sredmyer

What is the cost for having a set straightened and plated?

My car currently has the AM/FM (no 8-track) but the guy I got it from said he thought it originally had 8-track but it was swapped into another car he had and the one in the car now was out of that other car. Thing is he couldn't actually remember so I was hoping the build sheet might clear it up with what was supposed to be in the car.

Dennis, Both your build sheet and mine have the U79 Stereo Radio on the bottom section. I did not see any of the boxes above which would further state whether that would be an AM stereo, and AM/FM stereo or an AM/FM 8-Track. Do you know if one of the boxes specifies the specific radio? If so do you know the codes for the various different radios that were available?

Thanks for all the input. Looks like I will be trying to stay with all NOS parts

Thanks guys...this is awesome!

I think Doug is right, I am just going to have to find some that from my year and are in better shape than mine and just start comparing. Anyone got a legible buildsheet for a 1970?

The motor is numbers matching (see attached picture). Not sure yet what to look for on the transmission or the rear end.

I understand the options listed at the bottom, I was referring to the codes in all the boxes on the top portion...no idea how to read that.

Can anyone help me understand what the attached buildsheet says about my car? I am trying to figure out what options it should (or should not) have.

I am sure this is true for the small parts (ie. trim) but is it also true for the larger parts...fenders, doors quarters, hoods, etc.?

Thank you for that...I was just about to ask about reconditioning...who does it and how do the costs compare. So now I got the who does it, can you tell me how the cost compares to NOS or reproduction?

While my car is a numbers matching SS, I am trying to decide what is the value of sticking with NOS (or excellent condition used) over reproduction parts. Do the reproduction parts actually detract from the value of the restoration? Would two cars, restored to showroom original condition, which are equal in all respects, save for one being restored with all OEM parts while the other was done with reproduction parts, have different actual values? If they would in fact have different values, how does one know whether the parts on a car are original or reproduction parts? Again, I am VERY new to this whole bit and if reproduction parts do in fact somehow detract from the value, I want to understand why. Is it just something to brag about or are the original parts actually superior in some way?

Very new to this and looking for some insight and direction. Is there a reason why we would search out NOS (or used in excellent shape) parts rather than use the readily available reproduction parts? If the reasons are that reproductions do not make our car truly "correct", are there any reproduction parts that "ok" to use if the goal is a "correct" car? I think most of the interior parts and exterior trim is available as reproduction as are things like floor pans, but are the exterior metal parts (bumpers, fenders, doors, hoods trunk lids) available? If so, is there any issue using those or should we prefer to find good (or repairable) used parts whenever possible? If the later, how do we determine that the part is original metal and not a reproduction piece bought and installed previously? Finally, on a somewhat different topic, can someone tell me what I should be looking for on the wheels of my 1970 SS454 to determine if they are original or not. Thanks

Membership form complete and dues paid.

Doing that now...was waiting to actually own a car before joining.

Well, I finally found THE car and bought it. I bought this one. It is a triple black, documented, numbers matching ’70 SS454. It is not perfect (has some small rust issues) but the price was right and it will be a fun car to work on, own and drive. Thanks to all here for the help coaching and support as I searched for my car. Now I will transition to asking more "how to" questions.

That looks really nice...great job.

Glad you got it fixed...intermittent problems can be quite frustrating.

Yeah, I actually posted about that one previously here. Problem with that one is he want too much for it and the interior is jade green.

Dennis - You did not miss anything the original car is very nearly exactly what I am looking for and it is less expensive than this one. And to be honest I have been struggling mightily to not just buy it. The fact of the matter is, my wife is concerned that whatever I buy have some practical (investment) value and not be just a toy for me. While she certainly would never try to stop me doing what I want her point is reasonable. For this reason, the cost or actual dollars spent is less of an issue than value...the cortez silver car is well within my range as far as cost goes but because it is priced at (in my view) 2 - 3k above its actual value, I am just having a really tough time pulling the trigger on it. The car I am currently looking at is an extremely nice, numbers matching, well optioned SS and has a value in the high 20k to low 30k range. I can buy it for significantly less than that but after I put 3k in the seat swap, it may actually be out of my range.

So is $500 for a console with shifter, cable and brackets a good deal?

I am still working on it...whether or not I pull the trigger depends on how much this seat swap will cost me. Starting to look like the swap is going to cost around $3k assuming I can find all the parts and if I do the work...more if I have it done. That might make striking a deal with this guy kind a hard as I don't think he will come far enough off the $25k to allow me to buy the car and do the seats within my budget.

Can the speedo be changed out without replacing the entire cluster?

Does the cluster also need replaced?

Can anyone provide a list of everything that I will need to change a 1970 from bench to buckets. I am seriously looking at buying a 1970 SS but it currently has a bench seat and I really want the buckets with the console. I need to know all that will need to be swapped out so I can see how much that adds to the cost of the car. Thanks