How modified do you like your classics?

Just heard from a reader: stop showing modified classic cars in the magazine!

So, how do you guys like your older cars? Bone-stock? Full-race? Restomod? Some comfort and convenience upgrades?

Discuss.

All of the above.

EvanB wrote: All of the above.

+1.21 gigavotes. did the reader also tell you to get off his lawn?

/thread

AngryCorvair wrote:

EvanB wrote: All of the above.

+1.21 gigavotes. did the reader also tell you to get off his lawn? /thread

Um, yeah, pretty much.

UHH the title of the magazine has Motorsports in it. How can you not show modified cars?

I like all of the above but tilt heavily to the side of tasteful modification.

I like them all

To each is their own.

If you don't like my POV your narrow minded. :)

I'm happy to see anything that's well executed.

I'm all of the above too. There aren't many cars I wouldn't modify.

I guess I'll say Restomod, and I no problem with you doing articles on all types of cars, modified or not. Here's the deal, I like most on this forum love to upgrade/tinker/tweek. My latest car ('64 Lotus Elan) I bought because it was the basis of what I wanted in an Elan. It already had period mods from the 60's, 70's and 80's and it wasn't a barn find that deserved a restoration. It already had a chassis change in the early 80's from Spyder, with a roll bar and the Spyder suspension. It didn't have the original engine or head, but had a big valve head, headers, vintage Mota Lita steering wheel, Panasports, etc. I designed and had made an Aluminum radiator, added an alternator, etc. It has ugly flared fenders from the 70's which will be cut off and 26R flares added. When finished it will also sport a factory hardtop. If I can pull it off I'd also like to pull the twin cam, put it in the corner of the garage, and drop in an Ecoboost 1.6, or I will add fuel injection to the twin cam. In the end I want the car to look vintage, but perform like a newer performance car. It's always a balancing act in the end on where to make or not make modifications. FYI, I also continue to collect as many original stock parts as I can find for the car in case I have a change in heart and decide to return the car close to stock again.

I love static displays of art. However my garage is not static. I think it is a crime to put a perfectly good motor vehicle on perpetual static display. Or to assume it is perfect and can never be changed in any way.

It seems every manufacturer worth mentioning is continuously trying to improve their product. Why shouldn't we consumers do the same?

I guess my vote is for Restomod. I try to improve a vehicle but not entirely change what it was intended for. I wouldn't put a rear engine in a Cuda or a front engine in a Corvair. (Both of which I've seen done.) But then again, if the owner likes his ride that way, that's his business not mine.

Mst of my cars have been improved to some degree. I prefer modified classic cars providing they are period era mods.

I believe in modifications that improve reliability, after all, isn't that would the original designers would have wanted? I'm thinking electronic ignition, modern aluminum radiator, improved electrical contacts, upgraded brakes and tires. So I'm on the light end of the resto-mod spectrum, sort of like what I've been doing to my Fiat...

Let's not foget that back in the day you could go into any British Leyland or most other manufacturers parts dept at the local dealer and order "special tuning" parts over the counter, nad not just for racing but also for improving the performance of the standard vehicles for the street. Lots a people did that.

I have improved the performance of almost every car I have ever owned, either increasing power, tuning suspension and brakes, or all of the above.

The Fiero carries a turbo 300 BHP engine and a tuned chassis.

The Old Jensen has a high compression big block Chrysler sixpack engine.

The Jensen Interceptor has a more mildly tuned high compression big block with a 4 bbl.

The Solstice coupe is putting out around 350 BHP out of 2 litres and has a fully developed and corner weighted chassis.

The MGA coupe has 4 wheel disc brakes and an MGB engine.

The 56 MGA has a Fiberfab Jamaican body and a 200 BHP 3.4 litre GM V6 in it.

The 69 MGC has a balanced cammed engine with a triple carb conversion and 175 bhp.

The only car I haven't 'improved' is the 69 Lamborghini, simply because anything I did would be gilding the lily - it was already very close to a race car for the street when it was built. Anything I could add would just detract from the period charm.

For me, perhaps at least partly due to my racing hobby, modifying a car to optimize it for my use is a big part of the enjoyment of ownership.

All production cars are built as compromises by design. If they built them to suit you or me, the reviewers would be bitching about the stiff handling, and if they built them to suit many, they'd be too soft and awkward to lure an enthusiast. So they build them to appeal to the largest number of potential buyers, and that's fine if you fall into that category, but I sure don't and I wonder how many people that hang out on enthusiast sites like this don't either.

