Can a car be TOO nice? Post-build depression.

What gets me is that guys will tie up 50/60K or more in a pickup and enclosed trailer to haul a car that they have 25K in because it is "too nice to drive".

I can see towing a roadster that has a big engine/small gas tank. A 10 gal tank and 10 miles to gallon won't work in some states in the west without packing a spare gas supply. That and some of these cars we build aren't compatable with 60+ year old backs and knees in some of my contemporaries cases.

It is all in how you veiw things, I have friends with Corvettes who won't open the garage door if there is a cloud in the sky and yet I know a gal who owns one the same model who has studded snow tires on extra rims for it because it is her only car and she drives it every day in every kind of weather.

 

I agree with the original question.

My car was just supposed to be satin black with white tuck and roll. Simple.

Then things start working out differently.

The domino effect starts to happen when you do one thing like decide to go ahead and straighten it before the satin black. Then well we might as well paint it since it is straight. Well we might as well go ahead and finish out the jams now. Since we are doing that, we might just as well paint the underside of the hood and trunk and do the fenderwells. Now the nice stainless trim suddenly looks rough so you sand it all and polish it out. The list goes on and on.

Yeah, I could just drive it and not care if it gets scratched up...

The problem is that once it comes out pretty damn nice, you hate to just see stupid abuse happen (like kids that try to hoist themselves up the side of the door at shows with one shoe mid panel in the paint, or people shoving their double wide twin stroller into a 3 feet opening between cars at the local cruise.)

When the paint does end up glass smooth with zero defects and the polished stainless is near perfect, it is hard for the heart not to keep it that way.

I still beat mine every week as far as rowing through the gears and driving it. In fact the body is starting to get a little squirrelly in the right quarter/rocker area from banging on the gears.

But I kind of miss the car when it was just a nice driver and it was driven year round including sliding around in the snow like an idiot!

 

I just don't like "nice" cars for me. I like 'em dirty and far from perfect. I enjoy them so much more. I bought a brand new (I know, not meant for this site) Dodge Magnum RT back in November. It's gorgeous, the nicest thing I have ever owned. Fully loaded, got all the shit. And I have personally put less than 500 miles on it since then. I honestly don't like driving it, because I get dirty at work, I get dirty at the shop, and after that I don't do anything else. So it sits. I look at cars like Kirks!, that car is amazingly beautiful to me. Really, the paint work, the interior, etc just seem so amazing to me, I would never be able to own a car like that. I would ruin it.

 

I did the nice car deal. It had a good paint job and billet wheels... lots of polished aluminum and this and that.

One day while at a show.... sweating and polishing the last of the shiny stuff... I noticed all of my friends in the shade BSing and drinking beer...

Never again The next car I build will be nice but it won't be a show car.

 

My coupe is "decent" not anywhere near show quality but "nice". I dont worry about it, if it gets a scratch or two so what. Ive had a lot of primer cars and dont treat my painted coupe any different than if it was primered. I like to enjoy, kick back, and not worry.........besides a Hot Rod needs a few "battle scars"

 

hey congrats on the car been there but the answer is drive it use it and put a bit of patina on it there aint nothing better than a well built car showing the patina of use

 

There is no reason 2 build if u cant beat the hell out of it. Tire shredding, heart pounding horsepower. Nomatter how nice it is i'll beat the shit out of it to me the best part of the build is seeing if she will take it!

 

ENJOY the car no matter what it looks like. I had the 4th made 1967 Shelby GT 350 Mustang that I totally restored in 1984. Underneath, motor, trunk, interior, everything was perfect. I trailered it everywhere. Don't touch it, the whole paranoid thing. I had a girlfriend of 4 years leave and felt down and out. A friend and I took the car out and pounded the tar out of it. It was a blast. After that day I drove it everywhere. I had way more fun driving and enjoying the car for what it was, than keeping it under lock and key. I still remember the weekend at the Syracuse Car Craft Street Machine Nationals. I stayed up way too late with a girl from Canada and had to be at work in 5 hours. I was 305 miles from home. I made it home in just a tad over 3 hours. I was the greatest.

