If YOU want it YOU will make it happen if not mabe you only think you want it.I'm not rich but i have a hotrod and that's because i wanted it.Like alot of people i use my spare time to make money for my cars.Sounds to me like you need to stop thinking and start doing, one part at a time if that's what it takes.Don't feel guilty for makeing your dreams come true.You only got one life be a hotrodder don't think about it do it.
I cant afford to build a car....but I did. Couldnt imagine life without working on something!! My last car took me 8 years and cost $50,000 and I did most of it myself. $27,000 was from parts I already had, from when I was employed on wages, (now self employed), and lived at home. That left about $23 grand over the 8 years, so it works out that I spent $55 a week on it. Many times I had only cereal to eat for the week and couldnt go anywhere cause I had no money left for gas!! Its just priorities I guess!! And people look at the car and think I'm well off and made of money??!!!!
I've just started my first Hotrod, a 32 Sedan and have spent more $ in the last 3 months than in my entire life (not including the family home). Being a relatively young guy I have the view that you only live once, why not enjoy it. I've got a wife and 2 little kids but I make it work, a little bit of my pay goes into an account and when I've got enough I buy something or get work done. I also made the choice to sell my car and now commute to work on bicycle, knowing that each ride gets me closer to my dream. The cash from the sale got the project running and what I save in gas,rego,insurance etc goes into the Hotrod fund. I could wait till I'm old and grey but where's the fun in that.
Hot rodding started with people who couldn't afford sportscars, and customizing started with people who couldn't afford luxury cars. I've enjoyed a lot of 'rodded' and 'customized' ot cars with my family ( you have to make some compromises), for little to no cash, but with good hands and a willingness to learn. And my project cars are getting older and rarer as the kids grow up. No 'proper traditional' build yet, but it will happen.
Yes and no. I'm fortunate that I have a trade background and skills that I don't have to pay others to do work for me. Currently a 'work in progress' over a prolonged time period, now that I'm single it's taking longer than I had planned. It should have been finished a long time ago however there area few financial constraints that have been imposed that I had not planned for.
I spent 25 years at a job with good money but long hours to make enough to keep the wifes happy, 1st one decided she could find someone else to support her as I was not home enough. 2nd one decided that drinking was her answer to being home alone to much. Never built the project in the garage all those years. Now I am broke, underemployed, and the project is under a tarp on the driveway, but I am happier that I was for years. I find a few $$$ for parts now and then, peck away at what I can and have a long term girlfriend who is ok with it, and truth be told probably spends more on me that I do on her, Life is about balance. If I had found a better balance years ago I might still be married. There is always a way to find a few $$ if you decide it is important, and are willing to give up other things. I have not had cable tv in years and do not miss it. GF has it and spends 120 a month so the can get a polish channel. This is her hobby spending and I do not question it as she works hard and is paying off her house soon. I fix her cars and house for her- she feeds me and it works for us. My only regret is I never had children but I do have 7 godchildren that I have spent a lot of time with. If you wait for the $$ it will not happen. If you decide to make it a priority it will happen. There is no one way- what works for some may not for you. The question is do you want it bad enough. I let my first wife get her greedy hands on every $ I made si my project car sat- even though I was making good money. The choices we make are many- the person you partner up with is the single largest one that impacts you. If you read the preceding posts notice how many have a suporting spouse.
I've said it before in related topics. I never spend income on my stuff. By income I mean the $$$$ I need to pay the bills, and even if it's more than I need, nope. I've bartered, hustled, flipped, traded, spec'd, all in the name of caring for the affliction I have for motorized toys. I broke that rule once, but it made sense because of how things worked out. And, I still have that OT item and would NEVER consider it an investment with exception of how it serves a personal need. Can anyone do it? Maybe not, maybe in some ways, and being that it's not a unique approach many already do it. Still, it boils down to opportunity and knowledge. I'm in the biz of special cars and get an admitted leg up on the opportunity dept. The key to meeting your goals is 2 simple words...black ink. Black ink is profit. $5 or $5000, doesn't matter. Keep it black. Don't rush in, don't buy with your heart. Don't be greedy, don't ever lie. In a short time you'll have exactly what you want. How fast did last year pass you by? Pretty fast I'd bet. Doing this keeps you busy and continually opens doors to other opportunities. It also moves your goals around, so flexibility is good element to practice. Often, I get a negative response to what things are ultimately worth, or what they can bring in a few moves or with specific marketing. Same with the word investment. Every special I've ever owned has been an investment. I bought a house with a Boss 302. I bought 2 39 Ford conv sedans with a 70 Cuda. I bought a better house with the convertible sedans. I had central air, furnace and all new ducts put in with a 34 DeSoto Airflow. It can be done. Not everything is an irreplaceable icon. I have 2 right now that are simply not for sale, but 1 I really just need to do, the other I've wanted for over 25yrs. To the original question, can you afford it...how bad do you want it? Just be creative and be a genuine enthusiast.
I disagree with you porknbeaner you have left a mark, you don't know me from Adam but I have seen alot of your posts on here (I enjoy them all) and it has saved me alot of money and time. So you have helped my family and I feel that is a great mark. We all make them with out even knowing it.
NOPE my car is o/t here love the trad stuff but mine is a couple years newer. I fit in the los boulivardos set.But if it wasn't for this site I wouldn't have known about them.
