old kustom cars are they worth what we pay

[Slag Kustom]

after 2 years of redoing an old kustom built in the early 50's i am starting to worry if it was worth all the effort instead of just building a clone and scrapping the original.
the more i dig in to it the more butchered shit i see. and add that to the fact that they had poor products for rust prevention and sealers.
most of the people i know that have restored an old kustom say they ended up only using 20% of the original car depending on what car you find.

[crewcutkid]

Although I can understand your frustration, part of keeping the tradition of kustoms alive is to try and preserve as much of the past as possible. Even though 20% of a car is original, it is that 20% that is representative of the original builders sweat, blood, and tears, and whether he isl living or dead, I'm sure he would want some semblance of his work here on earth to be preserved. Once again, a clone ain't the car it's based off of. Do your best, remain tenacious, and remember the rodders of yore.
-Crew

[Jester]

How can one measure worth with the heart or with the head, ultimatly it all boils down to what you want. If its worth it to you than its worth it regardless of what others think. Now if your trying to sell then its only worth what someone is willing to pay you for it. The word worth is a philisophical illusion. Follow your heart on it if you can afford to. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

[Fat Hack]

Ask Brian Setzer about the Mercury he bought...the original one used in American Graffiti! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif

After he bought it, and found out what a terd it was...he was pretty pissed! Had it fixed up some, to make it a LITTLE more presentable, then sold it! Sure it was a famous movie car, but in reality, it was lousy by even the standards of the 70s (when the movie was filmed).

In most cases, you can build a far better car by doing a clone, but it wouldn't be "THE" original. It's a personal choice thing...I'd go for the clone myself, make it nice and driveable...and let some nutty collector pay for and revive the original!

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif

[Rusty]

Keep your head up buddy. I know how you feel. When I sarted my Model a Coupe I had a vision in ming and wanted to keep it as close to as I could when I found it. I replaced or cut out 60 -75% of the way they did it in the 50's. Knowmatter what though you will always have a ride that you can say was built (originally) in the 50's. It is amazing to see how they used to do some of the hotrodding tricks. Was it the write way? maybe not, but it was done and they had a hot rod and thats all they cared about. Man it would have been so sweet to be a old hot rodder. So save some of the cuts so you can relive the tail over and over with other poeple and carry on the tradition.

[cleatus]

Well Slag, first off, I'd just like to commend you FOR working to save on old custom. If they were JUST old rusty metal then we could all just say fuck it, I can build something better out of a nicer original or something like that.

But the car is more than that - it is history - it is tradition - and for those that truly love customs it has a soul. And I believe that someday when you have it all put back right, you can feel a greater sense of pride for your efforts because you did save it.

I feel great pride in the fact that I truly brought my car back from the dead - it was a true pasture beater, rusted twisted, shell of what used to be a car and I really do feel that if I had not been foolish enough to take on the project that it would have been crushed - it wouldn't even have made a decent parts car.

That being said, MY car was not even an old custom - probably just a beater farm car. But it is a custom now, and I truly hope that many years from now when I am long gone, that someone - like yourself - will see that the car is more than just another rusted bit of junk and will lavish their efforts to resurect it.

Carry on.

[manyolcars]

I have a 1950 Ford that was customised in Missouri in the late 50s or 60s. The bondo held moisture and rotted the sheetmetal and the bondo fell off in huge slabs. I would like to recreate the car, but start with another car because the original was a more door. It was a gorgeous car when we got it in 1967 and you shoulda seen the blonde we bought it from. I can use the original title. We paid $57 for the car and drove it for years. So, No, it isnt worth fixing the original.

[00 MACK]

ask Kurt

[32viper]

Time spent working on our old cars is therapy time. Face it, if we didn't enjoy it we would not do it. The hours invested can never be regained. If you enjoyed the way you spent the hours it was worth the investment regardless of the return.

[HotRodHon]

I know I'm sure glad Dave Kinniman thought it was worth it.

[HotRodHon]

In my opinion it was worth every penny, drop of sweat,
and minute of time that went into it. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

[DrJ]

I think it all depends on where your heads at as far as what part of this hobby you want to be a part of.
If you want to be a customizer, start with whatever car, a blank stock slate and build your own.
If your a museum curator/restorer it's got to be the original or as much of the original as is practical or it's just not that little piece of the history.
Now if a well known cusm pops up, after being in a barn fire and then rusting away in a swamp, I think it would be best to get another "base car" and transfer as much of the original custom touches onto it as possible.
Yea, like "restoring" a classic car where they basically throw away everything except the title and serial number badges and re-hand fabricate what was hand fabricated in the first place. In the Classic car Concourse game this is considered legitimate since all the cars were custom bodies on rolling chassis anyway!

I personally don't see myself ever "restoring" or verbatum copying someone elses "artwork" because I've got enough ideas (and old cars) of my own to stay busy for the next few decades.

[Fat Hack]

It's like that age-old story about the Man, the Boy...and the Axe...

One day, the Man is cutting wood with the Axe, and the Boy asks to help out. The Man decides that the boy is old enough, so he hands the Axe to the Boy with great pride in his heart.

"Son, be carefull with this Axe...it's a family heirloom...it belonged to my father before me...and HIS father before HIM!", the man says with a tear in his eye.

