Art & Inspiration Projects that stalled and the reasons we hate them

In 66 and it doesn't matter if I never get around to it. The hoard doesn't owe us a penny. Its paid it own way. I sold more for scrap than the total cost. And I like having it. maybe one of the grandchildren will like it as much as I do. I could have spent the day in my shop working on stuff. But my 3 grandsons are here and I was playing with them. That's more importiant. You gotta get your priorities figured out.

 

Ive been thinking about that post all day. Thanks for posting that. I have become a collector of projects since building my shop. Time to decide (at almost 49) which projects to finish. Kids, older parents, honey doos etc certainly eat into shop time. Is it irony that Ive spent my early life working to build a shop and now I have no time to work on the fun stuff inside it?

 

Some days I hate my project, especially days when it is uncooperative, but most of the time its OK. I found out a long time ago I could only do one project at a time, so that isn't an issue for me.

Fortunately, I don't know how long I still have to live, to be honest, I never really expected to live this long! I intend to retire at the end of this year, I'll be 62. I still have my health, and a shop with enough equipment to work on stuff. I'll have more time after I retire. I have a Hot Rod I can drive, and I only have one project I'm working on. When and if it gets done, I will decide if I'm going to keep one or both. Maybe then, I will decide to build another project, or not.

My son and his nephew will probably get whatever I leave behind, that stuff will be in good hands. Both of them already have the multi project illness, so I'm trying not to add to their burdens. Gene

 

Would you be looked at as a total failure to sell everything and buy a finished Hot Rod someone else built? Just wondering. Bob

 

I have been working on my project for almost 6 years. I’m painting and interior now so I’m close, spent 2 years building the 354 hemi for it time and just the shear cost of building an old hemi required it take that long. For me I reached times when I was not motivated to work on so I didn’t. I tried not to put pressure on myself to work on it if I wasn’t feeling it. But I would attend a car show, I go to several a year and it would motivate me to press on. The hardest part for me , I refused to take on another project till I was done. I past on some really cool projects, but they come by all the time so when I get done something will catch my eye and it will be on again.


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Bob,

In my opinion this would be alright - but that's just me. This past summer I sold the '47 Ford Tudor that I had been working on for a few years. The car was rust free and was coming along nicely but the problem was that between work, home, church and all of the other commitments in my life it would be years before it would ever see the road.

Last spring my wife was pointing out that there simply weren't enough hours in the day for me to do a full-on rebuild of a car and she said that I should consider looking for a car that is finished or nearly so. I jumped on that opportunity, sold the sedan and spent several months looking for a car that was complete, fit my budget, and was built the way I wanted - for the most part.

At the end of this past October I flew down to Pensacola and picked up an early '47 Ford long door coupe and drove it home. For me it was a really good decision. I have a car that is in awesome shape that I am able to drive right now. Is it done exactly the way I want? - Not completely. Over time I will slowly be making changes to it but in the meantime I will have a car that is going to serve as my daily driver from late April to early November.

I understand that you have a number of projects that you're working on. I have also seen you say that you don't ever expect to get any of them complete and you're okay with that. To each his own. If we were all the same what a boring place the world would be! But if you are considering letting some projects go to get into a driver, from personal experience I can say that you would not regret it. Perhaps you could move everything except one project to get a driver? That way you would have a car to drive and still would have something to work on and keep your creativity moving.

If you are considering this I wish you the best in whatever you decide to do.

Steve

 

Lots of things stall a project, lack of time, lack of funds, lack of motivation.

I spend a lot of my time working on other people's stuff as lack of funds is my nemesis, well that and low energy levels. I have sold several projects over the last few years to make ends meet. I look at my current project and know what things cost which makes me shudder. But I am in incurable optimist when it comes to cars and bikes and know that some how it will come together, or not.

 

I also have a project and pick it up and put it down as time requires. I don't hate it when I can't work on it though. I retired at 62 and my schedule is still not completely my own and thats because I am married. Family obligations have always come first. I think in a general sense we are an overly optimistic bunch who think we can move mountains in a shorter amount of time than reality dictates. It's aggravating when we can't! Plus when your income dramatically drops you need to be wiser about how you spend what you have which means if you can't do it yourself you need to scrounge the coin to have someone else do it. I also agree that 1 project at a time is the best for me.

 

I'll admit it, I'm addicted. Being an outside sales rep puts me on the road quite bit and old cars just seem to follow me home. Fortunately, I've been blessed with an understanding wife for 44 years. A few years back an innocent doctors visit resulted in a cancer diagnosis which put a whole new perspective on life and the many projects I had accumulated. I immediately sold off some, including my 1965 Corvette (the only car I owned that I swore I would never part with) and decided to only keep those that would finish quickly in case of a worst case scenario from the big C. Thank the Lord things went well and have been cancer free for over three years now. The problem is, the old addiction has reared it's ugly head again and the gathering of vehicles has begun again. I've tried buying someone's finished vehicle, but soon tore it apart to make it mine and make changes to suit my taste. I'm making so many changes that I sometimes question if I wouldn't have been better off just building it from scratch. The only project that has a completion date goal is my '56 Belair. My wife wants take a Route 66 cruise in it in a few years when we both turn 66. Everything else just gets my attention when I'm not working on the '56.

