Enthusiasm

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barbee6043

barbee6043

barbee 6043
FABO Gold Member
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I read an interested article in another non car mag today, got me to thinking ( Rare I know).

I bet we all agree how good this FABO site is for info. Any Mopar question an be answered, good advise, opinions, etc. Wonderful caring people that share and care. But people here generate so much enthusiasm. Enthusiasm generates success, and success means we actually accomplish. Every wonder how it is , some people can get cars on the road so much quicker than others? Enthusiasm, not who has the most $ or time, it is enthusiasm. Now I admit lots of people want the process of it all to take many decades and that's OK.
I know guys that have several cars. Not everyone has the space for more than one old car, but these guys seem to have the room for the cars they find, some are projects, some they have restored to perfect, some drivers, some parts cars....they found a way! These same people have huge knowledge of their favorite models. Their brain has the answers we can ask as to how many, what engine color, trans, and all the small details. They love to share an help pothers. They have parts. Lots of parts.
Not because they have some much free time, or money, but they have enthusiasm. It drives them to go to the pick a parts and spend hours pulling, and then selling to finance their projects. These guys buy parts cars spend hours cutting, and taking apart and then advertising and selling, to make a few $$ to go onto their projects. They accomplish because of their enthusiasm.
Personally, I find I have gotten to the age where my zest seems to have diminished. It is just my age I feel.
I just need to get my enthusiasm back!!!
 
i totally get what you mean, my demon is basically where i want it after years of blood,sweat and beers.now the wifes 340 duster is sitting there begging to be worked on and i just feel overwhelmed and under enthused. i definitely need to get my mojo back!
 
That article that started this , was about D. Wayne Lucus, the wininest race horse trainer. He had a point, when he gave credit to his success to his enthusiasm,... not his smarts, knowledge, abilities, or plain work ethic.... He said it was like a vitamin that needed to be taken every single day. He had to have it every day, every day he needed that drive to succeed. He loves what he does, but he also needs that dose of enthusiasm to be totally successful.
I love the old car hobby. Yes I am retired, I am also old and somewhat woreout. Money is limited but we can afford the hobby. I don't need hemi cars, V code 6 pac E bodies, 68 Charger rt's. Physically I can still do it all, just a little slower. Just get a little tired'er a little quicker!!?? What I need is that vitamin every morning to give me that enthusiasm for each day!!! Then I can accomplish something and feel like I matter a little!!!!!
 
rigger3006 said:
i totally get what you mean, my demon is basically where i want it after years of blood,sweat and beers.now the wifes 340 duster is sitting there begging to be worked on and i just feel overwhelmed and under enthused. i definitely need to get my mojo back!
Click to expand...

I know what you mean. I have a 72 Fury III with 48.5K original miles, 2 build sheets & fender tag. I had it to the point where I was driving it daily and wanted to finish a couple of things and then wanted to start entering it in some small shows. Life threw me a few curveballs and a few gremlins (not the car-had one of those too, lol), caused me to park it not long after buying a '69 Barracuda 340 fastback stripped project. It's taken me quite awhile to recover from the curveballs, like 6 years. I decided to start gathering parts (still am) for the 'cuda. Meanwhile I didn't know how bad I had let the Fury get (it's been stored with various family members). Now it needs to be redone in a few areas, so I'm having trouble figuring out how to "build" the cuda and re-do the Fury. It's pretty overwhelming, especially with health issues that keeps me from doing car work (or even getting to my job). I'm hoping to get started soon, but I need a bottle of that mojo too.
 
