Classic car owners old muscle v. New

[street-ride]

Been kicking this idea around for a while and now looking to jump off the ledge....
Selling, my 2014 1le and getting a 1970 nova or Chevelle restored.
I have a lot of peeps to help me vet the classic car, but mechanic is not on my resume.
This isn't my daily driver it's my weekend driver and garage king.
Any classic car Camaro brothers talk me off the ledge or push me off...
Your input is much appreciated

Thanks
Peter

[AG454]

I guess it comes down to what you want to do in your car. There is nothing like a classic Chevelle or Camaro for car shows or cruises. Unless you go for a restomod type car with a modern suspension and drivetrain you won't really enjoy driving it as much as a modern car like a 1LE. If you can find a way to have both, that would be best.

[christianchevell]

Having been a motor head for a long time having re-vitalized and built many old chevies it is a labor of love as generally you never get what you put into them for one, the old rear end could be a one legged dog or only burn rubber on one wheel anyway and everything if not already upgraded will need it starting with the braking system and going to ignition and other systems then the motor and trans. The good part is parts are much cheaper, the bad part: iron heavy blocks, more wear, less gain for HP potential on old school engines, and worse performance especially in braking and handling. Here is a idea to kick around going to Florida speed or Tampa tuning.. One or the other I know is on here and run specials I think at tamp tuning for cam packages that are the cheapest I have read over the years......... And you already know the performance you have in handling..... And the back up warning, back up camera, the HUD, the heated leather seats, the stereo the quality fit and finish etc..... Or you could go back to vinyl..... Hot sticky Vinyl on a summer day sweating like a...... when the radiator that needed to be changed overheats and you without A/C get stuck on the side of the road.............

[SSMY1LE]

I went the other way, for years (since 1978) only had old muscle cars, Cuda's, Challengers, Vettes, Road Runners etc.
Last one I had was an old 340 Dart that I restored then sold and bought my 1LE.
Best move ever !! No looking back now. I still appreciate them but I'm done.

[Houseofhotrods]

Have both, though that may not be an option for some. I have had classics as my toys for years, and not messed with new for a long time. As I was contemplating doing a clone to my first '68 Camaro, and doing the math I decided a Gen 5 was the way to fly - more of a reacher, fuel injection, factory amenities including A/C that really works. I still have classics in the barn, but added the '15 1LE to the mix. They both have pros and cons, but the main thing is that you enjoy what you drive, and drive what you enjoy. :-)

[mustang50lx]

I have owned many old cars and several later model performance cars. The new cars do everything better as in stop steer and are way safer. The old cars look nice and I still have 1 stashed away here. One thing I can tell you for sure to watch out for is the fact that most muscle car era cars rusted fast. You have really got to watch out for shoddy repair work. We had a customer at work spend 50K plus on an old Charger just find out the frame rails had body putty all over them. Also on just about every old car I ever bought I found problems I didn't realize the car had when I bought it. Still, for me, old cars are in my blood and always will be.

[cowpunk]

I've always had at least one muscle-car around.

Chevelle
Camaro
Nova

Hell, I drove a 1970 BB Chevelle to college!!!

Then I did Heads&Cam on a Black 98 C5 with a six speed back in 2005...

now I have no old muscle-cars

And, my last Chevelle was a freaking beauty

YMMV



Cowpunk

[69L48Z27]

You have to know what you want. I will say this - if you do not want or know how to work on cars the old ones will be a money pit more than likely.

We have a '69 Camaro all original car that I refurbished a few years back and it's been fairly low maintanance this last year but I don't put any miles one.

We have a '79 Li'l Red Express truck and that one has me scratching my head. Fluids seem to release themselves at will with no reason. Then I can't figure out where they came from. Image how much that would cost to fix if you didn't do it yourself.

If you don't enjoy working on cars more than shining/driving them, stick with a late model. The old cars will have you swearing at them.

[HogsFan75]

I've had multiple Novas and C-10 pickups. Loved them one and all.

This is my last nova. I sold it when my wife and I had 2 kids in 2 years. Shouldn't have done it but hindsight is 20/20.
I ended up selling it for 18,500 in 2007 but I had about 24 in it. So take that for what it is.

