thinking about trading for a judge clone

[69Rob]

I know im still young and dont have as much experince as alot of yall but when i have a chance to get other rides the way i see it the 10k u willing to place on the car why not place that on the truck and have a even better truck? but like i said im still young

[69trk]

Originally Posted by 67ChevyRedneck

Why are you worried about what it's worth? If it's what you really want why are you already cinsidering selling it?

I've had my truck since 96 but if someone offered me a trade for decent first gen firebird ragtop... bye bye truck...

I didn't say anything about selling it, just considering where the best bang for the buck lies. I've had my truck for 18years i'm not letting it go that easy. Sentamental value is playing a big part in this. It's just that this car came along and it's something that i've always wanted. Mabey i'll just wait and get the house paid off then buy a real gto and clone it into a judge. Just hoping prices don't get to far out of reach by then.

[HomerJ]

This one took me a long time to decide on (as well as to type all of the text below - sorry for the novel).

My vote is to keep the truck. If you really want a Judge (true or clone), I think you can find one closer to true for that kind of money.

I'm lucky enough to have both a 67 SS (clone) Chevelle and a 67 long/fleet. The Chevelle is very slick and has a load of power, with a 454 and several aftermarket goodies. My truck, which is undergoing fountain-of-youth surgery, probably hasn't been eye-appealing for around 38 years. It has a mildly-warmed-up 350. I miss driving my truck SOOOO much!!!! While I truly love driving my car - getting lots of looks and complements and having tire-smoking power - I seriously miss having my truck. As JHOLLEY pointed out, my Chevelle doesn't do well hauling around large household appliances, nor does it like cruising country roads to go fishing, or rolling through the woods while deer hunting.

While my truck hasn't ever had the eye-candy factor on it's side, I have had a lot of guys approach me and ask/talk about my truck - even in it's oxidized, rusty, beat-up condition. They often say that they had a truck like mine when they were younger and they always regret getting rid of it.

If push came to shove (I hope my wife doesn't ever read this), I would let the Chevelle go in favor of the truck.

HomerJ

[67shortie]

Take or leave my opinion, but this is what I would do.

Keep your truck.

Look for a Tempest/GTO that you can buy at a reasonable price that is clean, body, interior etc but with a stock or missing drivetrain and build your car the way you want, and not buy something that is done like that example(very nice, but not the way you really want it sounds like) You can clone it, what ever you want to do with it to personalize it exactly the way you want and still hold posession of the truck. I'm to greedy, I want it all, but I do work hard for what I have. And in the end, I will have no regrets if I felt like I wanted both.


Just my opinion, I did this myself with my truck and it's getting, slowly mind you, where I want it and I still have the Chevelle in the garage too.

[MDC]

I said no. I think you could find a Lemans and clone your own for that kind of scratch. Start talking your wife into letting you have both... as investements.

[71blksuper4x4]

Here is how I view the situation. I would trade the truck for a GTO judge clone as nice as this one is. You don't know how much money a regular Tempest brings these days, let alone a decent clone. I would not have a problem trading straight up the car for the truck because the car is in very nice shape from the pics, not a lot of rust. You have got to ask yourself will you ever find another GTO or Tempest body that is as clean as this one to start out. A body that hasn't seen generations of teenagers and decades of treeshade repairs? This one could definitely be made a hell of a clone with even $5,000. The paint looks good which is a big item these days. You have had your truck for almost 20 years now though, it's up to you if you could let memories go, or make different ones riding around in a GOAT. The way I view the economy though, yes clones might go down a little bit, but I believe that they (muscle cars in general) will always be worth more than our era pickups. There were so many of are pickups made compared to them, and I feel that sometimes they are very underappreciated. Some people just view them as old trucks, nothing exciting compared to the Vibrant colors of the plymouths, the appeal of the Shelby cars, or the power of a chevy big block. There are too many people to keep driving up the price on nostalgic things. Trevor

[FRENCHBLUE72]

Keep the truck...

[Elephanthead]

Well my opinion worth the priced charged, is that the market has peaked on the clones and will dry up, but currently I think it would bring more money at auction then your truck. They are both nice. Obviously I can't tell from pictures condition and if someone really wanted your truck it could sell for allot. Those lemans are good at jumping railroad tracks, I can tell you from exerience! You used to be able to buy them for $1,000 all day long, that is no longer the case.

[kcjones]

Gorgeous truck, nice clone. I've never cared about high options vs. plain jane - I like big power in nice bodies and details taken care of.

I've always wanted a 67 Lemans (yeah, I said it, not a GTO, a Lemans) with a BBC. I'm weird, I guess...but the point I'm trying to make is, don't ever settle. Setting for the clone will not bring you the happiness you want because there'll always be a little piece of you wishing you had done something different.

If it were me, I'd search out the GTO, buy it, put a for sale sign on the truck for like 10k more than it's worth so no one will ever buy it. Then, tell the wife, "see honey, I can't get rid of the truck now, we'd lose too much money. I'll just hold on to it for now until....". She'll stop listening and put you through whatever her standard punishment for being a bad boy is, and then:

You'll have what you really want!

[Bob 68327]

I say hold out for a 69 GTO !!

[69trk]

I wish i could atleast go look at it. It's in woollum kentucky which is 900 miles or so from here.

[tinlid]

Wait a few months and ask him what his asking price is. If he is close, keep track of the clone. With the economy going down the tubes you never know when he will need some fast cash. If you are wanting to trade for the perceived value then you will have a garage queen if you want the money out of it. Drive them into the ground and rebuild again.

