Long, rambling post. Please ignore if you dont feel like reading... I realize that I ramble on from time to time about nothing. That is my gift. Here is some more thoughts I was having about my convertibles as I was working out in my shop reorganizing and sorting stuff. 1. My 71 stage 1 ragtop is in body shop hell. My brother is doing the work as he has time around his paying projects. I am fine with this, other than everything has needed 10 times as much work.(rusty dash/leaky water mess up near the windshield was the latest) The original motor was freshened up and while being rebuilt I had to have one of the cylinders sleeved. It runs fine and looks decent and could be dropped in to make it original. My plan originally was to have Jim W. do a street motor to drop in it to enjoy.(my wife said I could if I finished the basement first!) but... 2.My 1970 GS Stage 1 ragtop basketcase actually is more complete than I thought. I have been collecting parts for years apparently without keeping very good track. The floors and frame are decent but the trunk floor is wasted and every body panel was either rusted or missing. After number checking, the only original piece of the drivetrain left is the trans. Rearend is wrong, block is gone, disc brakes were robbed for a GTO. It was bamboo cream/sandalwood/sandalwood, painted blue, then painted red. The GS hood and grille are on a cloned GS somewhere. Buckets were added in place of the bench seat then the whole interior was dyed white. Most of the interior is OK except for the dye. I removed it and stored it in a dry place. I have collected a 1970 GS 455 motor complete from carb to pan, 1970 8.2 posi 3.42 rearend, driveshaft, disc brakes, 15" rallye wheels, bench seat, fenders, hood, repairable grille, etc. I paid money for the hulk to keep a guy I know from cloning a stage 1 convertible with the tags/trans. So what you say? So maybe I should drop the original sleeved motor back into the 71 ragtop so I can get to enjoying it faster. Then move on to a more performance oriented 455 for the 70 convertible since it will never have matching numbers value anyway. The only problem with this plan is that bamboo cream and beige won't work for me. One or the other can be beige. It could be some darker gold or brown color with the sandalwood interior or it could be bamboo cream with a black interior. What do you guys think? Or do you care? I have owned both of these cars since the mid 1980's so I can be fairly sure I will never sell them. Just thinkin'.....
My thoughts: I think Bamboo Cream looks good when done right, and done nicely (IE: restored car). I'd keep it that color, and chance the interior to Burnished Saddle or black if you absolutely have to. But at this point, I'd be tempted to keep the car original. Why? You have so many other cars and they are in other interesting combos, what would be the need to change this one? Is it going to be your primary show car or something like that? The reason I as is because if it were part of a collection, meaning a car that will sit in the garage except for a weekend a month or so, keep it original. If it is the primary show car, and you want something that is a little more appealing to the average car guy, then I can see your push to change it. I guess I'm a little odd, but personally I think it is much more interesting to see a car in it's original colors (flashy to mundane, whatever that be) than see a parking lot full of Bright colored cars with black interiors. My $.02!
Thanks for your input, Chris. I too am a stickler for the cool color combos. But... I can only take so much beige. My Sportwagon is Bamboo Cream and I like the color. But I am contemplating a change because the car will never be a show car considering how much of the original stuff has been pirated and will need to be replaced. I am taking a break from finishing the basement and my mind wanders while I am putting up sheetrock! But I do like burnished saddle. Then it could match my Sportwagon! But then I need to dig up more brown 3 spoke steering wheels!
