"When are you gonna get that thing running?" I hear this all the time from my buddies about my Rambler and Packard. They're gonna make great wives someday. I know I can't be the only one whos been sitting on a project for years. Here's my question: What's the longest amount of time you've owned a project BEFORE you got it on the road? How many years past before you got it fired up and rolled some rubber on asphalt?
I bought my 59 when I was 17 and just got it on the road last summer. I'm 26 now. Still lots of work to do, it'll never be done, but it's fun to just get it out and drive it.
I inheritied a 50 Ford Sedan when I was 18,, the car spent its ENTIRE life garaged... Im just now starting to work on it seriously. Im 28. Granted.. I bought a 49 coupe and did a **** ton of work to it, right after I got the sedan..drove it for a few years..sold it to my dad when I got married and had kids...now Im getting the coupe back..so now I am selling the coupe and finishing the sedan.. So..umm 10 years I guess... PC
I bought my A coupe when i was 18... I'm 29 now. FINALLY got it running last fall and WILL drive it this summer. Jonny
A friend of mine had a 30 tudor in his garage which he bought in 1950. It sat thier for 10 years. Forced into early retirment he began working on it in 1960. Mainly body work and a steering set up that would of killed you by the time you made it to the corner. 1970 he painted it a rootbeer brown and a put in some interior, then he stoped working on it all together. Sat in his garage where only a pigeon used it as a target zone. 2004, he asked me to finish it up if I wanted the car. Hell yes. Two years of some serious weekends and the car will be running to Paso in May. So I guess this one was in the garage for about....54years
I bought the 46, engineless 9 years ago, so little rust that it would be considered rust free by most. $1000. Bought a second frame, Had it blasted, and bought the pieces to put it together as I could afford them, mostly income tax refunds and freelance money. Same thing with tools, buy them as I can afford them. Put things on the credit card and pay it down to make room and buy more. Made some mistakes buying stuff that was wrong, and that would have cost me more in the long run. Bought some chickens* usually get rid of them at a loss... Other projects, like the house, take precedence over the car, so I have to do things as I can. It's been moved from the house, to a rental unit, back to the house, then to where it has been now, in a rented barn... chances are it'll move again before it done. * Chickens, Like the joke "I don't have A.D.D, I'm perectly norm.... Oh look there's a chicken!". Projects that distract you from the main project.
38 days plus 3 or 4 years of gathering, and one lay off ( i was layed off for 30 of the 38 so i had alot of time to do stuff) tom
my dad bought my mom a 36 plymouth back in 85. we worked on it for a while then it sat until now. we are going to start working on it in the next couple of weeks.
Hate to give 2nd hand info, but my father-in-law has a model A that's been in his shed for at least 20+ years. Only one hole in the trunk. I think he traded for it, too. Somehow that makes it even better.
The '34 Ford that I have is hopefully gonna be running by summer's end. I'm the third owner in a row to have the car since the last time gas saw the tank or a key was turned to start it. The previous owner bought it in late '82 and I bought it in mid '03. The guy they got it from owned it for about six years. The owner before him was driving it, so it's been a while for this car all together. If it counts for anything, I just sold my '48 Chevy that I had for six years and never even turned a bolt on it. Vance
I bought my old Anglia in the mid to late 70's, took it apart in the mid 80's to update it, got distracted and it sat until a year or so ago when I started tinkering with it again. It might be another 10 years before it's finished, I have a short attention span. Bought my other Anglia body in the late 70's for $200.00, just 'cause I liked it. Decided to build it in the mid 90's and got it well on the way to being finished before I pulled off of it to work on a couple of Harleys (we probably don't want to talk about them. LOL) and my first Anglia. Did I mention short attention span??
Man Im with Brandy...I thought I was poop for having 2 sit. Lets see...my 57 Buick which I should be tackling next week has been sitting under my ownership for about 4 yrs, in total about 15? My 56 Linc Premiere I have keenly wedged behind an industrial shop and old abandoned railroad tracks in the hood. That I have had sitting for 2 yrs, and my friend storing it could be no happier! Hoping to move that out soon enough.
3 years was the biggest project for me. But then I was dirt poor. Now I do the same work in a year. My projects are normally one year from purchase to driver status. Parts hunting slows me down the most. If I built shiney street rods from a catalog, I could pound 1 out every month. It's been awhile since I've done a big project. My 55 may take more than a year, but life got in the way of that. It still runs though, it's just slow I have the fresh roller motor next to it in the garage.
I've just lurked so far but I thought I would jump in on this one. My father and grandfather bought our 31 tudor in 1972 from the original owner. It was his daily driver up to that point. My grandpa drove it in a couple of parades back in the mid 70's and then put it into storage. It hasn't moved on it's own power for over 30 years now. Last year we finished up with the motor, transmission and steering column but haven't got it to fire yet. Hopefully in the next month or two it should be running agian.
