gearheads78
08-18-2012, 12:12 PM
I have pretty much been away from the board for a few years. I finished my Cutlass and was ready for my next project. I sold the car to build a big shop behind my house. About the same time my wife was pregnant with our 2nd little girl. I was working for one large dealership as a make ready manager and making pretty good money but was maxed out where I was with no chances anytime soon to make an upward move. I was out one day and bumped in to an old boss who was at another dealer I used to work at in the sales dept years before. We said out hellos and that was it. About a month later he looked me up and started asking me to come work for his dealership as a service consultant.
After a few weeks of talking and looking at pay of other established consultants were making I decided to make the move. I was to have a guarantee of pay for 6 months equal to what I was making and by then the commission should be well above that. I had already set the process in motion for the new building too. About a month after starting the new place we had out last doc visit to schedule delivery the next week. It was June 24 2010 everything was perfect. She was kicking away all checks were a go for the next week. About 4:00 on the 25th my wife called to say she though she was in labor. I rushed home and we headed to the hospital. We got there and the doc looks for a heart beat can't find it so get a different device and then another doc then another and I can see the look on their face something is not right at all. Then one of them turned to say they were sorry she is gone. My wife still had to go through labor and deliver. When she came out her cord was tied in a perfect knot. She must have made a loop and went through it when she was small and then that morning running out of room she pulled the knot tight cutting herself off.
As you can imagine we were destroyed. For the next 6 months life was an emotional and financial roller coaster. I was off work for a month and then when I got back my head was still messed up. By the time I got off my pay guarantee I was making about $2000 less a month. I let the builder on the shop completely screw me over and today it still has major problems and is not ready to use. I am the only bread winner so I had to keep going but man it was tough.
We were scared crapless because of what happened but Nov 2010 we found out were were pregnant again. A few months later we found out its was twins in there. :faint: I started feeling a little better and making a little more money but it was just going toward doc bills. It did go well and July 2011 my new boy and girl were born. The first 10 days she had to stay in the NICU so the bills added up quick but both came home healthy and the real fun began. The last year has been a blur of diapers and feedings but now they are are a little bigger I am starting to find a little free time and the urges to get back in the shop.
My wife has always wanted a 69 Camaro. Her dad was killed on a motorcycle when she was 4 so some of here only memories are him in pics working on his in the early 80s. I have been wanting to build her one for years but $$ and time its just not going to happen any time soon. About 2 months ago I waved the white flag and decided for our 10th anniversary in 2 weeks I would buy here a done car. I didn't have the $$ but still have excellent credit so I contacted Woodside Credit Classic Car financing and got the process started.
What I thought would be an easy task of finding a really nice driver under 30K was not. I looked at 100+ cars in pics and drove all over this part of the US seeing about 10 cars in person. Lucky for me I know what to look for because there is a lot a really good looking junk on the market. I finally thought I had found the car in Nashville and put a deposit on it so he could meet me in Memphis and I could get the round trip done in one way.
I got there and looked close to see it was even worse hack job than the other pieces of crap I looked at. They just did a better job hiding theirs.
I came home and kept looking. I was checking CL at lunch and saw a car that just popped up 2 hours from me so I drove out straight after work. This car did not have as nice of paint but the body was super solid and I was able to by it way under my max so I can paint it later. Its a real SS car with NMN 350 and 4 speed with 12 bolt. Its got a lumpy cam and Flowmasters. She loves it.
It will be left as is for a while but some day will be built in a similar restomod touring / budget joe-touring feel my Cutlass had.
Twins almost 1 visting big sis on what would have been her 2nd B-day
http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/ad205/gearheads78/Untitled-2.jpg
The junk car in Memphis (buyer beware)
http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/ad205/gearheads78/P__871B.jpg
The new 69 (68 is a buddies car)
http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/ad205/gearheads78/P__2162.jpg
http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/ad205/gearheads78/Blue%2069%20camaro/P__12F0.jpg
After a few weeks of talking and looking at pay of other established consultants were making I decided to make the move. I was to have a guarantee of pay for 6 months equal to what I was making and by then the commission should be well above that. I had already set the process in motion for the new building too. About a month after starting the new place we had out last doc visit to schedule delivery the next week. It was June 24 2010 everything was perfect. She was kicking away all checks were a go for the next week. About 4:00 on the 25th my wife called to say she though she was in labor. I rushed home and we headed to the hospital. We got there and the doc looks for a heart beat can't find it so get a different device and then another doc then another and I can see the look on their face something is not right at all. Then one of them turned to say they were sorry she is gone. My wife still had to go through labor and deliver. When she came out her cord was tied in a perfect knot. She must have made a loop and went through it when she was small and then that morning running out of room she pulled the knot tight cutting herself off.
As you can imagine we were destroyed. For the next 6 months life was an emotional and financial roller coaster. I was off work for a month and then when I got back my head was still messed up. By the time I got off my pay guarantee I was making about $2000 less a month. I let the builder on the shop completely screw me over and today it still has major problems and is not ready to use. I am the only bread winner so I had to keep going but man it was tough.
We were scared crapless because of what happened but Nov 2010 we found out were were pregnant again. A few months later we found out its was twins in there. :faint: I started feeling a little better and making a little more money but it was just going toward doc bills. It did go well and July 2011 my new boy and girl were born. The first 10 days she had to stay in the NICU so the bills added up quick but both came home healthy and the real fun began. The last year has been a blur of diapers and feedings but now they are are a little bigger I am starting to find a little free time and the urges to get back in the shop.
My wife has always wanted a 69 Camaro. Her dad was killed on a motorcycle when she was 4 so some of here only memories are him in pics working on his in the early 80s. I have been wanting to build her one for years but $$ and time its just not going to happen any time soon. About 2 months ago I waved the white flag and decided for our 10th anniversary in 2 weeks I would buy here a done car. I didn't have the $$ but still have excellent credit so I contacted Woodside Credit Classic Car financing and got the process started.
What I thought would be an easy task of finding a really nice driver under 30K was not. I looked at 100+ cars in pics and drove all over this part of the US seeing about 10 cars in person. Lucky for me I know what to look for because there is a lot a really good looking junk on the market. I finally thought I had found the car in Nashville and put a deposit on it so he could meet me in Memphis and I could get the round trip done in one way.
I got there and looked close to see it was even worse hack job than the other pieces of crap I looked at. They just did a better job hiding theirs.
I came home and kept looking. I was checking CL at lunch and saw a car that just popped up 2 hours from me so I drove out straight after work. This car did not have as nice of paint but the body was super solid and I was able to by it way under my max so I can paint it later. Its a real SS car with NMN 350 and 4 speed with 12 bolt. Its got a lumpy cam and Flowmasters. She loves it.
It will be left as is for a while but some day will be built in a similar restomod touring / budget joe-touring feel my Cutlass had.
Twins almost 1 visting big sis on what would have been her 2nd B-day
http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/ad205/gearheads78/Untitled-2.jpg
The junk car in Memphis (buyer beware)
http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/ad205/gearheads78/P__871B.jpg
The new 69 (68 is a buddies car)
http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/ad205/gearheads78/P__2162.jpg
http://i936.photobucket.com/albums/ad205/gearheads78/Blue%2069%20camaro/P__12F0.jpg