Used it for weekend cruising. Car shows, and street car shootouts.
It had a 468 in it with Brodix Big Brodie 2 aluminum heads. A massive comp cams solid roller with .655 lift. 1050 Demon, 10:6 compression and 4500 stall and 4.10 rear. It was a blast. Not much factory about it obviously.




That said, it drove like crap and was hot as hell inside to drive any length at a time. I should have insulated the floor and firewall better but never did. It was good to only drive it on mild days of my choosing.

Should you sell your 1LE for one? Id say no, but then, I've traded lots of stuff I shouldn't have. But that's a car guy thing. Get what makes you happy. Personally, I doubt I'd go back, but if I did, I would build a 66 or 67 Chevy II

[High Magnitude]

if it were your daily i'd get a nice and modern car like the ss 1le but have fun and try something different with your weekend car

[street-ride]

Hogs fan another thing I only briefly thought about is driving around here in central Florida in summer and risk of over heating plus the heat from the engine without insulation.
Buying and selling at a loss is a big part of lot of hobbies esp. Cars. Selling the 1le and buying a muscle car would be getting hit on both sides, not to mention if the old car "needs a few things"

69L I'm more into driving than fixing. If I had more knowledge, money and time I'd really love to learn but at this stage of the game without a classic car neighbor I'm thinking that be a steep learning curve.

Originally Posted by christianchevell

Having been a motor head for a long time having re-vitalized and built many old chevies it is a labor of love as generally you never get what you put into them for one, the old rear end could be a one legged dog or only burn rubber on one wheel anyway and everything if not already upgraded will need it starting with the braking system and going to ignition and other systems then the motor and trans. The good part is parts are much cheaper, the bad part: iron heavy blocks, more wear, less gain for HP potential on old school engines, and worse performance especially in braking and handling. Here is a idea to kick around going to Florida speed or Tampa tuning.. One or the other I know is on here and run specials I think at tamp tuning for cam packages that are the cheapest I have read over the years......... And you already know the performance you have in handling..... And the back up warning, back up camera, the HUD, the heated leather seats, the stereo the quality fit and finish etc..... Or you could go back to vinyl..... Hot sticky Vinyl on a summer day sweating like a...... when the radiator that needed to be changed overheats and you without A/C get stuck on the side of the road.............

I think that sums up a lot of posts that are reality check. I appreciate the posts and brotherhood of the Camaro5 community. Not having many muscle car guys around, or getting honest answers about the PITA factor from car show guys this helps alot.
Thanks and all input appreciated

[XxScottxXN]

I love my 1LE and it's great to be able to jump in the new muscle and drive comfortably anywhere. I was in the same situation...wanted something older. I just kept looking...saving $$ and it paid off...found a 74 Nova SS for cheap. Now I have both.

[gajagfan]

I have had our '69 Camaro since 1985. I bought it (with help from Grandparents, but that's another story) when I hit a telephone pole at about 70 MPH in my '70 Nova SS (was a 396 car, but that engine had died prior to us buying the car). The Camaro has gone from a poor running street car with a 396 in it to a high 10 Second 1/4 mile car that is a pain in the ass to drive on the street. I have no intentions of drag racing anymore, but just do not have the heart to sell it. I still fire it up and have a beer or two remembering the day, but it has not been on the road for years. It sits calmly in its heated and cooled spot in the detached garage.
Since the early 90's I have had some form of a modern day muscle car to go with the '69. Started off with an '86 SS Monte Carlo (that ended up with a crate engine in it), then a '93 Z/28, then an '01 WS6 and finally the '13 1LE. As the '69 evolved, it lost more and more of its street ability, and quite frankly was not the right car to drive in certain situations.
The 1LE is by far the best handling car of the group. It fits the need I have to do some autocross and track days in my later years. Think long and hard about getting rid of your 1LE. The old cars are great, and if we did not have 13.5:1 compression and a 4500 stall speed with 4.56 rears I know it would get driven more, but it would still be 45 plus year old technology and carry with it all the potential headaches that have been mentioned already. Will I ever sell it? I don't know, but that day gets closer as time passes. I will say that if I could only have one car, it would be hard not to choose the 1LE.

[DBHWT]

Whenever you buy an old car to restore ...it will be double the cost of your original estimate....!!!!!!! The cost of restoration..paint, trim, interior, engine rebuild, etc..... are insane for top quality work