When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
That car is being held out as an unrestored original, but I see enough things there to cause me to think otherwise. Maybe it is an unrestored original even with what I see. I'd like to know what others think on this.
Here's what I see with this 79 - I'd bet that the motor has been out of the car, as the heat shield at the firewall is a newer replacement from original. Also, many of the zinc bits appear to have been re-plated. I know it is a low miles car, but I am quite familiar with low miles early models, and some of them are just too shiney in the engine bay, like the intake clamps and the fuel distributor lines. Also, the gasket material that runs along the top edge of each fender in the engine bay is gone, indicating that perhaps the fenders have been off the car and repainted. Also, the amount of work done to the car is extensive, based on the write-up, and it seems to me to go beyond routine maintenance.
So my question is, is this white 79 an unrestored original? A partial restoration? something more? Where is the line drawn? I have had some discussion about this with both Jim and Andrew in the past, but I'd love to hear all thoughts.
Good questions. The term unrestored is subjective. I mean as soon as you replace a dead bulb you have "restored" it to a degree. To my untrained eye I can buy that this car is largely unrestored. Things like the back sides of the floor mats, yellowing of the wiper fluid filler and coolant reservoir, and the bent fins on the radiator tells me this doesn't fall into the "something more" category, since those items probably would've have been refreshed. Also 45K is low 928 miles, but not ultra rare low territory. A good comparison would be with the 6K mile 84 that sold on BaT last September. Looking at the engine bays, the '79 clearly shows its age/mileage compared to the the '84. But at the same time also looks like some of the bits have been re-plated or replaced.
I'd call this an unrestored car, but not completely original. With the exception of a little bit of paint, this car isn't any more original than mine. This would be a shoe in for Preservation Class.
My ‘79 only has a small strip of rubber gasket on the passenger fender just like the two pictures. The headlight bar painted black looks more telling to me. The bar on my car has no paint and looks to have been yellow zinc or cad plated when new like the silver car pictured.
My ‘79 only has a small strip of rubber gasket on the passenger fender just like the two pictures. The headlight bar painted black looks more telling to me. The bar on my car has no paint and looks to have been yellow zinc or cad plated when new like the silver car pictured.
Re read Nate's post Kiwiokie - the one with the black painted headlight bar is a picture from an 84 that Nate showed for comparison purposes. the subject car does show the zinc plated headlight bar, which as you mention, is correct. Also, neither car has a small strip on the passenger fender - that is just the lip of the jump post cover over the edge of the inner fender.
02-05-2018, 01:41 PM
Restored, Unrestored or Partial Restoration
