Featured Technical The Psychology of People Who Restore Classic Cars

Fellas, this is us.

 

WOW!

 

Saw that but haven’t watched it. Haha!

 

While I have never done a nut and bolt restoration like many on here, I do understand the concept. I can work thru many of the processes, but my mental make-up is such that I tend to lose interest and focus easily. I have restored some furniture and done house rehabs, so I guess that is somewhat the same. Kudos to All that Reuse instead of buying new, no matter what it is!

 

not so much.....
I don't want it so nice that I won't drive it (on dirt roads) or be afraid to park it unattended in a hotel parking lot overnight
....

 

Very true.

 

Yes, it is!

 

Great video. yep that’s us.
That’s exactly why I spent a lifetime in antiques of all kinds. And was even crazy enough to invest on a 150 year old house.

I post this here on occasion…..
I grew up in the 50s with practical parents. A mother, God love Her, who washed aluminum foil after she cooked in it, then reused it. She was the original recycle queen, before they had a name for it... A father who was happier getting old shoes fixed than buying new ones. Their marriage was good, their dreams focused. Their best friends Lived barely a wave away. I can see them now, Dad in trousers, tee shirt and a hat and Mom in a house dress, lawn mower in one hand, and dish-towel in the other. It was the time for fixing things. A curtain rod, the kitchen radio, screen door, the oven door, the hem in a dress. Things we keep.
It was a way of life, and sometimes it made me crazy. All that re-fixing, eating, renewing. I wanted just once to be wasteful. Waste meant affluence. Throwing things away meant you knew there'd always be more.

But then my mother died, and on that summer's night, in the warmth of the hospital room, I was struck with the pain of learning that sometimes there isn't any more.
Sometimes, what we care about most gets all used up and goes away...never to return. So... while we have it... its best we love it.... and care for it... and fix it when it's broken...... and heal it when it's sick.

This is true. for marriage..... and old cars.... and children with bad report cards..... and dogs with bad hips.... and aging parents....and grandparents.

We keep them because they are worth it, because we are worth it. Some things we keep. Like a best friend that moved away or a cl***mate we grew up with. There are just some things that make life important, like people we know who are special..... and so, we keep them close!

 

Saw that on the Vintage Ford forum and it was created with AI and made in ****stan

 

Yeah, I saw it when it was posted a day or two ago. AI slop saying nice stuff to keep you watching and engaged. Got a couple minutes in and felt the cringe.
Now there are a bunch of others jamming up my Recommended.
If you require validation, try the mirror first.

 

What is the Psychology of people who strip a car down to a huge pile of parts then walk away, leave laying in a mud field for 20- 30-40 years then put the pile of rusted junk on fakespook market place , "ran when parked", for $25k-$100k

 

I agree, I need that feeling of accomplishment, knowing you did something special. That thought drives me in anything I do, I have done from childhood forward I felt this way, building models, a mess in the beginning, got pretty good with time. Thinking my parents were a big help in this area, always encouraged me in any interest I had. There are traits that make us different. I was an entrepreneur very early, took my wagon and collected milk bottles, cut gr***, shoveled snow, and had a paper route. Successful in all my jobs, " Work hard, do that little extra and you will be recognized " I do not remember where I got this, Best advice ever, I was successful in all my jobs, used that thought in my business. Best advice from a mentor, "You can be the best shop, But you have figure out how to make money, no money, no shop" Serving my apprenticeship, I knew I was going to have my own shop, I recognized very early, I do not play well with others, my way or the highway, cannot kiss *** in world of politics working with people. I did learn and understood the game, disliked that part, but In business/life It Is a part of the game IMO, the difference, My business I got to pick and choose who I played the game with. WE are Different and I take great pride in that.

 

I can relate to this
Vic

 

Very well said and written.Enjoyed reading it.

 

Fun insightful video. As an Anthropology major it's always nice to see why we do the things that we do.

 

Agreed! I have to save this!

 

It's important to learn about psychology from AI, since computers have so much experience with being human.

 

Right on , Jim. Right on.

Ben

 

those "Psychology of people who.." videos pop up on my Youtube often. most are 100% ********.

here's another old car one.


