Author Topic: Remind me again why I chose to restore an E-body Mopar? (Read 3496 times)

NCtrueconservative · « **on:** February 18, 2012 - 02:04:57 PM »

I was out walking around the challenger today, imagining it in pristine condition, and wishing I could hop in and take it for a spin. I was thinking back to when I was real young and wanted one of these...what was it that made me want this type of car. My dad was a Dodge man and raised me up under a Chrysler household but I was just trying to remember why I wanted a Dodge Challenger, other than the fact that my dad had one when he was young. Why not a camaro? Why not a Nova? Why not some other mopar? Why not a fox body mustang? All of the other brand cars are cool as all get out, way cheaper to fix up, more prevalent in all kinds of conditions, and parts are everywhere. Idk what it was about the E-body, they just looked cool...I did some research before I got one, but I did kinda jump in blindly, and got bit pretty hard. 7 years later I'm setting here with a hunk of metal that is close to being road ready, but an absolute pain in the ars and in my wallet to work on. Just trying to find that original motivation that drew me towards these cars, and trying to fight off the feeling of "why am I restoring a car that only mopar people know about and appreciate it, and that will probably be beaten on the track by other cars that have 1/4 of the money I have in mine?" There was something there 7 years ago, and I gotta find it again...I'm sure I'm not the only one that has been here before.

67vertman · « **Reply #1 on:** February 18, 2012 - 02:20:33 PM »

We have all been there, and not just with e-bodies. Every car I have built has made me wonder why I take on these projects.
But then I remember that I love CARS, I like working on them and turning them into works of art or back to their original beauty. I like the praise I get from others who cannot or will not get their hands dirty, so they can drive something different then 99% of the other lemmings.
It also keeps me sane, yes I know that sounds crazy, but even when they drive me mad, confound the crap out of me, bust my knuckles and spend my hard earned money on them, they make me forget about the day-to-day problems at work, home, life, wife..........and keep me sane.

NCtrueconservative · « **Reply #2 on:** February 18, 2012 - 03:07:07 PM »

they do give ya something else to think about thats for sure

'Cuda Hunter · « **Reply #3 on:** February 18, 2012 - 03:12:45 PM »

I have not done a full restore on anything. Yet.

I really like to drive them. So unique from any other old car I have driven.

As soon as you are driving it down the road, peeling the tires out, figuring out what the next thing is that needs dialing in, that is when you will remember exactly what it was!

Driving is everything!!

Don't give up now! You so close to having it road worthy!!!

Super Blue 72 · « **Reply #4 on:** February 18, 2012 - 03:17:59 PM »

Like 'Cuda Hunter, I'm not doing a full resto on mine. I didn't grow up wanting one of these, we grew up with Trans Ams in the family.

These cars are unique. Camaros, Firebirds and Mustangs are all cool cars along with other muscle but these cars are really unique to see on the road and also in design. They are big and comfy inside, sharing the width of a B-body almost. They are wide and flat, unlike most modern cars.

Mine is under a cover all the time but when I do see it with the cover off I know why I really like these cars.

Sure these cost more to get parts for. Sure, I thought about how nice it would be to get an old Camaro and slap an LSx enigne in it, but a lot of people have Camaros, Chevelles, Mustangs, etc....

mopar12372 · « **Reply #5 on:** February 18, 2012 - 03:26:48 PM »

dude are you crazy !!!!!!! mopars rule the race track are you ok? most or all the rules are against the mopars because they are fast

damn

Road_Runner · « **Reply #6 on:** February 18, 2012 - 03:33:12 PM »

Boy! have I been where you are right now. Even redoing my 70 Roadrunner which was my first car I got to a point where I questioned if I even wanted that type of car anymore, came close to selling it, but so glad I didn't. I have to say that the drivers here have it right. If you're not driving the car you're not doing what most of us get out of the hobby. Some like rebuilding cars more than driving them and will sell a car almost as soon as its finished just so they can start on a new project. For the rest of us, its the driving these great & unique old cars that make the work getting and keeping them on the road 'worth it'. I tore apart the Roadrunner when I started rebuilding it and its still not done, when I got the Barracuda a couple of years ago I swore to do any restoration work in stages with the #1 goal of keeping it on the road and away from the spare parts rack that the Roadrunner has become.

Later, Jim

NCtrueconservative · « **Reply #7 on:** February 18, 2012 - 03:45:50 PM »

appreciate the kind words and yeah if I ever get blessed to do another car, I wanna spend a little more in the beginning on one that is a driver and can improve it from there. I find myself putting mods and odds and ends on my Dodge Ram, which I drive daily, because I get to the see the rewards. Sometimes I can't even bare to spend some $ on little stuff for the Chally because I'm like "why even do it, it needs a hundred other things before I get to drive it". ALSO, as we all do, I have had numerous setbacks on the car. After I painted it this summer, my dad and I were putting the hood back on and trying to get it spaced right and for some reason my dad was fiddling with the the front fenders and started moving them, and then went to open and close the doors and chipped the paint in the point on the doors closest to the fenders

So thats going to have to be fixed, and I don't even know where you would begin with that. Then, just the other day my front valance I had painted and looked real good was laying under my deck because a fit gets thrown by members of this house if anything is in the garage

(don't ask me why). Anyway, the wind blew real hard that night and when I woke up my valance was laying in the yard and the paint was chipped and scratched all to pieces

And to think I was so happy that I got all my painting done this summer, because if its one thing I hate, its paint and body work. Anyway, don't wanna make a pity party and my car will never be a show stopper like some on this board which I salute for their great work or as good as I want it to be, especially in this economy

4Cruizn · « **Reply #8 on:** February 18, 2012 - 03:56:28 PM »

You think this now but if you decided to get rid of it . . . you would kick yourself in the ass for making that decision the rest of your life!

