Projects CAR'S YOU SHOULD HAVE FINISHED

I would think I am not alone in the selling a unfinished car because life got in the way, I had made a lot of progress on the glass coupe I got the bare body from Racinman, I built the chassis, I installed a 289 and a Ford top loader transmission ,25 louver hood and a swap meet radiator shell & insert along with a walker radiator.

My mom had recently passed away and my dad was unable to help me in our business and I was putting in extremely long days and working weekends also, I just got frustrated with the lack of free time and I decided to sell the car.

I let it go and to my knowledge never saw it again, I ran across the photo and thought man, I shouldn't have sold that car, it was so close to being a driver. HRP

 

Sounds like you're asking about cars we shouldn't have sold that were close to finished? We all probably have a couple of them. When I was in the process of closing my repair shop many years ago my friend/business partner and I went halfs on a 427 4-speed Corvette we bought from a local high end body shop. A really nice car with paint and interior already done. Basically a complete car that needed the big block rebuilt and installed, a clutch, and find the factory exhaust manifolds. We were both so burned out on customers cars and pushing the thing in and out of the bays that neither one of us wanted to touch it. Sold it to a mutual friend less motor who found a correct 427 and sold it shortly after completion. I could've bought out my partner for small money but sometimes you just ain't got in in you.

 

Your title should read cars you should have finished or cars you shouldn't have started.

 

Yeah, the phone rang and it was a customer and I got side tracked, that's exactly what I was trying tp get across, I edited the title to read correctly, thanks to you and a pm Rick . HRP

 

A few. Company moved us around quite a few times. Had to let some go due to moves. One I regret was a 61 Corvette that I had started on. Had to let it go. Another was a 62 Biscayne-same deal-time to move.

 

64 Pontiac Catalina. Sold it to a friend and it's still not finished. I repaired all of the rust and had it ready for body work. It is now painted but the guy who bought it is changing plans from his original idea.

I'd have to say that 57 Porsche 356A with factory sunroof is the one I absolutley should have finished myself. Sigh.

 

I had one that would have nice to finish but sold it, but even now don’t regret it, I do regret starting it in the first place.

 

Mine was a 64 GTO post car that I was building as a 60’s style drag car. I had the body done and I painted it, pulled it off the frame, had the frame cleaned up and painted, and was ready to start putting it back together. I had a 12.5:1 455 with aluminum heads, a narrowed 12 bolt with spool and Moser axles, a good 4-speed, etc. Anyway, that was all right before I got married, went back to college, adopted kids, etc. I finally got the the point that it sat long enough I figured I might not ever finish it. So, I sold it in pieces. Anyway, it was probably nicer than I would want today anyway. But, it sure would have been fun too.

 

I have a weakness for 63 1/2 Galaxies (and 66's) and shoebox Fords. I've tried to save some that just were not worth the effort and expense and reality sunk in finally. Now... if I run across another 60-61 Falcon tudor sedan.................

 

1938 Dodge business coupe. Started on it, and a friend wanted it more than I.

 

I have two and HRP's topic title will be my epitaph if I don't get a move on. They are my two Chevy trucks that I made the mistake of tearing apart at the same time.

 

57 MB 300SL roadster. I bought an old house from the family of guy who wanted their Dad out of the ghetto neighborhood. In the garage was this stripped, rusted out hulk, sitting on 4 flat tires. No floors, no motor (sitting in the corner). I drug the mess back to my shop and shoved it in an back corner. I'd just got my Sprint car to the roller stage and was looking for a motor. My machine shop had one fully built (with all the best stuff) dyno'd and ready to go. Guy that had ordered it lost his sponsor and backed out, and they were pushing me to step up. Knowing they were kinda over a barrel, I was pushing for a better price. One day the local MB dealer (a bigger prick you couldn't find) wanders into the shop and asks about the roadster. I pointed him over to the corner. He asks what I'm gonna do with it, and I tell him I'll probably save the aluminum, and scrap the rest. He clearly wasn't to fond of my idea, and asked if he could buy it, giving me some story about how he'd hate to see it scrapped because his Dad had one back in the day. That pegged my bullshit meter so I figured I'd shoot for the moon. Told him if he wanted it, he could go to my machine shop and buy me a motor I'd been looking at. Couple hours later Gary from the machine shop calls, thanks me(he got his price), and asks when he can deliver my new motor. I know what they bring now, but bottom line is I'd have never restored it, got exactly what I wanted, was able to screw over a prick dealer, and help a buddy at the machine shop out. Winner, winner. chicken dinner.

