To Kit or Not to Kit?

In a perfect muscle car restoration world, there would be no kit cars. Everything would be all original and every enthusiast would drive their dream with pride; elbow jutting out the window and sunglasses blocking the glare of a sun drenched open road.

Unfortunately for car lovers, not everyone has the cash to pull that off, and not every restoration is bound for Barrett-Jackson big bucks. When the question to kit or not to kit comes up, you simply have to do the math and determine what is realistic in your financial world and what other resources are available to you. If all original isn't affordable or tracking down the parts is downright impossible—kit it. We won't tell.

Here are a few of the most popular models for kit rebuilds:

1969 Chevy Camaro

Kits for this legendary vehicle are readily available in a variety of stages, all the way from bits and pieces to fully assembled. Please don't shell out the cash for a fully assembled kit, you will break our muscle car lov'n hearts—it’s truly not necessary.

1968 Ford "Eleanor" Mustang

If you don't like it, blame Nicolas Cage. The fact of the matter is this kit is popular all across the globe. If you have the engine and the frame, the body essentials will only run you about 8k. If you want the whole shebang, expect to spend upwards from 40k.

Early Sixties Corvettes

The early Corvettes are undeniably gorgeous and extremely popular. Deep down, we hope you don’t do this, but if you want to be a miser, kits that fit onto the frame of a Fiero or Miata are available. But come on, you'll always know that you’re sitting on an itty bitty Mazda. Realistic kits cost 20k plus, but with them comes pride.

Click through to learn more about our muscle car restoration services. 

image: stang-aholics.com