Make me rich! how do I actually modify a 1970 Cuda and make money?

[Moneypit440]

I have a 383, non-matching numbers car with 4 speed.  I keep lusting after 5 speed tremecs and possibly stroking the engine or dropping in a crate motor.  Even thought about V-code or hemi clones. 

I am afraid I will lose money on any upgrades if I sell.  When Obama comes for his tax money in April, I may have to do just that.  I surf eBay and prices are all over the map, and some of those cars look like someone spent 100k at Year One so folks would bid $55k on their car.  Is there a magic formula to earn a few $$$ at sales time and have fun upgrading now?  I want to release my inner redneck without losing the double wide!

[72cudamaan]

Unless you start with a numbers matching rare car, you're not going to make much if any money trying to flip it.
Best chance you have is if you do all of the work yourself and work at or own a parts distributor.

[anlauto]

There's NO MONEY in modifying cars to sell for one reason only. When you modify a car it's usually to your own taste....it's very hard to find someone with the exact same taste enough that wants to buy your car.

If it's restored stock original there is a larger market.

[Chryco Psycho]

Building a stroker will cost no more than rebuilding a stock engine .
Making money in this hobby is tough , just put away $$ for taxes & build the car slowly for you

[Tropicalcats]

If you do it to make monkey.it's probably the wrong reason. Enjoy the journey of making the car your own to your own ideas of how you think the car should be. That's the destination.

[YYZ]

To make money with a '70 'Cuda 383? NOM?

You'd have to either steal the car & components or find a time machine to take you back to 2006-2007 when you could drop in a crate Hemi and someone would pay you a premium for the work.

The Mopar market has returned to the historical norms for most old cars:  it will typically cost you more to do a car properly than you are likely to recover on its sale.

If you're looking to sell the car, your best return is probably now, as-it-sits.  Or if you invest a small amount in detailing it correctly.  Clean, presentable, correct stripes/appearance etc.

With older restored '70 V-code shaker 'Cudas languishing at $45-50K the values just aren't there.   Unless the car is some exceptionally unique/desirable combination that someone is willing to pay a premium for.  Modifications don't count....

[RzeroB]

There's NO MONEY in modifying cars to sell for one reason only. When you modify a car it's usually to your own taste....it's very hard to find someone with the exact same taste as you that wants to buy your car.

   I don't know what your Cuda looks like, what shape it is in, or how much work it needs just to be presentable. But assuming that it's a driver and not a project, I would say the best thing to do if you want to flip it is to clean it and detail the heck out of it. A little soap, polish and paint go a long way towards making a car more appealing to a potential customer.

[Moneypit440]

What I really want to do is simply restore it as much as possible to original appearance.  I have a NOM but period correct 383 that pulls strong with the 4-speed and 3.91 rear.  The seats are fine.  I would pull the aftermarket seatbelts, maybe replace the carpet which is in good condition but cut poorly....most vinyl trim and dash pad need to go.........exterior is a 10 footer, probably.  It has several electrical issues and I need to learn how to deal with them.

Several aftermarket holes cut in dash.....same holes I have seen in a couple of 70 challengers.   In short, I would keep the stock appearance and performance.  My problem is I bought the car with my 4/14/2014 tax deposit Obama's going to want his money. 

Everything I have seen in the market supports what is said above.....customize it to your personal taste, you lose........clone a hemi or V code.......you lose.  It cracks me up to see some of the asking prices on eBay.....same cars getting relisted every 1o days.  I have $35k in the "Cuda, with $3k I could fix the interior.  I am not shelling out $15k to turn a NOM into a 5 footer show car with perfect exterior. 

And I think the NADA/Hemmings value guides I see on the web are worth exactly what I pay for them..........it looks like Mopar went down with Lehman Brothers and Fannie Mae.  Am I catching on?

I would like to have a 5-speed tremec and be able to cruise at less than 3500 RPM if I am able to somehow keep it.

[johns cuda shop]

Its really easy to see that the hobby is moving away from bone stock # matching crowd and moving more to the restomod or protouring type cars. We want to drive them not look at them at some car show (boring) most of them drive terrible in everyday driving with poor brakes ,sloppy steering , negitive camber ect ect.. The Hotrod power tour attendence is bigger each year with great modified cars that people can drive. This is why when they are done correctly with modern drivetrains and conveniences .They always command more interest and money at the big auctions then a comparable #s car.. So the comment on original #s matching car is incorrect unless your talking some rare hemi or something that you get for a song.. My advice is depending on your budget, Have a plan, do most of the work yourself, Farm out the work you cant do, and for goodness sakes make the car fun and drivable not some Rotisserie job that you cant take out on a rainy day.This will give you the best bang for your buck because the next guy that wants to buy your car will want to drive it too.

[Katfish]

Only way to make money, is to part it out and sell it piece by piece.

You ALWAYS lose building a car, this is a hobby much like golf, never going to make money on a car or play like Tiger Woods.
Its the old adage, "its the journey not the destination"

[Moneypit440]

I have about 100 hours into research and that is the best explanation i have heard.  I think the matching numbers crowd is aging into their 60s and losing interest.  They are the ones who were around when these cars were new and want the car they couldn't afford when they were 16.  I am near that age group myself.  Younger buyers want something with the retro look that they can actually drive.  My cuda is at 3500 rpm or more at 70 mph in final gear, wearing out the engine and sucking gas.  Not good for big city commuter types.

So, if I want to resell later in an evolving market, assuming I keep it, maybe I drop in a 5 speed and improve suspension.  It already has solid fronts discs so brakes are good.  It does not have power steering or a/c so it may be toolacking to be a good candidate for a touring car.  It's a tough decision. 

[Moneypit440]

I prefer to keep it and tinker with it as time and money permit.  It really was an accidental purchase though if anyone will believe that and I have six months to get a surge in business revenues or sell it.  I love it and told my wife I would consider partingwith my 2010 daily driver R/T to keep it since I commute up a staircase everyday and drive about 300 miles each month.

[torredcuda]

You`d still probably be losing money trying to biuld a nice Pro touring machine. if you want the best return just fix the small things you mentioned that won`t cost you much money and leave it fairly stock, running and driving good. Adding things like a 5 speed and such will cost you more than the increase in value you`ll get when you try and sell it. For me the fun of an old car IS the bad brakes, lumpy idle, loud exhaust etc. If I want a new car ride I`ll buy a new car with no personality just like everyone elses.

[HP2]

  I have $35k in the "Cuda, with $3k I could fix the interior.  I am not shelling out $15k to turn a NOM into a 5 footer show car with perfect exterior. 

You're already upside down in it for making money. Best you could do is maybe not loose anything if you had to sell and the quicker you need to dump it, the bigger your loss is going to be.

Only real update I'd consider would be adding a Gear Vendors to the current 833 4 spd. This is will give you an overdrive to better enjoy driving without cutting a bunch of stuff up, but at $3k for the mod, won't be recoverable if you sell.

[HP_Cuda]

There is only one way to make a Million dollars selling Classic Mopars.

Start with Two Million dollars.....