is a true survivor car that is probably a 8 out of 10 condition better (or worth more) than a completly restored car?

If the restored car is a 10/10 and is parts matching than it would be worth more or the you could make the original a 10 without a full resto and should get the same

its a car that i already own ,im just having a hard time deciding to repaint a car that has a 1969 paint job on it.the thing is that the car runs and drives great and only has 68k miles on it,but it has a couple of small rust spots that im sure are larger once i hit them with a piece of sandpaper.here are some pics my friend took a couple of weeks ago. http://www.tennesspeed.net/forums/showthread.php?t=47242&highlight=chevelle

Wow what a great looking car!

Wow what a great looking car!
Ditto, but they're only original once. Minor rust bubbles usually turn into holes when you try and repair them.
If the minor blemishes can be repaired profesionally so they're not obvious ? I'd freshen it up without restoring it, if it's possible, but get a body and paint guy to have a look before you attack it yourself.

That's a nice car. I'm not sure I'd tear it apart for a restore, but maybe some spot repairs? Mine's a field car and not an SS so I have nothing to lose...

Up to you I guess

Great find! :thumbsup: Very nice ... I'd say that a good paint man could spot/blend in the bad spots and make it look great. I wouldn't repaint it if the paint repair is feasible.

leave it as is.

Leave it alone. Once you start tearing into it, your costs will do nothing but skyrocket. If the small rust spots bother you, let a professional body shop give you an estimate and then decide. Your car will be just as interesting left alone as it will be with several thousand put back into it.

Personally, I'd put SS wheels with a nice set of tires on it, drive it and enjoy it.

You have a very nice car.

Woj.

You didn't say, I don't think..if you are the original owner or just bought it?

My 3 cents... if you are looking to own this car for profit at some point.. Restore it.. no need to go over board.. but if you just want it to look good b/c it's your car.. I'd say leave it alone.. original cars are hard to find.. ie.. unpainted and mostly untouched.. don't mess with it much.

Value?? Fully restored cars in general will always bring bigger $$.. a few survivors, will bring more or equal, but they are SPECIAL cars, Limited production or in some way Rare.

Mike

don't touch it. they're only original once. That car looks great

I realize this is Apples and Oranges, but in the Collectable Motorcyle market, Pre-50's Harley's and Indians, the original paint and component bikes sky rocket.

It seems the more patina the better as long as it's original.

While it's likely that it will never be cool riding around a surface rusted original Chevelle, it seems to bear weight in the bike market.

My point is, if it really is an 8 out of 10 condition and can truly be considered a Survivor Caliber car, and the rarer these cars become, the more there worth may be in the future.

While a 100 point car may be worth more than a #8 survivor now, it may not remain that way forever as they become more and more rare.

In that respect, I think it would be unwise to restore a true "Survivor". Minor touch up is acceptable with survivors and if you retained 75% of the original paint I believe it would more than qualify.

Bloomington has opened up the Survivor awards to more than just Corvettes and I think there's going to be a surge of interest in Survivors in the future.

thanks guys ..im proud of it..to answer some of your questions,im not the original owner i bought it from the original owner...im not looking to profit from this car at all,it took me 18 years,several conversations with the prev. owner (and my wife),and alot of money by my standards...ITS MINE.i just want to do what is right to preserve it.

A car that nice, I would leave it for sure. :yes:

If you start messing with it you will wind up spending a lot of money to make it into just another one like everyone else has, then you won't want to drive it.

The way it is now, you have one that not very many other people have.

Try to hook up with with Ron <ToocoolZ28> there in Murfreesboro and get his advice. http://www.chevelles.com/forums/member.php?u=1259

Bloominton decribes restoring a Survivor caliber car as vandalism. :D

What I would focus on, is determining whether you really do have a potential Survivor candidate.

The specifications are more difficult that one would think.

Bloominton decribes restoring a Survivor caliber car as vandalism. :D

What I would focus on, is determining whether you really do have a potential Survivor candidate.

The specifications are more difficult that one would think.



what is a TRUE survivor?i have lots of paperwork from oil changes to tire replacement so i am sure the miles are correct.i know some things have been changed ....the intake and carb(but i have the original)...the wheels..i know it has a rear sway bar added to it but the previous owner said it was from a 70 model...it was in an accident in mid 70's but it was repaired with lead and no sheet metal replacement.i even have the sheet that he filled out when special ordered the car,with odd things like the door edge guards,courtesy light group(hood light,trunk light,etc)and even floor mats.so is this a true survivor?i guess i really dont know.

No way would I paint that car if it original. I think it looks really good. I don't remember seeing your car at Chevel-a-bration was it there?

No way would I paint that car if it original. I think it looks really good. I don't remember seeing your car at Chevel-a-bration was it there?



nope wasn't there... just got it drivable 2 weeks ago...i dont know much about when the shows are,and im not a member of any clus yet

i wouldn't paint it either. at best i would find a competent body guy & fix the couple of rust spots & blend in the paint. The key work here is COMPETENT body guy.

It it's simpliest answer.. a SURVIVOR in my book..

A car which retains it's ORIGINAL Drivetrain, from engine and all of it's components, to the Transmission and ending at the Rear.

The Car should also have never been repainted.. not even 1 year after it was new... a repaint is a repaint even if it was 30 years ago.

The Interior Should be original and unchanged with replacement of only the ciagrette butts in the ash tray ;)

That said, there are many other things to consider.. like Tires and wheels, exhaust system and various other items which some consider routine maintenance .. like hoses, fan belts, battery, etc.. and this is always a debate... and true survivors that get judged by Benchmark criteria ( which I will not get into here ) have a certain % of changes that can occur and still be considered a Survivor.