 

no, I'm glad they're all gone. Saved me untold hours of frustrating work.

 

OUCH!!!!

 

The trick is to be on the buying side of these mistakes.

 

I had a stock original 1959 Chevy short bed with 68,011 original miles. Needed a fresh paint job but nooooo. 1931 Model A pick up . Just needed the engine and transmission put in but found something I wanted with more room . Ta da , my 1948 Ford F1. Glad I went with the F1 .

 

My 1965 Corvette. Got it into basic safe running condition and drove it for a while. Then started to prep the body for paint. Was working out of a car port up in new England and as many know the winters can be really nasty for doing outside auto work. It sat for a little bit. I was frustrated at not being able to work on it and a guy came by and asked if I'd sell it. I had paid $1800 for it but the $4500 he offered back then was good money. Just wish now I hadn't let it go. Not because of it's current value but I should have finished it up right.

 

Seeing though it's Father's day weekend, my story relates, My oldest daughter now turning 56 was born on Father's day 1966. I was building a T Bucket had it pretty close,was a roller minus a few pieces and sold it to pay hospital and Dr's GP and OB. No regrets, a daughter is forever, cars come and go. I was a responsible man then and still now. My 3 children and 2 step sons are my greatest accomplishments, I joke about it, Did they turn out so well because of me OR in spite of me. LOL

 

I stopped my racing hobby end of 1991, car hobby was/ is my deal all my life, I started building a 32 Ford Roadster, first item I built was a 454 BBC, had a TH 400 built, rounded up a 9", bought aftermarket 32 rails, some chassis pieces, rounding up other parts, going to purchase a RodBod 32 steel body but project then stalled, 2 things, I was a self employed shop owner, I had the chance to make some money, business always comes first, in business 36 years until I retired, Also at that time frame my son bought a super modified racer, Wi. rules, basically a heavy winged sprint car with a starter and clutch. So.......between the shop busy and helping son with his deal, 32 project totally stalled out. A good friend, fellow racer and a Hot Rod builder pointed out to me "At the rate I'm working on it, I'll be retired, on Social Security and it still won't be done. He suggested to sell off and go buy one, then build something so I could enjoy hobby, always have a rod or hobby car to drive. Good advice IMO, it's exactly what I did, I always have/had a hobby driver while working on the next one, takes the pressure off IMO.

 

This thread makes me very sad. So I don’t want to talk about all of them. Yea, multiple cars. I’m going to go cry now, thanks HRP. I now hate you.

 

'65 Chevelle 2 door wagon. Narrowed, caged, 'glass frontend. 427, switch pitch 400 Turbo, quickchange.
Had it since 1982, never finished. Finally parted it out a couple of years ago. I'm still not sure why...

 

I've sold very few unfinished cars, as I hate not finishing them. But those I have sold were sold because I needed the space for something I'd purchased and wanted more than what I had.

 

The three that I am working on now, by now.

 

An OT 62 Bug. Had nothing it it but had just gotten engaged and moved into a house where I did not have access to the garage. I just cut ties with it when we moved to MPLS. Should have hauled it to her parents farm a few miles away and stored it

 

I had a 65 Willis 2 wd 1/4 ton pickup that I had swapped a 440 torqueflight into and gave it a paint job. The thing had terrible breaks and sat way to high so I had plans to put a IFS and a more drage friendly rear suspension with an 8 3/4 mopar axle. I had a frame clip and the truck was completely apart when I was caught on the day when I had to much to do ,needed the space so down the road it went.

