Car "purists" really get on my nerves after a while.

[MidnightSpecial]

Every time I drive down to the local autoparts store I get a few people looking and there is always at least 1 person who comments about how I need to go back to factory. They really roll their eyes when I say what my goal is for the car.

"What would you do to it if you had the money you wanted?"

"Buy a salvage SRT10 Ram and pull out the Viper Motor, lower it down, stiffen it up, throw a cage in it, etc"

"Man you are just gonna ruin the car. Its not even a Coronet after you do all that"

First of all I have a Coronet Deluxe. Not an R/T, 500, or a Superbee. Its not like I'm cutting up the rare of the rare. After i say this the of course come back with. "Well just clone it"........Thats more of a lie than me cutting it up and making a PT car.



Im not bashing people who clone or restore....but i dont see the logic that what i plan is any different.

If you want to bash someone for what they want to do to a car they own....then buy it and save it. Now if you are saving a friend from making is car look stupid...by all means, hate away.

/rant

[Black93GT]

I agree with you and I get it all the time as well.

I'll be working away in the garage only to have some random guy walk up after driving by and seeing what i'm doing. I always her about how much more it would be worth if it was numbers matching and returned to original. At this point I have a scripted response about it only being a damaged, rusted and optionless plain jane 327 2spd powerglide that was already non-numbers matching... so I don't feel bad about slamming the car, adding mini-tubs and a cage.

[hotrodneb]

Deal with this crap on motorcycles too.....my standard line-----

"You aren't supposed to like it....I am"

(It has particular significance when you are covered in black leather, wearing dark glasses/do-rag, and carrying a gun in your pocket)

[m45]

I am new to this forum and this seems a good place as any to open my pie hole, I just purchased a mopar A-body for very cheap (pics to come) ,It was in the farmers field. I too get irritated with the whole purist thing ! my plan for the dart is PT with an ls engine and t56 .It will be a slow build(out of town alot) but most likely the most enjoyable....

[srh3trinity]

It doesn't bother me. To the general public, they start to glaze over when i start getting into the details of my build. The car guys I hang out with are up for just about anything. I do get tired of the "are you gonna put the bird on the hood?" People really get bummed out when I tell them it isn't a TA, it is a Firebird and that I have no intention of turning it into a TA or "putting the bird on it"

[Iamtheonlyreal1]

Ha Ha.. I have a whole car community ganging up on me with hate mail and rude comments, because I am taking an obscure car that doesnt really have any Value or Rare Models, and developing updated parts.. I have dealt with purist in the past, but these guys really take the cake, because there really isnt any reason for their thought.. They can spend 30k+(Not that they actually do) refreshing a car, and then the damn thing will be lucky to bring 12k if it was sold, and that is because the people that say they appreciate these cars, dont really care enough to pay anythinng for them.

I can definitely understand rare or historic cars, but most of the time, the Fake Purist are talking out of their ass's. I say fake purist, because from my experience, most of the people doing the originality talking dont even own a car.. They just automatically think that all cars should be original, because they watch too much Barrett Jackson on Tv, so they think their pseudo intelligent thinking applies to all cars. Most of the guys that are dedicated to a particular model, so much so that you could call them a purist, actually realize that it doesnt apply to all optioned models of their specialized appreciation.

[SSLance]

Coming from someone that has been around some of the best of the best pure cars being put together and sold, I'd much rather drive and enjoy them than put them together to look at...and eventually sell because they aren't any fun any more.

[parsonsj]

Cars built in the 60s and 70s suck. GM's Suggest-A-Steer, Kinda Brakes, and DoorHandle Deluxe handling aren't any fun to drive. Add in the Lap Belt Non-Restraints, Driveway Oiling System, and No Traction Tires, and those guys can keep their safety-challenged, poor-handling, and low horsepower vehicles.

[andrewb70]

I personally really enjoy hearing how every other person that talks to me says "I used to have one just like it" and how they are glad that I kept the stock "shaker scoop." LOL

Andrew

[SSLance]

My partner had a 1955 Belair Convertible in a box basically... Bought it with a restored frame with a rebuilt completely numbers matching engine sitting in it, bare shell of a no-rust body sitting on the frame and 8 pallets of original or OEM replacement parts with it. Sat on it for over 15 years because he couldn't decide what to do with it.

Conventional wisdom said to restore it because of ALL of the original parts there and the condition of everything, but who in the hell wants a 1955 shoe box with an anemic 265, drum brakes all the way around and a 20" diameter steering wheel to drive around in? Completely useless car to drive in today's world.

Finally sold it as is to a guy who had thoughts of resto-modding the car. Once he got it all home and started digging through everything, ran into the same dilemma, he's been going back and forth with the same decision...for almost 2 years now.

Thing is, the car's worth about the same amount...restored or resto-modded...if done right, so why not resto-mod it and at least make it driveable?

