Giving up on a project.

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doogievlg

doogievlg

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In 2017 I ruined a main bearing. While the motor was out I decided to rebuild the transmission and switch the drum brakes to disc brakes. At the time I was single and had friends around to help so everything went great until last year. My friends got busy, I got engaged, and I bought a house. Between working on the house and preparing for a wedding I haven’t had a single afternoon free in months. Engine is back in the car, transmission is back in, brakes are mounted but it has no plumbing. I made the call this morning to a friend to see if he has room in his shop to knock it out. This may not seem like a big deal but I wrestled with this for months, I haven’t had anyone else touch this car in 10 years without me there. I hate taking half finished stuff to anyone but it’s killing me to have the car sitting and not getting attention. I don’t really know why I’m making this post but this is the hardest decision I’ve made in the 15 years I’ve owned the car.
 
Sounds like you are just getting a little help for your project. Not giving up. Good for you. When
life settles down a little you can have it there to make memories. Congrats and good luck to you on all fronts.
 
If your girl is interested in the car at all just put it away till things settle down. after a while get her involved in the project. it will bring two closer together with a mutual hobby. if not then your paddling upstream without a paddle. But I would wait till after everything settles down and see how you feel when you have time to think clearly about it. Just my thoughts. (don't do a fire sell when there's no fire).
 
Been there. Done that. More than once. End up regretting it everytime.
 
searcher1990 said:
If your girl is interested in the car at all just put it away till things settle down. after a while get her involved in the project. it will bring two closer together with a mutual hobby. if not then your paddling upstream without a paddle. But I would wait till after everything settles down and see how you feel when you have time to think clearly about it. Just my thoughts. (don't do a fire sell when there's no fire).
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She doesn’t care too much about the car because as long as she has known me it’s been on jackstands in the barn. She wants to use it to drive away from the wedding but that’s about as interested as she’s going to be in it. However she knows my attachment to the car so she would never pressure me into selling it.
 
I have wrestled with sending my junk out on a regular basis for the duration of what is 6 yr project. My last decision to do the electrical myself has its pluses and minus'. I feel that handing off to see the project move forward in a time where I might have more money than time is a good decision. You will always have something to do on it so get it driving via your friend and you can fix a driving project. BAM! $0.02
 
clementine said:
I have wrestled with sending my junk out on a regular basis for the duration of what is 6 yr project. My last decision to do the electrical myself has its pluses and minus'. I feel that handing off to see the project move forward in a time where I might have more money than time is a good decision. You will always have something to do on it so get it driving via your friend and you can fix a driving project. BAM! $0.02
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Right now I have more money than time and here soon I’ll have neither of each when we start having kids and I save up money to get out of a neighborhood.
 
send it to the friend to get it running man. Much easier to fix a running project. and move it to a new location...if your friend drags his heels....you might get some free storage.
 
That's hardly giving up.... Giving up is sending the car on to a new owner... Your just accepting the fact life has gotten busy & you'd like to drive the car sooner rather than later.... Your showing signs of wisdom.... Stop it or you'll scare your friends...
 
1WildRT said:
That's hardly giving up.... Giving up is sending the car on to a new owner... Your just accepting the fact life has gotten busy & you'd like to drive the car sooner rather than later.... Your showing signs of wisdom.... Stop it or you'll scare your friends...
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I’ve just heard so many horror stories about mechanics taking work that is half finished. I feel terrible asking him to do it.
 
its tough man, I had my car taken down for paint.. all the way down to bare metal no interior subframe off drivetrain out etc...I started with the "paint it then put it back together" plan thing is , I can only do body work certain months, it gets too hot during the summer, too cold during the winter, paint and body chemicals don't like certain temp ranges, so...I started cutting in, and bolting the thing back together i can do wrenching in any weather... I had a backyard bbq last year friends and family...they seen the car in 2K primer ooed and ahhed at the parts that were cut in plum Crazy Purple. They came over this year I said " I know the car looks like I haven't touched it in a year but..." I then reached in and turned the key and it fired right up...more ooohs and aaaahs... My goal was to get it turn ley running where I can pull it in and out of the garage...I worked that and also started assembling my spare 340 engine I had sitting for 27 years. Oh yeah and i did do some more body work to it it needs a little bit more fine tuning of the body.

