Discouraged

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64X2

64X2

Mohel at your service.
Joined
Oct 13, 2008
Messages
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Location
kentucky
This more of a rant than anything, I have been into the car hobby longer than I can remember. For the longest time I have wanted a car I could be proud of and have tried to work towards that goal. So here I sit many years later and I have a car, one I love dearly, and have owned over ten years, but sadly I have found myself also financially strapped over those years. My lack of money, whether though my own bad decision or just life, I have never had enough to truly do my car justice. I have tried to maintain the car to keep it on the road and even that has been hard to do. I went to a Nostalgia Drags close to where I live and the old feelings of never having a car that I can be proud of reared its ugly head. I sat in the stands and watched as people took their souped up jalopies down the 1320, and thought god I would love to have enough power to run down the strip and be proud of the numbers I would pull down. Life unfortunately has never been a lucky proposition for me. My poor car sits in the garage with engine problems, which I will solve, an engine that at best puts out 200 hp. I just can never seem to find the money to do all the things I want to do for the car, hell the quarter panel and the front fender have been f**ked up for going on 6 years, one cause I don't have the skills to fix it myself and two I don't have the money to get someone to fix it. I even have a quarter panel for the car, just no cash to fix it, then there is the rear axle, I have an axle, again no money to get it cut down and built. I just want to have a car that is built with nice parts not junk that I have had to make work, because that’s what I can afford at the time. So one day, just one day I would like to roll out in my car and have people say that is bad ***, instead of are you ever going to fix/finish or people point at my car and laugh at it. I know that the world is a different place, from when I was a kid and you have to work to get anything in this ol world. I am just tired and worn out from trying to get ahead and fulfill my dream. I guess I will get the ol girl up and running the best I can and ride off into the sunset……..rant over….
 
don't give up hope, you'd be amazed how many people will help if you ask. were all in this hobby togeather....
 
You have internet access and the interest to find out what you don't know right?
There is a lot of information on the internet to be found.

fanofpetty is right about not giving up.
I sold my motorhome to be able to get my dart, and I'm kinda in the same boat as you, since I support a family of four.
Use a camera to post pics and ask questions, as there is a lot of people here that add up to tons of experience.
Next thing you know, you'll have done something you didn't know how to do before.
When I'm strapped for cash for my car I put a few things on craigslist that I'm willing to part with to get what I want.
 
If you were close I would be more than glad to help you out maybe there's someone close to you that will pick this up.Been there done that.Good luck
 
Don't beat yourself up. Hang in there. I was that way myself. I 57 years old.
Didn't get a nice car till about 8 years ago. I was always running a so called
rat hot rod. Did enough trading and dealing. Got just the car I wanted.
Now I just hope nothing big go's wrong.
So just hang in there buddy. It will all come together for you.
 
I know how you feel. When I was in the work force, it was easier because I made more money and it was easier because I could still actually DO the work. Now, I am on disability and I cannot do anything like I used to. Things that normally take a weekend, take me a month now. I have to sit down and rest after doing 10-15 minutes worth of straight work. It's a pain in the ***. And people wonder why I'm so flighty sometimes and fly off the handle easy. Even for able bodied folks, times are tough unless you gotta pile of money in the bank. Just being here has helped me tremendously. People support and listen and offer advice. Hell, I've had people slam GIVE me stuff or send me stuff on the cheap or just for shippin.....and I've done the same. Are there any parts you need? I'm too far away to come help you or I sure would....afflicted *** and all. I'll be glad to give you some tuning advice if you wanna shoot me a PM. I'm good at gettin more power outta sumthin on the cheap. That's how I've had to do it all my life.
 
My 66 Barracuda sat in a carport for years with neighbors making jokes about it. They don't any more. When you do something, do it right. One day you'll be done. I'd get yours running good first. The rest will come.
 
StrokerScamp said:
Things that normally take a weekend, take me a month now.
Click to expand...

Describes my situation exactly. Arthritis has finished me off, and only 10-12 years ago, part of my job was climbing towers. Now I can barely walk. It's why my "new" car will have to have a Torqueflite.
 
