Bone stock VS heavily modified

[Local Hero]

Agreed, Strope's builds are timeless. He's great at using what's there and using mods that look like they belong.

 

[motorheadmike]

This thing is hillarious!

https://www.hotrod.com/articles/gremlin-runs-easy-8s-turbo-small-block-chevy/

Perfect example of do what makes you happy. Also, no LS.

 

[driver]

I will do annything to keep it
Running
Outside sleeper max working hight is on jackstands

 

[pontiacgp]

My El Camino has parts from a 92 Firebird, 88 Z-28, Some Cadillac stuff like auto dimming mirrors and automatic headlights. A digital dash from Summit, A 700-R4 from a 91 Caprice Police Car. A GM HT383 Crate Engine. Cowl induction air cleaner for a 70 Camaro. all rolled up into a nice driving car.View attachment 111484

Thanks for the photo, now I know why "your" El Camino is always so nice and clean....😛

 

[Gr8regal]

If your car has been drove hard and needs a lot of work, engine, transmission , interior parts,Modify But if its has less than 90K, low options and almost perfect car just upgrade the brakes, suspension, exhaust and tires. It's really a cruiser now.

 

[jlcustomz]

I take personal joy in royally confusing people with stock cars.

 

[JAMCAR223]

Depends on the car, but most of our GBodys aren't worth enough to worry about keeping them in pristine stock condition (maybe 1 day). But my car, is my car, so I built it my way. I've modified every car/truck I have ever owned, so that it stands out from the rest. The only response you will ever get from a stock appearing car is... That's clean. The response, and amount of questions I constantly get from my car is... Wow. How did you? What did you? That's cool. In my opinion, stock is boring...
Now, if I owned a 1967 split window Corvette with a tri-power 427... different story, but we are talking GBodys here.

 

[pagrunt]

I'm just trying to do mine in a way GM should of when it was new. Adding parts from ealier & later cars of our generation with afew tweeks.

 

[CaliWagon83]

I'm just trying to do mine in a way GM should of when it was new. Adding parts from ealier & later cars of our generation with afew tweeks.

That's the goal with mine. Thoroughly modernized, but still period-correct looking.

 

[69hurstolds]

Depends on the car, but most of our GBodys aren't worth enough to worry about keeping them in pristine stock condition (maybe 1 day). But my car, is my car, so I built it my way. I've modified every car/truck I have ever owned, so that it stands out from the rest. The only response you will ever get from a stock appearing car is... That's clean. The response, and amount of questions I constantly get from my car is... Wow. How did you? What did you? That's cool. In my opinion, stock is boring...
Now, if I owned a 1967 split window Corvette with a tri-power 427... different story, but we are talking GBodys here.

Maybe it's different depending on where you live, but the question I get asked the most is "How much you want for it?" My prepared answer is to smile and say tongue-in-cheek, "I promise to let you know when there's a for sale sign on it." Don't want to be rude, but after a while of that, it does get a little old. They don't know how many times I hear that but I do want to remain cordial.

The disrespect for bone stock seems to run throughout this thread. Some of you are RACE-ists! 🙂 But no matter. It all depends on what your personal goals are. If I want to slam gears and turn corners and go fast, I have a ZL1 for that. I see restoring one of these G-tubs back to stock glory as a challenge. To me, anyone can modify anything. That's easier to do IMO. Enough parts places out there to convert anything just about to whatever floats your boat plus that big engine bay, full frame (sorta) and conventional suspension systems makes for an inviting modding platform. Which is fine as well because choices are what it's all about. And some modded cars turn out absolutely gorgeous. My restoration plan started in 1985 right after I bought mine new when I had hardly any money but bought new GM parts anyway when I could (before they became NOS). So there's that. I'm going to complete my plan if it kills me. Or something else kills me. I know I'll always be in the minority, because there's very few of us out there with that goal.

But to restore something to near-factory stock is a bigger challenge to me because your tolerance margins are already set for you. So you're put in a box. And when I do restore my car, it will not be assembled exactly the way GM did it originally. I'll actually give two shiits about the quality of the build and over-do it and straighten out paint lines and stripes and stuff like that. And actually put all the parts on the car it was supposed to come with and tighten the bolts to the proper torque, etc. (I have stories about that). GM initial quality in the G-body years was not anything to write home about for sure. Obvious GM flaws that need to be fixed that I'm not going back factory with are the paint type (lacquer sucks and can't find anyone around here that would does it anymore anyway), the cam gear/timing chain will not have plastic in it, transmission parts like the pump will get a vane upgrade. Little stuff like that. So 100% factory stock won't ever happen as it is.

When I'm done, it'll (hopefully) look much better than GM did it to begin with. Which also reminds me that with a stock restoration, you actually CAN be done. With mods, you're never finished. Then I will get to relive my dream of owning a "new" 85 442 again. I'm very tempted to go off the rails and max handle that beech, lower it and drop a 455 or 403 in it. But then, I could buy another Cutlass to do that with. No. This one is going to be stock with a trainload of new GM parts. I did all my modding back in my younger days on A-bodies. I never object to mods, but that's not where this one is heading. It never was. And if it's a money pit, so what? It's my money pit. I already knew it'll never be worth as much on the market than I have in it. So I guess I'll just have to keep it.

My biggest challenge to getting started is to allot the time for it. I thought retirement would fix all that, but it seems I'm busier now than I was when I was working. I'm under new management now but I do get to sleep with the boss. 🙂