Question concerning value, and devaluing

[IowaCharger69]

I will soon be acquiring a 100% complete, one owner, 1970 Coronet 440. It's got 77,000 miles. Little to no cosmetic damage, and little to no interior wear. The car still has all of its wax marks, stickers, and decals from the factory and all are in very good shape. Still even has the original wiper arms and blades still intact. It's still wearing it's original rubber. Its complete with the receipt from the dealership from which it was purchased, and the build sheets still nestled beneath the seats. Car looks like it just rolled off the dealer floor with the exception of 77,000 miles worth of summer driving wear. It's a 318 2bbl car with an automatic, but it will be bar far the nicest and most original car I've ever owned. Its no HEMI car but I am totally stoked to get it.

So heres the question:

It is currently wearing "Vinyl body side molding". Is this a factory or dealer option? Second, I think it completely kills the looks of the car. I would like to have it carefully and neatly removed. I would save it of course. Is this kind of modification something that would just kill the value or appeal of a "true survivor" car? Is it the kind of thing that a judge at a show would fully expect to be on the car? Lastly, how reasonable is it that the molding could be removed safely? I know there will be some color difference. I think if it were too drastic a difference I would just have to put the stuff back on.

I'll post pics as soon as the car is in my garage. I am just too superstitious about this stuff...

[1969chargerrtse]

To me, if it ain't on the fender tag, take it off, who would know or care?  Are you sure it has original tires?  I find it hard to believe, even todays long lasting radials wouldn't last 77,000 miles.

[IowaCharger69]

Sorry. It comes with the original tires and wheels. They were taken off and aftermarkets were put on. The originals sat around. They are included with the car. I won't be driving around on them or anything. I don't even think I'm going to be putting them on for its trailer ride to my house.

[Troy]

If that molding is what I think it is there will be holes where it's attached. Sounds like a cool car though.

Troy

[Blown70]

Sounds  the moulding people seemed to like to ADD to the car aftermarket.  I would take it off,  I just got a drivers door for a charger that you could see had them on..... seriously WTF......

THAT SOUNDS LIKE ONE GREAT CAR>..... DRIVE THAT AROUND< I WOULD.

[BROCK]

To me, if it ain't on the fender tag, take it off, who would know or care?  Are you sure it has original tires?  I find it hard to believe, even todays long lasting radials wouldn't last 77,000 miles.

Lotsa options don't appear on the fender tag.  Near as I can tell it's just the options that require a choice in which stack to grab a body part during unibody construction.  An example would
be "don't put a front floor section punched & bracketed for bucket seats & a 4 speed with console in a car designated as a bench seat column shift car"

If the trim truly is bolted on, you should be able to feel at least one nut inside the front wheel well holding it on.  If not, a heatgun & lotsa patience should take them off.  I wouldn't want
to try the guitar G string method on good paint.   

[Ghoste]

If it's a true survivor then by all means do everything you can to preserve but don't get too hung up on value.  Unless you plan to place it in hermetic storage or a museum try and enjoy it for what it is, a car.  I guess what I'm saying is, pick one or the other.  Preserve it exactly as it is and trailer it around to shows or drive the wheels off it.  Both are laudable goals.

[Todd Wilson]

Are you talking about the thin side protectors like whats on my 71?    If so theres a metal rail  rivoted to the car. The vinyl/rubber bumper part is popped into the rail.   I chose to restore mine as its what the car had and theres not many old cars out there with this option still on them.  It was a dealer installed deal. Not part of the car as far as I can tell from talking to people and research.

Problem now is finding the stuff to restore it. I had an old body shop supply place that had a box of RED rubber  and one 8 foot piece of the metal rail still ratholed away. I had to replace some of my rail due to my dent. My old blue rubber was cracked and dry rotted. I bought some vinyl paint and painted my red rubber to blue and it all worked out good. I  pop rivoted all my old pieces back on and then used the 3m tape to tape the new replaced piece on as I didnt want to drill holes again in the car on the door that was replaced.




Todd

[Chad L. Magee]

Are you talking about the thin side protectors like whats on my 71?    If so theres a metal rail  rivoted to the car. The vinyl/rubber bumper part is popped into the rail.   I chose to restore mine as its what the car had and theres not many old cars out there with this option still on them.  It was a dealer installed deal. Not part of the car as far as I can tell from talking to people and research.

