Don't know about you guys, but all four of my kids got some quality garage time in with ol' Dad before they moved on with college, etc. Put the kids to work helping you and everybody wins. Problem solved..........next.
The mustang deal will only last you maybe 6 month's (you will blend in with all the others and no one will notice you). What to do? Make a list of what parts you need for your project, and take some time to look for them while doing other things, then when the kids are on their own you will have your project. I know a couple of people who were in you exact situation that sold their projects, and they regretted selling it.
It took me 24 years to get my 1942 45 HD basket case on the road . 4 daughters , wife going to college just life . Every time i am able i take it for a ride . It was frustrating at times to see it set . But i am glad i hung on to it . The choice is up to you and you know what will work for you. Maybe your interest have changed and it is time to move on to something else.
I think most of us here who are over 50 have put a project on the back burner or in mothballs while life got in the way. Sometimes, it's a lack of funds, sometimes it's a lack of time or work space and sometimes a guy just gets burned out for a while. Stick it back in the corner for a few months and go to the kids activities and games. You can always rathole a bit of cash in that time frame to swing a major piece that the car needs. My 48 has sat for about six years mainly because I flat got burned out and didn't feel like fooling with it and lost interest in going to most rod events in the area. No biggie, I drew plans, made plans, changed the whole concept of the truck and am now gathering pieces to make those plans happen. I'm also gathering parts and pieces for the A V8 that will get built after the 48 is on the road again. I went over and pulled the 8BA out of the Jeep wagon that it had been hiding in for the past 30 or so years yesterday. A couple of weeks ago an S-10 T5 popped up on Cragslist and now it's safely stored away with the flathead. Now It's rathole the bucks to get one of Dwight Bond's adapters and then start stashing cash away for the next step. But we will still take the sailboat out several times this year including two weeks that happen the same time as Bonneville. And life goes on and the rods will get done when they get done. As they are all HAMB friendly I don't have to worry about them being outdated when they are done anyhow.
ive had a muscle car about 9 years now. i love the car to death and its always been there with me but its a '72 and i cant take it to any car shows that arent full of fluffy '32 roadsters and chromed out pro-streeters. it really*****ed not being able to cruise with the low and slow oldie cars and it would get walked past if anything older then 1965 was on the same block. it was fast and fun though. 400hp/500ft/lbs torque is a monster of a motor but it just didnt fit anymore. someone is coming tomorrow to pick it up and im sad to see it go but ive moved on to oldie cars a little more conducive to what im into. going fast is cool, muscle is cool but if you dont live at the drag strip it just isnt worth it. few cars on the road around town, that are daily driven, ever lined up with mine and even if they did. would the road allow a little play time? its just not worth it to be a maniac on the streets anymore just my $.02
spend some quality time working on the car with your kids i know it was some of the best memories i have from back then all football gave me is 2 jacked up knees and a jacked up shoulder but still wouldnt trade it for nuthin. If your kids are interested have them help you wont regret it good bonding time. later mike
I belong to another forum and one of the cars that's just been finished was being worked on (off and on) for over 30 years. A bit at a time, years between, but finally finished. You can do it...and there's nothing more satisfying than saying "I did it myself".
Make up your mind to do one thing to the car every night or week. Even if it takes 5 minutes to do said task, you're making progress. Just think, after a while those 5 minutes will add up. That's how I push through the slumps in my projects.
Im in the same boat.... But all that does is make you the same old joe that every one has seen before... I can go to the car lot and buy them all day any day!!! And name my price damn near!!! (if i could afford one i would have all the above but thats not the case so i choose the old ones!)Yours... Nope.. I would have to travel half way across the country, or pay way more than what its worth to have one... The quick solution is not always the best solution... Think hard and long first....
The Wal-Mart parking lot is full of Mustangs! Make some time every week for the kids to go out in the garage & give you a hand with something on the car, no matter how small it may be. Don't take no for an answer. They'll be glad they did it later on.
put it back in storage and pick yourself up a $2500-3500 hamb style driver that you can use while the kids are in school...then get back on the Olds when you can devote the time necessary and feel the satisfaction of completing your dream...Both my kids helped me build projects after highschool and the memories of that are some of my favorites...they didn't have time or interest during their school years too many diversions. Quit feeling defeated...this too shall pass!
If your not wild about it, sell it and get something you can have fun with! There is no point in letting the car sit for 4-5 years, let someone else finish it. There are plenty of old cars out there you can find later.
Thanks guys, I think I'm over the hump. Some very excellent points. Frustration can be a powerful thing. I think this one hit home the most tho... thanks Blue One!
Alot of years ago I sold my 40 Chevy PU to a guy, I got $10,000.00 and a 79 10th anniv. Trans Am. I thought I had won the lottery, and it only took about a week for me to really miss a hot rod. I sold the Trans Am inside of a year. It took a long time to get back into it for me because of life and work in general. I now have a 29 Roadster I've built over the last 2 years, glass body, nice car but not my dream car, ( a steel 32 roadster is ) which I will build next. My point is if you are a hot rod guy then don't get a mustang, like the trans am, I thought it would be fun and fill the void, not even close. My best advice is if the car isn't finished, keep it and finish it when you can. If it was finished I'd say sell it if you want but get something to replace it, but believe me a mustang won't do it.
