Projects Trials and tribulations, need advice from older guys

Hey, Team. I recently acquired a 57 post with no motor or trans that needs somerocker and floor work, but interior is all there and its pretty decent. With the price these things seem to go for, I jumped at the 6k price and hauled it home.
I also recently acquired a new child and a school loan ppayment, so progress has been nil.

I'm concerned that I may have paid too much and should offload it now, but I'm also concerned that if I do that I will always tell the story of the 2 door I wish I still had. I guess I'm wondering if anyone has gone through this thing as well, and what you did or would have done differently. Feed me some wisdom, HAMBERS.

 

Pix, '57 what? Recent: Purchase of a non running car (how skilled are you?) Birth of a child that needs a masculine figurehead to teach goodness. A school loan (prior to car purchase). The question should be should you have made this purchase and should you sell it to deal with the reality issues fore mentioned.

 

I think we've all been there... I was lucky to buy my coupe in 1961 for $100 as a stocker, got it home and parked it till the early 80s..Then decided to build it. And now she's my hot rod...
get my drift?

 

I would say if you have to sale so life can go on sale. Is this the car you really wanted? I am sure that another one will come along. This is just a hobby not a life.

 

Sure, most of us have had to dump half done projects over the years to keep bread on the table, just part of life. But if the money for the sale isn't pressing right now just shove it into a corner and work on it when you get better situated. There are a lot of little things that can be done on a project with little or no money.

Don

 

Real life before toys. Always.

 

If it needs to go away because you need the money for real life, then send it away.

If you think it needs to go away because you paid too much for it, that just doesn't make sense. How is selling it for less money going to make any difference? As far as not being able to work on it, lots of projects have been put on hold for many years, if you have a space to leave it parked, park it and work on it when you can.

If it causes stress in the family, send it away. As stated above, never let a toy cause a real life issue. Gene

 

The purchase didn't effect finances. The buildup will, so I think I'm at the point where it will just sit for a bit. I'm new at the Dad thing, and want my kids' childhood to include this hobby. To be honest, seeing what you guys get accomplished gives me anxiety sometimes. The money I spend was from selling off some other stuff. Just looking for advice from guys that have been there. I really appreciate it.

 

It just takes time at your stage in life,,just let it sit if this is a dream car,,time and finances will come sooner or later,,been there done that. HRP

 

Keep it. You would be surprised how much you CAN do with little money. Start by cleaning, I mean really cleaning, everything. That is cheap and allows you and your kid(s) to get to know the car.

 

This hobby is supposed to fun, not anxiety inducing (advice I sometimes have trouble following myself). If you're not in dire financial straits, put it in the corner and wait till you have some time and money.

As far as doing things, everyone here started out knowing nothing, and went from there. If you never try, you will never learn, it just takes TIME the first few times trying something. Read everything you can, ask lots of questions, get the right tools (or as right as you can get), and it will happen.

Oh, and have fun...

Chris

 

I was into hot rods all my life, sort of grew up in it.
That being said, it wasn't until my late 30's/early 40's that I had the capital to actually build something. If it's paid for and not costing you storage, sit on it. They don't make them anymore and you have one.
Besides, it's something you and your child can work on together someday.
r

 

Doesn't matter what you paid for it - Don't look back, you can't change the past.

If you don't need the money for the real things in life, then let it sit, protected so it doesn't rot, and eventually the market will catch up with what you paid. And there is always stuff that you can do with little or no money while you let your play money accumulate. You can prep it for the work you will need to do, you can clean things, map out your strategy, sell off parts you may not need (if any). etc.

Don't worry, with a new kid, time will be precious anyway and the next thing you know you will have saved up some dough and found some deals.

 

It's going to be a few years before you can let the kiddo work in the garage with you and maybe a couple more before they will remember. My mom tells about me playing in the garage while my dad worked on his projects (just like my kids do now) and she even has pictures of me at about five getting dirty with him. The only thing I remember from back then is being afraid of the loud pipes and constantly being told not touch things. The farthest back I can really remember, I was about 6 or 7. If you want the kiddo to be involved and it is your dream car, you've got time to put it away for a little while.

 

Your personal life comes before any vehicle....Never look back,always move forward......

 

I've done hotrods since before I could drive, and raised 5 kids doing it. (two natural, and three adopted) Not on big wages, and with my wife staying home too. It was very hard at times, and occasionally things sat for very long periods. Still we always found something to accomplish on the hotrods, and the kids didn't starve, or go naked.
If you have to move along slowly, then accept that speed and don't compare what you get done to what others get done. I can get 10 times as much done since I retired, compared to what I got done when little league, girl scouts, and life was mixed into the formula!

 

If you paid for the car already, and it didn't kill your finaces then keep it.

I myself don't have a kid. But at 25 and being a full time student with a full time job, it can seem like i can't afford to keep air in the tires alotta times.
So mine sits, and im cool with that. Like someone else said they don't make um anymore, and you own one.

