Survivors - Where is the line drawn?

[Smokey]

What about an engine. It can go both ways. Think of all the Corvettes, Chevelles and Camaros that got road hard within 10,000 miles and blew a rod out the side or dropped a valve. Engine stuff I love born with like all of us, but can also see paperwork with a CE and still be 90% happy. Aftermarket hoses and belts like from Gates back in the day are great. So as long as its period correct from when it was like 10 years old and what one would see at the Service Station.

A survivor to me is one that GM sprayed paint on 75% of it and it still showing a 7.0 or higher on a scale of 1-10.

Tires- How many miles have you got out of set back in the day? Even today on my driver I go through a set or two a summer. Original born with ones are cool and should be awarded a notch or a point for it, but it shouldn't be deducted for having some repro or back in the day replacements.



I think there is a market into setting a standard for this...and coming up with a board of lets say 21 people to write a book on this.

[dl7265]

Can -o - Worms Jacquie

I think there should be a distinction between a un restored car and a Survivor perhaps. As you eluded too, A Original unrestored car , can be in very poor condition. Case in point.

Recently One of the Muscle car magazines did a Big feature on a "Survivor" car. This particular car,has been wrecked, paint missing all over it, the bright work is pitted horribly ( Northeast car)And the owner recently has been "replacing parts" in attempt to make it "more original". I think it would be fair to categorize this one as un restored, or mostly original, but certainly not Survivor based on the poor condition.

My 2c

DL

[vdavie]

What about paperwork? What kind of paperwork should the car have?

[Salvatore]

Won't need much IF the car was never restored. The car will prove itself.

[Starship]

I have been a Survivor Judge at Bloomington Gold almost since its inception. Their guidlines are that the majority (over 50%) of at least 3 of the 4 catagories (exterior, interior, chassis, engine compartment) must remain preserved intact, unrestored, and unaltered. And that the majority of the finishes and condition of at least 3 of those 4 sections be good enough to be used as a model for an authentic restoration. Yes, that means that a car with a replacement engine can still be a "Survivor". Wether you agree with these guidelines or not, they are the only ones that are recognised. Personally I'd like to see them tightened up a notch or 2.

[x Baldwin Motion]

[ QUOTE ]
... the majority (over 50%) of at least 3 of the 4 catagories (exterior, interior, chassis, engine compartment) must remain preserved intact, unrestored, and unaltered. And that the majority of the finishes and condition of at least 3 of those 4 sections be good enough to be used as a model for an authentic restoration. Yes, that means that a car with a replacement engine can still be a "Survivor". Wether you agree with these guidelines or not, they are the only ones that are recognised. Personally I'd like to see them tightened up a notch or 2.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree that survivor status should be quite a bit tighter than those requirements.

153 out of 400.. that means only 38.5% original is considered survivor?! How's my math?

[Survivor 69/Z28]

I am a proud owner of a unrestored 69 Z28 Survivor that has been "very well maintained" over its life. Meaning if it needed a bracket painted then it got painted. If something looked old and ratty it got replaced or fixed to look new. If something was dirty on the engine it always got cleaned. The guy that owned this car for 37 years was very meticulous. I praise him for how he maintained the car over all of these years as I would have done the exact same thing.

But on the flip side. I really hate when someone is trying to sell a survivor and they leave dirt and grease all over the engine bay and everything else for that matter. He will then list as untouched etc...He will not even wash the engine bay because the extra dirt and grime will add more to the appeal of it being a survivor. LOL!
Oh, and of course he will leave a dirty old air cleaner on it so that it looks even more original. Just a sore spot with me….
I love these Survivor cars!!!

[ANDY M]

My car is kind of a survivor, or as Hemmings would say, "refurbished". It was sort of restored back in the 80s, repainted from LeMans blue to black, and the M40 was replaced by a Muncie. Some of it is still original, like the headliner and other bits of the interior, but the dirt is new. Since I like it the way it is, I have a little sign explaining that it's incorrect, incomplete and unrepentant.
Get over it. It's a driver, and I like it that way.

[66 L78 ragtop]

Just visit Chris P and Joe D's garage and you will quickly learn the standard for the definition of "survivor"

[66 L78 ragtop]

If you continually replace and repaint every part on a car to maintain that "new look," before you know it you have a car that is closer to restored than survivor...the patina is gone...IMHO. The untouched appearance would be non-existent for obvious reasons...as the car would have been touched many times to replace and repaint every worn part...


Would much prefer a car with some wear and tear under the hood. Faded decals, paint and finishes are all testament to the years that it has survived. A fresh finish on an apparent survivor is the eye sore in my opinion.

The more fresh finishes, the more replaced parts, the more molested the car appears and the more it blends in with the sea of restored cars that you see at every car show...just my opinion