Why isn,t your car finished/ started ?

I posted a flip answer earlier, but here's the truth. When I prioritize, it just ain't that important. I like to work on my projects when my children and grandchildren are visiting. We all enjoy it. When they're not here, I pretty much put it all on hold.

Ryan often uses the word "passion".

For me, that's too strong. I've been a hotrodder since the fifties, have built or modified my share of cars, and enjoy my involvement at every level, but it is not a lifestyle for me and doesn't define me.

Actually, the part of hot rodding I most enjoy is the planning, engineering, and above all, the "hunt" for goodies. I have never kept a car very long after I've finished it.

 

think you guys said it best, when it comes down to it, it's just not THAT important, I am working on a mechanical engineering degree, i build a racecar for our school, and I have a girlfriend who's working an internship in the fashion industry, so I'm helping her with her bills as much as I can. Between that and trying to make time for my family and friends, not much left.

My girl keeps bugging me to get the truck done so we can "be cute" and drive to the next car show together when it gets warm, but to be honest, knowing my few extra bucks is letting her work towards the career she's always wanted kinda is more worth it.

ON THAT NOTE..... I just sold an old bike and some spare crap laying around and bought a $150 S15 for the GMC. Take the few extra bucks, buy needed parts, store them, til you've got no money and time and BUILD!!!

BUT DON'T LET THE WOMEN KNOW THAT! that'd kill the whole quiet, works with hands, tough guy persona

 

I have little to no money and whatever money I do have is going toward a house to get out of these sky high priced junk apartments. Then I can do my own thing and become that anoying neighbor next door.

 

I have been working every night and weekend on my dodge brothers 2 door sedan for about 2 months, have most of the frame done, and the 4 link rear tied in, no front suspension on yet, just got bushings in spindles and made new king pins. Had to sell 4 wheeler and 79 2wd blazer for some cash to work on project. Money is about out so I will have to sell more stuff.

 

lots of them

 

Why what's the rush. That way give's me something to do at night & weekends get's me away from the wife .the more away the better I like it ...
So why be in a RUSH HA HA HA

 

i had to sell everything! the shop i was working at shut down and thats where i was building mine. i dont have any room where i live so everything had to go. i did get another job so atleast i didnt have to sell my engine and trans.....at first. then my new job laid me off! fuck! so i had to sell the engine and trans to pay my bills. i have a new job now so ill be building something,sometime,somewhere,somehow.ill probably be in my 50's before i can afford it but untill then,i can dream.

 

I'll be brutally honest. Yeah money is an issue, it always is.
The main hold up for me personally is that I'm pretty intimidated by some of the work I need to do to get my car on the road, I'm not comfortable with my skill level in a few areas, and combining those two tends to make a pretty good motivation killer.
Thats what I use the HAMB for, to help keep me motivated and remind me of what I'm working towards.
As lame as that sounds to admit it, I imagine there are quite a few of you out there in the same position.

 

It's all been said, but I need to add mine to the pile. Time, money, work, family, house etc. pick any one or two. If I'm not working overtime to pay the bills, my house is falling down around me. When I get a Saturday free somebody always needs something done on their car that pays cash. My poor wagon sits and waits. I took it off the road and apart a year ago next month. I'm still a long way from putting it back together. Suspension is done, new gas tank made up, body work is next. Hell it will take me a year just to get the body right.....assuming I get a few free days to work on it.

 

It's a Studebaker, where the hell is the Start button !!

Actually I did get started on it along time ago, but my buddy that was going to weld the clip on the front and the motor mounts for the caddy got sick and never got better.
He died from a brain tumor after an 8 month battle , that was in 1999. It really bummed me out, we had gone to school together and worked together on the railroad for the last 23 yrs. I put the Stude on the back burner and decided to rebuild my T-bird and update the drivetrain and suspension. That was in 2003.
I'm about ready to start back on the Studebaker but I've got to get a slab poured on the side of my house so I won't have to drive so far to where it is stored right now. My back gives me hell from an old injury also, so I can't do alot of work before I'm wore out.
It will get done, but for now atleast I've got the t-bird and I'm not going without a hotrod.

Richard

 

Until about 4 years ago my 64 C-10 was a weekend driver, even though it don't look like much. It all started with a rusted e-brake cable and a blown brake line. Then I discovered the lug nuts did not want to come off and rounded some and broke studs on others. There are 4 contributing factors here
1) lack of a garage
2) out of sight out of mind-until about a year ago the truck was at my aunt's house
3) lack of proper tools
4) working on another project

The truck is at my house now, so #2 excuse really doesn't work anymore. I got all the parts to redo the entire brake system, and one of my friends got a cutting torch so work is finally commencing. But alot of my free time goes to working a 1935 Ford firetruck instead of my Chevy. Here is some pictures(that's not the normal stance for the Chevy the front end is jacked up)

 

Many answers come to mind so I will keep this brief.
1) Are you witing a book? None of your f'in business.
2) I have too many.
3) Running 4 business' right now (just a little busy)
4) Asst Crew Chief on T/F car
5) Saving all excess time and money to negotiate new club chapter for Texas from Squirrel.

