Is there any hope of getting out of this?

Here are some things to consider:

1) It's a car

2) It's supposed to be fun

3) Old cars should be about the love of it, not the money (unless it's your business, then it should be both)

4) If you're worried about the money, maybe you should find another hobby.

5) There is no such thing as perfection (except for Vicki F. back in the summer of 1991)

6) We're only here for a short time so there is no time for ****py thoughts

7) The attachments that we have with others, family and friends, are more important than anything. These are the things that endure. You can't put a price on it. I'm hearing that THIS car has sentimental value, not some other car like it. THAT is already worth the extra dollars spent. The only time it's a BAD investment is RIGHT NOW, because you're not enjoying it. You have invested monetarily in something special. The payoff is when you get to enjoy it. You can be enjoying it now. Get it? The problem is how you're choosing to look at it.

8) It's not the destination, it's the drive. Don't **** up the journey, man.

9) You're not the only one who is upside down in something because of sentimental value. So what? There's VALUE in that sentimental value.

10) If you can't finish it now then put it away for a while. If your hearts not in it then sell it. But, before you do, figure out why your heart's not in it. I doubt that it's about this car. The car reminds you of something else...some other failure perhaps? You need to face up to whatever it is. Get it out into the light and look out it. It might hurt, but so what? Failure is where wisdom comes from.

11) Read this list again!

 

I said 13,000! Three times now. The question is answered!

 

It seems there's still a lot a questions un-asked and un-answered.

 

Mental health issues can be a *****, get help,it's hard to find it here

 

Now that I think about it, this is more of a street rod ain't it? Disc brakes, firebird buckets, the drive train? This car is OT right?

 

Here's a different look. You say you have 23 years and $18,000 in this car. Will $5,000 get you to where you want to be with this car? If so $1,000 per year is pretty damn cheap and as the years go by it will be less per year invested and the car will most likely grow in value.

 

Yeah, that's like $800 a year on a hobby. If he thinks that's expensive try owning a horse!

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I think I understand where you are coming from. My current and last project has coat me a lot more than I has planed and even when done will not get me back what I have put into it. I was at the point a couple months ago when I was ready to throw in the towel. That being said I took some time and then decided that I could just dump the project and have no car and a big hole in my pocket or keep going and end up with what I wanted to begin with and not as big a hole in my pocket. I still have a ways to go but I am going to get the car on the road and then worry about finishing it a little at a time. You just need to break it down to what is really nessary right now like gl*** all you have to have is a windshield and a back window interior just needs seats and a dash paint the body and use the old chrome for now ans so on

 

You have already spent the money. Selling it for less means you lose even more money. Take a breather if you are burnt out. Continue to build and enjoy. Simple.


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You hit right on the head. That's what I did made me feel better.

 

Calm down and drink a 12 pk. Things will either look better or at least you get a good drunk out of it.....

 

The human mind is a strange organ that can cause us great joy or anguish over the exact same situation. I grew up lusting over the cars in Hot Rod and I knew that one day I would have a car that was envied as much as America's Most Beautiful Roadster. But alas now rich guys are spending a Million dollars on these cars & even though I have learned many skills to do the work I don't have the pocket book to do it. I have had many projects that I wanted to be far better than I could do or afford and so they languishing in the corner of the garage. Now I look back and realize I could have been driving them and having fun if only I could have accepted a different level of quality other than the perfect car that I always envisioned. How don't get me confused with a cry baby in the corner, I have a '48 pickup that is a refugee from the junkyard, with a Chevelle clip, 350,TH 400, positrac, chopped top, primered, that i have driving the wheels off of. About 100,000, it's been in 22 western states and we've had a ball in it over the last 20 years, but if i wasn't so hung up on wanting the '32 to be perfect I could have been having fun in it. I have always been highly critical of my own work and disappointed in things that I think should be better. But you know what, once you put them together and stand back and look at it it always looks better than you thought.

 

You aren't alone. Here is my Studebaker, after a 7,000 dollar custom paint job, after about 5 years of parts searching, and a lot more money and bad deals than I want to think about.As you can see, it didn't quite work out as planned.

 

Your in Vancouver, it rains like here in Oregon. It gets depressing, you go buy another rusty project. You feel better. Are you my twin?

 

here it is now. I ultimately gave it to my dad, and moved on, but I got it to where I wanted it, before I started jonesing for my 59ElCamino back. It is still in the family though.

 

The truth!!

