Rusty's not very quiet cuda progress

Yes I do like fixing things, but sometimes I wonder if I didn't already have the 74 would I have brought another after spending 10 years on the first one?
First one I had no idea what I was in for, luckily the 74's rust wasn't so deep, but more than a few things gave me fits, other car was mostly body work problems , drive train was pretty fresh, started up first try & had most of the parts that came with it.
This haunted car has a ton of new parts & sad to say a bunch of them twice.
I'm already hunting around for things to do!

We had our 3rd christmas this weekend, 1st chance to get all the kids & grand kids in the same place at the same time!
Well I'm not sure the first 2 even know what mopar is, although #2 has 2 jeep products, the other 2 drive fi-ords.
But # 3 was around when I was building the first 'Cuda, even spun a wrench & did some sanding!
He got me this for christmas.

When I saw these I just HAD to use them! Here ya go 68!

Make sure to paint the emblems in the grill to match original;

https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QuEmR0dD...Aos/s1600/1968-Dodge-Charger-RT-440-front.JPG

counting rivets on me!
I will actually give it a try!

Yo 69 here's those HO engines

10 tyco, 2 run slow
2 bachmann1 AHM3 life like
2 athearn NP band drive with glass added Santa Fe gear drive1 model power

Finally got the courage up to add up the last of the bills on the money pit car! Couple more things to deal with when spring finally arrives, the A/c leak, depending on where the leak is will dictate price, if it's a fitting I can fix, no biggie, if it's one of the coils I tried to save, I'm in for a mess!
Then get the hocky stripe put on, figure a coupe a hundred on that?
The END is near!

I spent $18k to restore my 'vert back in '93, so I suppose we're right on par. In todays $$ that would be $39,500. You may not think it, but I think that you've done quite well.

I'm not that upset over the #'s, hoping this one will bring a little more when the time comes, might not get back the 10 I lost on the other on, that car was BAD The only thing good was the drive train, thank God for that.
Even if I break even on this one I've had a hobby & something (well mostly) fun to do for 20 years at pretty low cost!
500 a year is a pretty cheap hobby, now If I make 10 on this the whole deal would only be the blood I dripped all over both cars!

Restoring these things for a profit is not a smart venture. The best reason is to have it to enjoy, and occasionaly look at it and tell yourself, "I did that". The longer you keep it the higher the value goes.

I'm just hoping for break even, I started the first car because I had nothing to do after the first 2 went off to college, had no idea what I was getting into but did enjoy most of the build, as I said before I'm not sure if I would have bought another if it didn't fall into my hands before I really got into the other.
That kept my first 5 years of retirement moving at a good pace & kept the gut from growing!
I really think I'm too old to start another & if I don't get a room in the house for my HO trains & decide to do it in the garage the car will just be in the way.
I'll try & drive the heck out of it this spring thru fall & see if it gives me enough to do,
For me it's the building not so much car shows & such, gonna try a few local "car nights" & see what develops?
I just want something to keep me productive/active & interested!

It's a lot easier to do a restore today than it was 30+ yrs ago without interweb and very little reproduction parts. But, it's a lot more costly today. Although, with mine I was concerned with OEM part numbers, not just fitment. Many times I walked away from a nice part with the wrong number. Being a 1 of 88 I just had to do it correctly.

Mine were definitely not anything rare, well I guess 'Cudas were a little rare production #'s & all, but not big money cars after 71. I still tried as much as possible to stay close as I could to factory, even went a little extra for the distributor with the tan cap, which has been replaced & sits in a box on my shelf with a bad pick up coil!