The Shelby's gone. Now I race vintage flat track motorcycles. I take pride in my bikes being top notch. I know I did my job when people stare in dis- belief an say "Are you going to ride that thing? It's way too nice. That would be in my living room" I restored it once, I can do it again.
Don

 

I do not think a car can be too nice. I love looking at the high dollar cars, but, one of the reasons I sold my painted 32, and bought a primered 40 was, I just could not get use to hearing rocks bouncing off my paint. Still happens, but semi gloss rustoleum covers it right up ron

 

ok my friend,i'll swap you my elky for it.STRAIGHT UP,then you won't have to worry about scratch/dents,i'll have a great lookin car, you have another project to put all your time,money, effort, blood into.both of us come out on top. well, i come out on top . just trying to help a brother out! shit ,life is short, have fun with it or whatever you do. see you soon my friend

 

I can relate to your post, I once owned a super clean '65 Galaxie convertable and got hounded with questions/comments all the time. Kind of like being a small town celebrity or something. Now that the '50 Fleeetline is close to drivable I've warned my girl (she wasn't around for the '65) what it is probably going to be like. I can already hear the "Nice Merc" comments in my sleep.

 

What a pal. Actually, I'd be happy driving your ElCamino! I think some of you guys get my point. It's not that I'm afraid it's gonna get a rock chip or get dirty, it's hard to explain unless you've been there.

Shifty, I get the 'nice Merc' comments on mine too!

 

What the fuck, do you have rocks in your head?
The point is that it turned out "almost" too nice to drive. It is hard to take it out and drive it and enjoy it without worrying about it getting fucked up...... because then the Caddy wouldn't be as "fucking awesome"!

 

I don't know about you guys, but the real fun is in the build. I'm actually not too interested in it once it is finished anyway. I'm actually starting to build a '50 Chevy PU that will be my very first project for myself. I want to get it done and just use it for small road trip get-aways and Sunday morning drives in the country. Really the whole thing is about spending some time out in the garage and not thinking about work, family, bills, and all the other things that stress us out on a daily basis.

I say build it and have fun with it for a little while. Once you start losing interest in it, sell it for what you can and start the next project.

Ed

 

Someone once said "it's the journey, not the inn at the end of the road". Many of us (as can be seen by the posts on this thread) enjoy the build more than the drive. Having a beautifully built car is great and we all have pride in our craftsmanship, but there comes with it a sense that now you must KEEP it in the same condition (or better) than the day it rolled out of the garage.
I guess that I don't struggle with this too much because I have a neighbor who has some nice cars but all he wants to do is drive them a little and then wash and polish them...he wouldn't know a box end wrench from a box of chrome muffler bearings! For him, what's the point...for most of us the point is creating a mechanical work of art from a pile of (most times) dissimilar parts. Let the washing and polishing to those who have no imagination or talent to create...now go drive the piss outta your Caddy!

 

Ya know, people want these cars all their lives and when they finally get one they're afraid to drive it.

Like a new car, a built hot rod is only new once.

I run a lot of errands in mine and try to drive it to most places I shop . . . it opens a lot of doors and seems like most shops I go to are much more helpful than they might be if I'd shown up in my Ranger.

They get rock chips, got more than a few in the windsheld.
It's getting a lot more rock chips in the paint since we moved here to Arizona and have to travel on some dirt roads to get where we want to go.

I feel a little bad about the chips and scratches, but life ain't too tough.
Wash it when it needs it and drive it.

My newest favorite pic of the 32.


Some times you get caught . . .

A ways offroad on the other side of El Dorado Dry Lake.



I don't beat the 32, but I don't baby it either....

 

This is 99.9% true. Realize this and you'll understand Hot Rodding as well as life. The real question here is, do you just want to build cars or drive them. Maybe a bit of both

 

can relate- I was jus waiting for the first paint nick to celebrate- no slave to the paint- sun or rain....photo op on the 1200miles from s-mento- to Seattle & today.
-41-

 

And . . . sometimes the trailers won't go as far as the car will....

