Got a new car - need help making a decision

[Daniel Koster]

I drove 480 miles (each way) to get this car it is was worth every inch of pavement.

It is a 1971 Chevy Nova with a 307 V8, automatic transmission, power steering, and loads of potential.

I bought it from the second owner. I have all the paperwork and major repair records back to 1971.

It's not the most cherry car on the block - but that helped me get it at a nice price. Also, the 4-door sedan isn't as popular as the 2-dr coupe. But since everything else is the same....who cares?

Has a smooth drive and had no problems on the trip home. My father-in-law came with me - we left at 5 AM and got home around midnight. (still up at 3AM - must enjoy torturing myself... )

Here are some pics to drool over:

It has only a few "problem areas" such as the sloppy paint-overs, tears in the front seat and a crack in the vinyl on the dashboard.

As you can see, the car is almost entirely original. The driver's door is a replacement. But everything else, from door handle to hubcaps....is original.

The interior is very clean and all the lights work properly, etc.

The engine runs great and is a good candidate for performance upgrades.


So, that leads me to the decision I have to make. I can't seem to make up my mind - maybe you guys can help me out.

Should I restore it to it's original beauty?
Or turn it into a souped up muscle car?


Either way is going to require about the same work and cost. That's why I'm having such a hard time with it.

Philosophically, they carry the same weight too. I see value in keeping it as a classic. However, I also see great value/pleasure in a new paint color, new seats, cleaner engine (or at least upgraded), better tranny, etc.


Either way, I've made these decisions already:

1 - I want to keep the interior (other than the seats) all original.
2 - No body mods (air ram, etc.)
3 - needs new exhaust
4 - needs new electrical
5 - needs new stereo
6 - needs light body work
7 - needs new brakes

(all these things are working fine "as-is"....just that if I'm going to work on the car, these fixes are a "given")


The question is whether to stay true to the 307/auto and just enhance it.....or go ahead and drop in a 454/TH350?.........Restore old paint job...or brand new color?........Original green rims + chevy hubs.....or new rally wheels/offset rims?..........Original AM/FM/8-track.....or new stereo?


See what I mean? They could end up costing the same.......can't make up my mind.....

Help!

 

[John Trout]

I'm weird but I like it exactly the way it is!

Mad Max rules!!!!

 

[Nismo]

I'd do a healthy mix of both modern and classic. re-upholster the interior new but use the same factory patterns, configuration ect. In other words, rebuild it all new materials yet keeping it factory looking

 

[empty5853]

I'm not a gearhead but I kind of agree with nismo. Keep it original as far as the exterior and the interior but upgrade the mechanical systems and bring it into the 21st century

Mark T.

 

[Kimberholic]

If you keep it original and upgrade it too, I believe it would have a greater resale value that way. Originals always appeal to more people than does something you've altered to your tastes. For instance, look at all of the little honda's with spoilers and big rims etc. For someone who does that to their car they will have a very limited number of interested buyers come sell time. Restoration to the original is the way to go.

Jon

 

[Roadrunner]

I vote for performance. Going fast is fun.

 

[ddean]

It's very................

g r e e n



Personally,
I'd go halfway.
no change to exterior profiles
but a new paintjob with extra touches
Similar treatment inside.

If you plan to resell,
then what's best for resale?

If you want to please yourself,

Which would you pick,
if you had both setting side by side
on the pavement in front of your house
And someone offered to -give- you only one?

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[Ben Arown-Awile]

Dan, don't they sell NEW cars where you live?

 

[spiraltwista]

Whichever route you take Dan, please no 8 track, it just wouldnt cut the mustard nowadays!

Sound tecnology has come a very long way since then !

& I would imagine that even if all original & decent sound system wouldnt put, traditionalist off.

As to the rest of it if your going to keep it forever do what will make you happy!

Spiral

 

[Kismet]

They aren't making any new 1971 cars anymore.

They are making go-fast cars in various shapes and flavors.


Be nice if you can get back what you invest someday.

dunno. Your money, your car, and you DO need a hobby.

 

[Stroller]

For what it's worth, how about the 'wolf-in -sheep's-clothing' approach?
Re-do the interior, keep the bodywork the same but with a nice dark green paint job then beef up the engine and turn some heads when you go blazing away from the lights.
On one of the motorways over here some years ago, I got overtaken by a Morris Traveller. Usually they wouldn't be able to pass much except smoke but later, I found out that this thing had a high performance engine crammed into the engine bay. No wonder it went past me like I was going backwards!

Derek.

 

[Mr.BadExample]

Souped up muscle car
Keep what you like, modernize the rest.
Although so many Novas have been souped up, that an original may be worth money someday.
I personally really like the paint on that one. You just don't see metallic green anymore... I grew up with a 73 Mustang with metallic green paint in the garage, so maybe it's just me.

 

[munk]

This is a four door. That says most of it. The 307 is not a performance motor, no matter what you do. Run it out and put a 350 in there.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I hope what you paid was in keeping with quotes in various Auto Trader mags. There is a 67 Ford Galaxy type vehicle I might buy and put my beater truck's 390 into it. But it is four door. It is worth running and in good shape around 1600 bucks.

But it looks nice to me- and I've considered doing this.

I would guestimate you'll never get your money out of this if it become a project.


munk

 

[Thomas Linton]

Hmmm. Convexed wheel rims?

 

[Daniel Koster]

munk - I agree about the 307. That's why I'm stuck with the "keep it original or not" question.


I like what you guys are saying and think this is the direction I will go:

Restore the exterior to original paint/appearance. There's so much good paint, shame to waste it.......something like this:

Then put in a nicer motor/tranny for performance upgrade.


I too like the idea of a "sleeper" car.....you think "oh....cute classic" and then it zips right past ya.....(thanks stroller)

 

[Daniel Koster]

munk - let's just say that I paid three digits for it....


I might skip the 350 and go right for the jugular.....454.



I too have a FE 390 partially rebuilt waiting to go in a 65 stepside F-100....

 

[Daniel Koster]

One thing about the 307.....

I got 20 miles to the gallon on the trip home.....



Should also mention that this car has 94,000 miles on it.

 

[munk]

I don't know Chevys, but a big block usually requires a different trans/bell housing, and take it from me, doing a conversion is a real expensive, pain in the ass.

engine mounts, clearence problems, will the various accesories still fit in the same places? Keeping it running cool can be a problem- I burned up a holly and blew out two mufflers.

A paint job is going to be more than the car is worth.

I would clean it up, do the mechanicals like brakes, and run another 50 to 100 thousand miles on the 307 if it will do it. Then I'd see. One good thing, crate chevy motors are cheap.

munk

 

[BruiseLeee]

Two new hubcaps, and a fresh coat of bile green paint and it's as good as new. Maybe throw in a set of thems fuzzy dice too.

 

[mamav]

Things that go fast are a LOT more fun. I vote for the 454.....but that will require some serious engine holder upgrades....like a new hood to start with I'm sure. But it would be so much fun and you could start racing it in cross country street car races...yeeha.....what fun. I'm sure my friend who works with competition engineering would agree whole heartedly. Go for it Dan, especially if you've always wanted one and never had one. You won't regret it and the resale on good rebuilds like that won't disappoint you either. There will always be boys in mens bodies dying to get ahold of one of those puppies....girls for that matter too. (Although the rumor has it that women don't make good race car drivers because we have too much of a survivor instinct and when it comes to punching it on a tight turn, we'll back off. I'm fixin' to prove that wrong....we'll just have to see.)