Life happens. I find there's generally three types of people in the car world:
1. The ones that enjoy everything about it. They drive primered, slow, never finished cars everywhere. They put shoe polish messages on the windows at car shows. They are excited by the oddest litttle details on another's car. They generally do not have the where-with-all to finish things, whether it be money or time or knowledge, but come hell or high water, they drive 'em and would prefer to be buried in them.
2. The mid level hobbyists who love them, have a little money, drive cars they have the where-with-all to fix up, improve over time, and maintain. They are by far the most common. they pick and choose the shows to go to, horse trade for bits here and there, and generally have a different newer car to drive every day. The old car is for fun when it can be, not basic transportation. They will go on cruises even when it rains, park the car in public lots, and do their best to have the car perform and appear "presentable".
3. The Platinum Certified owners. They would rather not have a car out unless it's completed, and may only trailer it to shows. They like to stand next to cars an pick out the parts that are not correct, or not "en vogue". They tell you what they have "into it" as if it mattered to you, and generally know the basics but realy prefer to write checks and have it taken care of. Their cars are spectacular in every way, and they follow Barrett-Jackson. They have no issues with finances so they can pick and choose any event, including buying an enclosed trailer to go to Indy with because the car's safer that way.

The only person who has to enjoy your car is you. Be it racing, parked, rotting, or driving. If just owning it brings you joy, good for you! Life happens, and your time 9and the cars) will come. In the meantime, enjoy it in any way you have to "for now".
 
moper said:
Life happens. I find there's generally three types of people in the car world:
1. The ones that enjoy everything about it. They drive primered, slow, never finished cars everywhere. They put shoe polish messages on the windows at car shows. They are excited by the oddest litttle details on another's car. They generally do not have the where-with-all to finish things, whether it be money or time or knowledge, but come hell or high water, they drive 'em and would prefer to be buried in them.
2. The mid level hobbyists who love them, have a little money, drive cars they have the where-with-all to fix up, improve over time, and maintain. They are by far the most common. they pick and choose the shows to go to, horse trade for bits here and there, and generally have a different newer car to drive every day. The old car is for fun when it can be, not basic transportation. They will go on cruises even when it rains, park the car in public lots, and do their best to have the car perform and appear "presentable".
3. The Platinum Certified owners. They would rather not have a car out unless it's completed, and may only trailer it to shows. They like to stand next to cars an pick out the parts that are not correct, or not "en vogue". They tell you what they have "into it" as if it mattered to you, and generally know the basics but realy prefer to write checks and have it taken care of. Their cars are spectacular in every way, and they follow Barrett-Jackson. They have no issues with finances so they can pick and choose any event, including buying an enclosed trailer to go to Indy with because the car's safer that way.

The only person who has to enjoy your car is you. Be it racing, parked, rotting, or driving. If just owning it brings you joy, good for you! Life happens, and your time 9and the cars) will come. In the meantime, enjoy it in any way you have to "for now".
Click to expand...

I'm a mixture of the first two:

They generally do not have the where-with-all to finish things, whether it be money or time or knowledge, but come hell or high water, they drive 'em and would prefer to be buried in them.

they pick and choose the shows to go to, horse trade for bits here and there. They will go on cruises even when it rains, park the car in public lots and do their best to have the car perform and appear "presentable".

:thumrigh:

To the OP I've had many of the same problems. I've owned so many old muscle cars over the years and most were projects that never got anywhere and had to be sold when money became scarce. It always seemed that my friends got all the breaks. They were born to rich parents or inherited good amounts of money and are never left wanting whereas I was born to very poor parents, one who is on the other side of the country using drugs, the other barely scraping by but who I love dearly.

Just this year though I finally decided to bite the bullet and do something really stupid, technically I borrowed the money and got my Dart in return. This Dart has many small problems and threw my savings into fixing this and that to get the Dart good enough to drive and yet I still have problems I need to fix here and there. The funny thing is I told myself I wanted a car that I would actually want to spend money to wash more than once a year and take to car shows.

I too would love to have a big block powerful MOPAR that I could be proud of, something to scare myself in going so fast. Even just building up a small block for my Dart seems like a dream as I go over the costs.

One thing I have going for me is my age, I am only 28. I have no children anymore and currently no woman with her claws sunk into me anymore. All my money can go towards the few bills and my car.

