Ive learned these truisms first-hand. Can you all add some more? 1. There will always be someone with a better car- faster, lower, cooler. Get over it & savor what youve built. 2. Its far better to do preventive maintenance than trouble-shoot an electrical short on the side of a dark road with no flashlight, on your way home from your anniversary dinner at a nice restaurant 3. When youre frustrated by 50-year-old rust and feel like throwing a wrench through the windshield, take a break. Hot rods are supposed to be fun. 4. If your wife insists on reading the latest issue of Southern Living while shes pushing the brake pedal and youre bleeding the wheel cylinders, just let her. Then thank her for helping you. 5. Its fun to hit 104 MPH while flying in a tight formation with a 59 Chevy on I-40 during AmeriCruise. But slow down before your wife, whos dozing in the passenger seat, wakes up. 6. Buy heavy-duty hand cleaner and use it before going into the house. 7. Ask your teetering, lonely 80-year-old neighbor with Parkinsons Disease what kind of cars hes owned. Youll be educated and amazed by the stories youll hear and youll make his day.
Try to reach a balance between your marriage and your car project. If you neglect either one beyond a certain point that's the one you will loose. If you have to choose one over the other, pick the marriage, it's the one that has the most value, especially if there are children involved. Frank
sanity and marriage just don't mix!! the best thing you can do is put your head between your legs and kiss your ass goodbye
8. Make sure she's sleeping before sneeking new parts into the garage...and don't feel bad about it, she does the same to you when she buys clothes. ...Tommy C
[ QUOTE ] . If you have to choose one over the other, pick the marriage, it's the one that has the most value, . Frank [/ QUOTE ] I have NEVER ONCE wanted to shoot my ride. Had I not thrown her out I'd Still be In!
[ QUOTE ] 7. Ask your teetering, lonely 80-year-old neighbor with Parkinsons Disease what kind of cars hes owned. Youll be educated and amazed by the stories youll hear and youll make his day. [/ QUOTE ] I do that everyday only he aint 80 and he isnt my neighbor but hes my pa and thanks to him i need to find a rochaester fuel injection unit haha
To that I'd add, try to pick a type of car that she kind of likes too. Even if she's not into it enough to help work on it, at least that way she's more inclined to go along with you when the project inevitably gets crappy. But if, of course, she has lousy taste in cars, then the hell with it -- you gotta do what you gotta do! Dave
Amen Frank... You can always tell when a really nice car is in the garage by the amount of paint falling off the house and the weeds in the yard...
Tell her when your done with yours you will build one for her. Mine wants a Nash Metropolitian. Only problem is, are they ever really done? HaHaHaHa!!!!
That's why I traded my Jonh Deere Rideing Mower for a 55 Chevy Truck Axle with 74 Camaro Disc Brakes,and Hired someone to mow the Lawn........lol
Heh, i dont know how you married guys can do it. As it is im ragged on constantly by my girl about how much time i spend online and on "car crap" and were not even hitched. My hot rod is still nothing but a pile of parts in the garage. Though I do love chatting with a friend Roy, hes 85 and has owned some cool ass cars. Some i had to even look up like a Kissel i think it was called.
I've been playing with cars most of my married life. I've been happly married for 27 years. And 27 out of 36 ain't bad
So far, the cars and the marriage are getting along well. It helps to make her part of running the hot rod after it's done. That means letting her drive into some of the rod runs etc. She's proud of the car and she has time - and $$ - invested in it as well. It's important to me that she reap some of the rewards that come with owning a roadster. Not to mention she can explain most aspects of it to most folks who ask questions about it. Sweetie is an outgoing girl - way more than me - and finds the 32 is a nice way to meet new people....
Coming up on 44 yrs this December 25. She lets me do the car thing, and her big thing is Christmas gifts for the kids and grand kids. Works out for the both of us. We do what whe wants to do sometimes, even if it is going shopping for shoes.
I just finished my wifes harley as a part of my bargaining plan. She would not let me touch my car until her bike was done. What she doesnt know is that I will be enjoying her bike equally as well. Mike
34 years ago (when we got married) we had a long talk about my hobbies and hers. (she loves golf) We made a deal; I buy something for one of my hot rods; she gets to buy another golf club. Then SHE suggested that she would buy "shares" in my "A", IF she got to pick the color of the body and the interior. So far.. so good. But, she sure owns a hell of a lot of golf clubs!! (had to buy a van to haul them around in!) Thank god she likes a BLACK paint job!!
what you do is help around the house keep things nice and tidy .. do the dishes.. shoot the breeze.. and when she sits down to watch the TV and inevitably falls asleep dive into the garage for a few hours.. Im buildin a car for "her in doors" as well as my own.. keep her up to speed without boring her, dont complain when she overspends on yet another pair of shoes, pay her compliments, dont ignore her (completely) get around to doing the jobs she wants you to do, let her thionk shes in control when all along you do your thing.. Oh and bung her a few hundred dollars when its sold to sweeten her up for the next one .. works for me .. LOL married 13 years..
[ QUOTE ] I can see YOU wear the pants in the family!!!! But SHE picks em out.......lol [/ QUOTE ] -My wife's a slob-I do all the cleaning so I pretty much do as I damn well please...but finding time for the kids is a big deal I guess if I added one it'd be: 10) Know that one day, if you have kids, they will drive your car, whether you know it or not
I guess I am lucky when I got my girl, before we started dating she had a 1949 chrysler new yorker 2 door silver edition with the original s8 in it, and a 68 ford ranchero 351c in it. But because of her EX, he got both cars impounded and auctioned while she was out of town. Needless to say they werent together much longer after that. Since we have been together she lets me build pretty much anything I want as long as she gets to drive it also. She supports my hobbie, as I support hers (she is a skydiver). Jonney
All you married guys know already,if she dosen't support your hobby before your married she never will,I just drug home a WW2 half track and a WW2 1 1/2 ton truck,my wife was out helping to unload them,even used her 1 ton van to pull one of them off.You single guys,you have to make sure the one you marry will stay as understanding as she is while your dating.
Buy a little camper to pull behind the hotrod.Let her design the inside stuff.My wife and I talk about the cars almost everyday in some way or another.While I'm away at work,she gives me HAMB updates on the phone.She is great.My 5yr.old son has 5 years of experience in everything I do.He is the best!I'm a happy man!!!
patience... My wife bought me my coupe when we were just married, 8 years later the car is still in pretty much the same shape. Since then we have had 2 beautiful children, remodeled 2 homes, dealt with losing loved ones and continue the fight against debilitating disease. In addition I work two jobs and we are both persuing our masters. In that time I have acquired parts and even more projects but they have all been through horse-trading (i.e. not tapping into the family budget) All my projects continue to sit but I know in time...with patience...they will slowly get done. I think Steven Tyler said..."lifes a journey, not a destination." They'll get done, some day
The Jalopy Journal