Lack of enthusiasm an be found anywhere, everywhere. My step son has a masters in Ag Business, finishing his 3 rd year teaching High School, and one of the FFA advisors. He is paid very well, and spends maybe an extra 15 hours each week with the FFA kids. I know some reading this do not have a good understanding of FFA so I will explain a little. Future Farmer of America. That is the title , but it goes well past the livestock projects, the livestock judging teams, etc. There is competition for public speaking, business models, conservation, lots that is about leadership, not all 100% ag related.
Well the son in law is done. Last year teaching. No more working 60 hours a week, many weekends.
The kid is competitive. In HS he had the livestock projects, worked to be competitive with what he had to work with. He got up at 5 am every day, and spent the time, he did the work to be a winner. He did the public speaking competitions and all the rest. He wanted to be a winner. He was driven to win, to try his best to be the best he could be. .... win or lose.
He has enthusiasm. Or had. He finds NO desire from his pupils to excel, to work to be their best, nothing from the administration. The others teachers go thru the motions and do their job and get their pay check.
He will find a career elsewhere, where his desire to achieve is possible, and his enthusiasm for his choosen field will fuel his love of life!!
 
Yes, you are right.
Enthusiasm is the backbone of the hobby.
To jump in a little deeper, you also need to set your intentions.
This is how i finally got the Dart Sport in my build thread done. (The link is at the bottom of my post.)
I must have been very enthusiastic in my younger years by your definition in post #1.
I had/still have some property and went out seeking a lot of cars and parts over the years.
My intention was to have a junk yard and buy, sell, and restore cars in my retirement.
Some i saved from the crusher, some i got for free, and some i paid a good amount for.
I have made many sacrifices with time and money to amass the stuff i own.
I also did a lot of trading and selling to get the parts and cars specific to my tastes.
Now here i am in my late '50s and still have a love for all of them, and an appreciation for the work that went into amassing the cars and parts that i scrounged for years.
Now comes the dilemma.
What do i do with it all?
There's over 40 parts and project cars left after about 100 or so 10 years ago.........
I certainly can't feasibly fix up or part all of them out in my lifetime.......... (Whatever's left of it anyway)
What do i do?

My initial plan is to sell the ones that i have no time or desire to build, and sell them at very fair prices.
Perhaps trade for ones that i have always wanted, and the parts i need to complete them and others.
Pass my good fortune on so to speak, and use the money to keep a handful that are near and dear to me, and then fix those ones up.
Maybe get a few running and driving that are close to it and make them more sellable. (Is that a word?)
Easy to say, a little harder to do!

Before anyone floods my inbox with requests, i need to say that i will start slow and see where that goes, and i plan on starting the gradual purge next year after a few decisions are made.

I know selling is a big head game, and i was so tired of dealing with ''looky loos'' for many years, but now i am ready to let go of the majority of my stuff before it goes to waste (read scrapped) and this will be pretty much one last kick at the cat before my health lets up.
The way i look at it, i saved a lot of cars from being outright crushed, and i gave them a continuance of ''life'' until i get some use out of them or others.
I will always have a great interest in these Mopars until the day i die.
That part won't change!

After i inventory what i have, then i will go from there................

BTW, great post topic as always, barbee6043!
 
barbee6043 said:
That article that started this , was about D. Wayne Lucus, the wininest race horse trainer. He had a point, when he gave credit to his success to his enthusiasm,... not his smarts, knowledge, abilities, or plain work ethic.... He said it was like a vitamin that needed to be taken every single day. He had to have it every day, every day he needed that drive to succeed. He loves what he does, but he also needs that dose of enthusiasm to be totally successful.
I love the old car hobby. Yes I am retired, I am also old and somewhat woreout. Money is limited but we can afford the hobby. I don't need hemi cars, V code 6 pac E bodies, 68 Charger rt's. Physically I can still do it all, just a little slower. Just get a little tired'er a little quicker!!?? What I need is that vitamin every morning to give me that enthusiasm for each day!!! Then I can accomplish something and feel like I matter a little!!!!!
Click to expand...
That vitamin is shared mopar friendship.
Trading labor with a friend over mopars or old cars is the solution to that problem.
 
