Reproduction or polished/rechromed

[Mark Todorovich]

My 56 speedster is coming along. Body is getting close to paint. We are starting to test fit trim , deco etc. the car was beat and stripped when I got it 40 years ago. Through the old talk list ,samba. ,and this site I have picked up lots of original pieces. Some have been rechromed ,door openers and dash pull. I have decent bumper and below door decos. Is it worth it to try to get those polished and cleaned up ?
I know the quality of reproductions have really gone up. Should I just buy those?
I guess I am looking for advice on how to maximize value as I probably won't keep it long term as I couldn't give up having 69 T and cab? As drivers. The 52 is my wife's and she might get rid of me before it.
Thanks
Mark

[Jim Nelson]

There’s nothing better than original items. My own decos were , I thought, too beat up but the polisher saved it all, and then clear coated them. They look great, and most importantly, they fit. If you can save them, try it, you’ll be surprised at what can be done .

[Sean M Rooks]

Mark congrats on owning an incredible car and bringing it back to glory.

What are your plans for the car when it's finished? If you're hoping to win at a competitive 356 concours, you may want to retain as many original parts as possible. There's a whole thread on the Authenticity forum on detecting differences between repro parts and original: viewtopic.php?f=13&t=25300

An interesting read if you're into that kind of thing. I have an Outlaw so it's less important for me.