Hey guys,
Not sure if I should post this in general or here. Anyways, I am at a crossroads and am not sure what to do.
I have had my non numbers matching 69 Coronet for 2 years now. Heres some particulars.

Originally a 6 cyl, automatic, gold (forgot paint code), black interior, black vinyl top.
Now has a 67 383, 65 727, 8 3/4 rear with 742 pumpkin suregrip (3.23 gears), stock stall, and a bad Y2 paint job.
Guy I bought it from said 383 has about 15000 on rebuild. Not sure of specs or cam, but seems stock with mild cam.
727 has a shift kit.

I have put on a six pack setup, aftermarket fiberglass lift off hood, black steel wheels, and some other minor things (mini starter, 3spd wiper, battery)

Wanted to make it "look" like an A12 car, not necessarily a true clone or tribute. I know Ill hear it from the A12 guys for that.

I have torn off the vinyl top and surprisingly it is not too bad underneath. Just some surface rust where the top meets the quarter panel.
It was bondod down by the rear quarter wheel wells and it has started to bubble so that needs to be fixed. It also has the rust issues in the normal places, rear window, lower quarters, etc.

I was going to strip the whole car down to bare metal and start over again. Thats where my question comes in.
In your opinions, is it worth it to competely strip this car? I mean, is it worth the hours and money for bodywork and paint for a non nombers matching car?
I have probly spent about 12K on the car so far (that includes the car itself). I dont know what a resto would cost. Another 10-12K?
Is 25-30K overall excessive for a car that is not numbers matching?
I know many of you will say that it is my car and to do whatever I want with it. And also that its about the hobby, not the investment. I whole heartedly agree, but I dont want to do something totally stupid either.
BTW, I do not plan on winning trophies with the car. It IS a driver.
Please share your thoughts and opinions. Good or bad. I appreciate the help.

40 year old car
Repainted at least once
Some rust
Some old filler
You want to treat the car with respect

IMHO, you have no choice to take it to bare metal. Its not that hard, just get friendly with a DA sander, lots of sanding disks, and prepare to get dirty.

Once its stripped you'll be in a MUCH better position to assess the condition and repair the metal that needs repair.
If you DON'T strip it down, how are you going to know what's under that paint, and the paint you lay on top?

If you can do a lot of the work yourself to keep the costs down then go for it.

Don't forget how rare that car is. They aren't gonna make anymore.
I say; if it isn't toast save it.

There are alot of us that would love the chance to have one, numbers matching or not.

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IMHO, you have no choice to take it to bare metal. Its not that hard, just get friendly with a DA sander, lots of sanding disks, and prepare to get dirty

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you forgot something.......RESPIRATOR!!!! A good one, you'll appreciate a good face piece when your lying in bed at night snotting and sneezing gold powder.....

If it were mine I'd just crush it BUT it's YOUR car, is it worth it to YOU ?!?!?! Our opinions are meaningless.

you can give to me.

As my unlce said, a car is olny worth what someone wants to put into it. if you like the car fix it, they are cool. i own a 69 superbee with more money into than i care to count. my wife bust my stones about it but deep down she likes it. i say fix it. more sheet metal is coming out for that car vs when i started only 1/4 quaters where out.

joe

I asked the guys here at Moparts the same question about 4 months ago. I got about a 50-50 response. I decided to just do a mild restore, since I too want a "driver" not a show car. I didn't want to make this restore a 5 to 10 year project, rather I want to be driving this summer if possible. Anyway I justify my decision also by realizing that I will not be the last owner of this car, I am at least preserving it, and if the next owner wants to completely re-do it, at least I have saved it for that. Good luck!

I have no problems with clone cars that are done correctly. If you are going with the A12 hood, at least drop in an RB with a 6 pack.

Or twin scoop it and throw on some "383" emblems on the scoops.

