Hi guys,

For the last year and a half I've been working on a 67 RS. More info, pics, and progress can be found in the blog link in my sig below. The car was my wife's grandfather's. He bought it at he end of 66. All components were original to the car but after the years there was some rust I am currently trying, with my limited skills, to fix. As you can see, I've replaced the stock drums with discs, upgraded the engine slightly and changed the wheels out since the originals wouldn't fit over the calipers. The front windshield is cracked and will have to be replaced, and the seat cover should probably go to. Other than that the car is 100% original. I'm trying to make it streetable for today. But is this making its worth drop? I also have 2 or 3 old pictures with the Gramps sitting in it, the original radio in a box, the bill of sales from the dealer (including where they made numbers in the back), the engine VIN matches the original paperwork, and I just found tucked away in some old maintenance receipts a little warranty booklet that has a piece of metal with Gramps' name on it and the vehicle info. What's wierd is that the info is imprinted on the metal backwards. I'm not intending on selling it. I'd just like to know the following:

1) Am I losing value because of the changes? Please keep in mind I have not thrown ANYTHING away except hoses and brake lines and stuff. All original drum brake parts, wheels and tires etc are now packaged in boxes.

2) What is it worth [now and after I'm done (taking into account that the paint will be decent but not a 5-10k job)]? I'm just wondering if the money going in is worth it? I mean, though my wife and I intend on the car never leaving the family, we don't want to put 20k in it only for it to be worth 10. Know what I mean?

3) Should I keep the rubber side mouldings? Would the value drop considerably if I lose them? I've gone back and forth on this.

Thanks for your time.

In my opinion, what you've done so far isn't hurting the value of the car. I just wouldn't go much further away from stock than you already have...

By the way, that "little piece of metal with backward printing on it" is called a protect-o-plate and is an EXTREMELY important piece of documentation!

Congrats on having the p.o.p. I don't think you have lost any value. Your car is by far leaps and bounds ahead of many. You have the whole history of the car!!!!!

Sounds like you have the basis of a great build. If you stick to bolt on stuff, you can always return to orig, eh?

No mention of motor? That will will det an end price...ie. big block.

As for value, the way that you expressed yourself about your gramps...how can you put a value on something that someone ya loved... is now gone...and you continue his legacy?

capt

I agree w/ the others...Replacing the drums with discs, replacing the wheels (as long as you keep the old ones) and saving the original tires with the protect o plate to boot? Nice job! You are tastefully upgrading the vehicle imho and yet still maintaining a stock appearance by today's standards. Kudos to ya! :thumbsup: :beers:

Your rubber side moldings of which you are undecided were not factory installed. They were installed at the dealer or by the former owner. I prefer their absence. The RS rocker molding adds adds enough appeal to the look. The factory lines of the Camaro work well without the introduction of the ding protection molding.

Hey Jet-Tech. Nice work. I have a GG Car that lived in California all its life that has exactly, I mean EXACTLY the same rust issues yours does. Just a few places in the rear window channel and little spots around the rear wheels. I noticed you have your AC out. Are you going to keep it out and use a delete box or are you going to re-install it. I am toying with the idea of using the delete box so it will make the engine bay less crowded. I mean who ever uses the AC anyways while cruising aroudn on weekends. Windows down and speed limit is AC enough for me!!

Don't look back as far as the car itself is concerned. There is something special to get in a completely stock restored car and drive around town (even a 327/210 PG car with drum brakes) but you've made some cool changes that will let you hit the open road and enjoy a different aspect of the car.

Don't get all into the money issue and keep in mind a boat is a hole in the water you toss money into. Hobbys cost money to enjoy them, how much would a ski season cost you if you headed for Tahoe or Mt Charlston on weekends?

Hey thanks for the kind words guys.

Captcanuck68 (Ted)- Sorry, the blog says what the engine is. It's a numbers matching 327/210hp with the original 2 speed powerglide. The car came with factory air conditioning.

Gro51 (Joe) & The Sleeper 327- So that's the infamous protect o plate! Should'n that thing have been removed from the back of the booklet and put on the car somewhere? Or is it supposed to stay in the book? I thought the P.O.P. was located on the car somewhere.

Southside- Thanks man. It was an initial stipulation of the entire family to keep the car as stock as possible but I would have done it just the same. The lines are just so nice on this car... why mess with them? It says a lot that new cars designed today are looking back to this and others of its type for design cues. Timeless... that's the word I'm looking for.

