A perfect example of "What Not to Do".....

Had a guy come through the shop the other day with a nice 1970 El Camino. It had a leaky radiator hose,which was an easy fix. He said he was trying to sell it and wasn't getting many offers even though he didn't think he had it overpriced. It wasn't overpriced; it was just done wrong. It had an nice black paint job on a straight body, and the dash wasn't cracked and the seats were obviously recently redone in stock-type upholstery. However-someone-he said the previous owner-had installed a digital instrument panel. It also had 22" inch wheels on it which made it look cartoonish-a small car sitting atop these huge wheels. The 350 sounded good and seemed to have plenty of power-but it was an L31 Vortec crate engine. It did have an Edelbrock carb sitting on a Vortec Performer manifold-at least it wasn't fuel-injected. Those three things made it sale-proof. I've said many times that I'm not, and I despise the "Just as it left the factory" crowd. I mean is a 45 year old car really "ruined" because it has radial tires and halogen headlight bulbs? No it isn't. But on the other hand the modifications need to be period-correct. Now this Elky would have looked a lot better with 15" or 16" inch American Racing Torq-Thrusts or Cragar S/S mags, and some performance tires. It would have been better off with a stock instrument panel, and I would have been fine if had a Sun Tach attatched to the steering column. Even if the engine wasn't numbers-matching it would have been better if was a pre-1987 model-you know the "Original" 1955-86 small-block, like say a "Targetmaster" GM replacement, or just something a guy built with parts he had laying around-like an old Torker or Tarantula manifold with a 650 Holley on it and some headers. In that guise he'd have attracted the "Old School" guys like myself. The way it was it was too "New school" for purists, and too "Old School" for the guys who want supercharged LS motors and six-speeds,rack&pinion steering etc. I told him to leave the engine alone,that most people wouldn't care or know what it was-to them one 350 Chevy is as good as another- but change the wheels and the dash and he'd probably sell it quick. Typical-"But if I'm selling it why would I want to put any money into it?"  Because you haven't been able to sell it the way it is, and with the small changes I suggested you may not only sell it quick, but you might get a higher price because in the eyes of the buyers-your targeting-let's face it-no one under 40 wants a 1970 El Camino- the old guys only want it if it's "Right". I tried to explain by using a few different examples. "Ok." I said-a '68 Camaro with a 327 and a 4-speed with a Hurst Competition Plus shifter ( in place of that god-awful Muncie unit ),that has headers and an Edelbrock Tarantula Intake with a 650 Holley on it, Mickey Thompson Valve Covers, 15" Cragar S/S mags and Lakewood traction bars is just as "Right" now as it was in say-1971. A '68 Camaro with a nitrous-fed Fuel-Injected LS motor, Recaro seats, a richmond six-speed, and 19" inch Center Lines is "Wrong" in more ways than I can count. A '69 Mustang with a 390 with headers, a 428 CJ cam, a dual-quad Shelby intake with two Carter AFBs on it and a B&M stall converter and shift kit in the C6 tranny and shod with 15" ET slot mags, and louvers on the rear window is just as badass now as it was in 1970. A '69 Mustang with with a fuel-injected, supercharged Coyote engine backed by a 6-speed automatic and shod with 20" wheels is a lame horse, not matter how fast it is. A '55 Chevy with the front bumper removed,radiused rear wheelwells, a straight front axle, and a snarling solid-lifter small or big-block backed by a Muncie 4-speed is a badass Tribute to '60's style "Gasser" drag cars and street racers of the time. The '55 in "American Graffiti" and "Two-Lane Blacktop" still had the bumper-but you get the drift.  A '55 with a Tuned-Port Injected 383 backed by a 700R4, on a Morrison 'Vette chassis with 4-wheel disc brakes,rack&pinion steering and 20" inch wheels is an abomination before God and everyone else. See what I'm saying?  He didn't. Like talking to the wall. I've said it before-it's your car-you can do any damn thing you want with it. But if you want to sell it for top dollar-it has to be what the mainstream buyer wants-not YOUR dream car-which-the further it is from "Mainstream"-the fewer people are gong to be interested in it-like the '57 T-Bird with the Pontiac engine I mentioned or the '67 Camaro with the Toyota Supra running gear. Those guys think their cars are ultra-cool. Do you think either of them has a snowball's chance in hell of ever selling to a Ford guy, or a Pontiac guy, or a Chevy guy, or an Import Tuner?  No!!!  Tha'ts the point I was trying to make. Mastermind