Funny thing is for me I'd prefer to have a car that is somewhat powerful and in grey primer rather than the car I have now.
 
I have done a lot of thing that I never would have thought I could do. I made my own floor pans and welded them in and made the four speed hump for my car also. They look like **** and are welded together with bubble gum welds, but I did it myself. It took me two years to just accomplish that and then the engine develop its problems, it is all so disheartening. I take one step forward and get knocked back ten, it is very tiring. I try hard every day to not give up and just sell everything, and then I see my wife drive her 64, that I have poured a lot of time into and the smile on her face when she drives it and I find the strength to carry on. Things have been just so damn pain in the a** for the past couple of years, that it is hard to get motivated to try, when there is nothing there to work with. I have tried selling stuff, but nothing has sold and when it does we have had to put the money into something else not car related. My poor car has been on the back burner for so long I have lost track of how long. I am just going through a rough period in my life and having trouble finding meaning in anything. I won't give up and refuse to stop trying, I am just tired, very tired.......not enough hours at work, lack of second job opportunities, wife out of work, roof leaking on the house, kitchen foundation needing to be redone.....etc....it all has become a bit overwhelming....and I really don't have anyone to turn to get all of this frustration out.....so I thought I would dump it here...as you all have become my extended family.....thanks for listening...thanks for the support....
 
Hang in there 64X2. I get the same way sometimes.....as has been said, life happens. I would love to have a built engine, overdrive tranny and huge rear end , leather interior, perfect paintjob on my car. But for me this is a hobby and a passion that has to be balanced into the actual necessities of life. Most of my "spare change" goes to the car, when I really should be saving for a rainy day or retirement (if that day ever comes).....but every time I sit in my car and drive her I get a "all is right in the world" vibe. There will ALWAYS be someone out there with a bigger/better/prettier/faster car (house, TV, woman, etc).....the key is to find enjoyment in what you already have....then the times that you can swing an upgrade is even better!
 
I say next time your at the track watching Nostalgia races,ask members questions about joining..I did.Being in with a club of old car racers,builders has some benefits(help with parts and work,social,friendships).We all started with just a basic car,altered,truck.etc...Heck,a guy in a bone-stock 65 Comet won our points races and he was driving the car to ALL races.Do the best you can and go out and have fun,better your car when time,money permit.It,s all about the love of cars!Good Luck.8-)
 
Drache said:
I'm a mixture of the first two:
Click to expand...


same here and i was going to point that out.

and personally while driving it is fun believe it or not
for me 75% of the fun is the work that goes in to it
which is why i sold my 09 challenger 3 months ago
and bought the scamp, there isnt a whole lot you can
do on a new car.

also let me add that i help all of the guys in my area
that ask me and im sure the OP if he looks can find
someone like me in his area that is willing to give him
free labor so long as he provides the parts, extra
hands and most of all.... be willing to learn how to do it....
 
I have read your thread and had to stop and make sure i did not write it,i myself have the same issues 52 years old, no savings,house needs some work,beatup truck, 73 charger in pieces, 66 cuda that has issues,a dog with health problems,unemployed ole lady.I have been working since i was 16 taking care of family since 19 i'm beyond tired but i just keep going i won't quit[even tho i want to]i keep the hope that someday i'll have my cuda fixed up, don't dwell on how bad off you are focus on how you can make life better, i'm not unhappy with life just the bad choices i have made that have put me in this position, i have come to terms with my wanting a nice car [i'm not suppose to have one] i'm too tired to work extra hard to make mine nice, besides if i did something else would crap out and it goes to the back burner again sooooooooooooo.I have decided my car is unique as it is so leave it alone,keep the house livable,try to smile often and take what life gives me and be as happy as possible screw what any one else thinks about my car ,house ect.I one of the threads they broke it into catagories i'm between 1 and 2. Good luck to you keep your chin up.
 
I feel your pain, bad choices in the past caught up with me so now I can't take care of my car's needs. I only drive it once a week now so it doesn't deteriorate. The way I deal with the discouragement is to remember I still own it and it isn't going anywhere, and remember there are people who are a lot worse off. And count my blessings. I never cared if other people made fun of me.
 
