Hot Rods Have You Ever Hated a Car by the Time You Were Finished?

Yep. '55 Chevy which was my last build in the '90's. Ton of time and a boatload of money in it. Put 600 miles on it over 2 years and dumped it. Decided I liked junk and playing with parts more. Never looked back.
Edited this to include all the parts or project cars over the last 20 years. The hunt is the exciting thing and I can envision the final results as I'm making the deal.
Halfway home the thrill is gone and I know I'll never finish it and by the time I get home I just want it off the trailer and out of my life.

 

Yup, my 'mistake' involved a 1978 Monte Carlo ( I know, I know, it's a late model, but the same feelings of disillusionment STILL apply, so please allow me some leeway). I thought I could turn a relatively overlooked car into a surprising sleeper, but after adding a built 350, stout TH400, Grand National rear end and the biggest, stickyist, set of rear tires that would fit under the car, I found myself driving a car with all the cheap, plastic crap interior of a late '70s GM econo car that wouldn't hook up. Rather than continue to invest in 'improving' the interior and paint on this potential money pit, I decided to bail on late model cars and put my time, money, and effort into street rods...and never looked back (forward?).

 

Yes a C3 Corvette was the car I wish I had never seen. The fit and finish on the early models looked like a class of 3rd graders put it together at the factory. Never again will one darken my driveway……..

 

My wife CLAIMS I've never finished a thing in my life!

 

The only decent C3's are gutted out race cars.
Even then they are "Ill handling pigs" that need a lot of engineering to correct the design quirks.

 

Mine too. I've also never made a good decision in my life. She seems to forget I chose to marry her.

 

Thus the nickname, "Plastic Pig".

 

Didn't Smokey call them the "Tuxedo Tiger" just to piss off Zora Arkus Dummkopf

 

I never really hated them, but as others have said the skills or tools required in moving forward were not within myself or my shop. I farmed those out and between procrastination and capitol I moved them on. I did accomplish getting a few to the finish line too...not ground-ups mind you just engine, transmission swaps and other details in getting things roadworthy...I will say some were a lot of fun once roadworthy but a couple were almost against me having a good time and lady luck was not on my side with them. Again they were moved on and sometimes I wonder where they are now as many were collectible. One A Coupe ended up with one @Fitnessguy and I'm very happy that he took it on...you know the saying ones loss is an other's gain...he mowed on right past my shortcomings and made a Hotrod out of it...

 

Only the ones I didn't finish.

 

I had this 39 Plymouth business coupe. I loved that body style, and this one had one of the best bodies of any I've ever built. That car would not cooperate with anything I tried to do with it, I can't think of anything that went right. The car drove horribly and the 3rd complete brake system was still wrong. I've installed disc brakes on everything I've built, but this one just didn't work, the brakes always sucked. After 2 years of fighting it, someone wanted it WAY more then I did, and it became his problem. That guy made the car look real pretty, but the last I heard, he was redoing the brake system again (as in his 2nd time).
Looking back, I sold off a pretty nice truck that needed a motor refresh (160K miles) to buy the Plymouth coupe. I should have kept the truck and built a new motor for it. When that 39 left, the money rebuilt my work truck, and gave me seed money for my 48 Plymouth business coupe. The 48 was (and still is) one of the best hot rods I've had. Everything I did with it turned out great. The 39 Plymouth business coupe a few days before it became the next guy's problem.

 

I have hated various production cars I've worked on, and the engineers responsible for them.
I have disliked various small things on projects, stuff that wouldn't respond as expected or were more of a fight than it should have been.
Current project has things I want to replace/repair, but it's a very simple and accessible design, which is what I'm capable of dealing with now. As low buck garage says, "If it's not fun, you aren't doing it right".

 

I don't hate it, I just don't want to work on it any longer. Maybe somebody else would...

 

YES!

Dave

 

I'm probably drifting off the intent of the opening post.......
but I could probably make a long list of other people's "finished" cars that I hate pretty much at first glance.
But I've never been paid a dime for any of my critical opinions. I am not a professional. But I did judge a barbecue cookoff one time.

 

Vicki would cut your nuts off!

 

I'm gettin there

 

Oh yeah

 

You're probably right Rocky! Thanks God it runs and drives awesome. Driven it to the Black Hills SD, Texas, Oklahoma, several other places.

