I bounced a check.

[CG]

Chip Foose Tbird

https://www.chipfoose.com/speedbird/

[Killer Bee]

while I admire and respect his talent, I cringe everytime I see him hack a perfectly solid, complete classic with his 'artistic touch'

much rather he made those modifications to vehicles that were damaged, rusted, or otherwise already unoriginal and leave the well preserved ones alone

[LT7A]

Originally Posted by Killer Bee

while I admire and respect his talent, I cringe everytime I see him hack a perfectly solid, complete classic with his 'artistic touch'

much rather he made those modifications to vehicles that were damaged, rusted, or otherwise already unoriginal and leave the well preserved ones alone

Fortunately, in this case, Ford gave him one to mess with and it was the new model. But I think the same thing almost every time I see one of his projects based on an early vehicle. In fact I commented on one of his videos on YouTube when he put his touches on a 69 Camaro. I noted that you can buy a brand new 69 Camaro body, so why cut up an original? I know that some people probably think it's silly to care about that, and people can do what they want with what they own, but when you've been in the hobby long enough to watch old cool cars go from common to scarce, you think about such things.

[LONGHAIR]

I know what you mean about original cars/trucks and saving them. I have been around (and into cars) long enough to see a "new model" go from being fresh to the market to becoming eligible for "historical vehicle" license plates.
When I was a kid, my grandfather drove a white '72 C/10 and I remember when the "new" model came along. Those are the ones we came to know as squarebody. The next big change was '88, for the pick-ups at least. Those are even considered historical now?

Yes, you can buy a brand new GM approved body for a '69 Camaro, and for a guy like Foose (and others) this is probably the best way to go. They are going to modify so much that a good core is all they need anyway. They don't care if the engine is shot, what size it is, or if it is even still there. They don't care if it had drum brakes, A/C, power steering, etc. So one of those Dynacorn bodies is great to start fresh without even chasing electrical gremlins of a 50 year old car.
The place where it does matter is when I guy is looking for a legit SS big block car, or some other unique thing that one of the replicas can never be. Those should be preserved because so many have been wrecked or otherwise destroyed over the years.

The only down-side I can see to a replacement body car is that it can never be titled (at least in Ohio) as what it looks like. Meaning, it becomes a "self assembled" vehicle if whatever year you complete it. You can call it whatever you want, and people will believe you because that's what it looks like, but legally (on the title) it will not say that.
That may or may not have an effect on it's value. It is not "real", but it is also not 52 years worth of corroded/worn/crusty or had tons of money dropped into it, bringing it back from that point.
I could see the up-side of either

My motorcycle is a case in point. It is a Harley clone that I built and titled myself from parts that I collected (or made) over a 3 year period. There is nothing real HD about it, except for the fork from an FXR. It is titled as a '99 ASVE (ASsembled VEhicle) with it's own 17 digit serial number. The frame number and engine case number are noted as the proper parts for this bike as part of that serial number.