So for us, the only alternative is to modify at least a bit so the car better pleases us.

It surprises me that someone's Grandma bothered to read the magazine and wrote that letter about stopping modified cars in the mag. Someone send her a box of chocolates and the URL for Consumer Reports, quick!

If I cant drive it in the left hand lane of the 401, (80 mph) then it needs more mods. I have no use for rolling roadblocks and static displays.

As to mods themselves, I love them; they give me some insight into the person who did them. People who dont mod their Classics don`t have souls!

wspohn >>>>>>>>>>The MGA coupe has 4 wheel disc brakes

what rear end did you use ?

wspohn >>>>>>>>>>The MGA coupe has 4 wheel disc brakes

what rear end did you use ?

Some of them came that way - Twin Cams and deluxes, with peg drive knock off steel wheels and 4 wheel Dunlop disk brakes.

Karl La Follette wrote:

I could have bought one of those TC MGA's back in the day for $800. About 1970. Same price as I was looking at Sunbeam Tiger. Also a 1959 Cadillac with the big fins, but a coupe, not convertible at the same price. Instead I coughed up $500 for a beater Porsche 356B. At the time I was a student and the $300 saved was equivalent to a semester tuition. My buddy got so p*ssed at me for scoring the 356 that he purchased a TR3 for a hundred bucks more. Also looked at an Austin Healy 3000 for $350. but walked away since the owner admitted it had a cracked frame but otherwise was perfect. LOL!!

I like everything, though I will say that anything modified I like being tastefully modified.

I like to see both. Although it does depend on the why and how it's modded. I do like to see original but some period type mods to make it more driveable in modern traffic is perfectly acceptable and interesting to me. Fully modified for a specific purpose is nice to see too. But no matter what, the car has to be used for what it was built for to be interesting. As also said, tastefully modified is key. And also said, this magazine has "Motorsports" in the title so seeing a car in the mag that is modified for motorsports is expected. If I wanted to only see original, there are another one that specializes in that.

On my 70 Opel GT, I have a couple period type mods to make it more driveable. I replaced the Solex with a Weber 32/36 and have a Pertronix electronic ignition in the distributer and a Flamethrower coil. Best thing I did for the driveability. Getting ready to replace the original 13" wheels with a set of 14" BBS Basketweaves off an early 3-series BMW. I want to put a set of B.F. Goodrich Radial T/A for the 70's period look. Just found out they still make them. Although 14" tire choice is somewhat limited, there is definitely more selection than 13".

wlkelley3 wrote: I want to put a set of B.F. Goodrich Radial T/A for the 70's period look. Just found out they still make them. Although 14" tire choice is somewhat limited, there is definitely more selection than 13".

You may have been given some bad intel; the BFG website doesn't list a single 13" size for the T/A.

David S. Wallens wrote: Just heard from a reader: stop showing modified classic cars in the magazine! So, how do you guys like your older cars? Bone-stock? Full-race? Restomod? Some comfort and convenience upgrades? Discuss.

All of the above......???????

The age of Duesenbergs, SSK Mercedes, and Silver Arrows are gone. Not to be forgotten, but to be appreciated for their unique imprint... These cars were what originally were the basis for Concourse type shows.

Back in the 1990s, when I was in the resto field for the Mustang, many of the restoration shops would laugh @ muscle car jobs... thinking no muscle car would ever equal the value of Duesenberg, or similar... they would have coronaries if they knew a muscle car would sell for $2 million

As I recently posted the Sonoma Concourse has added a division for Japanese cars... what I want to know... what old Japanese car will be the first to sell for $2 million????

So back to the OP.... all can and should be appreciated

oldsaw wrote:

wlkelley3 wrote: I want to put a set of B.F. Goodrich Radial T/A for the 70's period look. Just found out they still make them. Although 14" tire choice is somewhat limited, there is definitely more selection than 13".

You may have been given some bad intel; the BFG website doesn't list a single 13" size for the T/A.

Which is why I got the 14" rims. They do make them in 14" size.

Definitely all of the above. I tend to lean towards modified cars and restomods, but I don't mind a well maintained or correctly restored car either. Each has their place.

I too wish the old BFG T/A was still around in the 175/70-13 size. I actually had a set of those on my old '82 Subaru. I'd love to have them on my GT6.