sad

[alfaitalia]

Valid point.....and I for one would not know where to really draw the line. For me it would ne original block, trans and most metal work. Most of the other things you mention would go under the category of maintenance parts and are pretty much bound to have been replaced on any car actually used over the year.

Problem is there are maintenance parts that have assembly line part numbers and date codes or unique for the time period, that folks looking for # matching cars care about, and these can be quite expensive to find and replace.  Alternator, master cylinder, starter, carbs, distributor, brake rotors (2 piece), etc...  If your thing is going back to OEM correct and original, that is where the problem is. 

I think that is a reason the resto mod has been so popular, especially with younger folks.  Customize and modernize, make unique, and probably at a lower initial cost.  Though some of these resto mods bring as much/more than OEM correct cars.  G

I agree. I'm going that route as ; a, I'm all about seeing the car as being as individual as me and b, doing a by the numbers rebuild would be just about impossible in the UK without a massive budget and endless time to find and import parts. To be fair as pretty as a full resto to Day One is, most are far from accurate with their deep smooth paint and even panel gaps. But who wants their cars with mismatched panels gaps (you can get your fingers in!) and curtains of paint anywhere out of sight.....mine had a big original one for about a foot on the left lower fender!! Spotlessly clean undersides just didnt happen either....even brand new cars built today are not as clean as many of the full rebuilds on hear....and there were worse back then with finger prints, smudges in the underseal, over spray of various substances on suspension parts. Most restore to what the car should have been, rather than what they were. Mass produced cars from the 60s and 70s where pretty horribly painted and put (thrown?) together. But as said many times before.....do whatever lights your fire.....and they sure are pretty to look at......even if most cant/don't drive them!!!