[Thephranc]

The AMC purists give me grief for the Chevy/Ford drive train but the general public just thinks its a Pinto.

[cornfedbill]

As they say' "Anyone can restore one, but it takes a real man to cut one up."

I think what a man does with his own car is his own business. I bought my Nova in 1978. It was stone stock and looked brand new. The stock 145 HP 350 and 4-wheel manual drums were not much fun. I am building it to drive, not to collect dust in a museum.

[carguykeith]

You just need to pick crappier cars, turns out nobody cares I hacked up an 81 regal with a diesel...

[gak68]

I was talking to some guy and I told him my plan about putting a LQ4 engine in my car and re-vamping the suspension to make it handle better, etc,etc. He said why not just put a 283 in it and keep it stock. I told him I thought it was pathetic because basically you end up pouring all this money into a car that can get its doors blown off by a Nissan Maxima. My reasoning to build a pro touring car is that you want your classic to be competitive with modern machines.

[Kenova]

....then buy it and save it.

I have actually said that. Shuts them up pretty quick.

They can spend 30k+(Not that they actually do) refreshing a car, and then the damn thing will be lucky to bring 12k if it was sold, and that is because the people that say they appreciate these cars, dont really care enough to pay anythinng for them.

This could just as easily apply to a multitude of other cars, like Vegas, Monzas, Gremlins, Pintos, etc, etc.

Ken

[Boatmark]

I know what you mean. My project is a Corvette. With so many Corvette people worrying about having the correct hose clamp orientation, my changing bodywork, drivetrain, and suspension sends them into cardiac arrest. But I have had this car since 1985 (when it was just a five year old used car) and I am going to do whatever I feel like to it.

I appreciate a restored car, and am glad people build them, but the purist world will get along just fine without my 78' generic Corvette.

[bmbrzmn101]

I am going through this now with my El camino. I resto modded it some 20 years ago and I was ok with it, just wanted a better driver and updated the suspension and brakes along with a few other little upgrades. Be at a show and everyone was "she looks good for a stocker". Well thanks, but she's not. I would explain some of what had been done and why, then the inevitable comment of why would you do that to the car? You destroyed the value.

Well let's see Elky's have never been known for their value, my safety ranks up there though(disc brake upgrade) and I enjoy going fast through turns(suspension upgrades). These are just the beginning.

Flash forward to the present, I just started last week slowly pulling it apart for the 2nd time and doing it slowly so I can decide on some mods as I go or design while it's still assembled. But the conversations are still the same. Why would you? You should leave it as is. on and on.

So I explain why I am willing to spend as much money on a 46 year old vehicle as I would if I went out and bought a new suv and they still can't understand. I want the old look that still has some modern flare, modern reliable, and fun driveline and hopefully looks that kill. Ultimately I tell them to build or buy what they want and I will do what I want. Most of my car friends are beginning to understand now why we want the cars to handle better and the aftermarket has stepped up in a big way the last decade or so. It wasn't like that 20 plus years ago. My street rod buddies are more understanding of what my vision is than are the muscle car guys until I show them a video of Brian Finch or someone ripping up an autocross or road course and then they say "oh, I get it now". But they don't. Ultimately until they get their own car they want understand how bad original is and why you should upgrade.

When I finish mine in a few years I will track it a couple of times for certain, but it will still be a cruise at heart and occasional cross country ride.

Just my .02 worth. Enjoy it if you've got it, the drive the wheels of it.

Chris

[Iamtheonlyreal1]

I have actually said that. Shuts them up pretty quick.



This could just as easily apply to a multitude of other cars, like Vegas, Monzas, Gremlins, Pintos, etc, etc.

Ken

Ken that is true, but Vega, Monza, Gremlin, and Pinto guys dont have delusions of grandure about those cars.. Some of the classic Volvo guys actually believe that the car could not be improved upon even today, and that any upgrades are an actual engineering negative..? It really isnt the keeping original for historical reason, but it is literally because these Sewing Machine powered cars cannot be improved upon, even with today's technology.. I have never run into that with any other car, and have only had the nostalgic keep it original discussions before.. There are guys that literally think that their OEM 90 horsepower car, will be able to keep up with my Volvo X build on a road course, and I personally think that is dilusional.

[kochevy67]

I especially like when they try to talk cars with you and you quickly realize they have no clue, that is usually revealed when they say they had a 450 or a 350 big block. That is when I say that must of been rare and walk away snickering.

[SShep71]

People have gotten on me several times now about the GTO saying about how I am runing it because its an original GTO... and all that nonsense. Most try but wind up failing when I start to talk about my intent and expectations. Then there are the few that INSIST on making it a big deal. To which they get with a smile on my face....."Have you ever had a concussion?.... do you want one?" they always walk away. A mans car is a huge part of his life, alot of detail and care goes into a car. If you cant respect that you shouldnt say anything. Having questions is one thing, but being just totally disrespectful about it is different.