I'm in a very similar situation. I drive a 66 f100 daily. I usually go through a cycle where I love it, and then hate it. I'm sure someday I will regret, but like most have said, if you get something the whole family can enjoy, it will be money well spent. I love ur cars man. Keep rocking and enjoy every second of this life.
Sounds like you are ready to move on Dan. You did a good job on the build. I am sure the next owner will have a lot of fun with it. There are many guys out there that would like a car that they can jump in and drive to an event without having to worry about the paint and upholstery.It would make a great daily driver that you can just drive into a grocery store parking lot and park with all of the A to B grocery getter cars. heck I would like to have it.... It is good for the hobby to have people like you that do not emotinaly attached to their projects. It gets more projects out of the barns and fields and on the road for the non builders to enjoy.
Several of you have commented about spending more time with my kids as they grow. I really appreciate that. I work at a school where our kids only go two days a week. I spend 3 weekdays plus the weekends with my kids on a regular basis. I can already tell that my relationship with them is good because of all the time we spend together. It took me 4 years to build the 40, which consisted of an hour or two after bedtime during the week and Saturday mornings. I was a Hot Rod orphan, but my kids won't be.
^ this is quite true for me as well. Probably the only car I will ever keep for the long haul is my 1956 Chevy 150. Dad bought it in '71 and built a hot rod. Sold it and bought it back 4 times through the years. The last time he bought it back was because of my pestering when I was 11 or 12 years old. When we got it back, it was completely apart and took 3 trips to get all the pieces. Dad said "here you go, now it's your problem." Worked on it on and off for the last 26(or so) years and it is finally near finished. Here are a couple pics when Dad hot rodded it the first time around.
Awesome that you are able to find a balance. If I don't get myself down to the garage within minutes of my kids' bedtime I never make it. The second I let myself go horizontal, I'm snoring for the rest of the night, out cold. We did (do still, I guess) attachment parenting", best thing I've ever done in my life. Like you, spending a lot of time with the kids, I can see the difference. Whenever I get some wrench time, makes me pretty happy. Rock on.
I am a stay at home dad, and have been since my kids were toddlers. I have had my coupe since I was 13., and I'm 46 now! I have had to really cut back on my car activities since staying home with my kids. My wife isn't a big fan of cars, since she grew up with a father who owned a body shop, and cars were a job, not a hobby. That pretty much limits my fun money for cars to what I can buy and flip for extra money at swap meets, or what I make at my very part time job. There are a couple other cars I'd like to have, but after having had my coupe so long, I know I couldn't part with it now, unless it was an emergency. I also spent most of my childhood going to car events, rather than "normal" childhood stuff. I always told myself I wouldn't force my kids to like car stuff. They like it car stuff ok, but they like having a normal childhood too! So I guess for me, If I had taken advantage of the trade/sale opportunities I had for my coupe 20 years ago, I probably wouldn't be as attached and would have become more of a flipper, rather than a keeper. It sucks sometimes to be so attached to what I have, but want something different!
Excellent idea waiting a few months to see how you’ll feel then. A couple times I’ve regretted selling/trading a car after the fact. But then, I’ve always warmed up to the new one after time. I can’t afford more than one at a time, so if I want variety, flipping is almost a necessity….at least until I win the lottery. Then maybe I could buy back my ’61 LeSabre, ’63 Galaxie fastback, ’58 Ranch Wagon, ’63 Pro Street Nova, etc, etc………LOL
@midnightrider78 That 56 rules!! And by the way, I'm bringing my 40 up to Des Moines Goodguys this summer (if I still have it Haha). My uncle lives in Saylorville.
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