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$2500 a quarter? $2000 a fender? Really? Why would an engine rebuild be so much? Even with a block that needs 8 sleeves it should be cheaper. I whould worry about head corrosion more than block corrosion. I'm not saying it would be cheap, but those prices seem a bit on the outrageous side.
Jason
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1) It's a Pontiac, not a Chevrolet. Engine parts cost a ton more than a small block or big block Chevy.
2) If you want the correct parts for a 70-72 Firebird you will pay dearly for them. Nothing interchanges with the same era Camaros despite the fact that most venders falsely describe them as fitting both models.
I've seem major allegedly reputable venders selling 70-73 Camaro and Firebird rear quarters with the same part number and 70-81 Camaro and Firebird door skins with the same part number even though the two cars have completely different body lines.
3) I have been lucky with my project. The only NOS body parts it needed were the driver's door skin, the lower front spoiler and the tail light panel. I lucked into an NOS door skin on ebay that the guy misdescribed as a later door skin. I found out when I had him email me back the door handle opening measurements. I think I picked it up for $300...and it was local, too! It was an absolute steal because the early style "long door handle" door skins never show up for sale since they were only offered as a service part from 1970 to 1972. The same thing happened with the front spoiler and the rear fiberglas tail light panel - misdescribed and bought reasonably cheaply!
4) Yeah, you could throw on a couple of 73 to 81 fenders and hood on the car and 95% of the people out there won't know the difference. You could also buy some repro quarters for $150 too, and repro doorskins that have the wrong later model door handle openings. You could bolt up a later model radiator support that has those easily spotted 73-81 front fender bracket indents instead of the unobtainable flat top 1970-72 support (another $2000+ piece) - no one will really notice.
You could cut a lot of corners with the bad repro stuff out there and maybe do the car for a whole bunch less but it won't be correct.
It's the same thing with First Gen Camaros, and even Mopars. You can restore a Copo to look presentable to 95% of the population but it won't be correct. That is the difference between the $100,000 Copo (with the Ford "CAUTION FAN" sticker on the shroud) and the $400,000 Copo (without the aforementioned sticker). Or the $125,000 Hemicuda (with the brand new Mopar Performance crate motor) and the $500,000 Hemicuda (with it's born-with block). It's all in the process, the parts, and the execution.
A correct restoration means different things to different people. I prefer to do my cars to a certain level of insanity and try not to deviate from that self-imposed, financially ludacris, standard. On my T/A I am trying to refurbish and reinstall as many of the original components that were on this exact car back in 1972 as I can. (which is why I am just about broke now
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