CanCritter
Senior Member
Just tt finishing up my 91 gmc build ....took me 8-9 years....at some point time money and work played into it....only saving grace was l had a place to park it and work on it when l could....lovein driving it.....
Why so many auto restoration projects get started and never finished ?
- Thread starter 68Nwprt
- Start date
65Fury440
Senior Member
Parts are still an issue here. Sometimes it gets discouraging. The time it takes to find weird one year stuff, plus the cost of just replacing everything at once would be way out of budget.
Little things like slightly pitted tail light bezels, and a less than perfect grille, and new door panels will just have to be addressed later.
I'm happy to have a nice driver for now, if there is a next time, I will start with something nicer.
The fact that my car was saved makes me feel good, The money it took, not a wise investment.
Little things like slightly pitted tail light bezels, and a less than perfect grille, and new door panels will just have to be addressed later.
I'm happy to have a nice driver for now, if there is a next time, I will start with something nicer.
The fact that my car was saved makes me feel good, The money it took, not a wise investment.
65Fury440
Senior Member
As a for instance, member "Barsteel"'s car was I think bought right.
tbm3fan
Old Man with a Hat
Ah, the space. That is my problem and always will be especially with nine cars now. Skills are not an issue and because of those skills money doesn't figure into the equation that much. But space to hide a project...
Samplingman
Old Man with a Hat
If it wasn't for this site and you guys that consistently show up and get 'er done, I'd have thrown in the towel a loooong time ago. IMHO, the number ONE reason projects get abandoned is lack of support, which is why it is so essential to be part of a group like FCBO.
mr. fix it
Old Man with a Hat
LOL!!! I don't see a problem because all replacement parts always cost less than $25.00 each right???
Good thread... even if old...
The projects I abandoned were usually because of rust... never had the time, space, equipment, etc all at the same time. Most of my projects started off as somebody else's abandoned project in the first place... I didn't really help much that they usually needed so much to finish them... I never removed a headliner from a personal car in my life, but owned so many without one... Most did get put on the road and used at least a little... In my younger days that meant winters and more rust...
The projects I abandoned were usually because of rust... never had the time, space, equipment, etc all at the same time. Most of my projects started off as somebody else's abandoned project in the first place... I didn't really help much that they usually needed so much to finish them... I never removed a headliner from a personal car in my life, but owned so many without one... Most did get put on the road and used at least a little... In my younger days that meant winters and more rust...
Ripinator
Old Man with a Hat
I hafta echo these comments. A little moral support goes a long way when you are involved in a restoration project. Several years ago, I picked up a '65 Harley Davidson basket case that I decided to restore. I was very fortunate that I had a friend - with a few skills I didn't have - to help me with it. Had it not been for his involvement, I don't know if I would have ever finished it. The same is true here, because I can talk about my car, get help and advice, and I can show it off. When you are all alone with a project, it can be tough to stay with it.
fury fan
Senior Member
A comment above about money was spot-on: if you had unlimited funding it could solve any of the other problems.
For me, my brain and imagination works faster than my hands, and I dabble into too many things. Perhaps it's an ADHD thing (but that didn't exist when I was young!) or just that some other project comes up that truly is more important to do and it's hard to get back to the prior. Now that wife and kids are here, the available time is even less, although I still dabble. I have accepted that's simply who I am.
Back when I was young and single the cars were kinda plentiful and I had a good job, so they were easy to buy and perk up, then sell them a few years later. Always had 2 keepers (the white 68 in my avatar, owned for 19 years) and the 65 SF in my sigline (owned for 25 years). Probably 15 other cars have come/gone in that time.
To the poor 65 SF that is my unfinished project:
Was my first classic car, bought at age 20, and had the grandest dreams of a restoration. I had some skills and tools, but nothing like what the car required. And I had to bounce it across various storage locations thru the years, and that always kept it on a backburner vs a drivable car I could keep at the house.
My life has settled a bit with family now, and all 3 cars finally share the same garage starting last year. However, putting 3 cars in a detached 24x30 garage requires somebody to sit sideways in the back, blocked in. Wanna guess who it is, and whether it gets any activity???
If it weren't for being a 4-speed car it would've been gone long ago. Wisdom says sell it, and buy one that's in decent drivable condition. But if I sell it as-is, it's at huge risk of being parted out, which would be a shame. So I must reassemble it and get its value up -- and that right there folks is 'the rub'. So I keep it protected and dry, and life goes on.
For me, my brain and imagination works faster than my hands, and I dabble into too many things. Perhaps it's an ADHD thing (but that didn't exist when I was young!) or just that some other project comes up that truly is more important to do and it's hard to get back to the prior. Now that wife and kids are here, the available time is even less, although I still dabble. I have accepted that's simply who I am.
Back when I was young and single the cars were kinda plentiful and I had a good job, so they were easy to buy and perk up, then sell them a few years later. Always had 2 keepers (the white 68 in my avatar, owned for 19 years) and the 65 SF in my sigline (owned for 25 years). Probably 15 other cars have come/gone in that time.
To the poor 65 SF that is my unfinished project:
Was my first classic car, bought at age 20, and had the grandest dreams of a restoration. I had some skills and tools, but nothing like what the car required. And I had to bounce it across various storage locations thru the years, and that always kept it on a backburner vs a drivable car I could keep at the house.
My life has settled a bit with family now, and all 3 cars finally share the same garage starting last year. However, putting 3 cars in a detached 24x30 garage requires somebody to sit sideways in the back, blocked in. Wanna guess who it is, and whether it gets any activity???
If it weren't for being a 4-speed car it would've been gone long ago. Wisdom says sell it, and buy one that's in decent drivable condition. But if I sell it as-is, it's at huge risk of being parted out, which would be a shame. So I must reassemble it and get its value up -- and that right there folks is 'the rub'. So I keep it protected and dry, and life goes on.
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