Sauron (Scott)- I love those lower rocker mouldings! It's one of my favorite things about the car. There is confusion about those door guards though. Gramps is dead but Grandma is still kickin and she swears they picked up the car at the factory and drove it to the dealership for the paperwork. She doesn't think anything was added to the car as they haggled but she's not 100% on that. All the options were Gramps' deal. But I'm still on the fence. The doors don't have a single ding on them because of these things... No really... not a single ding!

Aaron- The car was bought in California. It stayed there for a few years then moved to Nevada with the family. Then it came back to California when Gramps passed away for 10 years. It's now back in Nevada... Las Vegas with me. If it wasn't for the 10 year stay in Newport Beach with my brother in law it would have no rust at all. The car is also factory air conditioned, but that system is trashed! I was thinking of going with a Vintage Air system to replace it. The factory design looks too bulky and complicated compared to the aftermarket Vintage Air and will probably cost more that the VA to replace. I lived in Los Angeles most of my life. Grew up there, but believe me... in Vegas... it's either 120*F or 30*F. A/C isn't a luxury... it's a necessity. As for the color... no one but Gramps liked the gold. EVERYONE wants either blue, gunmetal grey, or black.

DJD (Dennis)- Enlightened words dude. There are precious few original models left out there. That's why 90% stock with 100% original parts on hand is my ultimate goal. I just wonder if putting as much money into it as it would take to buy a new car is a good thing in these times. What if... God forbid, we have to sell it ASAP to recoop the money because I go jobless. How much could I hope to get back out of it. Believe me I would just come shy of bankruptcy before I sell it though. But food for the kids will always come first.

So what do you guys think?

the factory a/c system worked well and was engineered for THAT car not for a generic car like the VA is. Keep the stock system (assuming it was a "factory" installed system, not a dealer add-on), prices are very reasonable to "fix" whatever ails it ... you COULD keep it all stock and simply replace the compressor if you don't like the looks of it, but then it would look "funny" under the hood, but the car is yours, so do whatever you fell like doing

as far as your "I opted to weld up the seams between the filler and the quarters. Two reasons... 1) I think it will look better in the long run and 2) It wont be collecting water and rusting in the future... or at least there will be less of a chance."

the seam recess has nothing to do with it rusting or collecting water, getting rid of them is a mistake IMHO

Ahhh, the infamous seam question. I can always add the seam back in. There is too large a gap between the two pieces to weld up completely and make it flush. I welded down the crack/seam. There is still a long seam there that's why I filled it with Metal to Matal filler. My pictures just don't show it well. It's nothing a thin cutoff wheel can't add back by making a line down the weld. If I wanted to, it would make it look original again.

As for the factory air. It was factory installed along with all the date coded braketry. But those brakets no longer fit with the headers that were necessary to replace the damaged exhaust manifold when the A.I.R. tubes snapped off. So I'm looking at a complete redo of the A/C system and I beleive going back to factory look will never be exact now and will end up costing a lot more. The heater core is punctured, the pressure sensors are missing and the core cover is patched in several places, the compressor is toast and the brakets no longer fit. I don't know what happened when my brother in law had it. It's pretty much useless. I really don't care that the original compressor was ugly. I just want a reliable working system.

Looks like you have a good plan. If you never plan on selling it, then the $$ put into it doesn't really matter. Some of the upgrades like the disc brakes make it safer to drive but can also be changed back. And when the whole family gets involved and it's a fun project for everyone, that will make all the difference when you go to shows and cruises. You guys will be smiling the whole time as other people come over to talk to you about the car. The original paperwork is always a great thing to have too! Good luck with the car.

Jet-Tech1: the p.o.p. doesn't need to be with the car. You are referring to the "build sheet" as far as it being located "on the car somewhere". The build sheet, from what I gather was a sheet that was attached to the car as it was being built. the technicians and builders referred to it as they went along. It told what specs the car was to get. Then, when completed, sometimes it would stay attached to the car hidden under the dash or on top of the gas tank (I think to save time, not having to take it off??). Hearing about cars like yours is the best part of this hobby. With eveyone cloning cars and such, your car will increase in value and remain a part of American automotive history. (NOTE: I would leave it the original color)

Gro51 (Joe) & The Sleeper 327- So that's the infamous protect o plate! Should'n that thing have been removed from the back of the booklet and put on the car somewhere? Or is it supposed to stay in the book? I thought the P.O.P. was located on the car somewhere.

To the best of my knowledge, the Protect o Plate was in the booklet like that when the car was delivered (probably in the glove box). It was up to the owner to do whatever they wanted with it. Unfortunatly, not many have remained with the car after all these years. You are so lucky to have yours. :thumbsup: I'm jealous!