to be or not to be

Forgive me but I just got my first classic car (1968 California Special) I bought the car already done. I’m told the car is original and to modify it in any way would be a mistake. I thought it would be cool to put on aluminum valve covers, colored spark plug wires, chrome air cleaner, and maybe a cool carburetor. I realize I can do anything I want but I don’t want to be a dummy. Is what I’m being told true should I not modify it?

No fun
Jeffu

i think you should first ask yourself what YOU want to do with this car. do you want to show it as original, modified? maybe not show it at all? do what YOU want to do with the car so you can enjoy it. but... i wouldn't change anything that can't be changed back , once you start changing irreversible parts of the car i think you'll be sorry in the long run, because when it comes time to sell it, the re-sale value will be lower and you might even have a tough time selling it due to your changes. i don't see any harm in changing the parts you mentioned. just my opinion, good luck and welcome!

tom

Welcome to our world Jeffu. We are a family here and you are most welcome. I encourage you to read back through all the old posts on this website. And if you have any questions that haven`t been asked here already, there are plenty of GT/CS and HCS experts here ready to help. The information you will get here is all first hand knowledge from people who live and breath these cars. You will not find a more informative and friendly site anywhere on the web.
It would be interesting to know what part of the world you are in and if you bought your car from someone here on the site. Please post some pictures in the gallery when you get the chance. The members of the site love pictures and anything you can tell us about your car. I love my car and this site has made owning it such a more enjoyable experience. See you around the board. ;D Rhonda

personally, my opinion on this would be to leave the car original, because from what i have seen, original Mustangs tend to sell for larger amounts of money, and because the GT/CS is by the day becoming virtually extinct, it is advisable to maintain its authencity!

Good Luck

Jeffu, I would have to agree with GT_CS. If the car is factory correct, including engine details, it will normally be worth more than a car that has been modified, even if the modifications are bolt-on. There are many Mustangs out there and the vast majority have 4 barrel conversions, fancy air cleaners, bright colored plug wires. There are not as many that are factory correct. The more rare or valuable the car, the better it is to have it in factory condition. I believe the GTCS and HCS fall in the rare valuable category. Also look at the auctions...a factory correct car will usually draw more unless it is a modified Hot Rod. If you want to "personalize" it keep all the old parts and realize you may have to put it back some day in order to get the most for it. Good luck and welcome to the hobby!

The changes you mention are reversible but don't lose ANY of the parts, no matter how small or insignificant you may think they are.

Bill (nfrntau) and I were talking about Monte Carlo bars the other day, while working on his car, and add-ons such as that fall into a tricky little "gray" area. Bill told me that he must drill one hole on the top of each front fender to install a Monte Carlo bar. Personally, I think the holes are worth the support the bars provide, and I'd install one in a heartbeat on a daily driver, but I certainly wouldn't install one on a 100 point car. You might be shocked at how much those 2 little tiny holes could reduce the value of such a car.

In the late 70's aftermarket sunroofs were the big thing and numerous people told me my GT/CS would be worth more with a sunroof. You bet!

Just be careful and think twice before cutting or drilling anything.....and don't remove those goofy little foam rubber stips from under the decklid!!!

PS. You may not want to put speakers in the kick panels either, unless you have another set of perfect used or NOS panels.

Arlie

Change what you want. Be happy with your car thats all that matters. Just becareful, if you can change it back to the original way after you change things to your liking then all is well. I personaly would love to drop a 390 in mine that way I can rebuild and save the original block for later down the road. Remember its your car be happy with it.

My GT/CS when completed will not fall into that category of trailer perfect cars nor will it fall into that category of 100% stock cars.
It will however have the ability to be returned to that 100% stock condition should I or any future owner wish to do so without having to repair and/or find missing and sometimes impossible to get pieces.
Every item taken off my car will be carefully stowed away in a back part of my garage (to gather dust).
I asked a question very similar to this months ago and have come to this conclusion, it's up to you! Do what you want, do what makes you happy.
If your largest concern is value or showing your car, 100% stock is the way to go. In certain circles, it's the only way to go.
If your desire is to restomod, do what makes you happy but use only bolt on items and keep it in the realm of items you can switch back. Most importantly by all means don't sell, trade or lose your original pieces. In the end either choice you make, it will be you driving down the road with the window down and that big smile on your face.

Welcome to the club.
Bill

[quote author=BrandonB link=board=1;threadid=1426;start=0#msg8297 date=1109180437]
Change what you want. Be happy with your car thats all that matters. Just becareful, if you can change it back to the original way after you change things to your liking then all is well. I personaly would love to drop a 390 in mine that way I can rebuild and save the original block for later down the road. Remember its your car be happy with it.
[/quote]

Up front, I have to agree with BrandonB. It's your car, do what makes you happy. You paid for it so you should enjoy it. But, as others have said keep what ever you pull off or modify. My CS is all factory correct except for the motor and center console. The console you can see the motor mods you can't except for the headers and manifold. It's nothing I can't put back. And regardless of what others think, a modified motor will pull more $ than most folks think. There are those who are looking form pure stock and then there are those who just like the sound of a big block (390) that sounds like a freight train with internal mods. Fortunately, I have a 390 that has many internal mods and she sounds great. Besides, I just love it everytime I'm on my way home from a cruise and up comes a new or late model bowtie who thinks they have something to prove. Guess what, they haven't proved "S--T" to me yet. Oh well, I come from the old school, all throttle and no bottle. What you see is what you get. That's just my thoughts on it. Anyway, welcome to the GT/CS site and trust me there are enough folks here who are willing and can help you either modify or keep your car totally stock, which ever you prefer.

Don ;D

I think that the simple question of adding a few engine dress-up parts has sparked (no pun) the philosophical discussion about whether to go original or restomod, or somewhere inbetween.

In a perfect world, EVERY classic Mustang would be restored. But, these cars, although they are rare, are not as "hands off modifications" as you may think. You have to ask yourself: "am I making this 100% original for some future sale to a collector--or is this for concours car shows, or is it out of peer pressure/guilt to keep it as original?

Overall, I've told people to do whatever they want--as long as it can be brought back to original "in a day ot two". No welded fender flares, etc. "IF" someone wants to do that many mods, they should go get a fairly common '68 coupe and go for it (i.e. Green Hornet/Little Red clone, etc.).

I can appreciate the purist attitude. There is a lot to be said for seeing ANY classic car as it was originally, with all those details that bring back memories. The total look of original stickers, tags, belts, etc., is very cool to see at a show.

By no means do I set any standard for anyone's GT/CS. As for my car, I'm going to only modify it with CS-Shelby parts that were available only during mid-1968. But--it's all bolt on stuff. I have to remember that the 390's are more rare, and as time passes, the idea of restoration gets stronger.

Just my two bits:

Paul N.

p.s. On this note, one thing really annoys/concerns me about this. Certain "buyers/investors" of classic muscle cars will pay as much if not more that the value of a rare original car, if it has modifications like a hipo crate motor, 5 speed, etc. I was reading in a MuscleCar Classics a few months ago how a Chevelle (Yenko?) clone sold for as much as an original, since it had a lot of new, trick stuff on it.

Where does that leave us who try so hard to do it right?

Paul N.