Back in the days of my youth, early 80's I built this '56 Caddy. Started with a Sedan DeVille with a stuck engine, I shortened it, whacked off the top and chopped the windshield. Then I found a rusty but good running '69 Catalina convert with a good running 455, dropped that in and used the top irons. The mount for the top hinges was the chunk of the frame rails I removed. I painted it the candy black cherry PPG color in the late 80's, which made the car really pop, and got me a compliment from one of my hero's, Gene Winfield, who asked me who did the paint work, and said when I told him I had, "You've got balls cutting up a high dollar car like that Caddy convert." Heady stuff. In the mid 90's I decided I had to have a Harley, and traded the car for a '61 Panhead that we rode for 10 years. Dumb move, but I was ready to move on. Anyway, a couple years a go an aqaintence of mine sent me the photo of it with the wires and wide whites, said a friend of his had built the car rolleyes and he thought I'd like to see it. I told him it was I who'd built it, it's wearing the same candy paint some 40 years on. He argued with me, insisting his friend built it. Finally I gave up, but it's good to know it's still out there, even with the gaudy wheels and tires and maroon tweed interior it now wears. I'm sure lots of us have made poor choices, here's one of mine...
Gave a 4-speed racing-built Cadillac Hydramatic with Chevy adapter and direct-bolt-up to Ford torque tube to my brother-in law who was to sell it. We were to split the proceeds. Never saw it or him again, if I remember correctly. (Maybe not a bad deal . . .)
Only one I would have wanted back a few years later. I build a 54 Dodge pickup, lowered a bit with "other" independent front suspension. Wasn't near as nice as Brian's Caddy, but is was pretty good for me. We drove the truck over 40K miles in 4 years, but then I found a 39 Plymouth business coupe I just had to have. The used motor I had installed in the 54 was getting a bit tired, so that was my excuse. That 39 Plymouth coupe fought me every step of the way, as I was trying to get it anywhere near as reliable as the old pickup was. Every battle with the coupe was reminding me how bad I missed the old reliable pickup with the tired motor, and how I should have just kept it and put a motor in it. As they say, "Hind sight is 20/20." The color was a different shade, depending on how the sun light hit it, all 3 pictures were taken the same day, the full side view is a more like it normally appeared in the sun.
Hindsight 20/20, should'a-could'a-would'a, if I knew then what I know now..... on and on... I'd took all the money I spent on cars and toys and bought Microsoft stock, then I could buy what ever car I wanted or had an unlimited bankroll to build one.... Again... hindsight 20/20.... but it don't pay the bills or change a thing.... ...
I was just telling a coworker I really should have kept my '65 Coupe DeVille. Black, red flaked roof, really too low, '56 Caddy caps and pinner whites. Real TJ blankets for seat covers. It was really cool.
Selling can and will lead to future regret. I should not have sold Roth's Rotar or Road agent or the Zinger dragster or Ray Fahrners Eclipse, but I did use the money to buy other cars.....
The only car I regret selling Is my 51 Merc that I bought when I was 16, sold when I was 17 and bought back when I was 19. I sold it in the early 90's when I didn't have a place to store it and a guy offered far more than I thought it was worth at a time I was so damned broke that it was ridiculous . He didn't do it up like I would have but as far as I know it still sits comfortably in a climate controlled garage even though I haven't seen it at any show for 20 years. It will probably show up as someone's "barn find" Merc one of these days. The other rig I regret getting rid of was a 57 Pontiac Star Chief 2 door hardtop that I traded something for that had a perfect body and decent interior. It was a dull and faded limefire green but i wanted to paint it black with a read spear. Somehow my wife thought it was the ugliest car she had ever seen and threw a fit for me to get rid of it so I traded it off for something else and a couple of years later we were walking though a car show with my buddy who I traded it to and spotted it painted black with a read spear just as I wanted and my wife raved on how great it looked and my buddy told her that was the exact car she made me sell.
Sold this one to build whatever was next. Fortunately, it is still in the family. Sold this one to start my company. Fortunately, I was able to sell the company 10 years later. -Abone.
I don't have any pictures unfortunately... Between 1992 and 1995 I had a '62 Bel Air 2 door post. I have always loved '62 Chevys. I sold it in '95. I should have kept that one, but I needed to use the money for "life's unexpected expenses" that pop up! If it would have been a bubbletop, it would probably still be in my stable. Oh well.
I've had a couple of buddies who totally lost interest in a car the minute it was painted and upholstered and on the road. It was all about the build and planning the build.
Mark, I always lusted after the Road Agent. I even had my parents take me to the Cars of the Stars museum in LA on one of our trips south so I could see it. I'd love to have that car.
I drove it a couple of times while I had it. it was roomy inside and drove pretty well. I didn't go far because it wasn't licensed but I did drive it to the Mtka drive in for hot rod night (about a mile and a half away) saw a cop, but he didn't come after me
Where do I start ? Naaa I’ll beat myself up. Have had some neat stuff over the years and leave it at that.
I don't get attached to any of my cars and bikes. I enjoy them and move on to other adventures. I have wonderful memories and a very understanding wife. The ones I do think of regularly are my '54 Ford PU, and the '48 Stylemaster. Right now, I have the hots for two different trikes, but they are stashed in a fancy garage in Minnesota.
I have sold a lot of cars and trucks with no regret. That 54 pickup was different, probably because the one that I replaced it with was such a troublesome project. I suspect that if the replacement ride had gone well, the memory of the 54 pickup probably wouldn't be as great. I also learned a great process of not selling the old ride until the new ride has been on the road, unless that old ride was not very good. That 39 Plymouth that replaced the 54 pickup wasn't missed at all after it went away, and it really didn't get replaced for 3-4 years after it was gone. Hind sight has always been 20/20, but its suppose to be something we view as a learning experience as we are moving forward, not something we want to return back to.
WE don't get do-overs, regrets are a learning experience, I do not dwell on them and yes I have learned a few things in 77 years.
A guy here on the HAMB chased me for several months about buying it. Swore how much he loved the car. He bought it. Cut the steering column and shifter down …made a bunch more changes and sold it in less than 6 months. It went to North Carolina and then somewhere out west. It got to the point this old body could not in or out of it without knocking my knee out of joint. I still miss it !!!
There are others too, although I'm the first to say that each one has been replaced by another. Are the replacements any "better"? I like to think that I'm a bit fussier and pay more attention to detail, but I still don't (can't?) build a car to the same standards many of you, all of them have, usually, gotten us home. Here are a couple, the '36 Speedster and the '34 roadster.
Works both ways....I sold a 1948 Chrysler Town & Country convertible for six figures a few years back and the going price is $70K to $80K today.
64 big block 4 speed galaxy my brother trashed it while taking care of it while i was in the army came home with a 409 63 impala ss sold for the next project a 55 austin healy 100-4 with a hot 289 it was fast but always broken then in 1974 i passed on a high school friends 1970 hemicuda for 2500 dollars i do wish i had kept all of them especially the one i did not purchase i could have retired years earlier
Comes with the times and aging buyers. Less buyers, less money. Dealers know there's less buyers for older stuff so speculative dealers are shying away to try to make money unless they can steal it to flip to a already know buyer. Let's face it fellas, times moving on and the old boys are moving on to happy trails above.
The Jalopy Journal