Believe me you are not alone. We all have our "down in the dumps" time. I have more projects to do than I have time or money. Raised 3 girls one still at home, now have one back at home with child, don't get me wrong I like having them around, but it is taxing at times. I too have vehicle repairs, house repairs, and a business to run that is becoming tougher by the day as the economy really stinks. It's all what we are dealt. I too am trying to build my car on the cheap and I hear it all the time, you don't want that carb, I wouldn't do it that way etc., well I'm really proud of what I have accomplished with my car over the last 12 months and will continue my quest as time and finances allow. I just keep chugging along making improvements where I can, with everything. It's all perspective I guess, if we dwell on it it only keeps us down. I look at it this way, there is always someone out there that has it way worse than me.
 
I think we've all been there at some point in our lives. Start by giving the wife a big hug and tell her how much you love her and that she's the best thing in your life. After she comes out of shock and asks you if you're going to die (just kidding....I think) tell her that you're going to try to improve your lives the best you can, starting with attitude. Take some courses at the local college if possible. Whatever might improve your current job skills or skills you don't currently have but once learned, you can use to keep from having to hire someone else to do them. Knowing how to do auto repair is a skill that everyone can use to save money. Same with carpentry, plumbing, electrical, etc. Adding skills can open all kinds of doors and oppertunities in the job market. Another important morale booster is a hobby. Find something you really have interest in and start reading. It will start the juices flowing and give you energy you thought you lost forever. Even if you don't have the money to fund the hobby, just looking into it will help. On projects around the house or with the car(s), write a list of things that need to be done and rank them in order of importance. If there are things on the list that take little or no money to do, do them first. The feeling of accomplishment will give you a boost. Start putting money aside for the bigger projects, even if it's a dollar or two a day. You'll get there eventually!
 
Dude, you live in Kentucky where silver duct tape around the windshield is acceptable chrome trim! lol Just pokin' fun man, if you can't laugh you got nothing. I'll admit I've had some nice cars in my time but I sacrificed a lot for them, ate ramen noodles for dinner every night for years. I'm in bad shape right now myself. I had money in the bank but, not anymore. I bought all the stuff for my car years ago so I can still play scraping change together here and there for odds and ends. The thing that has helped me the most though is friends. Granted I've been a tech all my life so I know a thing or two plus I meet a lot of people with various talents and I'll trade work to have some one help with something I don't feel comfortable with, like welding my chassis and cage. I can weld but I sure didn't feel comfortable trusting my own welds. lol

Some people will get what they want in life one way or another because they have the determination, drive and ability to focus on the problem at hand. Some people just look at the big picture and never get started because they get overwhelmed by it all. One step at a time and it will get done. Might take 20 years (and I know of cars that have) but it gets done. Hang in there dude. I like the shrimp and chicken flavor best. :)
 
I think you can now see you're in a bigger "club" than you thought. In Jan. 2009 I was 60 and in mostly good shape and health. I thought I was coming down with a chest cold. I ended up in the hospital for a month. Half of it on a vent. Almost didn't make it. I now am disabled and on oxygen 24/7. Because of the infection in my lungs, I now only have 20% lung function left. Last Nov. we were told my wife had the big C.
My 66 Barracuda has been sitting for over 5 years now. The budget was tight before, now it is much less.
PLEASE don't give up!!!!! Do what you can even if is just a little once in a while. Send me a PM. Tell me about what you have done and what you still plan to do. Yes, plan to do.
Mike
 
