to clone or not to clone
- Thread starter BOOSTD1
- Start date
GNX 233 485
Member
- Joined
- Jan 11, 2006
Do it right
I would leave it alone, has alot of value as an original 54K car. If you do go ahead and clone it, make sure it is done correct. Use all original parts and try and do everything. I love when people say "clone" and all they have are fender vents and wheel flares.
I would leave it alone, has alot of value as an original 54K car. If you do go ahead and clone it, make sure it is done correct. Use all original parts and try and do everything. I love when people say "clone" and all they have are fender vents and wheel flares.
+1......
I do like the flares and the vents, If I ever did it I would not consider it a clone
turbo6mike
Mike Ruminski
- Joined
- Sep 6, 2004
I think your gn will be worth more as original gn than clone.Dont do it!!!!!!But its your car and if thats what you really want then do it.
GNBRETT
Pelennor Fields
- Joined
- Feb 8, 2004
X2
X3 Leave it alone. Unless you planning on obtaining a "Real" GNX ASC dash (good luck finding one but Brian at G-Body has or had one cause I sold it to him. Might be sold tho. It was a while ago) and doing the correct fender flares, turbo cover, Correct wheels with the right spacing, etc.... then I guess that would be preety kool project.
TURBOPOWERED68
David
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2006
To clone an X would be real cool
i am going to clone a '87 Limited Flat hood and all out of my '87 T :biggrin:
i am going to clone a '87 Limited Flat hood and all out of my '87 T :biggrin:
Just trade your car for mine and you don't have to do any work!! It's all done for you!!
I would not clone the GN. It will decrease the value of the car. If you really want to clone a GNX, I'd go out and get a Turbo-T to start with. Unfortunately, they are no where near the value of a comparable GN (WE4's excluded). I think that will remain true for the forseable future.
I'd look into MENTL231's offer. It ain't cheap getting real GNX parts these days.
My Vote: Don't Clone (and why...)
Watched this thread for a while, let me offer my thoughts for whatever they're worth...:smile:
Of course we all know there were some 20,000 GN's produced in the final year (versus 547 X's). So one would think that cloning a GN (i.e. losing/modding an original one) is no big deal, right?
Nope. Let me tell you why I disagree-- despite the higher production figures, those GN's are really starting to climb in price on their own and the following of fans and collectors is only going to grow in the future. These are great cars and you're seeing fewer every year (though the survival curve will start to invert soon, I'm sure)!
Bear with me while I offer you a simple comparison-- let's consider a Hemicuda (the X) versus a 440 Six Pack Cuda (the GN). Both are quite desirable, perform very well, but one's worth more than the other, of course.
BUT-- Who in their right mind would alter or chew up a genuine 440+6 Cuda just to make a Hemi clone? And that clone would actually have less value than an original 440+6 car (this is objectively provable). It's the same with our cars-- despite the fact that most of these changes are bolt-on (except cutting the front fenders, some artifacts of wheel flare installation, cutting up / rewiring the dash innards, etc.), the cloned GNX's (with changed out suspension, altered trunk tags in some cases, etc.) are worth LESS to most collectors than an original GN in the same condition. I believe this will be even more true in the future. Plus, most people don't even attempt to go the final mile and do the real dash with the proper gauges (or can't afford the money, time, engineering degree, headaches, etc. to get it right). Or maybe they give up and throw in a set of VDO's instead. Same situation with the suspensions (though you indicated you have one already).
So what happens? Most will end up with an incomplete, half-a$$ed hybrid orphan clone that'd have been better left as it was born. This is the worst of all worlds, but an all too common scenario that has befallen some of these great cars-- ones that still stand tall after 20 years.
So if you want to truly clone an X, go all the way but do like they do with the Slant 6 and 318 Mopars (in our world, consider the challenge of grandma's NA V6 or 307 Regal instead) and do the X thing to one of THOSE if you must.
Just don't chew up a real, genuine GN (or Regal Turbo, which is even rarer) to do it!
Doug
Watched this thread for a while, let me offer my thoughts for whatever they're worth...:smile:
Of course we all know there were some 20,000 GN's produced in the final year (versus 547 X's). So one would think that cloning a GN (i.e. losing/modding an original one) is no big deal, right?
Nope. Let me tell you why I disagree-- despite the higher production figures, those GN's are really starting to climb in price on their own and the following of fans and collectors is only going to grow in the future. These are great cars and you're seeing fewer every year (though the survival curve will start to invert soon, I'm sure)!
Bear with me while I offer you a simple comparison-- let's consider a Hemicuda (the X) versus a 440 Six Pack Cuda (the GN). Both are quite desirable, perform very well, but one's worth more than the other, of course.
BUT-- Who in their right mind would alter or chew up a genuine 440+6 Cuda just to make a Hemi clone? And that clone would actually have less value than an original 440+6 car (this is objectively provable). It's the same with our cars-- despite the fact that most of these changes are bolt-on (except cutting the front fenders, some artifacts of wheel flare installation, cutting up / rewiring the dash innards, etc.), the cloned GNX's (with changed out suspension, altered trunk tags in some cases, etc.) are worth LESS to most collectors than an original GN in the same condition. I believe this will be even more true in the future. Plus, most people don't even attempt to go the final mile and do the real dash with the proper gauges (or can't afford the money, time, engineering degree, headaches, etc. to get it right). Or maybe they give up and throw in a set of VDO's instead. Same situation with the suspensions (though you indicated you have one already).
So what happens? Most will end up with an incomplete, half-a$$ed hybrid orphan clone that'd have been better left as it was born. This is the worst of all worlds, but an all too common scenario that has befallen some of these great cars-- ones that still stand tall after 20 years.
So if you want to truly clone an X, go all the way but do like they do with the Slant 6 and 318 Mopars (in our world, consider the challenge of grandma's NA V6 or 307 Regal instead) and do the X thing to one of THOSE if you must.
Just don't chew up a real, genuine GN (or Regal Turbo, which is even rarer) to do it!
Doug
NASSTY
Active Member
- Joined
- Sep 27, 2002
I made my clone from an 85 GN that I did an 87 conversion to.In my case I think I increased the value of the car.I won't live long enough to see hot air GNs going for big $$$.
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lonestar50th
New Member
- Joined
- Dec 15, 2005
Well said and I couldn't agree more! There's only one REAL term for clones, recreations and tributes -- FAKE. I worry about what unscrupulous individuals will do, not now but in the future when these cars are resold. Will they represent them as the FAKES they are? I'm very disappointed that the Kirbans have chosen to sell GNX numbered dash plaques--thought they had more respect for the hobby. I've seen all components needed to create these fakes (including reproduction ASC door and cowl decals) advertised on eBay and in Hemmings. Disappointing.
