Can someone tell me what makes a car a "survivor car" ? :wacko:

You are opening up a whole new can of worms with that question.

makes it to the final round and wins the million dollars! :D

Well, I agree can of worms. In my opinion I would say a creampuff car that has never been restored or had any major modifications. If it hasnt been cut, engine/trans removed and switched out, original paint, and has 99% the original parts, I would consider it a survivor. Basically the exact same car from the showroom with just regular maintenance, and maybe a funky air horn or cb radio added. :D

IMO a "survivor" car is one that has had minimal, if any changes since rolling off the assembly line and for the most part is still in close to like new shape.

When I say minimal I think of little things like oil, spark plugs, battery...but the car would still have it's original paint and original interior, both presentable.

Not ever restored but in nice shape as if it were restored, 97% original...never wrecked, never smoked in, still has original wheels, original engine and trans (neither being ever rebuilt)....

We had a '67 Chevelle that I would call a true survivor car. Mostly original paint, original drivetrain, and original interior. It came out of Days Chevrolet in Ackworth, Georgia when new. I don't think that the car ever sat outside over night in its whole life. It still shows well at cruise nights and car shows. The guy we bought it from has the jacket he got at a Super Chevy show in the early ninties when he won best unrestored in his class. Once they get ratty looking they are just old cars that need a freshening up. Even though ratty, these cars can still teach us a lot, so restoring them will lose something in the process. That's a call for the owner. They all have their rightful place in the car world, and something to offer.

Hoses, belts, things like tires - sure they NEED to be changed, but anything else should and could last for a long time, to make a "survivor" car. But it's impossible to set a line where one side IS and one side ISN'T.

To me it's anything that has "survived " the crusher/ junkyard, still has most parts on it AND is in repairable to excellent cond. Title must also accompany the vehicle. Stock or modified, as long as it meets these criteria, I consider it a survivor.

We had a '67 Chevelle that I would call a true survivor car. Mostly original paint, original drivetrain, and original interior. It came out of Days Chevrolet in Ackworth, Georgia when new. I don't think that the car ever sat outside over night in its whole life. It still shows well at cruise nights and car shows. The guy we bought it from has the jacket he got at a Super Chevy show in the early ninties when he won best unrestored in his class. Once they get ratty looking they are just old cars that need a freshening up. Even though ratty, these cars can still teach us a lot, so restoring them will lose something in the process. That's a call for the owner. They all have their rightful place in the car world, and something to offer.

Keith,
That dealership still exists...recently moved from it's original location but still in Acworth...and about 10 miles from me. :thumbsup:
http://www.dayschevrolet.com/

I'd say 90% original parts, and 80% original paint..


JMO

hey here is my survivor car its 89% original, Oh! i understand, ok well i guess its not a survivor car.------HELLO! HEY FELLAS. according to the great american pole, that was done well i have no clue, a survivor car is a chevelle with matching vin and cowl tag, its a rolling chevelle, its a chevelle in a barn, pasture, alley, or ditch. anything that is called chevelle malibu, or ss chevelle malibu. they are all survivor cars as long as they have vins and cowl tags.

Some cars do not and never have had titles so that wouldn't really have anything to do with THEM being one.

Obviously everyone thinks it means something different, just like the words "muscle car" and "clone".

TO ME, a survivor would be;
1 - a running car that has not had any of it's parts removed for the purpose of cleaning, painting or replacement.
(with the exception of normal maintenance of course)

2 - Still has it's original paint.

here's one:

http://www.angelfire.com/retro/70malibu/

here's one:

http://www.angelfire.com/retro/70malibu/


Original paint, wheels and tires :confused:

ok ..... I've read those response's an it looks like most think a survivor is some kind of time capsule trapped vehicle !!

I.E. if it was bought & forgotten in Gram's garage for 40 years .....

I'm more incline to make it a real life DRIVEN car ... hence the word Survivor :D
it has its original motor & running gear .. altho it more then likely has been rebuilt (possibly a number of times !)
it is close to stock in appearance but its not 100% correct by any means
modern teck has found its way to making it a better car then it was originally ;)

what makes this a survivor over a Resto rod ??? the way its used !! its still a DRIVEN car its doing what it was designed for Transportation is the daily rutine its a survivor :D

I would say some changes are acceptable, like a total repaint, or some new wheels, etc, if the car is still owned by the original owner.

That would be a "partial survivor" if the paint and wheels didn't survive. :D

Like I said, all these terms seem to mean something different to different people.

Doesn't the Corvette folks have the criteria for "survivor" set?
I think I heard somewhere that they now OWN the word :D :D

75% original paint in good condition, and original engine/trans/axle on a car 30+ years old I would consider a survivor.