Thanks for the replies!
I realize that a car is only worth what I am willing to put into it. But I just wanted to get some feedback. The car is not in bad shape at all, it just needs body work in the regular places and a paint job.
To cudabitten, I do not plan on getting rid of the car. I will either keep it or pass it down to my kid. BTW, what is considered a mild restore?

Keep the replies coming!

I look at it this way....it's a hobby. Some guys like to spend half their paycheck at the bar on friday on beer and pool, some like spending their "fun money" on boats, motorcycles etc. You'll probably never see the money back that you're spending on the car, but you're having a good time spending cash on your car. Now, if you ARE spending half your paycheck at the bar, HAVE a boat and motorcycle AND throwing money at your car...........

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I mean, is it worth the hours and money for bodywork and paint for a non nombers matching car?

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Because of it's 6cyl auto origins it's never going to be worth a lot of money other than to someone who wants a good base for a build. That said, it's only worth the extra money to strip completely if you want a perfect paint job and are willing to spend that kind of money. Do what YOU like and enjoy it. If the current paint is suspect you may want to strip it anyway so the new paint doesn't start falling off in a few years. I would not be thinking of the car as an "investment" because of the drive train it came with from the factory. One thing to remember - the person who restores the car spends more that what they can sell it for unless it's a much sought after model.

Depends, how much disassembely are you talking about? IE a complete resto versus a paint job? If the car's in decent shape, I would just fix the rust where it needs it, scuff the existing paint and spray over top. You can put in the extra work and strip the whole body down to bare metal, but where do you stop? Do you pull the engine and front fenders and do all in there? Trunk? Inside doors? Remove the K-frame and paint and rebuild the whole front suspension? It's a slippery slope and you have got to know when to call it quits. This can make the difference between a one summer job and a one decade job.

Post some pictures of the car, expecially from under the car to get an idea how solid or rusty the car actually is?

Your question is a good one, and I have the same delema with my 1969 Coronet 500.

There is no way I could afford to have a shop do the entire car. My other problem is storage.
If you dissasemble the car to have it totally stripped the parts will take up almost as much space as the shell, and you will want them well orginized so you can find all the parts when it is time to re-assemble the car.

How much work can you do yourself, and how much would have to be done at a shop?

Here is where I am at; I enjoy working on the cars as a hobby, and I know that I will be doing more than one car (I have alread done a dozen partial restorations), so I have no issues investing in some of the more expensive tools like a rotessory, compressor, welder, air tools, etc. Eventially I will get around to doind a full restoration on the Convertible. I was going to completly re-do the Coronet 500 too, but the wife needs a driver, so I have been considering just a quick re-paint even though I know a few years down the road I will want to completly re-do it again....

I guess alot depends on how nice you really want the car to be? I believe it is true that it is less expensive to do the car once than twice, but the reality is it could cost $20,000+, but when it is done it will be nearly new, and most new econo-boxes are around $20K, so which would you want to drive?

Ive been considering the same thing recently. How far do you go. I know what I want to do but I also not what I can afford and how long it would take to do. Those things you will have to balance for yourself. I think I have decided to take the middle ground. Do a lot of the metal work myself, without doing a full blown resto. Certain things I would like to do (for peice of mind) I will not complete them all. I guess the point that was made to me is, you can always do it again later or pay someone else to do it. Do your best with what you have or going above your head or abilities. Maybe it wont be 110% what you really wanted to do, but it surely will be 110% better than it was and more fun to boot. No used going to the poor house then having to sell and not enjoying it.

Do the repairs yourself.

You would be suprized at how easy many repairs are. The problem is the time and mess that body work brings to the table.

If you don't want the mess then strip everything off the car you can to save money at the body shop.

I would say if your not looking to sell it then any amount of money would be fine. The amount of money you put into a car is only important in three situations.

1. If you are trying to make money off it by selling it later.

2. You only have a limited budget to work with.

3. How important the car is to you.

If you are planning on keeping it then #1 and probably #3 are irrelevant because the car is important enough to you that you won't sell it.