So it boils down to this... the root of all evil is money.
By that - I would say that it's "cheaper" to buy a whole body from Dynacorn over paying "labor" here to replace all the rotten panels... and that is where the choice is made. People - everyone - wants to save some money - to either build a bigger motor - or whatever... so everyone justifies in their own mind what ever it is they're doing.
I'll carry this a bit forward. I used to have a local speed shop here. The guys knew everything - and I could go there and get advice - service - and feel comfortable making a purchase. However... my buddies would go there - get the advice and then rush home and order on line. This used to really really pizz me off - because I kept telling them "you do that and you won't have anywhere to go get your "free" advice"! Well guess what - the guy had to close up.
There is more to the cost of business than just the hourly labor rate you're paying to fix your original body... you're covering the rent, taxes, investment in tools, shop truck, healthcare costs... etc. So that labor rate is also paying somebodies mortgage (the guys actually doing the work)... or maybe several!?
You buy a Dynacorn body or some other overseas parts - you're paying the mortgage on someones house in Korea - or China - or wherever. I'd just as soon pay my neighbors rent over some dude in Chinas. And I'd really like to have Ironworks and Fessler and Bent Fab etc right here - so I can have them around if and when I need them!
By the way - someone commented about not using up all the original bodies... Are you kidding me - they made a quarter of a million 69 Camaros -- and that many '68's too! We're a long way from using them up -- and I think they've been SAVED rather than used up.... we've saved them from rotting away in someones backyard.
Here's the build info by year:
Official Chevrolet production records show a total of 220,906 Camaros built in 1967; 235,147 Camaros built in 1968; and 243,085 Camaros built in the last year of the first generation, 1969.