Yep, Dean is correct. Bloomington trademarked the word survivor as pertaining to a CAR or AUTOMOBILE. They then sued Hemming's Motor News for having ads in their mag that had the word survivor in them without "their" permission or license. Bloomington actually WON and Hemming's had to reword all their ads to omit the word survivor. Need a stick, look up a Vette owner's a**.

The original ownership needs to count for something imo. There is something about a car with the same owner for 30-40-50 years that adds significantly to the "survivor" package,.

But Andy it's the car that has to survive, not the ownership. And I also think that a re-paint takes the survivor status away.

We're original owners of our COPO Chevelle. It survived but I wouldn't call it a survivor. Everything is getting done, including an engine rebuild. Then I can call it a Day 2 restoration.:) I like my headers, Hurst shifter and Cragars. I have original Uniroyals and SS wheels for photos but wouldn't want to drive too far on them.

Can someone tell me what makes a car a "survivor car" ? :wacko:

A solid vehicle that has survived both time and change. It has never been restored by either an amateur or professional. Minor body/mechanical repairs OK if still solid and mostly original. It must run, have all the original sheet metal and virtually no rust.

really i guess it just depends on who you are and what you consider a car to be. but realisticly a car is a car. and an engine is an engine (ie) drivetrain. which leads me to say, a car which has the original drivetrain should be the true meaning of survivor, rebuilt or not. anything that has vin numbers, like block and tranny. any of the other components could of been changed, all cars have the same partners but so how could you tell. so to me it will be engine and tranny.

ok ..... I've read those response's an it looks like most think a survivor is some kind of time capsule trapped vehicle !!

I.E. if it was bought & forgotten in Gram's garage for 40 years .....

I'm more incline to make it a real life DRIVEN car ... hence the word Survivor :D
it has its original motor & running gear .. altho it more then likely has been rebuilt (possibly a number of times !)
it is close to stock in appearance but its not 100% correct by any means
modern teck has found its way to making it a better car then it was originally ;)

what makes this a survivor over a Resto rod ??? the way its used !! its still a DRIVEN car its doing what it was designed for Transportation is the daily rutine its a survivor :D

A solid vehicle that has survived both time and change. It has never been restored by either an amateur or professional. Minor body/mechanical repairs OK if still solid and mostly original. It must run, have all the original sheet metal and virtually no rust.

I like these arguments. I also like to think I have a survivor, although it doesn't meet all the criteria given here.

I am technically the third owner, since the father bought it for the daughter and later transferred the title to her. I bought it from her this year, so same (original) family for 40 years. 58k original miles on numbers matching, never pulled drivetrain and counting (driven every weekend when I'm not deployed). Original interior in very good condition. All original sheetmetal with one rust spot on front left quarter. It did have a front fender bender at some point so there has been some new paint and possibly a new front right quarter. I'm not 100% sure it wasn't totally repainted because of some evidence of paint on the window felt, but if it was repainted, the current paint is probably 25 or 30 years old.

Corvette lawyers aside, a survivor is a subjective thing. But I believe I have one. Whenever I show it to someone (older than I) they say, "I remember one just like this back when...."

It's possible for a car to survive through many owners.

A friend bought a 70 from the original owner and it's pretty much a parts car, currently with no engine or transmission but I know it will be like new again someday.

here's one:

http://www.angelfire.com/retro/70malibu/

In that link they say the car has it's original tires....but did 70 Chevelles come with BF Good rich radials???

Survivor>>>79 Chev 1/2 ton - bought new when I was still 18 - 400,000 miles - still driven.

Survivor>>>88 Pont Bonneville - went thru 2 girlfirends and 3 teen daughters - 250,000 miles and still running when I sold it 4 yrs ago. (sold 'cause the starter locked up and I did not want to fix it)

In that link they say the car has it's original tires....but did 70 Chevelles come with BF Good rich radials???

He has the original tires and wheels and the wheel discs are in the trunk. I wouldn't want to drive on 37 or so years old bias tires anyway.

Paul

Rules for the survivor category at Chevell-a-bration-
"Open to ALL model year Chevelles and El Caminos/Sprints, but is restricted to only unrestored, original vehicles. Cleaning and detailing is encouraged, but any reupholstering of the interior or repainting more than 30% of the body and any of the drivetrain components is not acceptable. Normal wear items such as hoses, belts, exhaust and tires can be replaced only with original-type substitutes."
I'm not saying this is right or wrong, only that these are the rules. :thumbsup:
Other organizations have other rules, but I ain't lookin' them up.:p
BillL

I've got 2 cars that were survivors. One was sort of a time capsule, stored for much of the last 30 years. Came with 8,700 miles, original tires, paint, different battery and a couple hoses. It had a crease in a rear quarter. My "painter" said he was afraid that any repair would show and I decided to repaint. No longer a survivor as it has had cosmetic restoration.

My other is my '66 Elco. Lots of miles but had original paint, interior, and engine untouched. When I messed with the drivetrain, the survivor title was gone.

