Reinventing All-New Vintage Cars
Reinventing that vintage car in your garage may not be that easy. But it’s pretty much rewarding. Aside from self-gratification, rust-free vintage cars are worth your time, money and effort.
So far, your greatest enemy is rust. Jim Taylor, a metal fabricator at the Roadster Shop in Elgin, Ill. has this to say: “The cliché ‘rust never sleeps’ is so true,” he said. “Removing corroded panels to weld in new ones is like assembling a puzzle. And when you’re done, holding rust at bay is almost impossible.”
Good thing there are companies to take care of the problem…
One of the trusted companies in recreating vintage cars is Dynacorn Classic Bodies of Oxnard, Calif. The company has experimented on the first-gen Camaro coupes and convertibles that Chevrolet built from 1967 through 1969. Using steel sheets from Japan and labor and manufacturing in Taiwan, the company sells its complete bodies for $13,995.
The company started offering classic auto parts and panels a couple of decades ago. Strong sales of Camaro replicas motivated Dynacorn to proceed with bodies for 1967-68 Ford Mustang fastbacks and 1947-50 Chevy pickups; bodies for later generations of Chevy pickups and Mustangs are in the planning stages.
Larry Brogdin, national sales manager of Dynacorn, said that under the company’s licensing agreement with Ford and General Motors, the company used modern welding techniques. He added the fit of the body panels had been improved to the present standards.
Another reliable company is the Experi-Metal of Sterling Heights, Mich., has revived the 1957 Chevy. This company’s principal business is stamping the panels for Detroit’s prototypes so the low-volume die-making equipment, measuring tools and assembly fixtures are in ready supply here. Also, Experi-Metal has supplied repair panels to restorers for 2 decades now.
“We eventually realized that we were lacking only four or five parts to build a complete ’57 Chevy convertible body. So we closed the loop as an experiment to gauge demand for such a product,” said Mark Modine, the company’s manager of aftermarket sales.
To offer superb rust resistance, the company builds its hoods, doors and decklids of galvanized steel. To note, the company has delivered 15 of the ’57 Chevy convertible bodies to its retailers, who sell them for $34,500 each.
True, it’s hard to find Oldsmobile Toronado parts as well classic auto accessories. But not if you know where to find them. Thus, it is an advantage for collectors and aficionados alike to travel around.
Next stop – the Shadow Rods and Dearborn Deuce. The company’s reproduction bodies are made in America. A number of other companies use panels stamped in Taiwan. But the Kirkham Motorsports 289 and 427 Roadsters, replicas of Cobra sports cars made by Carroll Shelby in partnership with AC Cars of England, took a different path.
Now, you can enjoy all-new vintage cars thanks to the cutting-edge technology.
[credit: NYTimes]