Think about it, its 9am on a winter morning, it 10 degrees, and you start the heater in the garage ,waiting on it to warm up, and you sit back down next to the fire place and it 75-80 degrees, you think about how cold that concrete floor in the garage is, and you have rolled in the transmission grease and fluid for a week, everyday, its called burn out to me, thats why i have been 2 years on my build , either hot or cold or all those busted knuckles needing to heal, so i have to walk away for a couple of weeks before my so called (enthusiasm) can build back, i spent 35 years working outside in the heat and cold, day in and day out, 10 and 12 hours a day , 6 days a week, sometimes 7 days, so at 64 years old , it takes a little more than thinking about how soon you want to drive that old car, than it did when i was 24
 
I am very tenacious, at work and in my hobbies. I will always set up to do the hardest parts of anything I do first. I like to work hard, and will do any job in my way. I like a challenge, and have rebuilt cars, motorcycles, homes, and have been in every imaginable scenario, for both business and pleasure. Sometimes I think I like working on stuff better than the finished product. I fill my storage spaces with projects and drivers, but work outside in February on a rusted out parts car. Maybe I was dropped on my head as a kid, I don’t know, but I enjoy life every day for whatever it brings, that’s all I can do!
 
I admit I have this he desire to see results. I get this he feeling of accomplishment to achieve the smallest success. Weird I might be. I have desire to be the best, to have the best, for others to think of me or my stuff as the best, but to have what makes me feel good. Maybe that is self centered?
I made a large part of my living raising, training, showing quarter horses. It is great to win a prize, but all that mattered to me was if I did my best, worked hard, trained and showed that horse to the best of HIS ability, win lose or draw. I cared less what anyone else really thought. Guess I am the same way today with my cars. When I first got into the hobby back in 84, I made $$ off some cars/parts and paid for my hobby. Be that right or wrong. After a while, I learned there is a difference in doing something for profit and doing something that just makes you happy. Must be why I have the kind of cars today I have.
If I were into profit today, I would be hunting 68-70 Charger Rts!!!
 
robert flippo said:
Think about it, its 9am on a winter morning, it 10 degrees, and you start the heater in the garage ,waiting on it to warm up, and you sit back down next to the fire place and it 75-80 degrees, you think about how cold that concrete floor in the garage is, and you have rolled in the transmission grease and fluid for a week, everyday, its called burn out to me, thats why i have been 2 years on my build , either hot or cold or all those busted knuckles needing to heal, so i have to walk away for a couple of weeks before my so called (enthusiasm) can build back, i spent 35 years working outside in the heat and cold, day in and day out, 10 and 12 hours a day , 6 days a week, sometimes 7 days, so at 64 years old , it takes a little more than thinking about how soon you want to drive that old car, than it did when i was 24
Click to expand...
Add about 15 yrs , working out in the cold. FULL 8 -9 YRS ON THE BUILD. I couldn`t even muster up the enthusiasim to tune it yesterday for the new intake ! "Can do it with a hand held too ! "
Mabe Sat. if it`s nice -------
 
I'll be 51 in June, so I'm not as old as some here. I have discovered that if I exercise consistently, that it gives me more energy. My body also feels stronger. I don't go crazy when I go to the gym. I ride the exercise bike for at least 20 minutes and do a little weight lifting alternating body parts on different days. Going up the stairs at work following a workout, I can feel more strength in my legs. I helps energize me. Diet helps too. Cut out sugar and not too much coffee
 
What were we talking about? I forgot already. (old age)
 
Totally Good Article Here !

Yes enthusiasm the fuel to get 'er done. I have a great mopar friend, we text back and forth every single day. Mopar this and Mopar that, you would think we would run out of things to text about.

But not, always some new pictures to share, mechanical techniques to discuss, parts here, parts there, cool colors, engines, transmissions, rear ends, wheels and tire selections, the list goes on and on.

Then we meet up with another mopar guy and start chatting all about all of his stuff.

What I like is having some parts or engines or special heads on the shelf and finding out later on that you really have something special there and were glad that we hung on to them . . that builds a lot of enthusiasm too.

63 years old still going strong, spirit of a 30 year old. That age thing is starting to knock on the door . . but I just take more breaks and everything does not have to be done in one day, there is always tomorrow.

Good Times: For Sure, For Sure !
 
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