Yeah, I get it. To me though the car looks like a lot nicer than what some of us start with here in MI. to do a total resto on.(sad, I know but it is what it is) A whole lot of the nice solid cars that where parted out down south or out west were in a lot better shape than the rusty turds those parts get welded or bolted to! The restored cars are going to end up the rusty cars that should of been scrap and the nice cars that should be restored are parted out! But I digress. That car looks good enough to do a minimum of a POR restoration if you don't like looking at it that way anymore, just saying. The fenders look decent from a guy from Michigan's point of veiw. The drivers door looks a little rough but doesn't look rotted out. Replace the rear quarters a couple patches for the doors and the lower corner patch for the front fenders and its ready for paint. It doesn't look "to far gone" to me, unless it is a Fred Flintstone car with actual feet for the foot brake? They have that body panel glue now that is as strong or stronger than welding with none of the warping for a non-structuctural repair like a floor pan or cross brace not to use it on for example, so the rear quarters could be glued back on now. They use that stuff all the time at collision shops on the new cars because that is what the factorys use now so it must be good? So how is the frame and the floors in that car?
back in 2002 I did some horse trading for a 1969 Dodge SuperBee. it was a numbers matching 4 speed but had some "rust issues" I had also received a 69 Coronet in the trade that had no rust issues, I ended up stripping the SuperBee of all it's parts and cutting up the body with a sawzall. I almost got lynched by some mopar people in town when I hauled the carcass to the scrap metal place and they saw the SuperBee logo on the quarter pane. looking back it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought at the time.
The frame and floors are in remarkably good shape. So solid that I actually felt bad cutting the hole for the 4 speed in the only good part of the car! The core support on the other hand is in need of some attention. That might be next up on the hit parade.
That looks like a really nice car! Nice upgrades, I really have a hankering for another 4 speed car. They're just too fun to drive. I've had a few daily driver muscle cars but sold them a while ago. Every year when it gets nice out after winter, I regret it. Haha
Ironically, its out of your old car LOL. I was at your best buddy's body shop a few months after he bought your old car. I was there picking up parts for Ajesh to bring to the BPG nats. Your car was in pieces already. We're walking though the yard and he picks up a BB clutch fork off the ground. He hands it to me and says, "here, you want this??". I said sure and he gives it to me. Just like that. It had zero value to him I have one other spare that I got at the GS Nats. Walking though the swap meet, I see a 4 speed bellhousing. Sitting a few feet away is a cardboard box. I investigate and the box is filled with BB 4 speed parts- z bar, fork, reverse lockout, shifter, etc. Like someone took a complete 4 speed car apart and put all the good stuff in this box. I almost fell over. Bought the box and the bell. I practically had a mask on I had another I sold but that was a good story too- I see a 455 on Craigslist that I call on. The pic in the ad was of the front of the engine. I call and the guy says its seized up. I go anyway since it was close by. I go there and the engine has a bellhouing and trans hanging off the back of it with a BB clutch fork sticking out the side of the bell. The guy honestly thought the engine had value, not the manual trans set up! Bought the bell, fork, 455 flywheel, 3 speed trans AND 5335 shifter for $125 with some other odds and ends. I asked the guy like three times of there was anything else he might have. Sometimes these guys hold out on you and you have to practically interrogate them. He says yeah and goes and grabs a 68 wood wheel. He offers it to me for an extra $20. True stories all
Ratty muscle cars, they are a big facebook group that takes pride in driving rusty unrestored muscle cars. It is a cool concept. As these cars get older there will be more and more that are too far gone to restore. Just because you can't justify restoring it doesn't mean you can't enjoy it. I had so much fun in my multicolor 72. It was my first car and I put over 40,000 miles on it. It was heartbreaking to tear it apart like I did but once the windshield cracked it was game over. No metal left to install a new one. I only wish I spent less money on it and kept it simple knowing I would replace it.
What a shocker. Maybe you have an extra chrome mirror gasket you can part with as a form of gratitude for that freebie clutch fork?
Your car would be a perfect fit with the guys at Ratty Muscle Cars. I'm thinking about taking one of my ratty Buicks to their next cruise & drag race. https://www.rattymusclecars.com/
I can take a look. There is a possibility I my have one. I may have to organize a mining operation to get it though. God only knows what box its in
Do it!!! you'll never look back. Seriously, everyone should have one ratty, rusty muscle car in the fleet. It doesn't even need to be a GS. I had a blast driving that ratty white 71 Skylark convertible I had a few years ago. Best $2800 I ever spent Funny, reminds me of a friend of mine. He picks up old furniture on garbage night and sells it on Craigslist as "shabby chic". He gets hipsters to give him big bucks for what is basically junk.