 

thanks @themoose

Hello,

When my brother told me he wanted us to build a Model A Coupe as a hot rod/drag race coupe, I was flabbergasted. He already had his cool looking yellow 51 Oldsmobile sedan and I could not decide why he wanted to get into another hot rod build. He had been saving up ever since he bought the Oldsmobile sedan, so now he wanted another adventure.

But, when our friend came over for a vist in his 1934 Ford 5 window coupe with a big, cool sounding Oldsmobile motor… the reason was sitting in our driveway. A fast coupe to be able to keep up with and perhaps race against his friend. The 1934 Ford with the Oldsmobile motor was already racing in the
A/Gas Class and had won several trophies.

So, within weeks, I showed him a Model A Coupe sitting under a canvas tarp in the next neighborhood over and we went to look at it. He instantly bought it and now we were partners on our next hot rod adventure. We towed it home and started to get it to run. All of the replacement stuff, new oil, sparkplugs, wiring, gas, belts and other little things actually made the 4 cylinder motor start. Now, we were cruising down the street.

I envisioned me driving the model a coupe in its current state. A moving car and my brother already had his own teenage car. But, back in my mind, it was going to be his car for daily driving and racing. Oh boy, then I would get his 51 Oldsmobile sedan as my first car.

Jnaki

As it worked out, within several weeks prior to the start of the engine tear out and replacement of the transmission and new motor, the Model A Coupe disappeared. One day I came home from school and it was gone.

All of my visions of the future teenage car driving era closed and now I was stuck back where I was before we got the coupe running with the stock motor. I learned that my brother had recently painted his yellow Oldsmobile sedan and was going to sell it to his friend down the street. But, wait, now he would not have a car!!!

Within a week, a new black 58 chevy Impala was sitting in the driveway and a smiling brother was proud of HIS decision. Wait… where is the model a coupe and the 51 Oldsmobile sedan?

As a young teen with future dreams strongly implicated in his teeny brain, what was I going to do, now? It was a moment in time that I actually disliked the model a coupe I drove last month around the block. I was the caretaker and auto detailer for the 51 olds since 1956 when it arrived in our driveway.

So, a strong dislike was starting about the whole situation at our house. My favorite cars disappeared, so what was I going to do, now? The build up was strong, until my brother got me involved in his 58 Impala as the new assistant mechanic and detailer as we started our Lion’s Dragstrip adventure. Over time, the hatred for the model a coupe and 51 Oldsmobile sedan waned and then the flathead sedan delivery era arrived and it had claims on my life like no other. YRMV

Note:

I was away from home, at the beach more than most teenagers. We still cruised and raced, but now, the implications from the low key surf lifestyle was taking over and those old beginning hot rod escapades were a fading memory.

Now, it was recovery time for my brother and I was the new owner of the 58 Impala. We had raced it , cruised it and took many trips all over So Cal, from the ocean to the mountains and deserts. So, it was not a garage queen. I spent my free time detailing both cars, my flathead sedan delivery and the 58 Impala. The Impala had its own place in the larger two car garage, so it stayed relatively clean.

I saved up enough money to get some chrome Buick Skylark Wire Wheels in a set of 5. They were coming off of a stock Skylark that was going with the new American Mags with 5 spoke rims and a new look. I had to get the hubs and axles redrilled to the Buick bolt pattern. Once that was done, the shaved new tires and spoked wheels made the Impala look pretty good. It was still fast with the modifications to the motor and a C&O Stick Hydro.
thanks, again @themoose
The flathead had to sit outside through every bit of weather and needed a spray off with the nearby spray booth to keep it clean. But, as we left high school and I got a dinky apartment, I had to park the 58 Impala out side on the street.

So, in the middle of the late night, someone or some folks, stole the Impala from in front of my dinky apartment. Since the small apartment was in the far back portion of the property, we could not hear a thing as far as road noise or any unusual sounds. I had wedged in the Impala behind the neighbor’s car in front and my friend parked his car close to the rear bumper to add to the security measures.