 

Painful memory. 1984-ish.
I had been bugging a guy for years to buy his 65’ GTO convertible stalled project. He wouldn’t part with it as it had been his first car in I think 72’. It had been sort of a Street Freak.

As happens he was getting divorced and needed to sell fast. When I bought it it was on stands in his garage. 389 rebuilt and on a stand. Four speed sitting in the car. New stock interior in boxes to replace the now gone velour freak interior. Rear end rebuilt with more friendly gears sitting in a corner. Suspension all rebuilt and back to stock height. Cragar’s but no tires.
BUT, it still had the thick, cracked, flaking remains of a hideous flake blue and green paint job. I figured a quick strip and repaint, reassembly, and I’ve got a killer GTO ragtop.

I paid $3500 (I think), bought s new T/A’s and loosely bolted the rear end into it so it was a roller to flatbed to my house.

Did I mention I was still living at home, working and going to school, and my mom’s car went in the driveway to make room for it?
Honest, I promise in three months it will be painted and on the road . . And out of your garage. Oh, and yes, I know I already have a truck and a car. . . and by the way I have to sell the car before I can afford to paint the GTO.

Fast forward a year. Life is in the way. The GTO is still apart in my parents garage and said parents have long since lost their sense of humor. A guy offered me 5k for it in a weak moment and carted it away. I made $1500 and got it out of my life. Thought I’d made a killing. Still can’t believe I sold it.

And the car I never seemed to sell to fund the GTO was a Datsun 280-ZX. I’m so ashamed.

 

Years ago I found and bought cheap a 36 Plymouth business coupe. It came with a matching numbers title, but needed a driver's door really bad.

I hauled that thing with me through 2 moves until I finally had a place I could keep it out of the weather in a safe location. Then by chance I found a very nice drivers door, cost me $400 by the time I got it here (probably very early 2000s time frame). It was pretty much my dream car, but was a pretty big project. Several easier to make road worthy cars (and a truck) came along while the coupe waited in the storage building. About the time it was time for the coupe, I drug it out of storage and parked in in my driveway. Then another project came along and moved in front of the 36. A few months later, some guy showed up in my driveway wanting the coupe. The pile of money in his hand was of more importance then the 36 was at the time, at that weak moment, the 36 went away.

Every once and a while I think about that 36 coupe and wonder what if? The hard reality was there were times I could have built it but didn't for what ever reason. Given my history with the cars since then, that 36 probably would have been built, driven for about 5 years, then sold off. It probably would have been gone by now anyway.

Hopefully, someone had the chance to build that car and is enjoying it. I think my part of its history was to keep it out of trouble, find a door for it, and protect it until the rightful owner came along. I did my part. Sooooo, if someone out there bought a pretty rough 36 Plymouth business coupe, with a title, and a dark blue driver's door, you now may have a bit more history on the car. Gene

 

Never had one. Every car except ones bought for parts were complete, painted with good to better interiors when sold. Parts cars were scrapped.

 

oh boy do i have one! i am 15 and get a '53 ford business coupe from my brother. i am into drag cars and i put a tach on the dash, cheater slicks, a floor shifter, traction bars and raised the front with those screw in things in the front springs. i was in hog heaven. i took my drivers test in it too. it was a straight 6 and me and them don't get along. after about 3 trans swaps and the motor blowing up, i decide to build a gasser. i do the usual, straight axle, poncho rear, setback 394 olds and hydro. i work on this for 7 years and one day i come into the garage and look at it and say "i am sick of working on this thing" i tear it apart and sell the parts and scrap the body. now this was 50 years ago and got to thinking about it off and on. i look at them for sell sometimes but they where not the same body style as mine. so you know what happens next. i find one about 4 years ago and am building it again. who says you can't go home again?

 

I'll tell you about one that hasn't got away, no regrets, I'll never sell mary. While I was recovering from heart surgery this winter, I was offered $60,000 for mary, the guy showed me the wad, I still got her.