well this is one of them post's..... I'm scared to say what's on my mind...so against my better judgement (not that I have one) I'm gonna venture out onto the plank......quit feelin sorry for yourself! git yur *** up off the couch or the computer and git out in the world of makin doo! (did i just say that?) oh yea it was me (yall didn't see that did ya?) Oh ****...... well now im in the doo-doo so might as well keep diggin myself in a lil' further....... I scrap aluminum cans (leftover from drinkin beer).......I am a garbage picker......Yepp, no pride here :).....I don't run to the parts store till I completely dissasemble a non functional part and figure out how it works and reassemble it somehow.....If i cant fix it somehow...and I mean with anything I can find in the shop ( did I say anything?) I repaired a steering column for a 69 mustang....the one that flips out to the side when you open the door with a piece of a beercar to make the contacts touch the spot to make it work every time!!!!! to this day it works perfectly......look at how things are made and why and learn how to repair them ....wtf? what would yo do if there was no parts store and your wipers wouldn't park? or your backup lights wouldnt light up? I bought a late model oval track Dodge avenger (it was a deal) I paid an extra 1000$ to get the blown up 360 just to dissect it.... I saw it win several races before it blew up.......He was only spinnin it 8000 rpm's....yep he made the chevy boy's whine like baby's...So? you can expect that from a Mopar...the bolt he put in the end of the camshaft was not grade 8 and it broke...18,000$ down the drain....not sure how to put this all into words but here goes nuthin ( like it or lump it) ya gotta start fixin stuff so git too it till its the best you can muster. Money don't make winning cars...sheer determination and grit does....git off the couch and show us yur grit!!!!
P.S. You can do this :)
64X2 said:
This more of a rant than anything, I have been into the car hobby longer than I can remember. For the longest time I have wanted a car I could be proud of and have tried to work towards that goal. So here I sit many years later and I have a car, one I love dearly, and have owned over ten years, but sadly I have found myself also financially strapped over those years. My lack of money, whether though my own bad decision or just life, I have never had enough to truly do my car justice. I have tried to maintain the car to keep it on the road and even that has been hard to do. I went to a Nostalgia Drags close to where I live and the old feelings of never having a car that I can be proud of reared its ugly head. I sat in the stands and watched as people took their souped up jalopies down the 1320, and thought god I would love to have enough power to run down the strip and be proud of the numbers I would pull down. Life unfortunately has never been a lucky proposition for me. My poor car sits in the garage with engine problems, which I will solve, an engine that at best puts out 200 hp. I just can never seem to find the money to do all the things I want to do for the car, hell the quarter panel and the front fender have been f**ked up for going on 6 years, one cause I don't have the skills to fix it myself and two I don't have the money to get someone to fix it. I even have a quarter panel for the car, just no cash to fix it, then there is the rear axle, I have an axle, again no money to get it cut down and built. I just want to have a car that is built with nice parts not junk that I have had to make work, because that’s what I can afford at the time. So one day, just one day I would like to roll out in my car and have people say that is bad ***, instead of are you ever going to fix/finish or people point at my car and laugh at it. I know that the world is a different place, from when I was a kid and you have to work to get anything in this ol world. I am just tired and worn out from trying to get ahead and fulfill my dream. I guess I will get the ol girl up and running the best I can and ride off into the sunset……..rant over….
Click to expand...
 
And This Is True Grit.... You rock guitar man!!!!!
Guitar Jones said:
Dude, you live in Kentucky where silver duct tape around the windshield is acceptable chrome trim! lol Just pokin' fun man, if you can't laugh you got nothing. I'll admit I've had some nice cars in my time but I sacrificed a lot for them, ate ramen noodles for dinner every night for years. I'm in bad shape right now myself. I had money in the bank but, not anymore. I bought all the stuff for my car years ago so I can still play scraping change together here and there for odds and ends. The thing that has helped me the most though is friends. Granted I've been a tech all my life so I know a thing or two plus I meet a lot of people with various talents and I'll trade work to have some one help with something I don't feel comfortable with, like welding my chassis and cage. I can weld but I sure didn't feel comfortable trusting my own welds. lol

Some people will get what they want in life one way or another because they have the determination, drive and ability to focus on the problem at hand. Some people just look at the big picture and never get started because they get overwhelmed by it all. One step at a time and it will get done. Might take 20 years (and I know of cars that have) but it gets done. Hang in there dude. I like the shrimp and chicken flavor best. :)
Click to expand...
 
I like the old saying,Quitters never win and winners never quit.And dont worry what every one else thinks of your car. I am so intimate with mine my wifes jealous and she was ugly as sin when I met her. The car that is dammit. lol
 
The first thing I thought when reading this post was that You've got a lot of friends here that are sincerely concerned you are discouraged... which I think is pretty cool. I hope the support you are getting here helps.
 
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