Tracker1, thanks for the kind words about my other articles.
I like your passion for muscle cars, original cars, and for the concept of good cars deserving space. On that point, I would definitely concede that my car is not worthy of space. I'm glad I didn't build the article around my '70 Javelin, because frankly that car is in much the same league as my Coronet, except that it is more heavily modified/butchered. I'm certainly aware that there are quite a few guys in muscle car land that only pay attention to real deal cars. I've been fortunate enough to hear firsthand their passion for the genuine article, and it is very cool, even inspiring to hear of the work they've put in to make their cars perfect. You might be one of those guys, if so, way to go, keep it up.
My reaction to your post is that your comments are based on the premise that clone cars are not worthy of attention, and have little relevance to restoring muscle cars. On that point, I would respectfully disagree.
Drew's words are essentially "clones are a significant portion of our hobby." As a matter of fact, I believe next month's theme is "clones cars", so get ready. In that issue I feature a very nice 64 Pontiac full size car that started life as a 389 column shift automatic, converted to 421/four speed power. That guy loves muscle cars, is passionate about his Pontiac, and is presently working on a "real" muscle car. A lot of guys I meet in this hobby often have a clone or two hanging around so they can drive something.
By the way, issue after the clone cars is "Hemi Cars". Hello happiness.
Yes, there are plenty of real cars out there, but honestly, I can't afford them. Five kids, two of them in college, right now, I'm just happy to work on any old car (uhh, I mean any old Mopar
). I'm guessing that if my Coronet was a real Hemi car, I would have been close to 20 grand just to buy the car. By not buying a real car, I saved almost 20 grand by going with my 318 car.
I've also learned that building a clone car is better than having an empty garage. It gives me a chance to build a car while my sons are still around. Drew's receptiveness to building clone muscle cars stems from his belief that my situation might be similar to many of our readers. Last years biggest issue was the barn find issue.
I believe there has been good reaction to the "409 On a Dime" articles, and the Coronet is along those lines. Many of the tech articles covering restoration are the same whether a car is a real muscle car, or a clone... Media blasting my car will be about the same as it would be for a real Hemi car. The hook in the story was answering the simple question "how do I get my barn find home?"
I'll be honest, maybe I liked doing the article on the Coronet because growing up I always wondered if the guys writing in the magazines were actually into cars themselves... kinda liked it when they talked about what they were working on.
Tracker1, buddy, it's a good thing you care about these issues. Most of the articles will be about the premier cars in the hobby, but fortunately the muscle car hobby allows for participation on a smaller budget.
Come to Chicago, and as I said to Andy, I'll buy coffee, even on my budget
Arvid Svendsen
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