What I'm saying is, go out there for a few hours on the weekend and an hour here and there at night. You be surprised at what you can get done...and it may not look like much to people who are watching but it is when the car gets one step closer.
 
Dartswinger70 said:
its tough man, I had my car taken down for paint.. all the way down to bare metal no interior subframe off drivetrain out etc...I started with the "paint it then put it back together" plan thing is , I can only do body work certain months, it gets too hot during the summer, too cold during the winter, paint and body chemicals don't like certain temp ranges, so...I started cutting in, and bolting the thing back together i can do wrenching in any weather... I had a backyard bbq last year friends and family...they seen the car in 2K primer ooed and ahhed at the parts that were cut in plum Crazy Purple. They came over this year I said " I know the car looks like I haven't touched it in a year but..." I then reached in and turned the key and it fired right up...more ooohs and aaaahs... My goal was to get it turn ley running where I can pull it in and out of the garage...I worked that and also started assembling my spare 340 engine I had sitting for 27 years. Oh yeah and i did do some more body work to it it needs a little bit more fine tuning of the body.

What I'm saying is, go out there for a few hours on the weekend and an hour here and there at night. You be surprised at what you can get done...and it may not look like much to people who are watching but it is when the car gets one step closer.
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Monday night I was cutting up a tree until 8 then had dinner and went to sleep, Tuesday night I hauled the tree off to burn, Wednesday night I had to move wedding decorations and do laundry so I had cloths for work, last night I moved stuff from my fiancé’s apartment to the house until 10. Tonight I’m throwing the wheels on the car and the hood and putting it on the trailer then going to rewire switches in the house. Tomorrow I’m dropping off the car then working on a fence at the house and pressure washing the patio and driveway. Sunday I am moving more of my stuff over to the house and trenching to install new lights on the front of the house and a light in the backyard. I don’t have enough time to get the stuff I NEED to do finished let alone wrench on the car.
 
Car 4 Sale Reality- Put it up for sale with a price your happy with and when you start dealing with low ballers, tire kickers and folks who just want to ask questions about the car you'll get so disgusted you'll end up keeping it.
 
I hear ya... I would say just hold off on it for a while I wouldnt be lying if i told you there were years that my car sat and i did nothing to it. I do know I'll be a happy old man driving it when its done...there were times I didnt have the $$$ to spend on it, now I am ok in that regard, my son is out of college married doing his own thing, i can justify spending the money on upholstery from legendary now,in all reality the upholstery is priced good for what it is, but years ago i couldnt afford it, id duct tape the vinyl and throw a sheepskin over it ...dont be in a hurry and dint stress over it do what you can doo...you do have a daily driver to drive right? I wouldnt be to stressed unless sit was my only car.
 
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A56 said:
Car 4 Sale Reality- Put it up for sale with a price your happy with and when you start dealing with low ballers, tire kickers and folks who just want to ask questions about the car you'll get so disgusted you'll end up keeping it.
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It will take a family emergency for me to sell this car. I’ll sell it to feed the family or pay a medical bill but that’s it.
 
I am working on telling people "no". Of course you have to deal with home stuff, but steering the ship towards balance in life. Right now there is a lot of things that require your attention that although important, may not be your idea of what makes you happy. Deal with those things and start carving out time for you. You obviously can get a lot done in a short period of time. Carving out time includes startup time when you go and just stare at the vehicle, working on it, and cleaning up garage, so when you return the process can repeat. balance.
 
