How many lives do you think are in our classics?

[bakerhillpins]

So lots of classics out there being restored and brought back to life. Some for the 1st and some for the Nth time. How many times do you think we can restore these cars before the sheet metal is too thin? How many rebuilds can a block take? How many lives do they have in them?

[Cooter]

With AMD and cylinder sleeves, answer.......indefinitely rebuildable.

[bakerhillpins]

So what you are saying is that someday they will all be re-bodies?

[Cooter]

So what you are saying is that someday they will all be re-bodies?

Say you buy that roach of a Hemi flood car...it will need everything replaced. You remove the VIN number and replace everything else. Even with some NOS sheet metal, you have a rebody at best. Drive it.

[bakerhillpins]

With AMD and cylinder sleeves, answer.......indefinitely rebuildable.

You really think that you can indefinitely press out and in cylinder sleeves? At some point I have to think the cast will fatigue and give. 

[Cooter]

Ok....aftermarket blocks. You are acting as if we drive these things $150k miles in 10 years, when in reality, they MIGHT see 2k in a year....

[bakerhillpins]

I'm talking long term here. We have such a limited view of time. Assuming that we can avoid doing ourselves in at some point they are just going to succumb to time.

Even at 2k a year that's only 50 to 100 more years and your into another block rebuild.

[Dino]

It all depends on the quality of the first restoration.  I have done many 2nd and 3rd restos on cars that were done right to begin with and it makes for a very nice and easy process.  Whereas a 2nd resto on a poorly done car means it's in even worse shape now than before it was restored.  Those are scary because you never know what you will find.

As long as the work is done properly you have about 3 good restorations on a car before it reaches that age where parts become hard to find or obsolete and you need to start fabricating stuff.  The metal doesn't deteriorate much and the skins are usually okay unless someone took a grinder to it to 'smoothen it out'. I've never seen a car that could not be restored, but way too many that were not worth the effort.

[wingcar]

I would think that most are only interested in the car lasting as long as they do (and perhaps long enough for their kids)...Which is at times a challenge in itself.

Plus, with the way the younger generation looks at the automobile in general...our "Dinosaurs" will be placed on display in a museum with a sign below they stating: "The main reason the planet Earth is in the condition it's in...shame on the past generations for driving cars that didn't respect the environment".

(*P.S.  Thank you Prius drivers for saving "Dinosaur Juice", so that I can drive my "environmentally unfriendly" automobile even more........LOL)

[Ghoste]

Cooter is right, indefinitely.  They may well all become rebodies in 200 years or so but I think we'll run out of fuel or end up with human controlled vehicles being banned from the  road long before then.

[fy469rtse]

Roads ghoste, we won't need no stinking roads ,

[Homerr]

Model T's, 20's, 30's cars are still around.  Maybe not as long term as the OP's question, but they may be a bellwether.

[Cooter]

After im gone, I dont care, but in another 50 years, the term 'rebody' won't be a hated word. The term "numbers matching" will mean nothing as long as that hemi R/T has a hemi.

Just like t by e Model A's of today. They are worth a lot due to the sacredness of them alone. To hell with that flathead.

[68X426]

3D manufacturing, nano-technolgy, graphine, and molecular manipulation will (eventually) keep cars going into the infinity. 

[tan top]

It all depends on the quality of the first restoration.  I have done many 2nd and 3rd restos on cars that were done right to begin with and it makes for a very nice and easy process.  Whereas a 2nd resto on a poorly done car means it's in even worse shape now than before it was restored.  Those are scary because you never know what you will find.

As long as the work is done properly you have about 3 good restorations on a car before it reaches that age where parts become hard to find or obsolete and you need to start fabricating stuff.  The metal doesn't deteriorate much and the skins are usually okay unless someone took a grinder to it to 'smoothen it out'. I've never seen a car that could not be restored, but way too many that were not worth the effort.

that's true ,

[HeavyFuel]

Along a different line of thought concerning long life:

The kind of dough that some of our cars are worth should keep them in safe hands for years to come, long after we've checked out.  There're just worth too much to sit in fields anymore.

But my sons won't get my car.  They don't show the interest, and haven't proven to be responsible....yet.

Owners that stock up on the consumable parts now, and then pass on/sell their cars to another responsible owner has a good chance of their pride and joy lasting for decades.

When the gas is gone, or rationed, or just so crappy it won't make our cars go (don't be fooled, that day IS coming)......well, I guess they all get retrofitted with new propulsion, or become big pieces of art.

[Ghoste]

I disagree partially Cooter.  Although rebodies will become so common as to not be hated anymore my experience has been that original shhet metal and orginal drivetrains always draw a premium.  Even in Model T's.

[Tilar]

When the gas is gone, or rationed, or just so crappy it won't make our cars go (don't be fooled, that day IS coming)......well, I guess they all get retrofitted with new propulsion, or become big pieces of art.

The gas may be gone one day but it will be after every single one of us are long gone. I'm guessing the tomb stones may even be hard to read. Maybe I should look at mine more often before I check out. 

[Ghoste]

Dont underestimate the crappiness part though.

[bakerhillpins]

Even when all the "natural" gas is gone there will be synthetic gas. 

I disagree partially Cooter.  Although rebodies will become so common as to not be hated anymore my experience has been that original shhet metal and orginal drivetrains always draw a premium.  Even in Model T's.

Well yes, but to my original point, will there be a time when you can no longer rebuild the original stuff? End result is the #s garage queens will be the only "original" stuff left?

[Ghoste]

No, I worked for a place that had a high end resto shop and while many times there was very little left of the car that could be called original, virtually ANY part can be made.  Restoring any car in the world is easy, you just keep pouring that magic money on the corpse until it resurrects.

[bakerhillpins]

I hesitate to say this because my original point was not to get into a "what's a rebody/original" discussion, but rather when resurrected it's no longer original. I guess it's less of a question of can you pour enough money to keep them going (yes you can) and more one of the original component can only be rebuilt/ground/media blasted so many times before you can't do it again and it's time for a replacement.

[HeavyFuel]

I get what you're driving at.

Some zombies can only be brought back to life so many times before you have to look for a new cadaver. 

[Ghoste]

Not if you have a title.

[RallyeMike]

I don't think the question matters. How many '17 REO's or Stanley Steamers can be driven with todays' cars and traffic?  Within maybe 50-75 years our classics will be reduced to unroadworthy parade vehicles unless they are upgraded to whatever the current technology is at that time. There won't be enough time to wear out sheetmetal or run out of engine blocks in those 50-75 years

In the future cars will likely pilot themselves at high speed hooked up in connected trains on the interstate. They'll cram as many vehicles on the road as possible operating them at maximum efficiency and safety. Technology will rule. There will be no place for a driver or a 69 Charger except on Main Street 4th of July.