The saying about "Cubic Dollars" is still true...

Someone once said "There's no substitute for cubic inches, except cubic dollars."  It's still true today, and it doesn't just apply to engine building. It also applies to car restoration as a whole. A friend of mine recently inherited a '57 T-Bird. He's trying to sell it, and the highest offer he's recieved is $5,000. After seeing the car, I told him to take it and run. How can that be? You ask?  Here's how. Yes, an older relative bought the car used in 1965 and it's been in the family ever since. However-it's been in storage since 1989, and has rust, water, and fire damage!! There was a fire at the storage facility, and the facility's insurance company paid a claim, but the car was never fixed, the money is long gone, and the person who collected it is long deceased. Forget, Concours or show quality,-according to a reputable restoration shop in out area, to get the car in "solid driver" condition would cost between 30-40k. Here's the "Catch 22".  If my friend wanted a nice '55-57 T-Bird ( He doesn't, he inherited it, and hoped he could make a quick buck selling it ) he could easily buy a restored or well-maintained one for $30-40K!!  So, the question being, should he dump the car as is and take a $5,000 profit, or should he spend another $30,000 that he doesn't have-( re-finance his house to fix a car? Not a good idea. ) And then sell it and maybe only make 5K anyway?  Even if he made 10 grand or more on the eventual sale, he'd have to invest 30 and then wait several months to get his return. It's just not worth it in terms of money or time invested. This happens way more than you think.  I've touched on it before, but I think it's worth re-visiting. Here's some tips on how to avoid this pitfall. # 1. An Ultra-rare car missing key components is not a deal at any price.  Obvious examples would be any Hemi-powered Chrysler vehicle missing the Hemi engine, or a Boss 302 or Boss 429 Mustang missing the "Boss" engine. But beyond that, there are others that can be just as difficult and expensive to restore. What about a '63 409 Impala?  The 409 has been out of production since 1965. That's 52 years, and they were rare to start with!! Not like locating a '60's vintage 283 or 327, of which there were millions.  What about a Thunderbolt Fairlane, or a Super Duty Catalina?  Where are you going to find a 427 Ford or a 421 Pontiac in running or at least rebuildable condition?  Well, duh! You say. Anyone knows that. Ok, but lets say you want to restore something as "pedestrian" as a 340 Duster. The 340 was only produced from 1968-73, and they were fairly rare. If you find one in running or rebuildable condition, it's not going to be cheap. And that's just the engine. What if the rest of the car needs extensive work?  Like fenders or 1/4 panels, or a trunk floor? Interior work? Especially if your not a bodyman or mechanic by trade-most competent shops charge $100 per hr or more for labor. It's pretty easy to rack up a $10-15,000 bill on a project. Again-the "Catch 22". If you searched Hemmings, Mopar Muscle, or various sites on the Internet, I'm sure you could find a damn nice 340 Duster for 15 grand!!  # 2. There's other expenses besides the engine and the body. What about undercarriage or suspension damage? If your restoring a '72 Olds Cutlass, you won't have much trouble or expense, because GM "A" bodies- used basically the same suspension from 1964-77. Factory or Aftermarket, anything that fits the wildly popular Chevelle or GTO will fit the Cutlass. Great. What if your restoring a '68 Javelin AMX?  With a broken rear shock mount. Upper and lower, one on the body, one on the rear end?  Never mind price, where in the hell are you going to find a shock mount, or a complete rear axle for a '68 AMX??  Or a front or rear crossmember?  # 3. Everything is not a Chevy or a Pontiac. One of the main reasons for GM musclecars popularity is ease of parts availability and interchangeability. For example-Mopars have different front crossmembers and different Torsion Bars, for small and big-block engines,  And 904 and 727 Torqueflites have different bellhousing bolt-patterns. Not like just "dropping" a 454 into your 350 Camaro or Chevelle,over the weekend, bolting up the TH350, and driving it to work to show your buddies Monday morning!  And God help you if your doing a Ford. Unlike taking a 350 out of a '79 Suburban and dropping it into a '72 Camaro and not even changing the belts,or a 360 out of a Dodge Van and dropping it in a '73 Dart that had a 318, a 351C Ford has a different bellhousing bolt-pattern than a 302 or 351W. And a 351C in an LTD has a different water pump,power steering pump, fuel pump, and oil pan than one out of a Mustang, which is also different than one out of a Torino. A 390 out of a Mustang has all that stuff different from a 390 out a T-Bird, which is different than one out of an F100 Pickup!!  I'm not bashing Fords; I'm just telling you that swapping a 390 out of a T-Bird into a Cougar is going to be way harder than taking a 400 Pontiac out of a Catalina and dropping it in a LeMans or Firebird!!   # 4. "Build your own" or "Cloning" isn' always a viable option. I've talked about some that are-Shelby Mustangs, Yenko Camaros, Hemi Darts, etc. Their easy enough to do, and you can usually re-coup your investment if you don't go batshit crazy on the build. What if your dream car is the 20th Anniversary '89 Trans-Am powered by the Turbo 3.8 V6 out of the vaunted Buick Grand National? They were awesome performers- the GN powerplant made more power and weighed less than the LB9 / L98 305 / 350 Chevys-so they were faster 0-60 and in the 1/4, and handled and stopped better than the already stellar "regular" WS6 T/A.  How are you going to "build" one?  First off, a great condition '89 T/A is still going to bring a King's Ransom. Secondly-where are you going to get a complete GN powerplant and all the wiring?  GN's bring blood and a first-born child in any running condition above basket case. A wrecked one? Good luck. GN restorers pilfer those out of wrecking yards faster than a speeding bullet. If you "Gotta Have" a 20th Anniversary T/A, your better off just biting the bullet and pay the price for one. Ditto for an '85-'88 Buick Grand National, or an '84-86 Mustang SVO.  The same goes for lesser one or two year wonders. How are you going to find a rear spoiler or stripe kit for a '77 Pontiac Can-Am? A "Shaker" hood for a Ventura-based '74 GTO? ( Yes, any T/A shop has the scoop; I'm talking about a Ventura hood with the hole for the scoop already cut out. If you can't find one, how much is a body shop going to charge to cut the proper hole in a "generic" Ventura hood? And since their different from a '74 Nova, where in the hell are you going to find a "generic" '74 Ventura hood, if yours is messed up or missing? )  Where are you going to find a set of upright exhaust stacks for a '78-79 Dodge Li'l Red Express pickup?  Or interior or exterior trim for a '79 Chrysler 300?  Like I've said before, just because something is possible, doesn't mean it's feasible either time or dollar wise. Manned space flight is possible, but it's not cheap or easy! Mastermind