Friend of mine has a '50 Olds wagon in his garage he took apart in 1962 ... bought Di-Noc and all the trim parts from the dealer. Painted, all parts tucked inside and tarped up some time in the late '60s ... I hope he gets to it soon. 302
Zeke, the Banjodog knows that if he wants to get fed he must bite people who ask that. Zeke hates to miss supper. So far nobody's asked twice.
If I win this post does that make me the biggest loser? I'll start with my latest then work back, even I can see a pattern here 54 GMC got it a year and a half ago, got it in the shop in Oct. chopped channeled, sectioned and stretched the cab all in 31 days it just needs the gas tank and bed installed and its a driver. its sitting in the car port. then there is my 49 pontiac fastback 93,000 original miles. I thrashed on it for 47 days getting ready for paso 5 years ago. need to add two brake lines and finish one 54 merc tail light. and it will be ready for paso! Its sitting out by the burn pile. then there is my 52 plymouth wagon. about 7 years ago took a 52 plymouth wagon and a 52 plymouth Belvedere 2 door hard top. cut the roof off both cut both bodies in half at the door put the back half of the wagon on the front half of the hard top then married the two roof and ended up with a neat two door hard top plymouth wagon. have all the chrome plating done. need to finish the rear fenders and top half of the tail gate its sitting out by the drive way rusting quietly. then my 48 ford 3 window coupe with a rumble seat, took a business coupe moved the B post back 8 inches used sedan doors chopped channeled, sectioned. 354 Hemi with a clutch-flite both rebuilt and ready to fire. started on it aug 19 1993 I still roll it out and work on it for a day or two every 3 or 4 years made a promise to myself I'm going to drive it down the road, or send it down the road this year. It's been sitting in my shop for 13 years! then there are my 47 buick super sedanette and my 48 Roadmaster sedanette the 47 I bought in 1975 and the roadmaster 1976 the body, interior, chrome and drivetrain (nail head and turbo 400)were all done by 77 just needs final ***embly I've sold 13 long term projects in the last four years so I can focus on not finishing these fine cars talking about airing dirty laundry, quick someone post something that will make me look better hahaha
Got my '58 Dodge in '96, got my '59 Ford '99. Both sitting till I get my three boys through college. Then maybe they will support me,(yeah right).
I'd say you're gonna make a great wife some day but I know your policy on the matrimonial thang... Someday, I'll get it running someday.
For the record, here's my list of shame: 1940 Dodge bought in '88, sold in 2003 and never did a thing to it. Hell, for what I spent in storage charges, I could have finished the damned thing. 1st old car and a hard lesson learned. 1942 GMC 3/4 ton - bought it running and fixed it as I went. Daily driver for 2 years until my son came along. I damn near cried when I saw someone else driving it away. (So I'ma sentimental fool, sue me.) Still miss that truck. 1947 Caddy Limo - Christmas present from the ex in 1996. Sold it in 2004. Drove it a bit, then it sat and started fading away. 1948 - Plymouth - Let myself get screwed on ebay. That thing sat in the driveway for 2 years, but mostly just to piss of my wife (now the ex) so it was worth it. 1950 Packard - Bought this off my buddies mom after his dad p***ed away. That was in 1998. I have no intention of ever selling this one, for somereason I love that car even though I never drove it. Coasted it through the parking lot at my shop once or twice. Even made the vroom vroom sounds. 1962 Rambler American wagon - Didn't get screwed on ebay. Bought it in 2000. It is the project for this summer. Got the new motor in the garage, disc brake conversion, tirm pieces, and misc parts in the ba*****t. Next month, finances willing, I'll start the upholstery. (Watch for a Tech Post on that.) Hope be making miles of smiles with this by the 4th of July. See you at the Pile-Up this fall? I damn sure hope so.
Jim...you're the worst case scenerio, no ****. I've never see so many "almost finished projects" sitting in one place, ever! My son has his 50 ford coupe he bought when he was 15. He'll be 33 soon. He starts the SBC in it every year to keep it from siezing. Personally, if it sits without getting worked on, I sell it........not enough time in life to just sit on a car without working on it. I'll sell it and go buy something on my "list" of cars to have before I croak off. This is my latest. A 40 chevy coupe I try to do a little something on, every day.... It's coming along.
What Rocky said... If you're not building it, SELL IT! I sold my 60 to Dirtiest Devil because I go into the bodywork and decided it was over my skill level. I had a 64 GTO before that, it was nice, but it was all original, with the proper engine/trans/rear, and 66K miles. I wanted to chop it up, even I felt bad about it. Sold it to a restorer in Florida. Now it can live a nice lame life down there with the rest of the retirees. **** or get off the pot!
after reading some of these i don't feel bad that i'm not driving my 62 caddy after three years. i rebuilt the engine and still have body work, and a rewire to go. i'm hoping to get it finished by the end of summer
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