Projects Do you ever give it a rest?

Just a pair of JW Rod Shop '32 rails. This a trend that I can see repeating it self. When I wanted to buy a 1911 Hupmobile I sold off stuff to cover the cost, then the owner got cold feet. The funds went into household stuff. Then it was for sale again, sold more stuff, off again, paid more bills. FINALLY I was just about of stuff to sell and the deal went through. Just as much fun selling stuff as building stuff, quiet, and I can do it any time of the day. Bob

 

Bob,
I'll see what I can turn up!
Tony

 

Retired 2 years ago and I am straight out on my cars. It is what gets me up in the morning. Have been a car lover since a boy in the 50's. Still love working on them!

 

It's funny that when we look at a project car we think of all the ways we can and will work on it to justify our buying it. We hardly ever think I need to put some time in the plan for this car just for me, where I can just chill if I need to, or do something completely different. After all, life is what happens to us when we are planning on doing something completely different! Take a break. Re prioritize things. Get something done so you can drive and enjoy it and remember why you loved cars in the first place.

 

Passion and money drive projects, if you don't have both they stall out.

 

A little over 50 years for me too Gene.. and yes, you do get a little tired of it.. but then something brings you back. The trick is to work smarter, not harder. Say,” ok, how crazy do I really need to go on this car... maybe simpler is better.”

 

Like they say, “ stop and smell the roses once in a while.”

 

Well, it’s like if you eat too much all the time your full and not hungry after a while.. don’t eat and eventually you’ll get hungry for more food( cars).

 

Almost 3 years ago I had a fire in my house. Nobody was home, cars were not damaged, but we were out of the house for 6 months and most of our contents were replaced. Cars have been my passion for as long as I can remember, but I had no interest for quite a while. My favorite car that I've had for 30 years was apart, and I had no desire to work on it. I did put an unknown used engine in it during that time, only to find it knocked as soon as I started it.

I knew better than to sell off my stuff, cars have been too much a part of my life, but at the time I just didn't have it in me to do anything with it. The cars waited. I built a better engine last year and now that car is up and running again.

Devin

 

I bought my first car, '64 Galaxie, when I was 12. That was a LONG time ago. Rebuilt it and drove it through high school. Tore it apart the day after graduation...and it's still in pieces. Shortly after I took the Galaxie apart I found a '65 Fairlane - like my grandfather's - but it needed everything. Put it together and drove it to collage...for 6 months. Then it slowly transformed into a race car.

In the meantime, I built a 67 Fairlane wagon - converted it to a 4 speed - and Dad's '64 Falcon. Unfortunately Dad passed before the car was completely finished, but he did get to drive it a few times. In 2016 my wife and I decided to finish it (which meant a new engine and 4 speed too). Finally got it done for the Woodward Dream Cruise in 2017. At that point I was taking a break from racing and Dad's car was done, so I figured I'd get back on the Galaxie...then in December that year I found her a '40 Ford project....

I keep saying I'm taking a break when it's done...maybe next year?...but time will tell. It's a sickness. Like may of you have said, as much as we love it there is more to life...I'm learning...

 

YES ! In my case age, health, (the worst being uncle Arthritis now lives with me) Time has finally caught up with me, the "Work/Fun" of garage time has faded away. In the process of thinking all this through, how/what is in my future. One good decision of recent years was becoming a snowbird to get out of Wisconsin winters. Like many here I have a lifetime accumulation of tools, various collections, etc. The positive is I still enjoy the car hobby, my Merc and a few OT hobby cars I drive/enjoy, I can sit in my mancave/shop, BS with friends, much more talk than do and waste too much time here on the HAMB, LOL Everyone Have a Great Day !

 

I've been taking a break for the past twenty years — or to paraphrase the late Victor Borge, 10519200 consecutive breaks of one minute each — waiting for any convergence of time, energy, and money I could even vaguely use. After I'd moved down to Cape Town in 2000 the Minor came on the back of a truck because the brakes weren't sorted. They're still not sorted. It's parked in a workshop I'd built for the purpose but that property is still being "temporarily" let to a tenant. In the meantime I'd had a heart attack, got married, and had a lot of life happen. And during that time I've gone through about a dozen mental strategies for the Minor (some more mental than others) and perhaps two dozen for the '31.

 

Since I've been working from home, I have more energy and time to put into my builds. So now my breaks are just a few days here and there and not weeks. I am getting a lot of work in and still not wearing myself out. I like it.

 

Ive got nothing else to do, so always have a project onnthe go with another in the background and usually another fermenting in my mind .. Built my coupe over the tail end of last year, then in spring started work full time on a buddies car , in between times I help another buddy maintain his 30 coupe , A deal arose on a 29 roadster so with spare cash ( ou cant take it with you) I bought that, turned out to be a dog and the wait for new panels slowed any progress there to a stop. meanwhile as the build on my buddies coupe was drawing to a close, the chance of a nice 27 roadster body came along. Hmm since was putting the 29 on a B chassis the A chassis would need some new clothes, so bought the 27 roadster body. My buddy has the coupe with him now , My coupe is in the shed with the rear end out to replace the splined coupler, meanwhile, Im sat with my feet up recovering from a Hernia op. In the meantime Ive been looking at maybee building an adventure wagon from a series Landrover .. So I guess the short answer is NO..