Are any of you aware of a company that is still in business that offers a Tbird kit at a reasonable price (<$10K) that would mount on a chassis like a pinto or chevette?

I may be interested in a pertially built kit if the price were right and all the parts are available.

Advice is welcome too.

Of course, if you looked around, you could probably find other replica T-Birds:
http://www.americandreamcars.com/1957tbirdreplica.htm (VW powered, $15K. I believe that this car is an old Prestige Classic kit, but they're DOA)

BUT...and this is a pretty huge but, you're going to be hard-pressed to find alot of these types of car reproduced in great numbers. The reason for this is that the prices on these cars aren't all that high. Right now, I can go onto the Collector Car website and find 22 of the ORIGINAL cars for less than $20K. There are 9 that are less than $10K (they need a bit of work).

There was recently an editorial in Kit Car magazine in which the editor - who should know better...unless, of course, he doesn't; in which case you shouldn't buy the magazine in the first place! - said that he expected to see a DeLorean replica out there. DeLorean? Hello: the cars sell for $10-14K! Who in their right mind would put out a kit that would almost certainly cost more than the original?

The reason they don't make replicas of 'common' cars is simply that it's not going to sell; The Regal is a terrific replica of a T-Bird, but the kit costs more than some of the original cars. Sure, you can make a stunning replica...but I will always go back to the actual cost; the kit, the drivetrain, the wheels, and (most importantly) your TIME. If I can buy a pretty straight car for about the price of a kit, and all I have to do is get some interior or maybe a bit of rust removal done, then I'll not only have saved the most precious thing we have (time), but I'll also have an original car. The original car will always be worth more than the replica. The reason being is that it's original, and they don't make it any more. You can always make a replica.

One of the silliest things I've seen recently is Shelby's pathetic GT500E replica. It's a replica of the 1967 GT500 that was in the movie "Gone In 60 Seconds." The reason that this particular kit is absolutely laughable is mutli faceted:

• The car is a replica of a 1967 car built on a 1967 car.


• The car is $80K; which means that this replica is more expensive than an original Shelby GT500


• The car comes in base form with a 302; the GT350 came with a 302, the GT500 had a 428 Police Intercepter motor


• The funniest thing about this "Shelby" is that the car is the replica of a movie prop car. A movie that Shelby had nothing to do with at all; he's just trying to cash in!

Where was I? Talking about replicas? I hate it when I turn a simple post into a Stephen King novel!

Sorry about that!

I guess that my advice to you would be - if you're truly on a budget and think that $16K is too much for a replica - get a real 55-57 Thunderbird; you'll have an original car that will maintain it's value, you'll only have to get your hands dirty for a short time if you want to; the parts for the car can still be found in many places and via the internet, and (pretty important) you won't have to jump through DMV hoops to get the car registered; it's a pre-smog automobile!

Hope that helps!

Your pal,
Meat.

All of your points make sense. I think I'll start looking for the real thing and occupy myself with restoring one rather than building one. I've done a little non-professional body work that looks good. If I can find me one that is in pretty good shape mechanically I can probably pay to have it reupholstered and have a pretty good hobby car.

My original reason for looking at a kit is that I took on a '57 Ranchero about 10 years ago that was in REALLY bad shape. Lots of rust, cracked windshield, and bad front-end... But it ran. After a few hundred hours and 30-40 gallons of Bondo, I gave up on the project. I found out how difficult (and expensive) it can be to find new/refurbished parts (e.g., for the front-end). I figured a kit with new parts would at least avoid some of those problems. Also, I have a buddy who put together one of those Classic Motor Carriages' old Mercedes. It looks and runs great. Thought I might try the same thing but on a different model.

The thing that got me interested in the Tbird was Ford's 2003 model that trys to imitate the first models.

Thanks for the great advice.

Here's another bit of help:
http://www.collectorcartraderonline.com/

Your pal,
Meat.

KitCars.com Forums

Aardvark Solutions