I was always being approached with "side work" that I really didn't have time for and peoples cars would be at my garage two weeks to a month...i had to pull the plug on that...it didn't pay either, parts are expensive, and they wanna ***** like you are the neighborhood mechanic shop also...
 
gzig5 said:
Have your fiancé call the "Garage Squad" and maybe they'll finish it for you.
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thats funny..i told my wife "if you call Chip Foose in here and he effs my car up, Ill demand that he put it back the way it was....not that chips work is bad I just don't like "Custom" anything...with Chip, its his vision for my car not mine...

but seriously OP just let it sit you arent in the state of mind for it right now...as long as you have indoor storage for it it will be there when you are ready.

one thing I did or do is, ill collect parts for it for use at a later date...its still working on it right? when I do go out there and pick up a wrench Ill have everything there ready to go.
 
Sometime you "gotta do what you gotta do". Start to add Kids a busy career and demanding family things get more tight. Sounds like the focus and goal is to get the car ready for a wedding, do what you need to do to get is there, you'll be glad you did. I would consider this a win and fast tracking to getting it on the road. You can go back and do some thing you wanted to do as you drive it.

I've had my GTS 25 years. This year was the first time its been driven in my ownership. It came with me when I married my wife, put her through Nursing school, a lay off for me after 13 years on the job (and a new carrier at a new company in a field I'm still like Dorthy in Oz at after 11 years), 2 kids now 8 and 11, and a house with many remodels. Trust me, get it done and on the road now.

My GTS a few weeks ago, parked somewhere other than my garage and driveway. Still work to do, but it drives and my family likes riding in it.

GTS1.jpg
 
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I agree with Dano if you have the $$$ now to pay someone to get it going do it. In my situation there were years I didn't have the scratch, no more than to pay the rent on the storage for the car. I built a garage at my own house and towed it home in 2017, I have been slowly back at it for almost 5 years now and its coming along just not very fast. i wouldnt get rid of my car now,ive busted my *** for too long just to keep it, i even built a garage to finish and store it. Its been fun, i told the wife, "Ill get it done and never drive it, just sit out here and look at it while drinking a beer..." I dont think that will happen though ,shell want to go out in it when its done, it will be too nice not to. :)
 
A56 said:
Car 4 Sale Reality- Put it up for sale with a price your happy with and when you start dealing with low ballers, tire kickers and folks who just want to ask questions about the car you'll get so disgusted you'll end up keeping it.
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Been there (not with the GTS).....and its no fun for sure.
 
Just yesterday my neighbor came over and asked me when the current car in my garage was going to be done, I told him "whenever I feel like working on it"
I get tired of people asking me are you ever going to finish it? Its just a project to keep myself busy when I have nothing to do.
I have done cars that just sit in storage, because I have not had time to drive them.
No big deal.
 
sireland67 said:
Just yesterday my neighbor came over and asked me when the current car in my garage was going to be done, I told him "whenever I feel like working on it"
I get tired of people asking me are you ever going to finish it? Its just a project to keep myself busy when I have nothing to do.
I have done cars that just sit in storage, because I have not had time to drive them.
No big deal.
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I agree. For me it is because I like being in my garage. I have a kegerator out there, I can smoke cigars its one of my man caves LOL! recentlly I have been running ,my car at idle and tweaking the carb etc, the neighbors may hear it but i have exhaust on it they aren't going to ***** about noise because it isn't any louder than any other v8 vehicle around. people asking? you are right its none of their business. I had an old mopar of some sort since i was 19, I have always wanted a classic car in my garage, and my uncle (moms brother) was always an a hole he said once "is it worth it" I said "no its never worth it..." and left it at that...he was talking about the cost of a garage and the parts and the tools and the time spent. he didn't get it.
 
I bought a 400 block and crank in '97... finally got the car together and on the road early in '19. Yes, it took me 22 years of start & stop, accumulating parts, two moves, marriage, divorce... life in general.
It's still not done, probably never will be 100% complete, but I can drive it to the local cruise-ins.
Don't give up and get rid of it. As soon as you do, you'll wish you had it again ;)
 
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