Chris Dillon wrote:
>
> This brings up a interesting point though, I have always been under the
> impression that exceptional Streetrods/Customs always out prices the very best
> stock restoration. One reason I always thought this was true was that it is
> easier to poor ridiculous amounts of cash into modifing a car/truck i.e.
> Chopped tops, Blown Nitrious Motors, Extensive paint jobs, Billet, custom
> interior... While if your doing a restoration you can only go so far or its
>no
> longer stock. The best example is old F@#d Model A's, streetrod out price
>Mint
> Stockers 10 to 1 in some cases. I think these guys might be trying to use
>this
> argument to jack the prices up on these mutts, clearly these two Burbs weren't
> pure stocker, but they weren't radical enough to be call true Rods either.
> Personally I like both ends of the spectrum Rod and Beautiful restoration, its
> the junk in the middle I can't get real excited about. I hope I don't start
> getting hate mail now, just my humble opinion.
>
> Chris Dillon
> 51 Chevy 3100 (Rod)
> 66 Mustang (Stocker)
Chris,
Check the ads in the rod magazines of the late 60's/early 70's. You
could buy a decent pre-48 street rod for 2g or less, while restored
versions of the same cars were selling for 5g or more. Now the tables
have turned, and it seems that the majority of rods are selling for far
more than their restored counterparts.
As far as calling it "ridiculous" amounts of cash, consider the quality
of street rod parts today compared to the "old days". Back in the early
70's you had to design and build almost everything youreslf, there were
no "1-800" rod shops around. A lot of the earlier rods were poorly
engineered/built and unsafe. Most of today's rods are as safe, reliable,
and comfortable as any new car bought from a dealer. My '48, although
still in the beater stage, is just as comfortable to drive as my
step-fathers '89 GMC. This helps account for the prices being demanded
for them these days, although it's still cheaper to buy a finished rod
than to try and build one yourself.
I have a soft spot for most decently restored old cars, but I will
always be a rodder first.
Alan Gingles
1948 Chevy "1314" daily driver
http://www.nucleus.com/~agingles
oletrucks is devoted to Chevy and GM trucks built between 1941 and 1959
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