1969 Dodge Daytona Project Car; Project Nuremberg Daytona, Part 9
This is Part 9 of our ongoing story of the Restoration of our 1969 Dodge Nuremberg Daytona Project Car. (Start with Part 1)
Work is now underway on the restoration of the Nuremberg Daytona, but more on that in Part 10. When you get your dream project car, it is best to surround yourself with others who already have been down the same road. With a rare car like the Dodge Daytona, it will probably be difficult to find experts close to your location. The cars are extremely rare and finding people who understand them can be a real challenge. It is your responsibility to read as many books and articles as you can about your type of car and educate yourself. There is no excuse for you to mess something up just because “Joe Blow” told you that is the way it should be. I have had so called experts tell me things about my cars I know are absolute garbage. They might read it on the internet at sites where the information was wrong. Sometimes this is because of a lack of knowledge and sometimes it is just one uninformed individual repeating what some other uniformed individual or article had said. Be a good detective. Always have two sources for your information, and make sure it is correct before you commit.
I have found that car clubs can be one of the very best ways to quickly gain expertise and locate those gurus and shops you will need to help complete your project to your satisfaction. However, never let down your guard, and always beware of the “snake oil” expert. These are the individuals and businesses that prey on people who may not know as much as they should about the product or service they are looking for.
It is very easy when you are looking for a hard to find part to be buffaloed by a snake oil salesperson who claims to have just what you need or even something better. There are also those restoration shops that “in their own mind” can do it all and restore anything….for a price. My simple recommendation is to again rely on the car club members and those they recommend.
Don’t do or purchase anything for your new prized project until you are comfortable that you have done adequate homework and have a sound understanding of what you need and what is best for your car. No matter how many times I do this or how hard I try, it seems I still violate this rule at least once on every project and I am always sorry I did!
As for a Dodge Daytona, I suggest you start with two sources of information and resources and build from there. The first is the Winged Warriors B Body Owners Association. They have an excellent website and monthly newsletter. They serve the entire “B” body Mopar group, not just the winged cars. Their member businesses can provide some excellent technical assistance as well as great products.
The second club is the Daytona Superbird Club. This club has a little less focus on technical and product assistance, but puts on great annual events and has a good newsletter. If you are doing a Daytona or Superbird, I highly encourage you to join one or both organizations. The Daytona Superbird Club also includes the Ford Talladega and Mercury Cyclone Spoiler/Spoiler II cars in its ranks.
My wife and I belong to both and have for years.
The first thought these days is to do a Google Search for what you want to know. YouTube falls into this approach as well. Both can lead you to experts and Forums with lots of answers and videos.
The old school approach also still has value. That is the mark-specific magazines. These are not nearly as common as they once were. Usually, you will find some are more slanted toward the technical or mechanical side while others are more into the aesthetics and overall build side. Purchase a few months off the newsstand before you subscribe. I have rushed into subscribing to several magazines over the years that, based on one issue, seemed perfect, but after a couple of months, I realized there was little information contained in them that related to my project needs. For this build, I have found Chrysler Power and Mopar Collector’s Guide to be very useful.
