Hi all. Glad to have found this forum. I have always liked 1st gen Firebirds and am at a point in my life where I am more seriously considering getting one. Looking forward to it, and to hopefully returning the favor to help others here.
I am not new to old cars, have had a few over the years. I do as much of my own maintenance and repairs as possible. I have a good understanding of these old cars but there are always questions and things to learn.
I am not set on originality as a main requirement. On one hand, I do fully understand the desires and values of originality but on the other hand, I see dealing with originality as a bit of a constraint on what you can do with a particular car. So I've been thinking to find one in good shape, prioritizing little or no rust.
'67 rag top, LS1/4L60, stainless headers, new front suspension, Ridler wheels, subframe connectors, updated headlights, digital gauges, quite clean exterior and interior.
The modifications done on this car are all things I would want to do. I might have gone with a different brake system, and I would prefer a manual trans, but the rest is pretty much exactly what I would do.
All along I've been thinking I would find a fix-r-upper. The more I have looked into it, with what you have to pay for anything that is just in basic good condition with no rust plus the modification I would want to do, it really adds up. Which has me thinking more about something like this that has been redone and done well with some minor things left to address.
Can you suggest any questions I should be asking? I want to find out more about the origin/home state of the car, source and mileage of the engine and trans, who did the suspension work and subframe connectors, how long it's been in this redone condition. Underneath looks fairly clean. I feel like the subframe connector welds would have been better. Is there anything else you can suggest I should be asking about?
By chance, is there anyone here in the Frasier MI area that could take a look or suggest a shop for a 3rd party look?
Am I crazy to consider something like this? How does a fairly well done car like this hold value over time if kept low mileage and in similar condition, or further improved? It's definitely a stretch on cost, but as I said, the more I think about it, to do the same on my own, I think I'd have more in one assuming a repaint and all the other work.
Thanks for any input. Sorry fo the long post, I know it's tedious...but thanks in advance!!