I like old everything. old toys, automobilia, furniture, houses... I like working with my hands, I like old stuff made in America. I've restored several pieces of old furniture. stuff that was ready for the s**** pile. if I was not a car nut I'd be a woodworker.

 

I stopped watching after they mentioned the “ off topic “ - 1967 mustang ……….

 

But they had a drawing of an earlier one…

I thought the video was F’n nuts!

 

AI, Mustang …… bla bla bla

that AI pretty much nailed it

kinda scary

 

I have a few thoughts, observations I've learned in my 78 years of life, #1 Thankful and Grateful for my life. #2 There are 2 types of people, Givers or Takers, choose wisely. #3 Everything comes back to the money. I believe money is not the end all for happiness. 0 money, nobody's happy #4 Make peace with yourself, nobody can do that but you. #5 Do your best, that's all you can do, accept that. #6 To try and fail means you've lived, refer to 4 & 5

 

While there are some truths in that video, they missed some very salient points. Lumping all of us under the 'restorer' label is incorrect. We don't particularly celebrate 'restored' cars here, even if we do occasionally oh and ah over some rare vehicle that someone unearths. To me, you can separate us into three distinct groups although there is a lot of overlap between each, but each has different goals. I'm speaking to this membership here, not manufacturers or pro builders so much, although some individuals have had outsized influence in those areas. Most m***-market cars are designed by committee, diluting individual effort to some degree.

Restorers. I would describe these as the archaeologists of the car hobby. They have the blueprint so little imagination is needed. What is needed is skills, attention to detail, and patience.

Hot Rodders. By far the largest group, and the one that more than any other created our hobby. From the first guy who stripped all the bodywork off his otherwise stock model T and found it went faster to the guys who temp fate on racetracks, drag strips and land speed venues, anyone who modifies for better performance falls into this category. These were the innovators, who had the imagination to see the better paths. Failure was rewarded with broken parts and sometime even deaths, the only rule was 'did it work'. We stand on the shoulders of giants. One issue for our group here is with our age cutoff now over 60 years in the past, modern bits are creeping in as the pre-'65 parts well can only continue to shrink in spite of the efforts from the aftermarket.

Customizers. Here was imagination unfettered. No committee decisions here, this almost always represented one man's vision, good or bad. While this was around almost from the beginning of car culture, its most famous era was from the early '50s until the mid-'60s. From the sublime to outrageous, the vast majority of iconic customs came from this era.

I'm going to get on my soapbox for a minute... IMO HAMB-era customs have seemed to become moribund, with either countless variations-on-a-theme (early Mercs/Shoebox Fords in particular) or chops on cars that would otherwise be mild customs. Don't get the idea I don't like these cars, but I see these as 'restorer' projects, built to 'the rules' (since when did customs follow rules?), very little new here. Where are the sectioned cars or rolled pans? A few have turned up, but not many. Where are the Barris's, Alexander Bros, Cushenberrys, Roths, Wilhelms and Winfields for today? Can you imagine something like the Ala Kart rolling in for the AMBR trophy?

 

Hot roders are restorers.
We restore lots of parts from other cars to build our own.
parts and pieces scrounged from other rides that are rebuilt and modified to create.
A very talented metal guru told me we have to restore it then modify it. Holds true in many instances. Bodies and frames straightened and repaired before modifications begin.
Chop a top with sagging doors and rotten rockers? Probably not the best plan of attack.

restore is just a generic term used by the video.
the Mustang could be anything. Both are metaphors.

a busted knuckle is a busted knuckle

 

I watched the video a couple days ago, it seems like a pretty accurate depiction of my friends and I...

 

I like chops on cars that are otherwise mild customs. stock grilles and bumpers. chrome trim abound the windows.

 

Well said!

 

For me the video hits on some points but I can’t pigeon hole it to restoration because I’ve bought new vehicles that I modified before I made the first payment. I was fortunate enough to make my living my entire working life working on and building cars. It was the adult version of the model car hobby I had as a kid. While building cars for yourself can be truly fulfilling, help you through tuff times, build friendships and grow your iden***y, in my case it was good for my business.

 

well,for one--there is that 'noah' on here some and he is an heir apparent to gene et al. (imo_)