[Tripower455]

Again, we can't fool anyone, the only reason someone replaces a floor, a trunk, two quarters or a whole body is in an attempt to bring something back that others think, and will give, a lot of money for.

Uhh, OK. Anyone who replaces rusted sheet metal is out to decieve future buyers? I plan on NEVER selling mine in the first place, but, do you think a future owner would prefer a trunk with a bunch of pinholes and spray on undercoating in it, or a nicely replaced floor?

In my case I was very lucky in the early 90's to find a 1966 GTO in amazing shape..

You were lucky. There simply aren't that many 40+ y.o. cars in that kind of shape anymore. I looked for over a year to find just the right basket case to revive. I only found one car even close to yours (4 spd, tripower AC car.... it needed interior and paint, but the metal was perfect..... it was in Tucson), and it was a hard top. If it were a 'vert, I would own it today.

I'm curently getting it painted and to me that means a frame off.

Wait a minute....... if the car is not in it's original paint, then you MUST be trying to up the resale value by decieving a future buyer into thinking it has the original paint. Plus, once the car is apart, it is no longer a "survivor"...... Now it is a restored car, and must be worth less.


[quote]It's got a 3" x 4" patch on the one rear quarter, another on the passengers front fender and a replacement drivers front fender (I have the original, but it had a bad corner ledge dent and somehow/someway without even looking for it someone found me a spare fender which I later discovered was stamped out one day different then my original one -- yes, there are date codes).. [quote]

Too bad about the fender..... I certainly hope that if you ever sell, you disclose this offense to the buyer, and knock some $$$ off.

It's a numbers matching tri-power, four speed 3.90 gear car with a perfect original interior..

Not any more! It doesn't have an original fender or paint!

Now what is fair to me doesn't matter here, but is it really right to say a re-bodied car is worth the same as one with almost all original body parts?

It's only worth what someone is willing to pay for it, regardless of whether it has GM air in the tires or chinese quarter panels. Once you take it apart, it really is a moot point, because if the body work is done well, it can be damn near impossible to tell. In the real world, a nicely restored, non numbers GTO is worth more than ratty numbers car. If the 2 were identical in condition, then certainly, the correct numbers car would and should bring more $$$$.

You should have left your car the way it was, because now, using your logic, it is worth less because it isn't all original.

Done correctly no one might ever know, but is that really right? Technically that re-body or replacement of every part other then the firewall and part of the roof just made the worth of mine just a little less.

If this upsets you, you should've bought a basket case, paid $50-70k to have it "restored", and then you'd be on the "winning" side of the investment issue. If you are worried that other people's restored cars are bringing down the value of your investment, you are in the wrong hobby.

One that technically "didn't make it" was just brought back to life, mine is now a tad less rare.

Technically, it did make it. If it didn't make it, it wouldn't be driving around. These cars were never designed to last 40 years.

Yes, there will still only ever be a little over 19,000 1966 tri-power GTO's, but one more now "survived" that really technically didn't.. In a way, a total re-body or replacement of floors, trunk and quarters... it's not a restoration, but a reconstruction.. This would really upset people though if they all got reconstructed titles if a certain percentage of the total car was replaced and not restored..

So, what do we do? Outlaw restoration of cars deemed not worthy by you? I have about 1000 pictures of my "restification", a lot of them are on the net. Do you seriously think that I would/could try to pass my car off as an unrestored "survivor"?

I never wanted a numbers car in the first place. While I respect those that have them, and LOVE seeing nice original cars at shows I enjoy driving mine the way it is much more than I would if it were all correct.

I also love fielding the "you know that engine's not original?" comments at car shows (by guys who drove there in minvans)..... Yeah, I know, because I can beat an original one, by a long shot, on the strip on 93 octane......