 

YES! I totally understand, and a car CAN be too nice!!!

I just had a long battle with myself over that very same issue a few months back, only it was over a car I was going to buy, but decided not to...because it was "WAY too nice"!!!

In this case, it was a 1985 Corvette. I love those (as well as the 84 Vettes...me being the only one there it seems!). It was advertised for sale locally at a pretty decent price, so I went to check it out thinking it might make a decent, nice, daily driver. 85 was the first year for Tuned Port Injection, and the suspension was tuned a little softer than it was on the 84. Also, most importantly, the odd four speed manual transmission was still available, and this car had it.

I got to the dude's house and was just blown away! This car was a gleaming bright red without a scratch or flaw on it, and he had pampered the thing and kept it in absolutely pristine, immaculate condition! Aside from just a hint of wear on the outter bolster of the driver's seat (very common on C3 Vettes...get in and out of one and you'll know why!), the car was nearly showroom perfect! Not only did it LOOK flawless, he had kept up on the reapirs and routine maintenance aggresively...the car had all new brakes, tires, clutch, exhaust and full tune-up! The only thing I noted was that he'd installed a killer aftermarket sound system when the original stereo quit working. The new system sounded incredible, but it stood out as the only "non stock" part of this amazing car.

He offered to let me test-drive it, but I couldn't bring myself to roll it out of the garage since there was still a little snow on the ground! He was like "It's okay, I'll clean it up perfect again this weekend...no sweat!".

My reaction to the car took me by complete surprise...I'd ordinarily say "Just drive it...no matter how nice it is...that's what cars are for!" But...I hold 84-85 Vettes in an almost sacred awe, and although I wouldn't hessitate to drive one in lesser condition everyday...the fact that this one particular car was so nice just made me think that if I did buy it, I'd just want to park it in a well lit, heated garage somewhere and just sit there and LOOK at it for hours on end...it was just to beautifull to believe!

The result? I gave the guy a deposit on the car, then wrestled with it over and over in my head for the next two days. I had the cash in hand and was trying to decide if I ought to go ahead and buy it...but I knew for a fact that it deserved far better than just being my next everyday driver...some cars really ARE just too nice!!!

(So, I bought a beat-up but solid 67 Dart and I still drive it everyday! I used the money I woulda spent buying the Vette to drive the old Dodge down to Florida and then over to Texas and back to Michigan the long, roundabout way! The Dart is just "me"...it fits...I just don't feel comfortable at all in anew or "too nice" car...and I never did. The Dart is like a favorite pair of worn-in jeans...and it's perfect for me!)

But damn, that Vette was fucking gorgeous! I'm sure it's in much better hands than mine right now...and if it isn't? I'm glad I'll never know about it....some cars ARE too nice...you are 100% right about that!!

 

The gettin' it dirty is one thing, but the real worry is all the morons in their everyday cars who have no respect for anyone else on the road. They could care less about our cars. When they total their KIA, they just go buy another one. They didn't spent 1000 hrs. building it. Hell, most people nowadays don't even know how to check the oil and are completely car clueless. You really have to drive as if everybody is out to hit you. Kinda like riding a motorcycle.
Leaving it parked and unattended is the other big worry. Seems like no matter where you try an park out of the way, some idiot will park right next to you, and open their door right into your car.

 

This has been MUCH discussion around our shop/household in past couple of years.
My dad built all of his cars to drive and enjoy. He cruised the hell out of them all the time and took me for lunch or ice cream every weekend growing up. He drove them to the shows rain or shine and some didn't have windows...and with the builds that have been coming out of the shop over the recent years things have changed alittle from his way....Frankie recently drove the 52 Caddy to the Blackhawk show and that was monumental for him to do and my kids rode in the car as well which was a first...My dad though still feels the same way...and this is a true De Rosa "quote" and he'll tell anyone this and in fact told Brian "Phat Caddy" at the Blackhawk show. "Having a beautiful car that you can't use/enjoy is like having a wife you can't use/enjoy..." He may put the wording alittle differently but I am cleaning it up guys...