The Boy holds the Axe and looks it over carefully...marveling at the condition it's in for it's age. He runs his fingers over it, astonished that it looks so good.

Then, the Man continues with, "Of course...the handle's been replaced four times and that's the fifth head..."

http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

[uncleAud]

once you stop to realize that they are really just old cars and the only reason we do it because its fun and we enjoy the challenge it all starts to make sense..its an art form pure and simple and it is never worth anymore than you can sell it for

[old beet]

Ha Ha!........WE been buildin Rat Rods for a long time.......OLDBEET

[Wowcars]

As an old rodder friend of mine is quoted saying "It aint worth nothing, until you sell it."
Something to think about.

[The37Kid]

Slag, I don't know the history on your custom, or what your finished goal is. If you are doing a dead on "restoration" of what it looked like in the photo, fine, go for it. How many original customs are out there? I'm rebuilding/restoring a Lyndwood rail to its 1962 appearance, and taking the time to save as much of the original as I can. It was stick welded when it was built in 1959, I left every weld spatter mark on the chassis, that is how it looked new. I hope you can save as many original features on you car as possible.

[Crease]

39sled

I could be wrong, but I don't think so.

Im pretty sure that car is in a garage about an hour away from my place. I swear Im not on crack! Moe, Sandman, Andy and I talked with the guy on the 4th of July. He just bought it from a guy in Cal. Same color, grill, etc. Absolutely identical! Is the one in the pic a 39' Merc with Zephyer fenders? The one up the road supposedly won the Roadster show back in the day and appeared on the cover of Rod and Custom. The bodywork is phenomenal. Im told it was originally done by Valley Custom.

[Chopped50Ford]

to me a car, any car is worth so much, depending on how much your heart is in it. If there is a bad feeling towards it, it will seem cheap...If the love is there, then there is no price worth it.

[FoMoCo_MoFo]

to save money, I have always either got a car in some sort of a trade, or bought it half done off a guy who was tired of working on it. Now this is the first time I am building the exact car I want from scratch. it is already expensive and time consuming, but it will be 100% what I wanted from the start and therefore more than worth it.

[HotRodHon]

Crease:
Your not too far off.
I'm the guy from cali who sold him the car. I owned it for the previous 14 years. Delivered it to Texas myself.
Facts on the car:
1. It is a 39 ford. not a Merc.
2. It does have zephyr fenders.
3. It was used in the movie "Gone in 60 Seconds"
4. It took the "America's Coolest Kustom" award in Oakland in 2003
5. It was featured in, but not on the cover of Rod n Kustom. It's also been in several other mags including the premier issue of Rodders Journal.
6. It was not built by Valley Custom. It was built by a handful of unknowns back in the early fifties, and restored by Dave Kinniman in the early eighties.
7. I bought it in 1990 and had the grill changed and new paint.

I'm ramblin so I'll stop now. PM me if you want any other info on that car. It's been like my kid for the last decade.

sorry for using up the bandwidth guys. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Hahn, out

[cleatus]

Sort of like when you go and walk around an art museum, you can hear some people talking amoungst themselves as they look at paintings made by artists who are long dead and turned to dust. Some people are just awestruck, floored, so excited just to be in the same room with work done by the old masters while others make little snide comments amoungst their group about how "their kid could do that."

Customs are also an art form. Some people just don't dig them - others love them - personal preference.

If you came across an old painting that was in bad shape but had something about it which you like, would you A) Toss it because you can find a newer one for cheap? B) Commission a new one to be painted based on the old one and maybe use the same frame? C) Try to make the best of what is there and preserve it?

Now think if throughout history, everytime a painting lost its former beauty, it was disposed of. There wouldn't be any museaums - no Louvre - nothing.

Some people couldn't care less - they'd rather be home watching NASCAR than looking at this old shit. To others they are a great treasure.

What if you find that the painting you chose to preserve was done by someone of some importance for whatever reason, and another link in the chain is completed and preserved for humanity.

p.s. Crease, The beautiful resto custom posted by 39sled is the same car you saw in TX. He recently sold it to your man. Fortunately he has new projects that will no-doubt also be stunning.

[HotRodHon]

Amen! Couldn't agree with you more. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

and yes, hopefully my next few projects will produce something as nice as the 39.
Thanks for the kind words. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/blush.gif

[Crease]

39sled,

Thanks for gettin back to me on it. It's been killin me all morning not knowing. Yeah, that's a beautiful car. It must have been hard to part with. I believe you met my buddy Sandman when you delivered it. We were all over that thing, couldnt get enough of it. I could have sworn that John said it started life as a Merc and was built by Valley Custom. You probably would have asked for more if you knew that! http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif Just messin with ya. Im sure I probably misunderstood him.

Just a couple questions for you, if you dont mind.

Is the car sectioned? Pictures don't do that car justice. That car is like go cart low and the lines are gorgeous. I know it's chopped and channeled. Looks like ALOT of work went into the last 3 feet of that car. Any onther not so obvious body mods that you're aware of?

Great to know your on the HAMB. If your ever down this way again look me or a fellow Baron up.

[HotRodHon]

It wasn't sectioned but the fenders were mounted about 3" higher than stock. Extensions wer added to the bottom of them. Then the hood was sectioned (pancaked)

Yea, selling her was pretty tough on the ol feelers. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif
First and only time in 14 years she was ever on a trailer.