Within reason, upgrades help value, not hurt it.....

Had a debate with another "Just as it left the factory" fanatic the other day. A friend of mine has a '66 GTO. It had the awful 2-speed ST300 ( read Powerglide ) automatic behind the 389. A TH350 is a bolt-in swap. Not only are they the same length, they use the same rear trans mount and driveshaft yoke. You can even use the stock shifter. You won't be able to manually engage low gear-but with a good shift kit from B&M or TransGo you won't need to. You'll have automatic kickdown to 1st gear at low speeds. The improvement in performance with the 3-speed auto compared to the 2-speed is unbelievable. He also put on front disc brakes using '70's Firebird spindles, rotors, calipers, and power booster and master cylinder. Now the car stops safely from high speeds, way better than it did with 9.5 inch drums. It's a beautiful car with period-correct Torq-Thrust mags on it. Mr "Just as it left the factory" commented on how he's "ruined" the car with these minor upgrades. "Ruined" it by cutting more than 1/2 second off it's 0-60 and 1/4 mile time without hurting gas mileage and drivability?  "Ruined" it by reducing it's 70 mph-0 braking distance from 230 feet to 140? How did that "Ruin" the car?   And it's a really nice driver. It rides good, handles, good, the seats are comfortable and the suspension doesn't rattle your fillings loose. And it's fast enough to back up the image. When leaving a stoplight or entering or exiting a freeway he doesn't have to take crap from little boys in WRX's or soccer moms in Hemi Cherokees. Another guy I know has an SS396 Chevelle. It had power steering an disc brakes from the factory, but it also had a bench seat and that awful Muncie shifter on the 4-speed. He put in some bucket seats and a Hurst shifter. Now if you've ever driven a Camaro or Chevelle with that awful body mounted Muncie shifter-you know why a Competition Plus is / was a "Day Two" modification. With the Muncie-forget powershifting-if you've got your foot in it above 3,500 rpm-you won't be able to shift it. No way, no how. Why Chevy did that is a mystery-because GTO's, Firebirds, and 442's had Hurst shifters from the factory that worked great. Anyhow-the Hurst shifter is a much needed upgrade. The bucket seats look cool and are more comfotable. Oh no, this Chevelle was "Ruined". "Ruined" How?  If my friend wanted to sell it-do you Really think a potential buyer is going to say "Gee, it's got a numbers-matching 396 and M20 4-speed, it runs like a scalded cat and the price is reasonable." "But I hate the bucket seats and Hurst shifter."  "If it had a bench and the Muncie shifter it'd be perfect". "Sorry, I'm going to pass." "This car is ruined."  Really???!!!  No, not in a million years would anyone say that and if one moron did, there would be 50 people in line behind him with cash wanting the car!!  Ditto if you put a "Six-Pack" setup on a Mopar-or Tri-Power on a Corvette or GTO-the car will be worth more, not less. I talked to a guy with a 78 T/A who wanted to put "Snowflake" wheels on it-but was hesitant because his PHS sticker said the car had Rally II's originally!!!  Really??  Like Ditka says on Monday Night Football- "Come on, Man! "   Mastermind