You're going to be earthworm food a lot faster than you think. Enjoy the time you have here now, because nobody gets out alive.

You need to do what makes you happy. Because worrying ****s.

 

so maybe your father built the car in the 70's. you grew up with it all your life. father gives it to you, you start restoring it to his vision in the 70's. you find out it cost more than other cars you've built. now you don't want it and want to get you're money back.
problem is how to tell dad. i 'm guessing if you talk to him, he will understand. it was his dream not you'rs. trying to keep him happy is causing alot of grief.
i'm guessing the two of you could solve the problem without making each other mad. talk to youre father..

 

I love that body-style Studebaker!

 

Actually it's the other way around. He has wanted me to change a bunch of things when rebuilding this car and I have been the one insisting upon building it "like it was".

The car was finished the first time right after Two Lane Blacktop came out and was of a similar style... just closer to "finished" than the TLB '55.

 

What the hell. Here is a picture of the car in the early '70s. If you look in the background you will see Dad's '70 Firebird Formula 400 and his '56 Dodge pickup. His '67 Firebird 400 is in that old garage.

That garage in the background is where he built and painted this car I believe.

 

Part it out.

 

that would still be cool today. good looking car. looks high dollar even back then. i say keep buliding it.

 

Well that looks ALMOST exactly like my 55 Chevy.....right down to the keystones, cept mine is orange

 

Grab a box of beer, roll a big joint and sit back and relax, things aint always as bad as they seem. Hell put the car aside for a while, you may really regret it if you let it go. Looks like it was a cool ride back in the day..

 

Good thing I'm a fast reader. Put your safety gl***es on because I'm going to come at ya from the other side, a professional builder.

Did you or did you not get what you paid for? Were you forced by gun point or some special female kicking you outta bed if you didn't do what you did? From a judging point of view, is this car a winner? Did you think that the paint (su****iously sounds like that's when you got kicked in the sack) was gonna be cheap? Did you compromise at the beginning and now it's too late to turn back, or just the opposite, did you go further on professional advice, and yet while it might have been accurate and worth it, it's not worth it to you?

The whole story/topic is like some riddle or one of those anagram puzzle questions. "I'm blah blah blah, but not yadda yadda yadda, and I really wanted to be TA DAA, but don't think I am." Now that I got that outta my system lets look at what you have. On the face of things it looks like you have 1st rate stuff to ***emble something that's very popular and has more value than most of the hobby horses think. It's a tri-5, a post 2dr, it's a hot rod, and it's a 56 which to some is the pinnacle of the tri-5s. Poor you, with a couple months and a couple grand you'd be swarmed with fans and busy cleaning drool marks off the gl*** and engine compartment. It sounds like someone who wanted a Model A 4dr and had to "settle" for a coupe.

Poor me, I have a 61 bubble top that I can't seem to get to. I know EXACTLY what I wanna do to it, have 90% of the car, all ready to go, and can also do everything except sew. At the same time I remain obliged to customers and seem to gain little more than cobwebs on it. Worse yet, I can recoup 50% more than I've spent on it as it sits but can't seem to bring myself to prep it for sale. Yeah, poor me. I spend every day of my current life surrounded by that 61, a 65 GTO, a 31 Model A PU, a 1914 Woods Motorette, and a new Speed33 street rod project. What works for me is I'll review some "secondary" auction results, hit the occasional car show or cruise, and try to keep motivated by "sharing" what I'm doing with those close to me. Essentially, stay informed. Not always easy but it works as well as it can. Worse yet I have to travel a long distance to work every morning, like 85'. I won't even bother to express the latest physical limits to my efforts. Oh yeah, almost forgot this one. Also involved in an altered WB Mopar drag racer with 2 of my dearest friends. Damn this **** ****s, doesn't it?

Last but not least, 2 seasons ago I finished a "driver" for a client. He spent over $300K. How's that make you feel?

 

That '56 looked good then. It will make a nice car now.

That doesn't really matter if you have realized it isn't the car you want.

 

Thanks for all the input and support! I have decided I am just going to put this car off to the side and try to enjoy my Falcon during the remaining nice weather here. Hopefully I will get recharged and gain a better perspective over the winter. At this point I am trying to stay focused on the fact that the combo I have should be pretty quick at least... that is if I can get quicker "rowing my boat" as Dad would say.

 

Sounds like a good path choice. Time is on your side, to gain a better perspective. If it was mine I would opt for that T-10...always more fun rowing a box!