cloning a tempest

I have a 70 tempest (original but rebuilt 350, rust free and straight body, all original bumpers with new interior and paint). I would like to clone this baby into a GTO. The idea was suggested to me by a member of this forum. However, I have been receiving conflicting information on the whole idea of cloning. I've been told that this action "devalues" the car on the "con" side and the "pro" side tells me that it will only INCREASE the value. Being new to the pontiac muscle car scene and a female "gearhead" to boot; I could really use the input here. Thanks so much.

You will get that conflicting information on cloning. Some GTO owners frown on it because of the concern that down the road, the clone will be sold as an authentic, taking advantage of someone that doesn't know any different....and that does happen. I have also heard some say that it only decreases the value of their GTO, because there is "one more out there" to represent GTOs.

IMO....clone it. In fact....clone a Judge, but never-ever misrepresent it. If this is your affordable way to get the car you dream of...then make it happen. Sometime down the road when you sell it, make sure the buyer knows it is a clone.

I also think that even a GTO or Judge clone will bring more than a Lemans will as this is also others ways of affording "A GTO" and more of a Lemans price.

Have fun!

hey whats wrong with a LEMANS ? They are getting few and far between.

as for cloning, let me tell you a story.

about 10 years ago a freind of mine bought a 69 lemans. he needed some parts. i had a old judge hood and sold it to him. he painted it like the judge
bLUE with stripes. ok now you have a lemans with a fake judge badge.

anyway he went to the service and left the car at his dads farm.

after a few years of sitting his dad got sick and tired of it just taking up
space and dragged it out to the road and sold it as is.

two guys got it and thought it was a judge with the wrong color. every body
thinks that if it is a judge than it should be orange. after painting it orange
and trying to sell it as a oringinal judge they found a car dealer that gave them a bunch of money for it. he sold it again as the judge, and i am sure he knew better. anyway the car was driven hard and the new owner
blew the engine. the dealer got it back and another car buyer got it and
looking at the paint number had it fixed and painted it back to the oringnal
blue on the plate. he sold it to a kid and he finally wrecked it.

MY POINT IS THAT PEOPLE DONT CARE THAT IT IS ORINGNAL ALL THEY CARE ABOUT IT IS TO MAKE MONEY. LOOK AT WHAT HAPPED TO A CAR THAT
STARTED OUT AS A 1969 LEMANS. NOT EVEN A GTO LET A LOAN A JUDGE.

I FOLLOW THIS CAR BECAUSE I NEEDED THE ORINGNAL HOOD THAT I SOLD.

SO PLEASE DONT MAKE ANYMORE GTOS OR JUDGES THERE ARE ENOUGH
OUT THERE.

It is your car, do what you want to do. You see on TV all the time about
people pimping rides or overhauling peoples rides. It don't matter what
it looks like, it is still what it is. Do it your way. If you ever want to sell it
make it known what it truly is but it want make any difference if the person
really likes the car.
Don

Marv - That may have been the case some time ago, but the GTO buyers have wised up, now that they are becoming more valuable. I would venture to say that anyone that is in the market for a GTO is doing their homework and is learning how to tell what it is that they are buying.

There are many stories of the past just like you tell, but I have not heard of this happening for a long time. The internet is a wonderful thing!

Like I said, and like Don said...do what you want, make it what you want...it is yours. Just be honest about it.

Hey guys...........

I didn't mean to open a can of worms, here. I knew I was going to get alot of different opinions. SO...............now I have ANOTHER question...


What about the rarity of Tempests. I was watching the Discovery channel the other night and the producers in Hollywood were saying that it is getting harder and harder to find complete Tempests, LeMans, Camaro Sports and Nova Sports. Everything has been cloned into something else.

IS THIS TRUE?!

YES YES YES YES YES YOU ARE ON THE RIGHT TRACK.

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH A NICE CAR THAT IS NOT A GTO OR WHAT EVER.

kath...no worms opened...this is a forum, and we are all talking cars..I appreciate and respect Marv'se opinion, and I would bet he does the same. There is a lot of truth to what you watched....it is getting harder and harder to find any old cars that havn't been hacked or altered....