I hear the comment "you can afford to build that thing" Well guess what? I AM. Albiet slower than some others, but I AM. and you know what? most nay-sayers are people without a project car! Imagine that!!!

If its not killing you to own it, then just do that for a while, nothing more. Park it and sit on it. Cause you own one!
But like I said, im not the older crowd you were asking for, and i don't have a kid so i guess i can't truely understand your mindset of course. BUT i am adamn broke dude most of the time living on ramen while in school, with maybe an hour or two a week to work on it.
Owning a car which you cant afford parts for is better than wishing for a car you used to own...and still being broke.
Get it?
At least you and the kid can sit in it and make real life hotrod motor noises!!! the kid will love you for that

I know first hand the depressing feeling of seeing other guys just "Get things done" when they want them, Done "right" the first time too!
But hey... If I can, I find some time to scrounge the junkyard for something useful, and say...HEY I'm (slowly) building a hotrod! how could i have a bad day?

let it sit. one day you'll have more time & money, then it will all fall into place. (What luck, you already have a good project just waitin for the right time)

 

Johnybsic

you are wise beyond your years......Good advice.

 

InstantT : BTDT.. if it has to go to keep the family housed/fed, so be it..
If it can stay, even tho it seems like a ton of money now, I'll bet it would cost you much much more if you wait til later to buy the same type car...So ,look at it as if it were a long term investment...Any investment is a gamble,but unless its harming the family, keep it ..work on the "free/cheap" stuff ( cleaning, rustproofing,etc) til the time & money gets there

 

Sounds like to me that you're ok. Do what has been suggested, enjoy it and save it for the family. Done right it will come back to you. Good luck.

 

keep it, it will give you something to dream about while your taking care of babies. it took me a few years to get back on the track of building cars. let it sit if it's not costing you anything. scrounge some money and buy a part once and a while. you will need patience young jedi.

 

When I was a single man, I would read different articles on car builds and I would ask myself how could it take such a long time to finish a car. There is no way it would ever take me more than a few months to finish. Now I know.... there comes a time in life when we need to set priorities. I’m not a single man anymore and family comes first. If you have space to park it do so and wait and see how your money flows with the new one.

 

Tll us more about the car and include pics. Is it driveable or could it be driveable with some work or a total basket?

Great advice so far from others.

As mentioned, if it doesn't cost you anything to store (your garage) then keep it and work on it here and there.

How much of the work can you do yourself (rockers and floors)?
Do you have the equipment (welding, etc) to get started?

Lots can be done on very little cash outlay. Namely body work as it's 90% labor. A sompressor, a d/a and $100 worth of sandpaper, etc. will keep you busy for a long time. You won't be robbing the milk fund and possibly can work on the car a bit when the kids are asleep or eventually in school.

If you paid too much for the car, invest some sweat equity until its more prentable. Then drive it or 'trade up'. Building your first Hot Rod is like building your first home.

 

If you can't put food on the table, it will have to go! If at all possible, keep it as an investment in your child's education. Realize it isn't a horse that you have to feed every day, so you can leave it sitting in the garage and it will grow in value. Keep your eyes on the prize!

 

If you can afford to keep it, and not harm your family's finances, keep it....Even though you probably paid too much now (IMO), Tri 5's will only continue to rise in price. Hopefully it's a chevy... (I'm biased) if so, you bought the car that will be the cheapest to get on the road. You don't need to spend a fortune to get it on the road, any cheap SBC will do the trick for now. When finances allow, you can find a 305 or 350 for next to nothing, maybe a running donor...I've done it, a $500 1977 monte carlo donated nearly everything needed to turn my $500 56 chevy wagon from a roller to a driver...and then I sold the monte corpse to a demo derby guy for $200...

 

I always got a 2nd job to build my projects. Your 1st paycheck goes to your family. The 2nd one is yours.

Let's see some pics of this 57.

 

Most of us have the money to buy the project car we really want. Having the money to work on and finish the project car is another thing. If you REALLY like the car you bought and have the extra storage space, hold on to it by all means no matter how long it takes. I have found that sometimes when you sell a car the money has a way of getting away from you and is never recovered.

 

You paid too much so sell it to me!

I had a similar problem back in '89. My car ran well, but the floors were rotten. I didn't want to sell the car because I knew I would regret it later. So I put the car aside, bought the needed parts when I could and finished the rebuild in '01.

Like the others have said, pictures please.

 

I thought I had my mind set to follow all this great advice, and then..... my buddy asked me what my all time dream is and I say, "my Grandpa's 36 coupe". (I know where it is) He says to get rid of the Chevy and GET that ford at all costs! A few days later, a guy contacts me and offers me more money than I paid for the Chevy. He has been looking for one and is a great guy and has the means and has been collecting parts. I am going to pick up a 36 chassis that was my grandpa's and is kicking around the idea of parting with the coupe. The new owner of the 57 is already starting the build and I'm excited about maybe getting the coupe. One of the chassis is a good start.

 

The pics are in my profile, and I can't load them with this confounded smart phone!