Daytona- Clone or real deal opinion.

[Nassau1969]

Daytona- Clone or real how do you feel. I have an expensive problem I would like to buy a 1969 Daytona in the near future. I see what there going for and I have a goal to get there with in a year or 2. Now that's without selling my house and starving my self. My problem is I'm a very picky person. I want a T5 copper metallic or a T7 Dark Bronze Metallic. These colors are extremely rare & hard to find in a Daytona. And to top it off I prefer a 4 spd.  I don't like to settle on a color or options I don't really want. So I thought about the clone thing back a forth and making the one I want to my standards and do it right & not skimp on anything. I really would love to have the real deal a Factory car. Then I say I can do one the way I want it done, but will I be happy looking at the Vin#.

[Ghoste]

If you can afford the real thing then why not go for it?  I would have to ask this too though, do you plan to drive the car a lot and in what way?

[Nassau1969]

I plan on using it as much as I can on nice days/nights because you only live once. Mopars are made to be enjoyed and seen by everyone. I feel these cars were made to be driven. I don't want a car that's going to be garage art make people come to my house to see a car sitting in my garage. I love when I see these cars on the road.

[Ghoste]

Depending on how much a real one ends up costing you then, you might find it easier putting miles on a clone. (I'm thinking about accident risk as much as anything when I say that)

[A383Wing]

Clone below....got 25k into it

[nakita7]

I plan on using it as much as I can on nice days/nights because you only live once. Mopars are made to be enjoyed and seen by everyone.

Nice seeing someone who understands what a vehicle is for.

[Nassau1969]

A383Wing Very nice car, only $25K great job for what you have into it, did you do most of it your self..

[Rolling_Thunder]

I would go the clone route...     have some fun with it - why settle for a 4-speed ?  go with a 5-speed and a warmed up big block or a hemi - paint it the color you want, put the interior you want in it, and set it up suspension wise how YOU want...        

If I was going to spend big $$$ on a car I would want a car that handles, accelerates, stops, and corners better than anything from the 60s

[Nassau1969]

 
Thanks Rolling_Thunder,
The replies I'm getting are making me anxious to get it going. I could have it ready in a year if I do the clone. And I would probably do a Hemi if I go clone.

[A383Wing]

A383Wing Very nice car, only $25K great job for what you have into it, did you do most of it your self..

The wife & I did everything ourselves except paint...I can't do that...

Found car in wrecking yard...had it completely gutted...took us just under 3 years to complete by ourselves...took me a week to get the nosecone and headlights adjusted

Cost also included rebuilding engine

[Daytona R/T SE]

Build a clone.

[Nassau1969]

A383Wing,
I would send the whole body out. I would do some work but not much. I want everything to work on the car head light doors. Where did you get the parts Janko. I no I will not find the colors I'm looking for so I guess clone is the way to go. I would never change the color on a real one unless I paid a crazy low price on it.

[A383Wing]

A383Wing,
I would send the whole body out and. I would do some work but not much. I want everything to work on the car. Where did you get the parts Janko.

Rear wing is actual NASCAR wing from real race car....everything else is 'glass from Janak....was not quality parts when we did car back in the mid 90's....poor quality & fit....maybe his stuff is better now, but there are better steel pieces out there to be had by different vendors

[Nassau1969]

I'm going to go with the best parts I can if I go that route. It looks like you made it all work well.

[A383Wing]

I'm going to go with the best parts I can if I go that route. It looks like you made it all work well.

Everything works....of the 10 cars we got...it's the most comfortable....2 weeks after we finished it, we drove from Seattle area to Talladega for the reunion in '99.....not one problem....

[Charger-Bodie]

Im building a Daytona clone right now....Hemi ,4 speed,and a Dana60. The only parts on it that will be fiberglass are the parts that are supposed to be fiberglass(allthough it will have a vega plug which isnt quite the same as a real one).....If I had a lot of money Id have some real ones BUT id still have a clone to get out and really enjoy. I can honestly say that with my current situation That id rater have a clone than a real one. .....If I had more money would that be different? Maybe.