Nice car, let her be. keep any original parts forever!!

Mike Crown

Here's my opinion. I just went through a similar situation with a numbers matching '67 Firebird 400 convertible survivor. If you look at the car as an investment, leave it the way it is. If you want the car to drive and enjoy then do whatever you want to do to it and forget about how it affects the value.

thanks for the opinions..i'll take them all into consideration..maybe ill see some of you at some upcoming shows

Mike,

A car that stll retains all original drivetrain but the motor has been rebuilt would you consider that still a true survivor? I ask because I found a car like this could use some body work but is all original etc.

Sean

Mike,

A car that stll retains all original drivetrain but the motor has been rebuilt would you consider that still a true survivor? I ask because I found a car like this could use some body work but is all original etc.

Sean

No, I personally would not consider that a TRUE survivor.. just my opinion.. the engine has been out of the car and molested in some manner...

But we could use the same scenario and many do.. and say.. All Original Survivor.. only 24,00 miles.. one repaint 30 yrs ago.. that repaint to me, says no longer TRUE survivor.. engine rebuild = same thing. We can disect this out all day long... and have many times.. but you asked my opinion.

Thanks

Mike

Mike,

That is why I asked you I like the explanations you give. So being that it still has the orignal drivetrain even though the motor was rebuilt (it smoked bad) stilla 90" survivor?

Sean

Not to disagree with Mike, as he has alot more experience in the upper levels of this hobby than I, but as they judge originality of components and original finishes on a car, I doubt freshened engine internals come to play.

I think they're looking more for original components, original plating and paint surfaces.

Not to minimize that, as finding servicable date coded shocks and other disposable service items can get difficult and expensive.

But I wouldn't consider an internal dissassembly, cleaning, rebore and freshening a problem.

I'd agree that hypothetically, it wouldn't be a TRUE survivor, but I think per Bloomington judging standards, you could pull that off.

thanks for the opinions..i'll take them all into consideration..maybe ill see some of you at some upcoming showsJay, bring it out to the cruise-in at Roses tonite, even if it doesnt run yet come on out and join up with the Mid South Chevelle club.
Link here
http://midsouthchevelleclub.com/

what time?my son has a ball game at barfield that is over at 7:00

what time?my son has a ball game at barfield that is over at 7:00
It starts about 5:00 and goes until 9:00pm, plenty of time.
Ron

I would not do anything except maybe have the few spots you mentioned fixed, I mean just those spots, not the whole quarter re-sprayed.That is a heck of a nice find and will only be orig. once.

its a car that i already own ,im just having a hard time deciding to repaint a car that has a 1969 paint job on it.the thing is that the car runs and drives great and only has 68k miles on it,but it has a couple of small rust spots that im sure are larger once i hit them with a piece of sandpaper.here are some pics my friend took a couple of weeks ago. http://www.tennesspeed.net/forums/showthread.php?t=47242&highlight=chevelle


Dont do nothing to it....! ! ! Maybe a set of SS wheels as stated in another post. Cool car for sure.

Value?? Fully restored cars in general will always bring bigger $$...


but, IF YOU TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE MONEY NEEDED FOR A "PROPER" RESTORATION (oops, sorry about the Caps-lock) or even just quality repaint, will the restored car get THAT extra investment back?

Unless you are in tight with a body and paint guy, the best "investment" might be to leave it alone or have it spot-repaired as needed...

i would leave it looks awesome

We got a scrape in the original paint on our '67 Chevelle. The body shop scanned the paint and did a repair. You had to look awfully hard to see where the work had been done. Yours can probably be repaired too without full paint. We're partial to silver '69s as well. ;)

You didn't say, I don't think..if you are the original owner or just bought it?

My 3 cents... if you are looking to own this car for profit at some point.. Restore it.. no need to go over board.. but if you just want it to look good b/c it's your car.. I'd say leave it alone.. original cars are hard to find.. ie.. unpainted and mostly untouched.. don't mess with it much.

Value?? Fully restored cars in general will always bring bigger $$.. a few survivors, will bring more or equal, but they are SPECIAL cars, Limited production or in some way Rare.

Mike

Fully restored cars bring more money than survivors??? ARE YOU KIDDING???...The answer is ABSOLUTELY NOT Don't take my word for it, just look at the data...or simply speak to a real collector...Survivor cars are coveted and restored cars done correctly are the next best thing...plain and simple...No ifs ands or buts about it...

I can go on and on about this issue...but I'll stop here. Personally, I do not buy restored cars...Those that understand the hobby well enough will know where I am coming from...

I urge you to preserve your survivor car and not restore it. Restorations are for cars that are not candidates for a preservation process. There are a few small shops in this country that specialize in preservation of survivor cars...If you want more info let me know. PLEASE DO NOT DESTROY A SURVIVOR BY SUBJECTING IT TO A RESTORATION

Jay, bring it out to the cruise-in at Roses tonite, even if it doesnt run yet come on out and join up with the Mid South Chevelle club.
Link here
http://midsouthchevelleclub.com/


i would like to say thanks to ron and the guys from mid-south..you were very welcoming to my wife and i(and my car)...we enjoyed it.im sure i will see you again


hope you liked the car.

Howdy, j-bird. Looks like you're from my neck of the woods. That's an incredible car, dude. Great score!

I would personally not do anything to that car. If you decide you want the advice of a restorer, pm me and I'll send you to the best shop in Murfreesboro.

One of the best things about Murfreesboro is that MHRC Cruise In every Friday night. I think the last one this year is either this Friday or the next one.