Am I one of these guys? I'm going to restore it someday

[common 27]

   I'm not into the leave it out side to rust away thing but what is wrong with owning a car for years and not wanting to sell it?  My Challenger convertible has sat in my garage ,disassembled, for 20 years.People are always finding out about it (somehow) and wanting to buy it. I don't want to sell and have turned down some good offers. Some people have complete cars that don't get driven much and enjoy just owning them. Most cars that are not for sale is because of the low offers that are given.Look in any magizine and you'll see some rare car someone is bragging they got for some low amount of $$. I guess what I'm saying is don't put every one in the same category.I'm going to restore it some day----yeah right.

[73Chally]

I think the problem a lot of people have is with the people, like you mentioned, who have these cars sitting outside and rusting to nothing.  I think it's great that you have yours in a garage, so if...... the time comes and you do decide to sell it, or finish it yourself, it will still be in condition to restore, unlike the guy who holds it for 20 years outside and by the time they do decide to sell, there is not enough left to restore.

[Moparal]

I wonder why you would tare it apart and leave it scattered in parts for 20 yrs.    (   What was your first thought )  Iowa car?  Is it a flintstone convertible?  I just got done assembling a car that was apart since 1974. It was in a garage, what a major pain to put this car back together, but guess what. It is sooooo fun to drive. You forgot what the spark in your eye was telling your heart, 20 yrs ago. Dont sell it, put it back together

[torredcuda]

  Big difference when it`s sitting outside and will be completely worthless from rot in a few more years.Yours will not get any worse in your garage and will be a better find the longer it sits!    Hopefully you will restore and enjoy it someday though.

[ViperMan]

I guess in the end, it's your car... ...well, your parts... ...and you can do whatever you damned-well please.

For me it just seems like a waste to see that - I mean these cars are so rare, and in the eyes of most of the people on this forum, they're so priceless - so valuable, so appreciated, that we hate to see one effectively "dying."

My dad got rid of his 'Cuda back in 98.  I wanted it, and at the time, he felt that I'd never be able to do anything with it - I was cruising down the road of a starving musician.  Now things have changed, and I'm slowly bringing my own Mopar back to a life of respect and muscle.

I guess I dunno where I'm going with this, but I just think that if you know you're going to leave a classic car sitting around to fall apart or rust to nothing, why not sell it or donate it or something - give it a chance to live again.

Lord knows the days of high powered gasoline-fueled engines are quickly coming to an end.  Soon we'll be retrofitting our muscle cars with hydrogen fuel cells and whirring off into the horizon...  Yippee...

Jeff

[RusTy/SE]

I have no idea the number of times i told folks i'd restore my R/T SE someday To say the least it was in bad shape and from May 1996 thru October 2006 sat outside under a tarp suspended on 4 jackstands. Resto started in November 2006, so yes someday does happen but not often enough

[Topcat]

If money or time is either issue on preventing a re build or restoration then the best suggestion I could say is to keep stocking up on parts that you know you're going to need if you do ever decide to re do it.

In either event if you build it or sell it, you have a complete package ready to go when the time or moment arrives whichever direction you take. That's what I would do.  

[BruteForce]

Mine has sat in the garage for 20 years. The good news is that there's been no apparent decay from doing so. Even the rubber parts seem good to go. The rust had not advanced. The foam parts under the dash around the heater box, however, turned to dust.

The only problem I had was the block hadn't been completely drained of water, so the freeze plugs rusted out, basically telling me it was time to soup up the engine. Also, the gas in the gas tank had turned into something awful, and I wound up just getting a new gas tank.

One note: although everyone hates oily, filthy parts, the oil keeps them from rusting. Don't clean off all the oil and then store it. If the bottom of your car is slick with oil from leaky gaskets, leave it that way until you're ready to do the rotisserie job.

And I'm sure if I'd left the car outside for 20 years, even under a tarp, there wouldn't have been much left of it.

[69bronzeT5]

No, you're not one of those guys. Now if you wanna see some of those guy's cars....go here: www.forgotten-mopars.piczo.com.


My '69 Charger has sat in my garage since '98 (2 years outside) and I got 2 offers that sucked . But I wouldnt sell it anyways, plus, I'm restoring it right now.

[common 27]

   I suppose looking at those sites is what got me fired up to begin with www.forgotten-mopars.piczo.com. Most of those are sitting outside rusting away yeah,but its the comments that get me going! I'm the type of guy who believes if you own something-car or land or house or whatever' its yours to do with as you want! I don't want someone telling me what to do with MY stuff.     

[71GTX]

Its your property, do with it what you want....I acquired a 70 Cuda 340 4 speed convertible over 20 years ago from a junkyard. I gave it to my dad about 10-15 years ago....he still has it and has turned down several offers. We have been gathering parts for it and are now in the process of restoring it along with 2 70 Hardtops, one 318 car that is moving up to a 440 car and the other is a 383 4 speed car.

[common 27]

   So I guess I'm not the only one who has a car thats been sitting for years. . I have gathered parts over the years and actually have most to put it back together.just don't have the ambition right now. I'm working on a Satellite convertible now I hope to have done this spring.   .  Don't be mad I just wanted to vent a little,Thanks

[Moparal]

Vent away, nothing wrong with what your doing. You will find the ambition one day. Sounds like you got it going on by doing the b body . Just keep the wolves away from your door.

[ksierens]

My car also sat in a barn for 20 years. Got married and had a daughter, so I just never got around to starting on it.  I did collect parts along the way though, luckily, otherwise I could never afford to start the restoration at todays prices.

[426HEMI]

I would be one of those guys.  I have had my car for several years now.  Two divorces and it is still setting but after next year I will start to gather the parts and get to restore it.  I can hardly wait.  I am in the planning stage now and looking at what I want to do to it and how I want it to look.  I am torn on the color combination and with it being a M46 car it makes it harder to do what I want done.  Still will have to do some things to it to make it what I want.  I am glad that at least I can start looking what I want to do now.  Then I can start ordering parts for it as I go along.