[ChevLoRay]

If everything that makes a GTO Judge was on the car, it would still be an imitation. The body style numbers on the firewall tag would always give it away to a knowledgeable person. I have a friend who has the same '67 GTO conveirtible he has had for at least the past 30 years. I found a '66 LeMans convertible with a bad 326/automatic, and he bought it. After swapping in the GTO rear light panel, and everything else he needed to do to it to replicate a '66 GTO, he still had a LeMans convertible. It had a '73 455 with a TH350 in it and everything looked good. He does good work and pays attention to the details. It got a lot of looks and he eventually sold it. But all the buyer got was a GTO wannabe. A nice one.

Same guy wanted a Cobra. So, he found one in Utah. Flew out there and bought it. Had it shipped to AR. It wasn't what he wanted. He had a body, a 427 side-oiler and a top-loader. Finally, he built the body he had, but put in a 428CJ, with the top loader. It was nice, too, but fit/finish on a body that had laid around for years took time to sort out and make nice.

Clones are nice, but unless you are doing a clone of the Hirohata '50 Merc, or the Ala Kart T, you're wasting time and money.....in my opinion.

Keep your truck. It won't go down in value.

[69trk]

I see where all you guys are coming from. I will keep the truck and in 13years my house will be paid off and mabey i can find a descent gto and clone it into a judge. My wife said that she would perfer that i keep the truck also just because she doesn't want to hear me to say (I wish i kept my truck ) all the time. She is probably right. In the mean time i'm looking at smoothing the firewall, getting it painted to match, and installing a aluminum tank under the bed.

[Spray-Bomb]

I wouldnt trade

[67ChevyRedneck]

Originally Posted by Spray-Bomb

I wouldnt trade

...says the guy who already has a '69 Z/28

[67_C-30]

Originally Posted by Longhorn Man

Look into what clones are selling for. They bring stupid money these days. As you pointed out, you'll never be able to afford a real one, in 5 to 10 years, you'll say you can never afford a clone.

X3

As much as I love these trucks, they are MUCH easier to replace than that car, clone or not.

[67_C-30]

Originally Posted by Elephanthead

Well my opinion worth the priced charged, is that the market has peaked on the clones and will dry up, but currently I think it would bring more money at auction then your truck. They are both nice. Obviously I can't tell from pictures condition and if someone really wanted your truck it could sell for allot. Those lemans are good at jumping railroad tracks, I can tell you from exerience! You used to be able to buy them for $1,000 all day long, that is no longer the case.

I disagree. With every passing year those cars are getting harder and harder to find, no matter the year or condition. Clones have steadlily climbed for years now, and when the ecomony bounces back, they will still continue to climn just like the originals. With prices of originals becoming astronomical, clones are only going to get higher. A regular working Joe can't even afford a very nice 1st gen Camaro clone these days, let alone an original.

[67_C-30]

P.S. It is worth noting that the hood, fenders, radiator support and bumper, grill inserts, and lower valance on a '70 GTO are totally different than a '70 Lemans. Only the hood will interchange, and Lemans didn't come with RA hood. With that being said, the front clip of that car would cost at least $2500 to replace, so building a GTO out of a Lemans is not as simple as most clones. Just thought I'd throw that out for the people that thinks making a '70 GTO clone is as simple as putting a RA hood, rear wing and endura bumper on a '70 Lemans. Its a lot more involved and a lot more expensive. The point I'm making it is that car is a lot more than a Lemans with a paintjob.

1968SWBBigBlock is correct, BTW that the rear bumpe is not correct., It is not correct, and should be chrome. No one reproduces it yet, and they cost about $500 to have chromed correctly. I have one right here in my computer room that I had done for my '71 GT-37.

[ksjh1316]

First let me start out that is a sweet truck. But given the options I would probably trade as the market on these cars is retarted and will get worse once the economy gets back on track. If you have always wanted a GTO/Clone go for it it may be the one you kick yourself for the next 10 years about. All that said I am not you and even though I am currently at a Holiday Inn Express my judgement reflects what I would do. These trucks are still a good buy and a clean one can be had pretty cheap.

[69chevytruckin]

No dont trade it and if i would it would not be for that year i like the more square body i think it is the 67-68 years.

[Homeboy]

Here is another one, (not mine) in Ardmore, Ok. Looks nice and about $6,500.00 cheaper. I found a bunch of them in about 5 minutes with Google.

http://www.oldride.com/classic_cars/530508.html

[69trk]

Originally Posted by Homeboy

Here is another one, (not mine) in Ardmore, Ok. Looks nice and about $6,500.00 cheaper. I found a bunch of them in about 5 minutes with Google.

http://www.oldride.com/classic_cars/530508.html

I checked on that one yesterday and it sold two days ago.

[hotrod 80]

I say trade the truck for the "tribute" car. The only way I would not make the swap is if the car had problems that the pictures don't show and you can accept the 350 and be happy with it or your memeries in the truck are too great to let go of . I would put a posi in the pegger and fix the air . Your really not gonna drive this car like we did back then , so a 400 or 455 is not a necessity and most (95%) of the people that see it out and about will never catch that it's a tribute . Just my take on it . Might fish around for a better deal , but these cars are just like land , they ain't makin' no more of them . Jusy my opinion .

[special-K]

It`s not a Judge clone.It`s a Judge paint job clone.You`d spend more than what that paint job cost making it a clone.It`s already too high priced as it is,so if you put all that into it...no way,you`ll never make out.I`m prejudice,I`d rather have the performance than the look.I would not like driving what looks to be hot,but has average performance.
Your truck is just how you wanted it,right? Don`t take that for granted.I know I`ve done that.

This is a no-brainer.Find a way to convince your wife it`s a good idea to have both. Seriously!!