You'll know when you get one that you want to keep, then you might want more, but there'll always be that one that you always keep. Don't rush it, it might take a while.
TopolinoKid hit the nail on the head! You'll know THE car for you. It FEELS better to drive & ride in, somehow -- about like a glove. A car that's a part of you, sort of an extension of your personality and sould. You NEVER give the keys to some parking-lot attendant, because you don't want somebody else to touch your controls or run your machinery. You know, jealous like you would be over somebody else dancing with your girlfriend. A car you love like a relative, a favorite pet, your closetst friends. When you feel that kind of attachment, that is your car, one you won't let go of. I've been over every square inch of my '55, bloodied many a knuckle and sacrificed time & money. She's been with me since March '70 -- 39 years and counting. Try driving something with a hemi in it. THAT may help!!!
I'm one of the rare types that doesn't seem to build cars to sell them. Sometimes I have to sell them, but I never want to, and I wish I had all of them back. But, I think three is the magic number for me. One hot rod, one custom, and one muscle car (O/T, I know, but I love 'em...if they're really fast). I build them in my head, dream about them for awhile, and then get to the nuts and bolts once I locate a clean example. This alone can take years. The actual building of the car to suit my tastes will also take years (I'm not rich either). After all those years of dreaming and wrenching, the LAST thing I want to do is sell it. My muscle project is about done (LOVING driving it now, and yes- it's fast), and I'm back into the custom project. Once it's done and driving (another 5 yrs? Hopefully less...) I'll start sniffing around for the Model A sedan I've been dreaming about forever. There's only a couple questions left in my head on that one- 409 or Nailhead, and stick or auto? I've got time to figure it all out...and once it's on the road, it won't be for sale.
One of the rare types that builds to keep? Is it common for you guys in the Stated to build a car just to sell? Very few people do that here, we build what we want for our use, I'm not condemning the selling it just strikes me as odd. Doc.
You will know when you come across the right car, it will speak directly to you. I have done the same, bought 'em, played with 'em, and sold 'em because they didn't speak to me, they didn't have soul. My current toy isn't what most would consider desirable, but it speaks to me. I don't plan on ever getting rid of it. It is hard to describe, but you will know it once you see it. It might not even be a HAMB friendly car, but hopefully it will.
I don't proceed with any pre-conceived notion of what I want. I don't wait around for a perfect body to come along, would rather take an already gutted car and give it new life. I wait, sometimes for years, until I fall in love with something that presents itself, by happenstance, by accident. When I ran across the 29 Nash, right away I recognized that the radiator/hood had to be channelled, but not chopped. After acquireing the car, I didn't have a plan, except knew that it had to immediately lose about a foot of wheelbase~! Early on I was convinced a Hotrod was in order, initially visualizing it as a pickup, but after the major ch***is mods were done, I decided on the 'vicky' theme. It has taken on a definate character now, absent the interior upholstery and final body work/paint. Still struggling with the rear, whether to hide the suspension with an apron, or to expose it. Don't plan on another car, what I have I'll never lose until I'm pushing up daisies. Of course if something comes along unexpectedly I'll know it when I see it.
I'm one that believes in a long term relationship (married for 45 years). I've had over 200 cars since I was 14 years old so that would seem to run counter to what I just posted. But............over 37 years ago I bought "THE ONE". It was the car I built a model of when I was 9 or 10 showing it to my mom and declaring, " someday I'm going to have one like this". That would be my '32 5w. I've built it dozens of times in my head and have a pile of parts squirreled away for the construction. It sits in the corner of the shop so I look at it every day and not a day goes by that I don't mentally experience driving it in it's finished form. "You're nuts" you say? Not completely, I have a '32 2dr that I jump in almost every day and get my '32 "fix". It's chopped exactly like the 5w will be done and the exhaust note is something I hope to duplicate. Biggest difference will be the BBC instead of the SBC the 2dr has. In my mind it will happen someday and that's all that counts......to me. If it doesn't, then the next custodian will have a nice project to build. I'm hoping that will be my son, but that's up to him. Frank
Actually yes- a lot of guys buy old cars with the intent of fixing them up and flipping them for a profit. They clean them up, add some cool wheels or paint or whatever, and sell them. Happens a lot!
My efforts usually work in reverse... I pick up an odd pile of patrs spend way to much time and money on them, and sell it for a loss... part of my reason to just keep one.. and it looks like I've found my next money pit. an 1952 F1. I'll have all my $$ in it so it will most likely sit in the garage until at least spring. It only needs tires and I want to put a dual master cylinder to be drivable. or so I keep telling mtself. bob
you might blow through some, but you'll keep the one or two that just hit you right and won't get rid of them.
One day you will find the one that steals your heart and you will keep her forever. Until then cars will just be like a flavor of the month to you.
Doc, this guy is a man after my OWN soul. I NEVER wanted to "get rid of" my '50 Hudson Super6, my '62 Stude Hawk 4-speed, my '33 3W coupe and others. But, cir***stances (mainly involving cash-flow) required that I do it, as MUCH as it hurt. Like Scotch, though, there are two they'll have to pry the keys out of my cold, dead hands.
here a re a few pics, I should have it soon. Unbelievable what else he had but restored. I'm thinking flat red, 1" drop, duel exhaust/headers on the flathead, and a s10 5speed or keep the 3on the tree and run a 3.0 rear. Discs and dual master. this is all in reverse order.. First I need to rob a bank. Hopefully this is the one. bob
I agree to a point. I built a few new model cars back in my school days, and they definitely had soul. You could pick up a paper and find the same model, but it sure as hell wasn't my car. Once you take it all apart and put it back together they become dear to you no matter what it rolled off the lot as. Trying to explain how you find "the" car is like trying to explain how you find "the" girl. You just do, and if you have to explain it you aren't doing it right.
I've still got my first car, (my '69 camaro), I can't see my self parting with it. I've pulled it apart and rebuilt it some many times, and different ways over the years, it's almost killed me a few times, and I've destroyed it a few times over.. All the drivers, or other projects over the years were fun and I do regret getting rid of some of them, but at the end of the day even if I haven't touched it for a while..I always find my self thinking about what to do with it next. Hopefully with each new project I take on I learn something new I can take back and use to improve the '69... If anything the other projects keep me sane after 15 years wrenching on the same car and it still being a pile.. The other cars keep me from taking a sledge hammer to it out of frustration.
My philosophy is to buy several cheap vehicles to suit my taste. For muscle I've got a 70's Trans Am. For 4x4 I've got a '97 Jeep Wrangler going one tons and a '45 cj2a. For cool I'm workin a '29 AV8 and just cause it was so cheap, '72 C10 DD. This doesn't include other DD's and piles of **** I've got sitting.
The Jalopy Journal
