Overhaulin' - Should I keep my classic car as original as possible or modify it?

Should I keep my classic car as original as possible or modify it?

I have a 1971 Dodge Demon (Slant Six) which is in original condition - no rust, runs decent, original yellow paint (which I hate) is fading a little and black and red interior which has a few rips in the seats. When I bought it I was thinking of modifying it by throwing a 360 in it and tricking her out as much as possible, but now I'm not sure because the fender tags and VIN (which are in good condition) won't match up with what I wanted to do with it. Would that decrease the value if I modify the car against what the tags say? I want to to keep it in my family for a long time and pass it on to my kid. I would really appreciate any suggestions anyone might have.

Public Comments

I would keep the Demon as original as possible. Mods only give value to the one who makes the changes (personal preference value) If you are even remotely considering selling it, you will be more likely to get more for it with it all original. (at least original specs, such as new paint but the original shade) If you want something to play with, get something that is repairable and go to town with it...
you should do what you think is best there are ups and downs to both restoring it to stock will be more expensive but the re sail will be higher.
antic cars sell millions.......you have a good idea, so stick to it.....never make alterations, but make sure you keep it under no radiations likke the sun, and keep polishing the alphostery to keep it from cracking........millions are rolling to your young ones
hmm if u have really gud orignal partz den keep it like dat otherwize do wat u wanna and trick it out!!
You can build that slant 6 to have all kinds of power. We built one a few years back that was turning 450 HP at the rear wheels. There are tons of cams, pistons, cranks, valves, intakes, and other performance options you can do to that motor that will really crank out some power. I say keep her Original as possible. Find a yellow paint that you would like and repaint her. Having a number matching car looks a lot better at auto shows then a car that is not. Even if you are not going for a points show, it's still a good option. Who knows, you'll have it at a show and someone will give you a magic number. That’s what happened with my 66 Coronet and 52 Plymouth. I had no intention on selling either one of the cars. They where complete number matching cars. I was at one show with the Coronet, a guy came up to me and started talking to me about it. I had the build sheet in a frame out side the car so everyone could look at the options. The guy was a collector and offered me 25,000 for it. Since I bought it for 500 and only put 7000 in to it. It was a huge profit. It allowed me to finish the 52 and my falcon. About 3 months later the same guy saw me at another show and picked up my 52 Plymouth for 33,000. Now I'm not saying it always happens. But there is the possibility for it too happen. Keep as much of the documentation as possible. The build sheet for it will be under the rear seat. Pull that out and put it in a safe place. Frame it if you need to. Then you know what was in it and what you need to do to keep it matching. But look in to the performance options for the 6. I think you will not be disappointed.
the value of the all original car is very limited in this case by the slant six drive train. I would go ahead and modify the car there is a growing market for restomod cars. and if you keep it in the family having what you want is more imprtant than resale value. but keep the original engine and parts to preserve the value they can sold w\the car or reinstalled
You would not believe the following of these cars, keep it as original as you can. Dont modify. Dont modify. Dont modify. If you feel compelled to bastardize a Demon, find one that has already been molested and go from there. Or take a Duster and toy with that. Not a Demon. Best of luck to ya.
If you have original paint, faded or not, you've got something rare enough to be worth preserving. If there's anything you can do to improve it without replacing it, you should do it. Anything you do to change the car should be something you can undo. Keep all original parts. As time goes on, almost all classic cars become less and less original, more and more custom. If you have one in good original condition you have something that can never quite be gotten back once its gone.
I would put a 360 in it, just DON'T gut the car. Keep the interior original, or restored to original so it retains the character of the car. Numbers matching is really only important on high end cars like SS Chevelles or RT Chargers. Nobody wants to pay extra for a numbers matching 6. But you might get more attention for having the six at car shows. It will be worth more with a powerful motor in an original appearing car.
the best part of owning a classic is not modifying it to go faster or look better, it's just having one. so, restore the body, repaint it, original color, fix the seat's, original color and style, leave motor as is, u can add big tires and mag wheels, but keep original wheels and tires. that should good enough. the more original the better., plus u could sell it for more as it is, than if u modified it. it's a classic car, treat it as one!
While it is an original car I don't think there are buyers going to pay a premium for a slant six car darts and dusters are the bottom of the heap when it comes to mopar musclecars.While I know the price has been going up I can't tell you how many I've bought for a hundred dollars or less.Recently I've been seeing nice dusters and darts with the slant six for a couple thousand or less while the same car with a built v8 fetches eight to twelve grand.A v8 will add value not take away in this case.360's are cheap if your a little mechanically inclined you can get a mopar performance 360 hp shortblock for small change in the world of high performance costs.Schumacher makes a set of mounts to put it on the slant six k frame and the slant six torsion bars are great for drag racing they allow better weight transfer.Headers are significally cheaper for a small block a body than a big block.It's your car have fun with it thats what the performance and car bug is about.And make sure that if you put a 360 in it to put an 8 3/4 rear end in it .Keep the six original on the side that is your original motor they are prone to puking the number six cylinder rod out the side I've done it to two myself and if you soup it up your only increasing the chance of a non rebuildable blow up.
If you plan to keep the car make it the way you want it. Get rid of the slant six and put your 360 or better yet a 340 in it and if you still want some originality, follow paint schemes etc for the year they did come with v8's you know. I thought you would get a kick out of the webpage below Have fun
I would build it up the way you want it. Im not sure what direction your goin in so I cant really give you advice there. It all depends how you build to judge the value of it. A nicley buildt demon will go much higher than a stock six. If it was a stock 340 that would be diffrent but since it is a six its not worth a whole lot. Plus a car buildt the way you want it is a whole lot funner than a car that you didnt do anything to.
"Anybody can run a blowtorch - but it takes guts to restore a car to original. It takes determination to preserve automotive history, and a genuine love and respect for the past. It takes a willingness to honor all the great automotive pioneers, the engineers, stylists, designers, and even line workers whose hearts and souls went into those early motoring classics. It takes long research and patience to restore a car correctly. And there's no greater feeling than to know you've done it right."
Honestly, a 1971 Demon with The leaning tower of power (slant six) wont bring much money as is, so dont worry about that. I would through a 360 with a 727. Put some new paint on it and new interior. Check out Cardomain to get some ideas. But at the end of the day its up to you. Anybody can restore a car but it takes a real man to cut one up. http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2477373