Driver quality restoration - new post

[74 challenge]

I am replacing a question asked by someone else because it's been on my mind lately too.

I'm not completely interested in an OE restoration but something more driver quality. I am contemplating unloading my car and buying something more valuable, like a 70 or 71 challenger and giving it a driver quality facelift, I hesitate to use the word restoration because to me that means nut and bolt to factory specs. Factory exhausts, date coded glass, proper factory marks etc... Are not my thing. I want my car to look good to thE casual observer but not something that would be Allan Gallant or CODY nut and bolt correct. Good body, not afraid to drive it and reliability are worth more to me than a pile of trophys in the garage.

I even went and found a clone on eBay that with the exception of the fact it has a 408 stroker what I would mean by a quality looking driver. I even don't think this car is that bad of a deal.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Dodge-Challenger-R-T-Clone-1971-dodge-challenger-/331357990225?forcerrptr=true&hash=item4d2679ad51&item=331357990225&pt=US_Cars_Trucks

Other option is keeping my 74 and doing the body to driver quality knowing that I will never get my money back. This is a bad route financially but I have some commitment issues with my car and I feel like I should see it through.

The original poster of this question had asked about an R/T driver quality facelift on a car that I beleive had a build sheet and a fender tag so maybe that should be addressed to?

I was really looking forward to the responses.

[ec_co]

doesn't seem like a bad price based on the pics. i'd drive the piss out of that one. i'm in a similar conundrum .... i just want to drive mine, not spend the next 10 years doing a nut and bolt resto to perfection. besides, mine will never be anything valuable, so i'd rather do a driver quality update and just drive the crap out of it for a while.

[blown motor]

I'm with you. I just want a really nice driver, not a show car. As far as return on the money spent, I know I'll never get it all back but I'll get back a lot more than a bunch of my friends who spend a few thousand a year on golf.

[ammo]

Mine is just a driver.  I try my best to maintain it but I see no full restoration in the future.  I enjoy driving it and thats why I got it.  If I ever break even or make or lose money if I get rid of it doesnt matter to me.   Turn the key, it starts, I smile, and off I go.....

[Mickm]

I too drive mine every day (that it isn't raining when I leave). I enjoy it much more than if all I did was look at it or rub on it
I have a list of things I plan to do to make it better but none of them will lead to keeping the car down for a long period of time. At the end of the day, it is always going to be me driver!
Cheers!
Mickm72

[drewcrane]

I had the same question 15 years ago, and went with a very nice paint job,tons of suspension mods, and a decent 440 ,and never looked back,

 2 road trips 3500 miles each, I use it for work ,and have enjoyed hundreds of shows(a few trophies ) and cruises ,so yea I am all for the driver thing always have been 

[tman]

As you can see from the many responses, Driver Quality is whatever YOU want it to be, not what someone else wants it to be.  Its YOUR car and YOUR money.  Do whatever turns your crank!

[twalker]

I'm with you. I just want a really nice driver, not a show car. As far as return on the money spent, I know I'll never get it all back but I'll get back a lot more than a bunch of my friends who spend a few thousand a year on golf.

Well said

[1 Wild R/T]

Well said

I have a buddy that calls it "Bowling Theory"..... If you add up all your receipts  at the end of your project you've likely spent less than the guy who bowls every weekend & your thumb isn't sore....

[AARTA340]

I have a buddy that calls it "Bowling Theory"..... If you add up all your receipts  at the end of your project you've likely spent less than the guy who bowls every weekend & your thumb isn't sore....

Here I fixed it for you:

I have a buddy that calls it "Bowling Theory"..... If you add up all your receipts  at the end of your project you've likely spent less than the guy who bowls every weekend & and he only has a sore thumb, but you have a cool ride-------

[dave73chally]

How much do you have into your 74 and how much would you need to throw into it to get it to the point you'd like? And what are the known issues that absolutely need to be repaired?

