[roundportponchos]

Here's my project... guess I have the "Charlie Brown" christmas tree syndrome.. My oldest, 14, went with me to to Wisc to get it. He really likes it, has great options... I hope he continues to have an interest, I'm in mid 40s, i hope younger gen follows in our footsteps.

Originally Posted by Formulajones

I didn't mean to sound like I'm knocking the time, money, and effort involved to completely restore one. My hats off to ya Roundport. I do it for a living from start to finish, paint/body/drivetrain etc.. That said, I can get one done for myself alot cheaper than most could that would have to pay for someone like me, but that still doesn't make me all that ambitious to tackle a project like that for myself, and in the end, I would still have more in it than the car is worth, not counting my labor.

My prediction on the future of these cars isn't as bright as some would like to hope. Considering all us baby boomers are getting old, we are really the people that buy these cars and drive the prices up. So what happens in another 10-15 years when we all start disappearing? Kids nowadays don't care about these cars, and certainly won't give up their electronic creature comforts to own one. So I see the prices dropping when no one is buying.

From that perspective, you either have to get into one at a decent price so you don't take a big hit later, or you have the intent to pass it down to your kids and grandkids and don't care about value (if they even care to have it).

But that's just me babbling. A couple of good examples I had about 15 years ago was a 71 TA and a 74 SD formula, both 4 speed cars. Both too far gone in my opinion to warrant the money and time to bring back. The 74 literally broke in half from rust when I winched it on the trailer. So from a money standpoint they were nothing more than parts cars in my eyes, I stripped them both of drivetrains, every nut, bolt, and clip and sent the bare shells off to the crusher.