 

Have had friends with the problem. I figure drive it like you want and consider it building patina.

 

That's right, build 'em nice and drive the holy pooop out of 'em. Besides, they are gonna break anyways you might as well enjoy every second of owning it. I would hate to think of my car just sitting someplace with a dead battery and flat tires with a completely bitchin' paint job and threads. I look at it like this- when I go I wanna go at 100+ or making nookie with my wife, not on the porch in a rocking chair in my sunday best. Bob, is the man and loves every minute in his vert I'm sure. Go Bob Go.

Just my Sunday point of view,

Tim

 

Gray Baskerville used to say "Life's better in a beater"

Personally, I build em as nice as time, money and talent will allow - and then drive em. My 41 Ford won some shows yet i drove it everywhere. My take is it's a car, it metal, and rubber, and upholstery, maybe some plastic - it can be fixed.
I drove the 41 to Bakersfield one year for the Hot Rod Reunion and got a big ole rock chip on the way. When I got there someone pointed it out and said "that must suck on such a nice car" - I answered "Nah, it's kinda like a scar, wear it proudly and tell the story!"
My 32 coupe I trailered (on the back of the COE) to the Grand National Roadster Show because it was the first time out for it and I wanted it to look it's best. Got a real nice trophy for the effort. Now I drive it and coming back from Edelbrock's show I got an even better "Trophy", the panhard rod bracket broke and the tires scuffed he paint up on the body, now I got another story to tell. That scuffed up paint is a great "Trophy"
I also insure the hell out of them

 

I agree with C9. With that said, I'm about to take my 32 apart and repaint it. Not because of the wear but because I'm not happy with the quality of my paint work. I'm still doing burn outs and getting chips but when it's back together,I want real painters to know that the person that painted it knew what they were doing. Hope I don't screw it up again.

 

here are pictures of all 3 of my cars i love driveing all of them they are all fun to drive and thats why i have them the ford is my beater a y-block bad paint go anywhere car my chevy 350 4speed bang grears have fun caddy great cruzer what ever you build drive it trailer queens suck

 

not for long if i own it.
dan

 

The bravado of "I drive my cars" doesn't have to mean they're shitty looking. Quality work lasts, stays fresh if it's done right with the idea of easy maintainence, maintains the value of your investment, and can speak volumes toward an individuals general outlook. The last is the most lame idea but it's there like it or not. I've had the opportunity to re-visit some old work from nearly 20yrs ago. It's nice and refreshing to see em still looking fresh and new, even after they've been used. One of em used pretty hard too. After 14yrs one of em still scored perfect last year and in my daily game that's very important. So how do I feel about "too nice"? Just right in my book. Rust is a form of deterioration and corrosion. Torn moldy seats are for mice and other vermin. Primer is for shake downs and for surfacing before final paint.

With well planned wiring problems are easy to solve vs trying to sort through multi-colored "pasta" looking shit jobs. Good plumbing lasts longer and is less likely to fail. Clean simple engines are easy to service and keep clean and have the benefit of easy problem detection as well. If a "perfect" car gets dirty, well, that's what soap and water's for. Like I said before, my daily gig is to build things to perfection and I'm as lazy as the next guy when it comes to cleaning and detailing a show car. Therefore I build accordingly...easy to do. Easy to keep it that way. I still wouldn't "mud" my car just because I can, but I wouldn't need therapy if I got caught in the rain. I like em perfect. Maybe I'm an asshole like that. Maybe that's why I win a lot of awards for my customers who like that kind of thing. Maybe my daily beaters are ugly enough to settle that part of my brain. Maybe I like the look of a car that shows care, craftsmanship, honors tradition, blah, blah, blah. Yeah, I'm one of them.