I'm probably going against the grain here, but I say sell it! It's been in storage since 2001 and you are talking another 5 years before you get to it. AND you have grown weary of it. I think you want to be out having fun with a car, any car, instead of thinking about what might eventually be something cool, or not. Sell it, buy a fun driver, whether it be a Mustang or something else that you can drive right now and go out and have some fun, get rejuvenated so that you are having a good time with a car. After the kids are gone, if you still want to build an old car as you described, there will be plenty out there to start on. It's about what you want out of the automotive hobby, not what a bunch of guys on the internet want.
I have a '61 Full Size Ford, a '72 wooden boat and a '93 Mustang Notchback Coupe with 22,000 miles. The boat got put in the water twice last season. I haven't driven the Mustang in over a month. Both of them sit inside under cover. Do I love 'em? Yeah, I guess. Toys really. What do I drive? The '61. Just took a 400 mile trip. No problems. Took it across town the next weekend and it blew the condenser and the coil, but I fixed it by the side of the road. Runnin' like a top. This past Saturday was in a car show, next day blew the exhaust gasket out of the header pipe (again). This morning I'm tearing parts off and calling around looking for a gasket. Havin' a blast, cussin' this old heap, wondering why we mess with this old stuff. Frustrating? Oh yeah. Rewarding when you fix it? You bet. Nothing beats a funky old ride. And I've got a 20 year old in college and a 17 year old about to start. I understand. Stick with the project. But first, go sit down, drink a beer and decompress a little.... And, oh, if you come across a really nice '53 F100 with a flattie, let me know and that Mustang will have a For Sale sign on it pronto. Or if you see a '39 Deluxe Sedan, I'll sell the 'stang and the boat too. You get the picture.
i regret just about every single thing i've ever sold, on the other hand i have no regrets about anything i've ever kept if you take the time to read these responses you've most likely wasted a fair amount of time you could be working on your car. set small goals if you can't commit multiple hours of wrenching at a time. if your stuck at one point, do something else and come back to it.
I have hung onto a '38 Dodge business coupe since the summer of 2002 that I have slowly worked on. My kids were very similar with athletics (hockey) and school but now that the youngest is off to college I have my own time again. I have even picked up another project. You will miss it and unfinished projects don't bring a lot of $$$, especially in this economy. Most guy that bail out early lose their****.
I bought my 55 the year before my youngest daughter was born, she will be 11 this year. I work on the car when I can, it WILL get finished some day. I use the time in between, to search for parts.( which is really my favorite part of building a car.) So just hang in there, it will get done. why not try to get your boys interested in working on it? That way the car gets done, and you get to spend time with them. Its a win/win.
Let them grow up. It's time to sort out the 'taxi driving' from the true 'family events'. Attend recitals, ball games, etc. but driving a teen to ball practice, etc. is not necessary. If you live withing a couple of miles from the school, they can walk when weather is good, if it's a long trek, buy them bus passes, and tell them to give you a week's heads up on important events that you would want to attend. Announce; "If you want me I'll be in the garsge".
If you're THAT fed-up with it and have no time, then why not see if you can trade it (plus abit of cash if need be) for something that drives down the road and is still HAMB-friendly? Dunno, but seems to makes sense to me.
I bought a 51 Chevrolet Business coupe right here off the HAMB. The plan was a late model style six, and keep the original trans/torque tube rear end. Even had the engine/trans adapter to do it. BUT, that meant selling my 56 Chevrolet Sedan Delivery. I thought I could do it, but soon discovered, there's no way I'd sell that car. So, I approached my nephew about the 51, since his dad had a 49 Business Coupe in high school. He went for it hook, line, and sinker. BUT, he wanted a V-8. Well, I had a newly rebuilt 350, beefed up Powerglide, and a spare 56 rear end with a 4.88 posi. He worked, I advised, and the car's almost driveable now. If your own boys are'nt interested, maybe another relative or close friend. IF you decide to go the "trade" route, only do it for a complete and running car that you'd truly be happy with. I'm going to sign the****le to the 51 over to the nephew soon, but with the stipulation he can't sell or trade it, and if he gets tired of it, it comes back to me. Butch/56sedandelivery.
KEEP THE CAR! FORGET THE BALL GAME! Yes, I've been there too! Academics are good! But going to those f**king sports events all the time drove me nuts! When my son said he didn't want to do baseball again one summer I was elated! Never cared for sports myself but did try to support him when he tried them out - mainly in Jr.High school. I tried to get him hooked on cars and he liked it - now about to graduate from college he still likes it. He always helped on several of my projects so we had plenty of time togeather. He's now working on a '62 Nova (basket case). Last night we went for the first night cruse in the roadster (finally got the headlights & tailights hooked up). Perfect weather and his grin was ear to ear and he shifted through the gears behind the old flathead! Guess it all works out, yes?
Oh man.... 1) Floor mounted master cylinder 2) Replace all gaskets on engine 3) Engine and******* installation 4) Retro fitting a 52 Olds dash 5) Front suspension rebuild 6) Steering installation 7) Rewire 8) All bodywork 9) Interior 10) Weatherstipping and glass install 11) Would really like to chop it... Maybe it would have been easier to list what I have done....
You have to set your priorities straight, I might be one of the worlds worst dads, but I get***** done. I own my own business, and build kustoms as my hobby, so that really doesn't leave much time for anything else.I work late just about everynight and pretty much every weekend, unless I'm going to a car show.My boys don't really seem to mind much, and if they need me or want to do something they just tell me. I still make time for family days, and goof off time. Life is all about making what you think is important, top priority. and make every min. count.
The Jalopy Journal
