Mike and I (that is Mike of the 41 Willys g***er build) were hobnobbing with Harboth so to speak and were visitng a bucks up racer who was gonna give us a bunch of stuff. Mike and I both like building stuff and while we dont normally chew about the rich kids this particualr day was a ticker! First what he was giving away he was selling so we wasted a day driving down. Some we bought anyway because it was still a good deal but give and sell are not the same word. Next we heard how this cost ten grand and that was 22grand etc etc. Then there was the mutilple motorhomes and the 68 Firebird OH six he would let go for a mere 18 grand. (i am thinking if that is worth 18grand I should get about 150grand for my max wedge car;>) (Not likely!) Next we heard about his car and his pals then how he would do a FED next. He would just pick up the phone and call California and order it done. Apparently there are no Welders anywhere else. Course he would stick with the blown alky small block Chevy but he would hire a driver. (most RED drivers are scared to death to sit behind a motor. In fact many dont even know what the big shiny thing is. Dang go karts. I kept my cool but on the way home the gasket popped. I said to Mike. "Why bother having a car and engine built and hiring a driver and buyng the motor home and hauler. Why not just go down to the trophy shop and order the biggest trophy avaialble. Put your name and whatever you want on it. Make it a 4 foot high Wally in solid gold if you want. You wanna be direct. Thats direct! Me I am fed up with these goons. I think they miss the whole point. They are climbing Mount Everest with a helicopter. ??!!!! And you may think well perhaps this fellow doesnt have the skills to build anything. You could be right but I hope not. He is a mechanic by profession who happened to also be very good a business. I respect that but would like a little respect for what we do in return. I will be all right in a couple of days but for now I am mad as a hornet and wont take this anymore. I am going to the shop now to rub on my "poor boy" rail. I have just a hair over 3 Grand in it to use his phrasing. He would tell me he spent more than that on fuel last year. Frankly Scarlet--------- Don Don
beat him on the track...that will make you feel right. my uncle built an open wheel stock car from junk, leftovers and discarded stuff from the "big buck guys", put a wingnut behind the wheel and beat everybody. great feeling.
That reminds of the guys at cars shows that know nothing about the car they are showing. It's funny as hell talking to them and watching them search for answers that don't make them sound stupid. Then when you are on the way back with your trophy and they are looking at you all pissed like, Tell them They should buy a better car next time.
diverging from the subject a bit, but as much as I love building my own car, (the next one will have solid floors) it is much cheaper to buy a car together than piecing a stock styled car together.
to answer the build or buy project question... it's always cheaper to buy somebodys busted wet dream than build from scratch. you'd be buying most of the stuff anyway, so why not get it new for a third of the price. same with buying almost done. if it's close to what you'd have done, you'll get it cheaper than if you built it youself.
Id say build ,Other than that its instant gratification............I ve considered buying a car my self and then by the time I put my own spin on it ,It wasnt worth it ,I could build it cheaper ,Just takes longer....
I can see what your saying but settling for someone elses half finished junk vrs building exactly what you want I think building is ahead by a mile. Just watched a fellow shell out $2500 for a 32 bantam roller . I can absolutley guarantee it will never see the track or the street. However here I am talking about "ee what I bought" instead of "see what i built" . The car show deal was well put as they are there as well. We have them at cruise night. Different car several times per year all bought. No owner input. Unfortunately, here those guys always win but it isnt about winning for me. It is the joy for making something and driving it or racng it. That is what turns my crank anyway. I also understand that some have no hope of that and so buy. I am glad they do. It gives up a place to sell our stuff when we are done with it BUT it is the "Special at***ude" that ticks me off. not the actual fact of what happened. The at***ude when one is told and I have been , "I dont know why you would do that when you can just pick up the phone and call Atchison and have one built and sent here for about 12 grand" i wouldnt have traded the build on the max wedge car or the sr dragster for anything. I have resolved though that if I ever do sell them it will definatley be painful for the deep pocketed buyers. Anyway I am almost over it now. Don
<HR style="COLOR: #e5e5e5; BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e5e5e5" SIZE=1> <!-- / icon and ***le --><!-- message --> Good to see you're still around. Thanks. I was out running the sr dragster on the weekend after being rained out twice before. Discovered i still love it! I go for three runs and a burger on test and tune night. Fits my idea of fun exactly. Don
There always will be people with more money than you and I have. I never had a problem with that. If I win Lotto tomorrow I'll be buying finished cars, a lifetime of unfinished projects at this time in my life isn't something to brag about.
You hit the nail on the head! It's not about the winning for me either, It's about building them. I like building them so much, I'm building an OT project in my gravel driveway, Because my shop is an hour and a half away. But the ***hole in me just loves to needle the big money bought guys.
Guys it takes all sorts to make the world go round. Im a better buyer than a builder - heck I have bought stuff I may never use even if I do live to 100 years old. Stuff like a 10/71, a hilborn 4 port injection, a $1000 grenade 477 BBC and a floater rear end. My mate has built me a $1200 FED ch***is and maybe if I keep buying stuff, some of my mates and me can play at being big time FED pilots. Yeah, we will be pretty slow and yeah, we wont win anything much, we will probably be perpetual first round fodder but we will be the round shaped grey haired guys out there having a whole lot of fun. We might win best BBQ after the racing tho.
Hi Don, Think you expressed this all very well. I agree it isn't an issue whether someone chooses to buy or build, but their at***ude after having made their choice is the difference. No reason not to buy something if it fits your program, but that's all that needs be said. Ray
Built a bunch and bought a bunch,flipped a few,still have a bunch on my buckett list,but nothin is better than one comes together and you stand back and look at it and oh baby thats it,had some Oh ****s too.
I should probably keep this to myself but I designed and built the Hemi Jeep bucket. I sold it and the new owner Vern worked with me to finish it. It is currently stored at Mike's (the Willys guy) place. Everytime I see it I am happy I decided to build it. Sometimes I cant believe I did. How do you put a price on that? Don
It seems you put a price on it when you sold it. I fully agree with the build it mind set, however, buying someones busted project will still be cheaper in the long run. Example: Years back I was looking to do an old school t roadster. I hear about a guy who has one for sale that isn't finished. I go over and take a look. I what see is a rebuilt sbc with tri power, a new powerglide, and a rebuilt winters quickchange. Chrome 4" dropped axle, chrome backing plates, radius rods, shocks. New Speedway 27 roadster body, hell, the bar code was still on it. Now here's the kicker, I look around the guys garage and I don't see any tools, welder, grinders, torches, nothing. He has this whole mess mocked up using that white pipe you use for plumbing your house as a frame. As we're talking I find out he'd been to a couple of local car shows, got the bug, and started buying what he figured he'd need from reading the magazines. When I asked him why he was selling, he told me he realized he didn't have the skill or the tools to finish it. Big thing was he didn't know how to weld. He lets slip he needs 1500 more to buy this trike he's been looking at. So.... I offer 1800 cash right there, and we load up everything but the motor (I came back for that). So, while I knew I was buying someone's project, I also knew I'd never see these parts for the price I'd just paid.
I know this might sound sick but the next Hot Rod I build will be a restored car, no patching metal or trying to find missing parts and take off and sell what I can't use and make back some serious cash to put into the parts I do want. JMHO
The Jalopy Journal
