When you're rebuilding/customizing a car where is the line? How do you know when you've gone too far. It's obvious most of you think the guy in the Urge to kill thread http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=60807 crossed it. As I play with my car I struggle with the responciblity to keep it original and my want to make it mine. I cringed when Boyd Coddington stripped and cut up the pristine body on that model T. I thought that was wrong. Is there a line? Who desides where it is? Maybe I just don't have the guts for this hobby o No:
This may be a long thread.. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and no one will agree wholly. If you feel like tubbing your Electra (hypothetically), then go ahead! Not hurting my feelings...I know I've had thoughts about building a full size convertible race car:bglasses: Yeah, I didn't like seeing Boyd destroy the car, but to each his own. You're never going to get people to stop.
I would say that it is kinda a grey area. Here is the way I've always thought about it (I'll use Buicks as an example) My Riv didn't have the original motor in it when I bought it, It wasn't even the right year. I have no qualms about customizing the engine, however since it is a Buick I would stick with a Buick and wouldn't swap it out for anything else. As for the exterior, I can understand the need and want to customize it, but a Wing on a GS or a Skylark? Somebody should have told him it just looks dumb. How a rare a car or desireable a car is should also factor into it. If you have a numbers matching GSX or something like that, I would say you owe it to the community to leave it be. If you really want to customize, sell it, pick up a Skylark and go from there. Also, are we picking up a rust bucket or a solid car. If your going to get into it for a lot of money to replace/repair, then I say customize as much as you want. I think tastefull is the key word, but taste is a personal preference. For instance, On my Riv I'd like to put some port holes on the fenders and build a hood out of an old GS hood to get the scoop effect. As a rule for me, I LOATHE custom interiors, and Big wheels. (There is a guy crusing in my area on 22's, it looks dumb, like the car is on stilts.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Unfortunately for some, because we live in America you can do whatever you want to do with your car. Even if people dont like it. Its your money so why not spend it the way you want, not other's ways. Who decides the line, the beholder, the person who owns the car. I know when my car will be done. But it'll take some time. Still deciding between a few cars but another 72' Riv is most likely. Plans once i find one for less than an arm and a leg with a straight body. Get the mechanics working first. New hoses, send radiator out for boiling, re-build carb if ness., rebuild tranny and motor if ness. or just get the motor running. Then after it becomes a reliable car, lift the frame off the body, sandblast frame and POR-15 coat on it. Dissasemble rear and determine if parts need to be replaced then coat all exterior parts in POR-15. Put body back onto frame and rear back in too. Slowly but surely fix anything that goes wrong or is wrong inside the interior, when replacing carpet, seats covers etc., coat all floorpans with POR-15. If all of the above gets accomplished, coat the inside of the rear quarter panels and the portion of the front fender by the door. Then my car would be the way I want it. :grin:
I think the line lies exactly at the point where you are satisfied.........if you build the car just to please everyone else you will never be happy with it. :bglasses:
exactly.... by the way, tubbing my electra has crossed my mind uzzled: so has having velocity stacks or a hamilton blower sticking out of my hood but i'm going to try to avoid cutting anything....i am having a 9" rear built for it, and will fit the widest tires i can.......i'm thinking black top/blue body/black wheels with a chrome lip will look cool....... but i think it's funny that a lot of guys that would "kill" somebody for dropping a chevy engine in a buick are running a "ford" or "chevy" rear end..... personally, i think a 573 buick will look danged nice under my hood,so i'm off to work my...um.......night job....
I can't stop thinking about that........it would be awesome........I'm just too attached to my Nailhead. And my wife would kill me.......she already told me so. :ball:
Well said. It's your car do what you want with it. If you are ever "done" with your car it's time to sell it and start on a new one :grin:
