Good article by Mary Pozzi...
 

thanks, I enjoyed that

Wow, there's a lot of truth to that story!

Very good, I hadn't seen it! :EmoteClueless:

Well written! Gee -- who knew she's so witty.... LOL


Seriously -- I've been a long time "big" boater. There was always the joke "truism" about boat ownership --- "cubic time or cubic money" was the saying. Building cars is EXPENSIVE (building two right now so ask me how I know). Even if you're doing the work yourself it's expensive... space - time - tools - parts - trips - more parts - custom stuff - OH! WTF - you forgot that paint and upholstery part? Those two items alone might be equal to your annual salary.....

I/We see it daily.... it never ceases to amaze me what some people "start"... and I shake my head knowing the end result will never see the light of day.

You know what though? It's a HOBBY --- and if we weren't building this stuff - we'd be doing something else equally as stupid... LOL

The day I sold mine I was over it, not one regret. It's just a hunk of metal. The best part was the friends and experiences.

I've been around this scene for over a decade now and I see the gotta have it mentality overtake most projects like a disease. It's the biggest killer. Buy something you can afford easily and keep it on the road as much as you can. A good example is Dfresh. He's enjoyed his car for a long time now and only tears it apart to upgrade when he has the parts and $ to do it in reasonable time. When you buy something that is easily affordable, it can sit around for 5 years while greater priorities come along. I have an old fishing boat and hunting jeep that fit this model perfectly. I've had a ton of fun in both for such a small investment. When they sit and sit I don't care because there isn't much money tied up in them.

Bottom line, your fun isn't going to be equated to your $ investment. Get something you can use and keep around through thick and thin if that matters to you.

Yeah, great article that covers the sense of “hows and whys” of car projects. I’ve built many through the years. The most recent one I finished was for my brother, which I started in 2000. No joking. It’s an 87’ Chevy 4wd stepside, that he bought new. He even custom ordered it through the dealership, exactly like he wanted...can’t do that anymore. It took 18 years because he was financing it all, and he raised 6 (six) kids during this process. So I would do what I could, when he had some cash, and pull the cover back over it and push it in the corner when he didn’t have cash. It never got off track, or project creep. It turned out exactly like we discussed 18 years ago. He was realistic going in, and so was I, about budget and time frame. No hurry, no rushing, no changes. It worked out for him in the end, just as I promised him. The first trip out of the shop for him was bliss. And I could not have been happier for him.
Most folks read these forums and most likely feel that a “project car” is easy since everybody’s doing one, right? Unrealistic expectations, and lying to themselves about budgeting eventually catches up, and the project gets sold off, leaving a bad taste in the mouth of the owner. I personally hate to see it happen. I know there was a “dream” attached to the project at one time, that’s been lost along the way. Life happens, as Mary said, and we all know too well.
I feel that a lot of these situations could have ended different with proper consultation, or perhaps even letting a shop do the work for them. But then there are the other builds that should have never been started in the first place.

Probably 90% of the projects out there by unknowlegeable guys who watch a TV show or two and think that any car can be brought back to life when all the while, they themselves have no clue of even where to begin to source parts are thinking that the local paint and body shop can restore a car. That's how paint jail starts because not just any body shop can replace quarter panels, fab metal and replace rusted/rotted metal, etc and the car takes so much time, that the shop owner pushes the project to the corner of the shop in favor of the insurance jobs who pay the bills of the business.

It's not nice to talk about me like that. I'm right here ya know. :lol:

Marcus that’s true. The silly tv shows that are rebuilding cars in 30 minutes, can easily mislead people. They make it seem so easy...and it is easy to the guys that can pull it off. What they DON’T show you is the behind the scenes amount of cubic money and cubic time.