[69ChargerRT]

I have a buddy that calls it "Bowling Theory"..... If you add up all your receipts  at the end of your project you've likely spent less than the guy who bowls every weekend & your thumb isn't sore....

haha interesting theory!  never heard it put quite that way before.  reminds me of the top gear episode where they bought beat up street cars, went rallycross racing with them and had a blast all for less than the cost of a decent set of golf clubs

[JoeGrapes]

Daily driver? I don't even know how to define that. I hardly ever drive mine. People ( mostly those that don't have one )ask me all the time why I don't drive it. Truth be told, it rides hard, it's not that comfortable, it's noisy, it really doesn't handle all that well and shifting is a pain in the city. When I need to go some place and walk outside to get into a car, I petty much always get into my Cadillac XTS.  I love looking at it and working on it. I'm always changing things. I don't hardly ever think I'm putting to much money into it. Don't get me wrong, there is a reasonable limit to how much I'll spend on it, but the thought of never getting the money back never crosses my mind. For me this car is not an investment it's a hobby or a toy that I probably won't ever sell . I tried to do the original thing when I was building it but I just don't like being backed into a defined set of rules that I might not like. Of coarse, my car is not that valuable, if it were a '71 Hemi Cuda convertible I might think differently. Or maybe it's just my age talking,lol

[74 challenge]

How much do you have into your 74 and how much would you need to throw into it to get it to the point you'd like? And what are the known issues that absolutely need to be repaired?

I bought the car years ago as a present to myself for graduating college and landing a decent job, I Was originally looking for a duster or a demon because here in Canda the prices of e bodies were just too high. However on my way to go look at a so-so demon I found this Challenger near a buddies cottage. Took it for a test drive couldn't wipe the smile of fmy face, so I negotiated him down to 14k. To me that money is gone and I don't feel bad it felt like the best 14 grand I ever spent.

Since I have owned it I have done some stuff to make it reliable , complete new fuel system (carb to gas tank, lines, filters pump, everything), complete new cooling system, complete new brake compnents (lines, rubber ines, slave cylinders pads, master cylinder and everything), New exhaust system and headers, regular maintenance stuff like plugs, rear main seal, plug wires, distributor, old style looking AGM battery, repainted the engine in corporate blue, bought a restored 360 air cleaner housing, put a few decals back on it. put in a sweet 8 track player!

But in my eyes none of that raises it's value.

What is gong on it is the body, it needs some floor pan work, the front fenders are fiberglass, the rear fenders are half fiberglass, the rockers look like the surface of the ocean, the doors need attention, couple of small bubbles under the vinyl top and all the previous body repairs look like they were done by someone in thier garage. I predict the body will put me out more than I even paid for the car. If the calendar contest is still up it's the purple 1974 challenger, it's easy to spot it's the only one taken from the back of the car.

Hence my question sell my car in today's market for ~12-14k? give it a partial driver quality facelift for 20-25k and never really see any of it back but at least have a car that is solid and i can upgrade it as I want from that point.

[dfrazz]

I just went through this same scenario.  Turned out my '71 Challenger needed pretty much everything mechanical: new shocks, springs, sway bars, bushings, rebuilt trans, converted to 4 wheel discs, undercoating, rebuilt rear with new 3.55s, new wiring, new torque converter, new wheels and tires, new TTI H-pipe exhaust, new rear valance, and new stroker 408.  It was really fast and ran great, but I still wanted to add the GVOD to complete the mechanical side. Then I started on the did the interior: recovered back seat, refurbished gauges with new tach and oil pressure from redline, installed a new dash.  With everything totaled up I was into it about $10-12k more than fair market value.  I still needed to replace headliner, sound deadening, replace carpet, install new seatbelts and Tribruon front seats then the interior would have been done (another $3k).  The body had an old paint job with signs of rust on the lower rockers, back window, engine bay needed to be patched, and some bubbles on the roof.  I would not know everything until it was stripped and painted but I was estimating another $20k.  While the value of the car would have rose to about $30-35k on a good day, I would have been about $30k upside down.  I have always wanted a '70 Cuda and found one that already had a frame off resto with about $55k in work done.  I traded my Challenger for it plus a few thousand and am way ahead with a kick a$$ Cuda that is done.  There are always going to be some things to tweak, but no where near the amount of work and dollars the Challenger needed.

IMHO you either need to find one already restored to your liking around $30k and you will know most of what is there, or start with a $3-5k car and be prepared to invest $30-35k to get it restored to a good quality driver, but you will know everything that you have on that car and enjoy restoring it.  If you start with a $15-20k car that is partially complete you will most likely end up way upside down unless it is a '71 Cuda or a rare '70 Challenger RT-SE combo that is in high demand.