 

Love the truck, just not sure when I will get to it or where I will put it.
It was supposed to be next in line.
I've been collecting parts (motor, trans., diff., etc.) for it since I got it.
Two years ago I was gifted a 50 custom coupe from my brother that is equally cool & complete.
I feel compelled to build it.
My limit for storing complete cars is & always will be two.
I just don't have anymore inside storage.
I will not leave a running driving special interest car outside on the driveway.
To much temptation for the local midnight auto, plus winter around here really sucks.
For the last 3 years this has been yard art at the cabin.

 

All my projects are currently stalled and I spend my time looking for my lost ambition. I call my place "The Billybob Shop" but a more truthful name at this time would be "The BillyBob Museum". I'm not giving up. I walk past each of my projects when I garage my daily driver after work each day and think about what I need to do to get going again.

 

I've been actively working on my project for eleven years and still have a long way to go.

It's not "stalled", I'm just realllly slow.

 

My project is defiantly stalled, but I'm not ready to give up on it yet.

 

That sounds more like a huge success story! .

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Just my experience in this type of situation. Whenever I ran out of steam on a project, it was either because I ran out of money or skill. If it's money, I would need to get creative or compromise. If it's skill, I needed to either cut bait and better assess what I wanted and IF I can do it on the next one, or commit to putting the time and effort into it.
When I got to the point of hating a project it was because I realized one way or the other I F'ed up. Sometimes something as simple as mocking something up got me energized enough to push forward. When I hit a speed bump and it was holding everything else up, I just had to focus on getting JUST THAT done knowing the rest would fall into place. A build isn't one BIG project, it's just a whole lotta small ones.

 

What's with the pity party?

It's not a crime to own these projects. You'll get to them when you get to them. If anyone would understand, I'd figure it'd be hambers.

 

"My friend posed a math problem to me today.

52 X 78 = 4,056

Then he says that's the number of weekends the average American male gets. How many are already gone?"

Holy crap! I better get going - I've only got 312 weekends left !!

 

Already posted, but thought it worthwhile to point out that using the word “hate” in the title is way off base. Read through the posts here and came to the conclusion that a lot of projects are not high priority when compared to family and finances. Just my thought on the subject.

 

I try real hard to avoid getting to the point of hating my project(s). My self imposed rule
has always been to finish whatever I am working on before starting another. This has served
me well for 50 yrs. NEVER sold a basket case, bought a few however.

 

...a good numerologist would definately steer you towards a Y-block.

 

I have a 63 260 4 speed Ranchero the wife just could not warm up to. It sat in a barn for 18 yrs while the kids were being raised. A good friend passed away, making me realize that everyday was special and I told the wife it was time to get started on it. She suggested I get something else, "not quite so ugly" Not one to pass on an opportunity to pick up something else I found a 56 f100 and started collecting parts. I really only have time in the winter so two years ago I made a bridge crane, last year a frame table and pair of rotisseries and this year I started on the frame, this is where the project goes out of bounds for this forum, so I won't go further, but it feels good to finally get started. The Ranchero, a 48 F6 and several old tractors are still waiting.
I would go nuts without things needing to be done. So I am quite content to have more than I can do waiting to be done.

B

 

I do one at a time as well. The last being my '59 Ford I started in July of 2014, running and driving it 23 months later. It was a flog to say the least, no down time, disinterest. I was either researching parts, making parts, buying parts or installing parts. My next one will not be as involved, I just turned 63 and my heavy wrenching days are numbered.

 

59 Ford's are awesome!Can you post a pic of it?

 

There's a point when you CAN have too many projects.....

 

We all have goals. I always wanted my very own junkyard. and I got that. I enjoy getting some pig in a poke unknown vehicle that's been setting for years. and waking that zombie up. maybe drive it down the road a few miles and then parking it in the hoard. Now my daily using truck is a 66 GMC. I bought it off the back of a Rollback headed to the scrapper. And changed the gas tank. Cleaned the carb installed electronic iginition. and fixed the brakes. swapped some sheet metal and called it done. Been driving it into the ground 4 years just fixing what fails. and I aint afeared to load it.

 

I'm entering this camp. I have several , not stalled, just next. So I tell myself.
Idiot neighbor had the county on me, so I had to build a fence instead if finishing the 61 Galaxie. 2 years ago.
I have two slightly ot cars that need motors. Assembly required, parts, machining, accomplished.
I want to thin the herd and get a late 50's early 60's convertible.
That will require offing the currents. Not un-doable, just gotta do it.

 

After you retire every day is a Saturday.

 

Some folks like to drive 'em. Some like to build 'em. Some like to just look at 'em. Whatever trips your trigger. In the end, however, the cars don't care. Take some time for the kids, the grandkids, family and friends. They might remember you, the cars won't.

 

I feel what this post is saying all too well. My problem is that when I try to sell the 'stalled' projects to focus one the one(s) I really want to build, no one buys the ones for sale. Then what does a person do to raise cash and make room?
r

 

I love collecting old parts , going to swap meets and using the excuse I have to go to the next swap meet to find the right parts for my current project babe, But I have not recently ever had a project I could drive now and enjoy. Maybe I should put up all my collection on the hamb and get a driver . But then I would still need to go to the next swap to get that right part .