You ever tear into a running, driving vehicle and regret it?

I bought a 50 Mercury last year just because it was a driver. Drove it off the trailer to the garage...that was the only time. Now it is all apart. I took it apart because the previous owner had cleaverly disguised the rust issues. I did not perform a sufficiently detailed pre-buy inspection and it turned out to be just not safe to drive in that condition. When I'm done, it will be a seriously fine looking, safe to drive anywhere Merc!

 

Only the wiring and trans cooler effect the running and driving of the vehicle. This seems doable in a couple months of half Saturdays. The tail lights and gauges can wait.

 

Did it with my 66 mustang. It had been a six and I put a 289 in it. After driving it for years I decided to upgrade the front end to V8 parts. (ie 4 bolt hubs to 5 bolt, springs, etc.) Got married before I finished getting it back together. My new wife had 2 kids from a previous marriage so money became tight. It sat in a one car garage for a couple of years before I realized it would be many years before I could finish it. We needed the room so I sold it. I regret taking it apart, it ran perfectly, and I even more regret selling it. Kids are gone now, but with the economy the way it is, and my wife starting a new business, my dream of owning another one will still have to wait.

 

yep, and i dont want to talk about it

 

I had this 63 C10 back in the day. Good stock daily driver. Decided to bag it. Puctured a bag on the freeway going 'bout 70 mph. Frame was completely ruined as it hit the ground going that fast. I sold the truck just as fast. I didnt want to see it anymore. Needless to say, I should have NEVER messed with it...

 

I do that a lot. I don't lose interest & I don't want to get rid of anything, but my friends threaten to take my tools away so I can't tear anything else apart. My 3 window embarrassed me last summer blowing smoke and the trans was slipping, I've got a 350,350 ready to replace it. It's got a flaky axle with r&p mounted on it & goofy mounted coilovers that needs replacing (it failed & almost put the PO in the lake once). Already replaced the rear coilovers, but the brackets are a tad off, it was built with heim ends that took care of misalignment & I used poly bushings. I don't like the motor mounts and the rear 4 bar is slightly off. Then there are issues with the brake pedal, steering col & the wiring. So now I'm cutting & grinding so I can start welding stuff back together. I've got rod runs I want to go to next month.

 

You know, I just need some motivation. I find that when I'm working on it, I'm getting burned out on it a lot quicker that I used to. Could be that even when it's done, I can only fit myself and two extras in it at one time. With my wife and my kids, I need to fit four. In September, I'll need seating for five. Better get 'er back together and start looking for an alternative.

 

More than once!

The worst- I took a 55 Chevy 2 door sedan that was a frame on restoration that I could have easily got 35k for & turned it into this!



It tops the list of the stupid things I've done to a car in my lifetime. I could have bought a 3k swap meet car to do a nut & bolt rotissere build on & sold my car & been buckets of money ahead.


Duh!

 

haha, which time???

 

I feel ya bro, I could have bought a $1,000 shell and saved myself 6k off the top on my 54... and would probably be further along

 

I can really relate to this thread.... nuff said.

 

Yeah, I tore my '55 Chevy apart back in '86. It was a strong running car with a 350/ 350turbo, black paint and interior. I was a dumb kid who thought he'd do a fast restore on it. Twenty years later I was financially able to pull it from the mothballs and start to put it together again. Still not finished, but at least I didn't give up on it.

 

dang some of your guy's stories makes me super sad! im barley 21 and i should have never torn into my 58. the original 3 speed tranny went out on it about a year after i got it.. so i figured why not do a yblock swap instead of fixing the tranny. worst decision ever. the yblock was a joke, took years to get everything together and going and when i did get it running, it blew up on me not too long afterwords. i even remember the day i bought a for sale sign..... i was about ready to sell it but i never did thank god.
now im doing the 460 swap, im taking my sweet time trying to do stuff right. i dont wanna deal with tearing everything apart again.

i also sold a 63 ranchero two december's ago.. 1000 bucks :/ man, everytime i see a ranchero i have to look away, makes my stomach turn, i feel bad i sold it but i needed the money. luckily im young, hopefully i have more money in the future for more projects and still keep my 58

 

as has been said, it is easier to take it apart than put it together. Keep finding more of "well since got this apart might as well do that" or finding hidden problems. plus,Family situations,health, bad weather,financial problems,daily motivation, etc. been over 7 years since I have had a true reliable driver. current project chopped '51 Ford been waiting for 2 years to get back together again. might actually get the engine and trans back in this weekend. those TV shows that do so much in an hour are interesting to watch, but can be depressing. when you read that a magazine car had hundreds, if not thousands, of hours in a project they are not kidding. of course having a lot of help and the bucks to make it happen now do help. but, can't stop now-some day will be on the road. kinda sound like those guys that have multiple projects laying around and rusting that they are going to finish some day. again, keep going.

 

I can relate to this thread completely. I sold my sixties car because I just wasn't in the position to work on it. Money is tight and even worse I don't have a place to work on it. My garage had to be used for other purposes , actually it is filled to the brim with stuff my wife needs for the home business she is starting up. I bought a 90's Mustang in pretty good shape, and that I am fixing the little things as I go. I'm using it pretty much every day. I still want an old car or truck project but it's going to have to wait until I have the luxury of keeping it off the street and working on it. Next time I will try to buy a better car (a driver) to start out with.

 

It's what men do... doesn't make sense, but if we had the money,we wouldn't care.

 

Writing this as therapy. Wife talked me out of selling "as is". When I bought a 36 Ford Club Cabriolet 2 years ago the seller suggested I drive it, enjoy it and not restore it. NO...I didn't have the sense to listen. I've got lots of panels off it and rear fenders that are going to drive me to drink or the poor house. I'm not sure which first. Got over $ 1000 in one custom-made patch for 1 rear fender at the running board. Need 3 more custom patches. Also needs interior, convertible top and complete paint.
WHAT THE HELL DID I GET MYSELF INTO...it will be slow going ...maybe if I ever retire it will get done
Bruce in Connecticut
BTW...Now I feel a little better

 

Ninety percent of the time I buy rough non runners so if they never run again under my ownership I really didnt commit a real big sin. I have a one owner 70 Chevelle SS454 I bought last fall that is totally original and needs restored but I am waiting because I know it would be at least 3 years before I could drive it again. I really try to stick to just one project though until completed to avoid project car hell. I still dream up another project about every week though and have to resist the urge. I dont want to talk about my running 66 GTO I tore down in the 90's though!!!

 

Yes I do and have many times, always opens a can of worms. That being said, I will do it again and again. Hahahaha

 

Not an issue if planned out before going 4 it. Take on jobs that are do-able and can get completed. I have a 57 Ford F-100 that needs the front left fender to be worked on, but instead of working on it now, I just wait till I can afford the patch panel, then off comes the fender, and the patch panel gets welded, primed, and fender back on truck.

Age matters too! Back when I was in my teens and twenties it was no biggie to take on big projects, 30 years later not so much!

Did you change out the grill and headlights? Cause 57's did not have quad headlights. That started in 58.

 

Yeah

 

The better question would be if I ever owned anything that I didn't tear into and regret?
I enjoyed the every "screaming, cussing, and threat to burn it to the ground" minute of it! Besides, if people quit doing it where would we find all the cheap project cars at?

 

Wouldn't know how you feel. I can never afford to buy a running-driving car. All my projects start out with one foot in the grave.

 

It happens time and time again, just remember you have to walk to run and it all starts with one step at a time. For oil-blooded car guys all the fun is in the build. Enjoy life one day at a time. God is good.