Another thing to remember is that this was also back when these cars were 'just' cars and not someones 401K. Cars and parts could be had easier. I (very) briefly owned a trashed but running and driving slant six powered '70 Barracuda back in '83. Paid all of $400 for it. BUT, unlike now, there was very little (if any) replacement sheet metal (or restoration parts in general) from the after market. And, this was also before MIG welders were readily available to the public. A lot of cars got hacked or junked early because of this (re: my Barracuda).

Yeah, we like to look back with rose colored glasses, but not everything was great.