The comment shouldn't have been taken as a slam on drag racers, I didn't read it that way. It was a comment on the fact that people will take rare collectible cars and cut them up without thinking about any historic value. Sure, I have to go along with "it's your car, you can do what you want with it", but I still winced when I saw a beautiful 40s Lincoln Zephyr street rod. Had the full works -- chopped top, laid back windshield, new drivetrain, custom interior, rebuilt original dash with new gauges (but looked close to original). My first thought as I read about the car in a street rod mag was that I hoped it was a basket case -- then got to the sad part. The car was an older, show winning restoration that the owner bought specifically to cut up. Made sure he didn't tell the previous owner what his plans were, then had the nerve to take the car back when done and ask the seller "what he thought". It was reported that the seller just looked at the car then turned around and !
went back in his house without saying a word. Owner thought the seller was being rude!! I say the new owner was the rude one.
A car that's solid but needs a lot of money and work to bring back is a good candidate for pure drag or custom car in my opinion, or one that was modified in its earlier days BEFORE it was a rare item. Not one that needs just a little work to be a restored car. I passed on SEVERAL 63-64 wagons because they were in to good a shape to have their drivetrains and interiors pulled and modernized like I wanted to do. I thought about it briefly -- leave the stock interior and paint, just change the engine since the ones I considered needed a rebuild due to mileage and age, but I just couldn't do it, even though Rambler wagons aren't considered all that collectible.
Tommy wasn't talking about the drag cars that have had some modifications, he was talking about things like tubs and back halves at least -- cut up to the point where it would be impractical to ever put back to original condition. Who would back half a solid, easily restored AMX today? I know some have been done, most before it was really a collectible.
There comes a point in time when it's generally acceptable to cut a car up -- usually when there are still plenty around -- and then later it gets to the point that it's all but foolish. Unfortunately 58-63 Americans are just starting to garner a bit of interest as collectibles, but mostly falling into the "interesting rod" category right now. That means a lot will be cut up right now, as they are old enough to be interesting but not collectible enough to be worth saving as originals. Like my wagon -- it would be worth around $5-7K totally restored, but it's easily worth twice as much as a nice driving mild custom. I haven't done anything that couldn't be reversed, but it would require a complete drivetrain and interior to do so. A rusted parts car would be ideal. But it won't be worth enough as a collectible to reverse in my lifetime!
On July 12, 2005 Jim B wrote:
A: It would be nice to account for the rarity of a car nowadays before
making a demo derby runner out of it, but back in the day there were many
more of these rigs around (they don't build them like that anymore!) and
it's nice that there are members of both camps to have the dragsters (to
show you what could be wrung out of a car like yours) and the
preservationists. You gotta have balance! (A lot of Jeepers cried when JP
Magazine chopped up a rare panel van FSJ with barn doors in the back. I know
I prefer that setup to the cantankerous FSJ wagoneer/Cherokee tailgates!),
but it was theirs to do with. I wonder how much hue and cry there would have
been if I were to show the lifted '58 Vette 4x4 I made years ago? (that body
didn't work well for size, and was swapped out for an AMX that had severe
unibody rot)
Subject: Re: Auction in Missouri Message-ID: <20050711.234620.-16578311.0.NAMDRA@xxxxxxxx> From: Jock J Jocewicz <namdra@xxxxxxxx>
Tommy, In your post (below) you said: "I think it's a shame that the owner didn't take the rarity into account before butchering it into a drag car." Boy, this brought up old memories of 2 national/international AMC clubs that used to tell their members that NAMDRA members were butchers because a lot of our members modified, souped up, etc. their AMC's and drag raced them, not restored them to concours condition, show quality or trailer queens. One of the aforementioned clubs is now defunct but NAMDRA is still going strong. I personally feel that each person has the right to restore, modify, race, trailer queen or whatever their AMC's and whatever turns them on and more power to them. We all have the things we enjoy and as long as they are legal - go for it. But what boils me is you saying someone that makes a drag car is a butcher. I don't know if you have ever drag raced for fun or money but I think I can safely say that those of us that race our AMC's really enjoy doing so, win or lose.
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