A survivor has been "preserved" rather than "restored". Maintained is a given. Tires, batteries, hoses, brakes, are accepted maintance items. You focus on what it is, not what you might think it should be. When we start even partial restoration, it's kinda like being a little bit pregnant. The aging process is interupted, and in my opinion, the survior tag is gone forever.

I bought my 66 Chevelle in 1969 for all intent and purpose from the original owner.Outside of the wheels that the original owner changed and the headers I installed the car is as it was built in 66.Yes it needs a complete restoration.Yes it is rusty(its a michigan car)Does it still run and drivable Yes.Has it survived,I think so.Over the years it been used for almost anything you can think of.I think a car thats pretty much all orignal and 41 or so years old is really a "survivor" car.

According to the BloomingGold.com website, "Survivors are cars that are at least 20 years old (1987’s and older) and judged to be over 50% unrestored, yet with finishes and condition good enough to use as a reference model for authentic restoration of a car just like it." In the FAQ section (http://www.bloomingtongold.com/?link=survivor_faqs) they use the word as a proper noun, capitalizing the "S" in Survivor, and not simply a noun (person/place/thing). They base their claim that nobody before 1990 (when they trademarked the word) ever used the word to describe a car and use ads primarily in Hemmings as basis of proof.

They go on to say, "Companies with trademarks print an “R with a circle around it” right next to their brand name. That’s how the public at large can determine if usage of a word or term is restricted to that company’s use. (i.e. Suburban, Nike, Coke, Thrifty, etc.)" yet they never use the "R with a circle around it" anytime they use the term in this reply and never answered the question about how they informed the public of its trademark status.

Criteria in their judging criteria is:
* Age: 20 years or older
* Complete 25.4 mile road test
* Remain over 50% unrestored or unmodified in at least three out of the four following areas: (1) Interior, (2) Exterior paint and body, (3) Chassis, and (4) Engine/underhood
* Must be an excellent educational example for future restoration projects.
And the 'benchmark' in their judging criteria says In the same weekend, the Corvette must:
* Pass all four categories of Survivor judging and successfully complete the 25.4 mile road test.
* Earn a Gold Certificate in Bloomington Gold's Certification judging event.

AlsoIn short, people can use the “word” Survivor all day long to describe anything they want except collectable automobiles, TV shows, or rock bands.So...who determines if an automobile is 'collectable' or not? And, can one use the word "survivor" if it's not being referenced as a Bloomington Gold status? After all, a survivor car (with whatever criteria one chooses to mean) is different from a Gold Certificate judged Survivor award winner.

Quote from an article on their 'news' page...Mr. Burroughs's preservationist zeal is such that Bloomington Gold will happily license its Survivor trademark free to any organization that wishes to use it, provided they adhere to the proper certification guidelines.Might be interesting to see just what those 'proper certification guidelines' are. :)

I bought my 66 Chevelle in 1969 for all intent and purpose from the original owner.Outside of the wheels that the original owner changed and the headers I installed the car is as it was built in 66.Yes it needs a complete restoration.Yes it is rusty(its a michigan car)Does it still run and drivable Yes.Has it survived,I think so.Over the years it been used for almost anything you can think of.I think a car thats pretty much all orignal and 41 or so years old is really a "survivor" car.

I think that although not "showroom original", your car is a survivor. I believe some license must be made for cars with wheels and headers that go back to it's time, and were common mods for Muscle Cars. Now if you cut a hole in the hood for the tunnel ram, and cut the wheel wells for tire clearance, I think that may not pass.

I think that although not "showroom original", your car is a survivor. I believe some license must be made for cars with wheels and headers that go back to it's time, and were common mods for Muscle Cars. Now if you cut a hole in the hood for the tunnel ram, and cut the wheel wells for tire clearance, I think that may not pass.

Its so "Original" it still has the same clutch disk and pressure plate in it from when I bought it.Most of the miles on it were long trips.Gas was cheep in the 60's LOL.

I considered my car a survivor when I bought it. It was painted 20+ years ago, had all the original interior, and had a crappy 327 put in it back in the 70s. Now, 1/3 of the interior is new, and the whole drivetrain has been fiddled with. So now, it's not.

In actuality, any car I have owned and still is able to drive away when I sold it I consider a survivor.

Honestly.... I think that if its still around,driveable and able to move under its own power,no matter what condidton its in,as old as these cars are its a survivor. Thats just my humble opinion. I have an 84 Z-28 a real "LEMON" of a car....11199/4 on the clock.Less than 12000 miles,completely original,left in the Garage because I got tired of filling the T-5 with ATF and not enough time or place to pull the trans to have it re-sealed.Is it a survivor,Hardly its a lemon and thats the only thing you can call it.Sorry for the rant,but just because someting is in great shape seems kind of remote to be considerd a "Survivor".