[hotrod98]

If you go with the best parts including a steel nose, you're looking at around 13K in parts plus the cost of the 70 Charger front sheet metal. If you farm it out, the labor for the conversion and paint will run around 20K minimum. If you use a nice donor car that already has the engine and trans that you want, runs and drives fine and doesn't need additional body work, you're looking at a total build cost of around 50-55K. More if you're having to restore the car in the process.
Seems like a decent real Daytona would run you three times that at least.
I really don't think finding a used Daytona clone and re-restoring it will save you any money in the long run since 99% of the clones have fiberglass noses.
If you plan to drive the car a lot, you might consider going with a late model hemi and a five speed setup. Then you get reliability, drivablity and decent fuel mileage as a bonus. A new late model 6.1/five speed setup will run you 15K. About twice as much as a 440/4-speed setup.
You're only limited by your imagination.

[Aero426]

Daytona- Clone or real how do you feel. I have an expensive problem I would like to buy a 1969 Daytona in the near future. I see what there going for and I have a goal to get there with in a year or 2. Now that's without selling my house and starving my self. My problem is I'm a very picky person. I want a T5 copper metallic or a FK5 color. These colors are extremely rare & hard to find in a Daytona. And to top it off I prefer a 4 spd.  I don't like to settle on a color or options I don't really want. So I thought about the clone thing back a forth and making the one I want to my standards and do it right & not skimp on anything. I really would love to have the real deal a Factory car. Then I say I can do one the way I want it done, but will I be happy looking at the Vin#.

Unless you have deep pockets and time to wait, the words, "I don't like to settle" do not go well with buying a Daytona.   The problem is there are not many cars to go around.  Not only do you desire the harder to find 4-speed, you want one in a difficult color.  T5 is hard enough.  FK5 is an error Superbird color only.  

By even raising the VIN question, it sounds like it would matter to you.  

If you have some cash to spend, rather than go the clone route,  why not buy the best Daytona you can afford regardless of options and trade up later.   Can't swing the Daytona?  There's no shame in a Superbird.   The point is, the Aero Car game can be pursued in steps, trading up along the way.  

[Nassau1969]

Mistake on my end, correction ( T7 Dark Bronze Metallic ) I have seen a T5 for sale with a auto with white wing. I would buy an auto. The price is out of reach. Need another 1 1/2 to 2 yrs. I may do a clone. It seem everyone is happy with theres.

[Aero426]

Mistake on my end, correction ( T7 Dark Bronze Metallic ) I have seen a T5 for sale with a auto with white wing. I would buy an auto. The price is out of reach. Need another 1 1/2 to 2 yrs. I may do a clone. It seem everyone is happy with theres.

With prices coming down on factory built wing cars in general,  unless you can do everything yourself,  the clone makes less sense.   Clones have not gotten cheaper to build nor have parts prices come down.    If you are willing spend what it will take (real dollars) to get a well built clone, why not spend a little more and get a real no-excuses wing car?  

[hotrod98]

Buy a real Daytona at the best deal possible. Change the tranny if necessary and paint it whatever color pleases you. It can always be returned back to original if you decide to sell. I think you could possibly pull this off for around 150-170K.
However, unless I'm living in a dream world, I haven't seen any good deals on nice used Daytonas. The guys that own Daytonas usually aren't desperate enough to sell them at a loss. They just wait out the economy.
The only decent deals that I've seen on Daytonas are the ones that need total rebuilding and have lots of original parts missing. Now that gets expensive in a hurry.

[Nassau1969]

I seen a yellow 4 spd for sale with a black stripe for $100K in very good shape NOM.

[Charger-Bodie]

I will have about 60k in my Hemi 4 speed Daytona clone. I will be rotiserie over restored . I will not have labor though as I am doing it all myself other than a few things.

The thing about it that it will be just how I build it for myself, not ant less or more.

[200MPH]

Clone

[A383Wing]

Clone

Hey 200MPH...here is the plate we had on our purple car