Problem now is finding the stuff to restore it. I had an old body shop supply place that had a box of RED rubber  and one 8 foot piece of the metal rail still ratholed away. I had to replace some of my rail due to my dent. My old blue rubber was cracked and dry rotted. I bought some vinyl paint and painted my red rubber to blue and it all worked out good. I  pop rivoted all my old pieces back on and then used the 3m tape to tape the new replaced piece on as I didnt want to drill holes again in the car on the door that was replaced.




Todd

My 1970 Coronet 440 2dr. ht. had that type of trim on it originally.  It looks kinda tacky on the car as it does not flow well with the lines of the car.  When I bought it up at the farm auction in Rushville, Neb. in 1998, the trim had been removed at that point and was lying in the car.  The trim looked just like yours, Todd.  I think it was rivited on as I remember holes down the side where it was supposed to be attached.  The holes were painted, as I did not see any bare metal in the edges of the holes.  I should have took pictures of that one before I put it into long term storage a few years ago, but alas, I did not.  It was an orginal paint car that I bought back with a lot of waxing, but the interior was sunbaked to death (the front bench seat was mostly springs by that point and the rear one was missing, I have a replacement for it now)......

Trav sold a 1970 Charger 500 /6 that had that type of molding on it.  I really wish I could have bought that car, but spare money was gone to pay bills......

[IowaCharger69]

Heres a pic of the molding that I'm talking about. I'm really hoping that it is just attached with adhesive.

[69charger2002]

i hate to burst your bubble, but i think you're going to be disappointed on the trim. i have a 26k mile 70 coronet 500. white too.. it has a 440 in it, but i still have the 25k mile 318.. there are tons of holes, and i wanted so bad to make a bee clone out of mine, but it's not feasible to have to basically redo the entire body.. it is factory molding by the way
trav

[SFRT]

no such thing as adhesive molding back then. the channel is rivetted on, the insert is oiled heated and slipped into place.

I ruined about 1000 cars a long time ago when I worked at a crummy 'pinstriping' shop installing this crap. drill and rivet, oops, a little out of whack, drill and rivet some more.

[Charger_Fan]

no such thing as adhesive molding back then. the channel is rivetted on, the insert is oiled heated and slipped into place.

Mine had the remains of that door-ding-guard moulding adhesive still on it when I bought my Charger in '86. Now granted, I couldn't say which year it was installed, but by looking at what was left & how hard it was to scrape off, that stuff was really old & had been there a long time!
I would imagine that this was probably that 'all vinyl' type moulding that was sold in rolls, as opposed to the vinyl moulding that's inserted into a metal retaining strip.

You can see some of it on the front fender here...

[IowaCharger69]

Wow...Bubble busted. BUT at least I have an answer to my question! It stays as it is, and I drive the hell out of it that way.

Thanks guys

[Charger-Bodie]

no such thing as adhesive molding back then. the channel is rivetted on, the insert is oiled heated and slipped into place.

I ruined about 1000 cars a long time ago when I worked at a crummy 'pinstriping' shop installing this crap. drill and rivet, oops, a little out of whack, drill and rivet some more.

Thats assuming it was installed when the car was new that could be the case but the only way to no what type it has is to actually see the car.

realisticly it could have been installed ANY  time in the past 38 years.

[Chris G.]

It's tough leaving things untouched on a survivor car, but the whole point in buying one is because it's original (at least that's what I did). If that moulding was put on by the owner back in the 70's, I wouldn't touch it. Just my 

Looking forward to the pictures. 

[69CoronetRT]

It stays as it is, and I drive the hell out of it that way.

Thanks guys

Good choice.  The molding was very common and looks period correct on the car.

Are you taking to Des Moines in June ? I'd like to see it.

V5* won't be coded on the tag if it's a Lynch Road built car. ST. Louis and LA may have coded it. I don't think they did but I'm not sure. It is coded on the broadcast sheet if it's factory.

[IowaCharger69]

Well, the molding is on the original receipt. So I am pretty sure its been there the whole time. Here is a pic:



Its the 7th line down.

Should be here this week. I'll be flooding these pages with pics as soon as it gets here!

[69_500]

If its on the invoice then LEAVE it on the car. There are a ton of options that could be had on the cars that weren't listed on the fender tags. They tended to only point out the major items on the tags. The broadcast sheet wold tell the whole story.