But, by the time several other friends came over for a visit, they asked if I was in the apartment. Why? Since the Impala was not parked on the street, they thought I was gone. As I came out of the other room, We were now, all surprised. We immediately went to the street and the blank space was staring back at all of us. No broken glass and no scratches to the front or rear cars parked. It was just the Impala was missing.

Now, a call was made to the local police and we spent the next three hours driving around the “hot” spots in our cruising area. After two hours, we found the Impala sitting in a dark area of a community parking lot, behind some bushes. It was neatly sitting on milk crates and the 4 tires were missing. The old black custom tachometer was also missing and the wires dangling on the dash. But, the odd thing was. Not a scratch on the whole Impala inside or outside. The 4 Buick Skylark Wire Wheels were just gone.

The Impala was towed to a police impound yard and the next day I had 4 new tires and new Buick black steel rims ready to go, so I could drive it home. The idiots forgot to open the trunk to get at the last Skylark Wire Wheel being used as a spare tire. Who says thieves aren’t dumb? But, that incident ground into my brain and the search was on for a new car. Luckily I was ready to head off to college, so I sold the Impala to a friend and a new red 1965 El Camino was my car of choice… YRMV

 

I bought a 'glass 33 Willys with an aftermarket chassis. Spent a lot of money on it buying front suspension components and modifying them to work with the narrow Willys, bought nice wheels and a custom Moser rearend and fabricated triangular 4-bar rear suspension and made it a roller but couldn't get myself to really follow through with building it. I didn't look at it enough before I bought it, but when I got it home I came to realize it was a 10" "stretch" body....about 6" longer in the hood and 4" longer in the doors. The 'glass body was done very well but it not being a 100" wheelbase '33 Willys I just couldn't fall it love with it. Sold it at a significant loss and never looked back.

Lynn

 

Built plenty of cars over the years but think I am starting to hate my latest "adventure" Bought a car from a life long friend that he had abandoned and never going to finish. Promised him years ago to buy it if he decided to sell it. It sat in storage for over 28 years and thought it was an easy build. The deeper I get the more work I find it needs and we all know where prices have gone. Taking real effort to muster the ambition at this point.

 

Yes! Years ago (1975) I built my '34 Plymouth coupe - all original body, fenders & frame. All it took to make it a hot rod was to modify what was already there for the new engine, trans, brakes, wiring, etc and put it back together. I still have it.
Moving forward, I decided to build a '33 roadster using all "quality" brand name aftermarket parts. NOTHING fits with anything else, even from the same vendor. Everything is a hassle to get mounted, aligned, and in sync with the rest of the parts. Chassis parts from the same manufacturer didn't fit, brake kits had the wrong adapters shipped with them, running board brackets don't fit the frame or the running boards, the gas tank cover is at least 2" too narrow, the rear spreader bar is 1/8" too wide, the hood brackets don't fit on the radiator, every big name piece of sheet metal parts (fender ties, fender brackets, headlight stands, etc) have to be modified extensively just to install them, etc. I wasn't expecting all of that. Modifications to install the steering column, seats, gauges, engine & trans - yes, those were expected. But all the problems just to get "high quality, OEM replacement grade parts" to fit together was not expected or part of the plan. Yes, I am getting to hate the car.

 

I don’t think I ever ‘hated’ any of my projects but fighting burnout was definitely a challenge on my ‘35. The progress seemed to go quick and easy in the beginning, then turned into a sloooooow burn of night after night of the same: conceptualize/design/cut/weld/grind/weld (again)/get pissed because it’s not ‘perfect’, annnnd repeat. Some day’s I was happy if I just got 1 hole drilled and tapped for a necessary use. I had to keep telling myself, even if I only get 1 step closer each time I go to the garage, eventually there won’t be any more steps.
Now that I’m driving my truck, it was 1000% worth it.

 

Yes, and this is why its important to have more than one.

 

I hear you!

 

Growing up I always loved C3s... what a cool looking car- now I've worked on a few... things are built like kit cars. Junk!!

 

I've been working on the same jag for 20 years. I know she's a dirty broke down hooker but she's beautiful. I'll work on it for a week,drive for a hour,work,drive,work drive till I give up and park it for some time.
Been that way for 20 years.

 

Those drive nice, had a 59 352 300hp... sweet ride.

 

I sure hope not.
But I hear ya.
I'll let you know.