I grew up in a ferd family as my dad work there most of my life here in Detroit. All we ever knew was ferd. I can remember as a kid, dad and the family would be driving through town and a cool mopar would go by and I would ask "what kind of car was that dad?" All I would get was "son . . that was brand X". Wasn't until high school that I started to learn about other brands of cars.

I guess I like my e-bodies because they are a minority at most car shows and are typically well liked. I like to be different from the norm and like it when I go to a large car show and I have the only cuda out of over 100 cars. I still remember the first cuda I fell in love with about 1979. Pulled in our driveway to meet my older brother . . . I walked around that car probably 10 times. Little did I know I would own that same car a few years later.

Face it . . MOPARS ROCK! I don't want to be the person that has a corvette or mustang just like everyone else at the show . . . I like to be different.

My first car below . . bought in high school in 1982. Working on it today and can't wait to drive it all summer!

Jamiez · « **Reply #9 on:** February 18, 2012 - 04:01:49 PM »

Real men don't drive Mustangs?

NCtrueconservative · « **Reply #10 on:** February 18, 2012 - 04:23:01 PM »

Haha awesome pic and yeah my dad got rid of his chally years ago and is still kickin himself for it

Chryco Psycho · « **Reply #11 on:** February 18, 2012 - 04:33:20 PM »

2 reasons for sure , if you put the $$ into them you have a better chance of getting the $$ back , Mopars have always been worth more .
But for me it is to be different , if I had a $ for everytime someone called my Chall a Charger , the Mopars are far rarer & less known , it is too easy to pick up a Fox body screw on some proven mods & make it run hard .
In the 50s & 60s & into the 70s Mopar had a better product due to better engineering , the suspensions were better , the engines were penalized in every form of racing to "level the field " & still set records , trannys & diffs were simpler & stronger .
I appreciate the differences & I do not want to be one of a dozen similar cars at a show .

360FISH · « **Reply #12 on:** February 18, 2012 - 05:22:20 PM »

I'd say focus your attention on getting it drivable without everything being perfect... like paint, trim, etc. These cars recharge your enthusiasm when driven.

You need to have some fun with it!

jimynick · « **Reply #13 on:** February 18, 2012 - 06:45:28 PM »

Since you ask the question, please allow me to give you my 2 cents worth. Getting into the Mopar thing is like getting into the Megan Fox/Jen Anniston thing; ANYTHING that desirable, WILL cost you more money, work and grief then may appear, on the surface, to be worth it. BUT, the smile that they'll put on your face and the memories of how all the other guys looked at you enviously, will last forever. The feeling of pure joy as you slam it into second as the thing slides slightly sideways and the sound of the engine screaming as you tach it up will make all those banal days working on it disappear into the mist. You've made the trek and can see the home on the water in the distance. Don't shoot yourself in the foot when you're SO close to opening the door and having Megan/Jen smile at you and say " Hi honey, how was your day? Feel like going for a ride?". STAY the course, laddie, you're on the home stretch! Ian

Super Blue 72 · « **Reply #14 on:** February 18, 2012 - 08:39:45 PM »

Mmmmmm....Megan Fox.......

What, oh, yeah, your car, keep working on it, don't sell it.

It's hard when it's apart and working on it becomes a chore. Gotta keep focused on the light at the end of the tunnel. It'll be worth it.

What else will you do? Sell it all and drive around in a Camaro/Mustang?

Anyone can do that....

Author Topic: Remind me again why I chose to restore an E-body Mopar? (Read 3496 times)

NCtrueconservative

Remind me again why I chose to restore an E-body Mopar?

67vertman

Re: Remind me again why I chose to restore an E-body Mopar?

NCtrueconservative

Re: Remind me again why I chose to restore an E-body Mopar?

'Cuda Hunter

Re: Remind me again why I chose to restore an E-body Mopar?

Super Blue 72

Re: Remind me again why I chose to restore an E-body Mopar?

mopar12372

Re: Remind me again why I chose to restore an E-body Mopar?

Road_Runner

Re: Remind me again why I chose to restore an E-body Mopar?

NCtrueconservative

Re: Remind me again why I chose to restore an E-body Mopar?

4Cruizn

Re: Remind me again why I chose to restore an E-body Mopar?

Jamiez

Re: Remind me again why I chose to restore an E-body Mopar?

NCtrueconservative

Re: Remind me again why I chose to restore an E-body Mopar?

Chryco Psycho

Re: Remind me again why I chose to restore an E-body Mopar?

360FISH

Re: Remind me again why I chose to restore an E-body Mopar?

jimynick

Re: Remind me again why I chose to restore an E-body Mopar?

Super Blue 72

Re: Remind me again why I chose to restore an E-body Mopar?