you even look at a 1st gen Camaro and not think of Strickler/Jenkins, Penske/Donahue, Fred Gibb, Dick Harrell and many others? Back in the early '70s I looked at a lot of used Z/28s and virtually all of them had bars, headers, aftermarket wheels.
The Dated Hose Clamp set may not like it but Day 2 is how a lot of Musclecars spent most of their life. I would not cut one but anything else goes.

[/ QUOTE ]

That may be true, and is also why original stuff as well as the cars themselves are worth what they are today. if not for a large percentage of the cars and original components getting swapped out, cut, hacked, and modified, the value of that stuff wouldn't be what it is today... If every 69 Z still had its original 302 and was never modified with day 2 stuff, never had any dated or original parts thrown away, and no one cut them up, raced them, or ruined them, finding a nice original one would not be difficult, nor would they be valued as much. The rarer something is, or the more difficult it is to locate, the more valued it becomes... this goes for original parts and has recently moved over to some original "Day 2" stuff as well.

[indyjps]

i would not risk an original matching #'s block, or 4 speed, set it aside and have some fun.

[njsteve]

My car's been Day2 since Day1 and I still beat on it. It's one of one produced. If the part can be unbolted and swapped back on, then there's no problem. Items such as headers, intake, shifter, mag wheels are fine. They wont hurt the value if you have the original parts stored away. Bolting on a large rice-rocket wing and neon lights would however, be a little beyond the limit.

[HS PROFESSOR]

[ QUOTE ]
i would not risk an original matching #'s block, or 4 speed, set it aside and have some fun.

[/ QUOTE ]

I SURE WOULD AND STILL DO !!! Years ago "1994" I had my 69 charger R/T out for the Muscle car show and go.I won the car show,Editors choice award,Best body/paint award,And even went 5 rounds to win the "go" part of the event.I brought home four, three foot trophys that day and got my car into the march of 1995 issue of muscle cars magazine.Front cover too!!Jeff Koch took all the photos and did a little interview for the article,and in the end asked why i raced and abused such a nice car.My words were,and appeared in the magazine article......IF YOU CANT KICK IT DOWN...WHATS THE SENSE OF OWNING IT !!! I know muscle cars today are a very valuable investment,but just remember.....they are MUSCLE cars. I laugh at people who pet and baby there cars like a dog, maybe i'm wrong but in my eyes.....any car i have....better be able to withstand some smokey sideways burnouts.And in case your thinking I'm an ass. Maybe i am, but i enjoy the crap out of every car i own.And i have no regrets....not even totaling my 69 SS 396 CAMARO CONVERTIBLE just 2 years ago.12k worth of damage. Insured properly and i had it repaired in less than 5 weeks.Nicer and faster than it was before.Boy that car did/does great burnouts!!!

Back to the original question......Keep the good ones stock !!! Modify/clone/customize the base models.It should be a unwritten law.