How long before you got to actually drive it?

My truck was stock 3/4 ton got it in feb. '05. Fixed it up and drove it stock until Sept. 26 '05 when the trans crapped out.

Pulled it in the garage and went to town. Drove it Feb 1'06....Fatman front end, 350/350, 8.8 ford rear. This is fall '06...

 

Eight months from the field to the inspection station. The problem is, now that my 49 is a driver and out of the garage, somehow another project slipped in when I was not looking. So now it sounds like I got the same problem most guys have...To many projects and not enough time!!!!

 

We got the 54 Ford Ranch Wagon in 83 and it's still not on the road!

But progress is being made.HRP

 

4 years, start to finish
Not counting the first six months it just sat.





After I retired, I started on the 3W. For once in my life I had the time, the place and the money to work at a project at my own pace. I would get tired of it at times and go do something else but always came back to the 3W project after a short break from it.

Like it has been said here before, Just devote a hour a day to the project and you will be surprised at the project progress.

 

Building a car with your own two hands to me is where the fun is. Sure its nice to drive it but working out the thousand little problems while building it is where the fun is. I'm starting on the wife's 51 Pontiac and this is all new areas for me. I've never built a tail dragger, so I'll be looking at what other guys have done and taking the best ideas and looking pasted the stupid ones. Just like I did on my 33 Chevrolet. Have fun with the build.

 

When I got my 49 Plymouth, I promised the wife I would have it done in a year....... 13 years later I took it for the very first drive. raising 3 kids makes you put alot on the back burner and I wouldn't have had it any other way. Hope the 53 Dodge truck doesn't take as long this time.....

 

Will be 5 years next month since I first hauled it home and the wife had a hard time believing my vision.

Finally drove it, but still in shakedown mode so tough to relax yet.

Last couple years, I heard this in my mind and it helped get me out to the garage:

Still have some interior items left, and some tune up work, but I'm pretty happy.

Just in time for the snow to fly in a few weeks - lol.

When I feel better about writing another chunky check I'll put some appropriate Pontiac 8-lug wheels on, but they are expensive because I want to put some custom ones on that will fit over discs.

Front end needs about an inch taken out?

 

We have been building a lakester to race at Maxton for 10 years, Maxton will close before it is ready. Hopefully next year at Willmington or Loring.

 

All the posts prior to mine are real fast builders. I dragged my sedan home in '75 and did my first ride in'09. Let's see, thad be 34 years. Do I win ?

 

I got my chopped 41 Ford sedan when i was 13 so next year will be our 20th anniversary and my baby is still a body shell and rolling chassis. From day one i knew it was going to be 50's style and one day it will be on the road.

 

I am 1 year and a month so far...my goal is spring for a Father daughter dance with my 8 year old! Definately agree about time in the garage....I would make it a priority to spend even 15 minutes doing something.

 

I bought my 55 Chevy truck in pcs. Took 6 months to finish. Drove for 3 years and wanted to re-do it. Been 16 years so far. when I have the time, I dont have the money. when I have the money, I dont have the time.

 

This is the first time I've ever heard of this idea. I have spent 40 years following the idea of
Make it run
Make it stop
Make it legal
Paint it
Upholstery

So, Engine First

My ideas apply when you start with a car.
I suppose that if you start with a bare frame you might follow a different order

 

I've had mine for 3 years now, and I just got to take it around the block a month ago. And it still broke down.... Yeah, I've got a loooong way to go still.

 

I'm building a 32 rpu. I've had the frame done for 2 years. I will be another year and a half before I can even order the Brookville body. Maybe in five years I'll be on the street.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Like I told the kid, "Your musics not too loud, its just like OKC, it sucks!"

 

I've been at my 54 F100 for 4 yrs now and still have a year or two to go depending on cash flow.

 

My Deuce pickup is probably a record for me,,I had it for a couple of years before I even wiped the dust off of it.



I rolled the truck into the shop on 3/3/2007 and drove it out of the shop on 9/4/2007.



The 1954 Ford "Ranch Wagon" will go down as another record for me,,,the longest build.

I started on the wagon soon after joining the Hamb knowing that most of the build projects I was seeing were being done by average guys and I was no different.

So,,, on 2/20/2003 I drug the old wagon that was purchased new by my wife's grandmother outta the barn where it had sat patiently wait and rotting away for 20 years.



It's been a eye opener,I have built a bunch of early 30's and 40's hot rods over the years but bringing a mid 50's car back from the dead is a whole lot more work,,I never appreciated all the work that you guys that build classic Chevys go through until I started this wagon.



This is the car just before being loaded up on the trailer for the ride to the upholstery shop,,10/15/2011



Anyway,it's been 8 years getting to this point and still not finished,,I'm hoping we can be riding before too much longer. HRP

 

Well my frist car took about 5 years to get done, got it running within 3 weeks of bringing it home. Drove it all over then pulled it apart for paint and body work. Money was my biggest regulator. So 5 years on that one and its not a hamb friendly car it was a 1971 Mach 1 mustang.

Now to my 31 model A coupe-bought it in July, just a shell and a frame. Have made very little progress with it, for two reasons- again money and the second reason is I have never worked on anything like this so I spend a lot of time on research on what I need, or how to do something. But on a side note my A has been the most enjoyable project I have ever worked on. Progress will be very slow, but I still think building is the funnest part.

 

Hell my truck is painted and it is just sitting in the garage half water sanded and i have no interest in going out there so this one could take me some time to put together.

 

HRP- I LOVE that Ranch Wagon! It was worth the time and effort.

Took me 7+ years to reduce my 35 from a running amateur resto to a very large pile of parts, then slowwly get it back together. A couple of memorable moments: standing in the rain in my driveway with a beer in my hand, looking at a 5w coupe body hanging from the rafters and the frame I had just dragged out from under it, thinking "I guess I just made a decision about this car". Staring at an overwhelming pile of stuff midway in the project and having serious doubts. This is where I learned to break it down into small chunks. Getting the body and frame reunited and feeling like a kid at Christmas. Taking my very supportive and patient wife for the maiden voyage only to blow a radiator hose off I neglected to tighten cuz I was so pumped to drive it.
As was said earlier in this thread, the journey was priceless!

 

I drove my 54 Ford tudor on and off for 20 years as a stocker and then pulled it ALL THE WAY apart. That was about 6 years ago.

My limiting factor has been cash flow, but I've done a ton with almost no money lately and as soon as I can afford a good replacement windshield and a whole trainload of rubber (tires included), it'll be on the road.

 

5 years from start of frame off teardown to driving it.

 

15 years on my 57 Chevy.Just after I stated on it my daughters wanted a Horse each instead of "Horse Power"!!!!! After they went off to college the grandson and I gor back on the 57!!!!!LOL