 

Shit guys, looking through these posts I realise how good I ,ve got it here.Same as most folks money is an issue,I work 12 hour days and 12 hour nights and when I get home I don,t really feel like doing much , but it,s not as bad as it sounds as I end up working only 14 days out of a month (14 out of 28) so get loads of time at home when my wife and kids are at work + I get Friday Saturday & Sunday off every other week.I get 82 days a year at home more than anyone who works in a normal job, (mon - fri)before I take any holidays.I,m off to fire up the welder now will pack up around 16:00 as when you are snuggled up in bed tonight I will be working.

 

Cuz every time I get some $$$ saved up to buy more parts, something goes wrong with my car or my house, and I gotta spend it on that shit!!

 

Easy.
1. Work. 60+ hours a week (Friday? Yippee! Only two more working days this week!)

2. Travel for work. Gone at least one week a month.

3. Wife. Any day not spent working, she claims!

4. Son. Any day I find in the garage, he wants me to help with his project!

5. Tired. See all the above!

 

Same as a lot of others, a lack of funds...

 

Got married, had a kid. Priorities change as money and time are needed elsewhere. My infant daughter has some hip problems, so I've taken three months off work to be a full time dad, and do her physical therapy. That means I'm up about 19 hours a day....and night.

 

hmmmmm.....

lemmee see.....

WHICH ONE??

my '60 is a driver and since i dont have another reliable driver it stays a driver.

everything else is just a project.
nothing specific, just whatever project comes along, or whatever i can make out of my pile of stuff.

i've been pulling a samiyam...
buying, collecting, selling...putting projects together for other people to finish...

i have found that OWNING cars is not the thrill for me.
buying, building, and selling are.
i'm not in love with anything but my 60 and the 36 i dont own yet, so if nothing ever gets finished, who cares? i aint keeping it any way.

if theres profit in it, its gone.

i have NO patience, so buying and selling is perfect for me.

that being said,
my current project of focus is stalled because i'm waiting for a box with all my brackets and steering to come in from ohio.

 

I've learned a lot from this post, mainly how lucky I am. I am lucky that I don't have a husband, kids, house issues, job problems or old baggage to keep me from working on my hot rods. It is not that I need inspiration to work on them, but more like inspiration to put all the other crap in my life aside. Keep this post going, I have gotten more done since this started than I have for 2 months. I don't want to be in the too lazy/too busy/too broke club. Ok, I have a frame to paint, see ya!

 

I've been working on my 53 210 for two years,and 15 minutes ago I drove it around the block for the first time.No glass,no working lights,no insurance or plates.I'm an idiot,but it had to be done.

 

Main #1 reason : The damn Texas Heat ! in a old warehouse.... So now I am in a hurry to get some work done before I come up witht he excuse of old man winter

 

Finished? What's that mean?

 

junkyardgenius... that Anglia is awesome! Post some more pics!

So what's my excuse you ask?? Money wrapped up in a Triumph Pre-unit that I need to finish the Murray build! Please guys, if you know someone looking for a Triumph that's a rider, please let me know!! I need some cash so I can finish this car!!!!

 

Time, when I get home I spend it on the family right now. When I get settled I will have more time to spend on it.

 

Space,time & money in that order!
I have the"right" cars to build, but when I see some of the digs that guys have, I am just envious!
I can't leave my area due to the central location of where I do business.
In CA.we pay through the nose for just a small plot of land.
It's crazy! When I bought my house 10 yrs ago, I thought "Man, I'm lucky that I found this one!" @ that time it fit the bill car wise.

In that 1st year of ownership My friends dropped by their cars so we could work on them & I was always doing their stuff but they'd jet when it came time to serioulsy work on mine.
Well, I finished up theirs & then they drove em for awhile, but I learned that they lacked the passion in this way of life & they just turned their cars in order to get ahead.

I saw no reason that they couldn't just save their bones & improve the vehicle that they had, Nope, In reality they built them as a status symbol & not neccesarilly because they were into the car.

Am I bummed out about this=Yes & No. Here is what I ended up doing, I packed my yard with stuiff that I like car wise & now there is no room for anybody else, Not even my own=Lol!

I've spent nearly 2 wks of afternoons cutting down a 35' tree in my backyard that started as a sappling from my neighbors tree in his front yard,worried about the roots screwing $10-15 k worth concrete that is in that back yard.

Cars are many things but it takes those three items mentioned above in order to get a car project done. I'll get em done, and when they are, we'll be having hell of lot of fun in em!

 

Mine aren't getting done because I have no money and can't find parts. Oh, and I don't know how to do quarter panels. That's the biggest thing holding up progress on my wagon.

 

women are my problem...
i started workin on my '30 olds from nothing but sheet metal
last halloween..
now i have a rolling chassis and lacking small things like brake lines etc.
recently single (again), women seem to come and go... but
that whore mary jane will get ya everytime!

 

Don't got one, just lazy I guess.

 

Research, research and more research. Unsure of which mods to perform, Want to keep the banger with induction of a pair of 53 Jag SU sidedrafts, retain the mechanical brakes and Houdauille shocks, something along the lines of the amocat roadster only in coupe form.

 

$$$ nuff said. Well $$$ and I've been lazy.