Help, My dad is the I'm gonna one day fix that guy!! This weeks purchase of a 55 studebaker makes 30 cars. Mostly big Healeys and 54 Buicks. Any suggestions as to how I can "encourage him" to stop buying and actually build something. It been 20 years since he finished something. I tried taking him to some historic races and car shows with no success. I remember how proud he used to be when he would finish a car, but I think it has been so long that he doesn't think he can do it anymore. Can anybody suggest any other motovational tools.
At least he is collecting them and keeping them from being crushed. I know a guy local that buys, trades, and barters projects and junk. That's all he ever seems to have. I wonder why he just doesn't sell off a couple projects and make at least one he can drive.
I'm not seeing anything wrong with having 30 cars and not working on any of them. what's the problem?
Tell him you would really like to build one with him as a project.Tell him how cool it would be for you to help build one with him .
The problem is even in a shed his stuff is going down hill fast. Have you ever seen a Austin Healey break in half just because you tried to move it. It's a sad sight. As far as trying to help I am currently spending 2 days a week at his place trying to catch him up on maintenance. (rebuilding fence, sheds, carports, and cutting brush lots and lots of brush around the outside stuff). I wouldn't mind as much if it was junk. But it isn't he has some really sought after cars. It makes me sad to see them going down instead of up. As well the truth be known he has smoked for 50 years and is certainly not getting younger. At a pace of 1 car a year he has way more projects than could be finished.
Don't take this the wrong way but, after his demise, would you be the heir to the cars in question? If so.........
That happens to a lot of people and it's not always cars. Good intentions. That would be a treasure trove barn find.
He probably just likes having the stuff around. I understand that. I've bought stuff that has just laid around. I like it there. IMO leave him alone. He's likely happy the way things are.
Yeah,I see lots of people that "stockpile" them.Problem is that they detiorate and then no one gets any good out of them. This guy would never sell or do anything with them.
I want some pics too! I just drove by a place like that in Nor-Cal. From the freeway, all I could see were beautiful rounded bomb roofs. At least 50-70 cars. Im planning on going up there to see if he wants to sell a project car. Have to be cautious when going onto these rural properties though... "Get off my land!" haha
I think I know the place, just a bit before Williamson on the left (heading North on 5?) If so, it's all for sale, unfortunatly he was a bit pricy a few years ago when I stopped in. Oops, I mean Williams, not Williamson
My friend's Dad is sort of like this. He's got a ton of old Jags, MGs, Triumphs, some Jeeps, a few 69ish Rivieras, an old late 40s Chevy pickup and a panel truck, some supercharged 6 cylinder T roadster, a 55 Dodge flatbed.... He'll never get around to any of them. He built a huge garage 5 years ago with lifts and a paint booth and everything and I don't think he's even turned the lights on in it. Everything just sits. But, oh, you can buy a car for sure. You'd just better come PLENTY of cash 'cause he thinks everything is worth gold.
If you want to try to convince him to stop buying maybe you need him to understand the reality of time.I had a bunch of projects until I realized if it took me "X" number of years to finish one and I had "Y "amount of years left to live.Then I realized I had way more than I could do,so I started selling some of them off.
Sorry for the missunderstanding His cars are not for sale, nor is it my place to suggest that. I would like to hear from older guys who have taken a car sabbaticle, What got your fire lit again?
Just let your dad keep dreaming .Every body has to have a dream,In reality if you count all the hours you slave over your car ,Your better off working at Mcdonalds and buying a finished car.
Why don"t you pick one out,ask him if you can build it since you are so concerned about them,he might even want to pitch in and help out but its his life,his hobby and if he says no so be it,and as far as RoadOilers comment on you being the heir to your Dads shit thats just a stupid ass thing to say.
hell like others have said , tell him ya wanna fix one up with him, even if he said no i would grab a wrench and show him how bad you want it, then he might remember the good times of fixing em up and jump in with ya
I've got a buddy like that but he is now selling off a lot of the accumulation to be able to do something with with his "real" project car. He spent the last 25 years buying and dragging home stuff for future projects and never seemed to have the money for the one he was working on because he had spent it buying another one. His accumulation is now down almost manageable with just a that will never get worked on.
question does he enjoy just collecting and hoarding them? Its his stuff his life. he shouldnt have to live up to others expectationseven loved ones. Is he putting anybody in danger. I cant see a problem there are much worse things than being a collector and a hoarder. I do pretty much the same thing as him. if my family ever starts bugging me about my junk I will crush it all and me and the wife will piss the money away. Or I will dig a big hole with the bulldozer and run over it all and bury it. There are lots of project cars and very few folks who have the money time inclination or preserverance to do anything with them.OldWolf
Reminds me of an old guy that used to live near me.He had a 56 Nomad in his front yard.Everyone kept trying to buy it but it wasn't for sale.Old codger got so mad he had a dozier come in and dug a hole and pushed the Nomad in it.Wouldn't even let his son have the car.He died and they cleaned up the place but no one dug up the Nomad as far as anyone knows.
2 pages and no one mentions the obvious... If he has a computer,get him on the HAMB. That just might be the "kick in the pants" he needs.