Hot Rodding has always been the answer to the high priced performance/luxury cars of their era. We do it because it what fits into our passion, and budget for style, and speed. If we could really afford to, we'd be drivin' the high end stuff, whether that's the Rod of your dreams, or... So, afford it or not, a way is found. ... ____
The cars i'm building arent just my hobby, my fiance takes a great interest in them as well as the culture so it makes it a lot easier spending our spare money on the cars, the shows and any other associated things. We have just started collecting parts for a T model lakes modified style build, so far we have about $500 in it and hope to have it road ready for around the 5 grand mark. The parts for this build seem to be popping up out of the woodwork at the right prices (cheap) which tells me its the right time to build, especially seeing as these parts normally seem pretty hard to come by around here at any price. Cheers Dave
could not really afford to finish the tribute truck that l and my son started, but with help from friends we got it done in a year. so for me it was not only a hobby, but good therapy. lots of my projects are still not finished due to financial things in my life that are more important than a another hot rod right now but, l do have a stash of parts that keeps me moving foreward. the greatest reward is driving my sons truck and all the joy the story brings to other people. l had one gentleman in his eighty's tell me in korea all the base trucks were dodge trucks and he was the mechanic in charge of keeping them running. some times its not the money, it's the memories. Later
I do the same However i am sure you realize they make a lot of thin dimes off you because you use your card, Credit card companies charge 2-3% of each transaction paid by the seller.Offer somebody cash and in Most cases you can buy a little cheaper. Indirectly you are paying the cost of using the Card.Big companies don't care its just a part of doing business.The credit company really likes you because they get the % of EVERYTHING you buy.
I never touch my paycheck for anything car related. I buy, sell, junk, scrap, you name it but always have enough to put a ride together. It's alot of effort but its worth it.
We've always had a rule that car money has to be found money. I found the best way to find money for cars for many years was swapmeeting and then eBay. It seems to have worked out OK. I've got 3 projects (29 A Tudor, T Bucket 1969 style, T Track Roadster) to get done and 3 children who currently have 4 kids between them to give them to. Over the years I've had many many projects and very few runner/drivers because the project count always overpowered the space available to work in. I finally got over the rampant hunger and stepped back to usually having a runner/driver and a project. These days I just have projects BUT helping a great old (81) friend of mine work his way through his stash of projects has been loads of fun over the last 10 years in particular. Total so far, rebuild of 1969 project 23 Track Roadster, 32 3W Coupe, Mullins trailer, and currently working on T roadster. Find your comfort zone and enjoy it.
I do side jobs at home to finance all the car projects. Sometimes stuff comes up that that money should go to, and it does. But for the most part, it, it goes to the cars. Or tools. or guns. or beer. But nonetheless the bills get paid and the young'n stays fed and clothed. And happy. But it really pays to fix other peoples crap. So thats how I come up with the extra cash.
the more you can learn and absorb from others the better off you are.anyone can build if they have the right tools and guidance. $$ is the deciding factor on how fast it gets there and how fancy of parts you put on it. as of right now i have less than half in my car than what i did my previous hobby and more work than i have time to do that does not cost me but pennies to do. i purchased a house this past year and have been learing to deal with all the bumps that come along with that and having a 2 yr old. could of spent more money on the old car but needed a tractor to do work around my place. i am on a counterman's low wage and make it work. i just make it a rule to never buy anything that you cant resell and make money on if you get in a tight spot. that way you dont have to sell your project as a whole.
I love my car and it took 8 years to get her on the road. Now 6 years later driving is great. I am happy I took the plunge. If I really needed to I could sell her. So the money isnt gone really.
I say build it now as long as the household stuff is took care of, cause tomorrow you could be dead! You never know when your last day will be. Have fun with the ones you have!
I build what i can afford. I use the best pieces i can buy or trade for. Ive never been able to afford anything "classy" but.. i sure have a good time tinkering on them. To me its all about beuilding and creating a car. They just come out with whatever parts i found cheap and could use.
I know exactly what you mean Derek. That's I frequent my local Pull A Part. Look for those hard to find parts, clean them up, and put them on Craigslist to make a nice chunk of change. It'll be enough to subsidize your build!! Brought a 1988 Turbo Toyota Supra 5 speed for $65 and sold it a week later for $250. That purchased the 84' JAG IFS that I installed in my '57 3100. U just got to use your imagination to find a way to hustle money. mike
I have an annual budget for my cars, and over the past ten or so years, a reasonably good income. When my wife questioned how much I had spent on the cars, I asked her what stuff she thought she had been missing out on, while I spent up on the cars. As she couldnt think of ANYTHING, the conversation kind of died there. We have been fortunate so she hasnt had to work outside the home over these past thirty years, so she goand do stuff like that. What I have learned tho, is that if I had taken my $$ and bought one or two really nice cars that were finished, instead of a bunch of unfinished projects, I would have saved enough to retire. But then I wouldnt have a half built FED in the shed and wouldnt be dreaming about building a fuel altered (110 inch max)
Building a car is my creative outlet A creative outlet is an art form Art is like Opera you put money in you dont take it out, so this is a money pit not an investment My order of priorities is 1. Family 2. Health 3. Work I classify car building under the health heading, youve got to have something in your life you do just for yourself for your own mental health, that doesnt mean the family cant enjoy it too, my three year old son would rather go out in my open car in January in subzero temps than my OT turbo diesel estate daily. It also doesnt mean Im being selfish, I probably only spend 4-5 hours a week in the garage and most of those are after the rest of the family is in bed (insomnia!!!) What I do know is I feel more relaxed having spent a couple of hours building up a 50 year old axle and that makes me a better father, reduces my stress levels and refreshes me for work the next day Can I afford to build a hot rod? With all the fringe benefits I cant afford not to! Phil
The Jalopy Journal
