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This oughta be interesting.....

3K views 27 replies 15 participants last post by  AutoGear 
#1 ·
I have had several folks - including on here, "challenge" me to try having a car which is actually painted and with an interior.

Typical is "Bob" (35 Terraplane) who said "Why not try it - you might find you like it'

Well - it looks like I will be taking one of my projects to a builder who habitually winds up in the Cobo Hall "Great 8"

I have NO idea how long it will take, or what it will cost right now as he has not yet seen it, so we cannot even begin to discuss those details, but he has agreed to take it on.

What will be interesting is: "THEN what will I do with the thing?"

Selling it will not likely be an option as I'd guess that it will cost between 60,000 to 100,000 (I am NOT gonna go for a Ridler contender!) and likely could only be subsequently sold in the $25,000 range. Selling it would force me to admit that I just lost a ton of $$$$ on it, and would reveal just HOW MUCH I lost! I'd rather not know THAT!

I strongly suspect that I will have zero interest in actually DRIVING it.

I sorta suspect that I will totally lose interest in it when it's done and just park it back in the back yard where it is now, to let the sun, wind, dust, mice and etc play with it some more.

Maybe I'll park it under shelter in the shop

I'll probably enter a few shows with it for a year or so - preferably "no-trophy" type shows, but I despise "trailer queens" so I suspect I'll despise this car, too.

Right now it has been sitting in the yard for 7 years. It was "mint" when I got it, with new paint and new interior, needing only wiring and brakes to be "done". As a central interior California car all its life it had zero rust.

Well now, after 7 years of sitting in the yard, (along with my '28 Model A, my '56 F100, my '37 Dodge, my '80 GMC, my '76 Poncho, etc) the paint has mostly crazed and peeled off and there are mice families living in it. I bought a wring harness and got most of the parts for the brakes when I got the car, and piled those "required parts" inside it.

When I got it, I was starting to build my shop, so I had no place to put it under shelter. (Maybe this year I'll actually get the shop done enough to put some of my cars in it?)

This oughta be interesting......
 
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#3 ·
It's my '65 "Henway" - a Volvo 1800S that now has a 1987 Camaro 2.8 L V6 and matching auomatic in it, Fuel Injection system has been removed and junked, and Edelbrock intake and with teeny little Holley 4 bbl carb installed instead. It now has home-made headers on it and a home-made exhaust that sounds good with MG repro mufflers.

MII front end is in, and I am still looking for an IRS that I like (and which will look stock)

The old sound system has been removed (None will be installed)

Gotta put pwr windows and locks in it and add air cond, add pwr mirrors and pwr seats, tilt wheel and cruise control. It will be stock ride height (this is NOT negotiable!)

I have NO idea what color it may be. My usual practice is not to paint a car at all - whatever is on it when I get it can stay there - and my usual preference is that there is no need for it to be smoothed out - wavy/bumpy is OK with me if that's the way I got it.. Bumpers need not be re-chromed - scratched and peeling is OK with me.

So you see this will be a whole new experience. I've never in my life had a car that is all one color or had "good" chrome or a finished interior.

Heck - I never even wash daily drivers - the Lexus LS has never been vacuumed or washed, nor has my other DD- a 2006 Silverado 3500. Prior to my retirement I drove leased "company cars" which only ever got washed or vacuumed on the way back to the dealer at lease return time. My personal view is that people who get all hung up on appearance as opposed to substance are very very insecure about their own self-worth.
 
#6 ·
I gotta tell you I just don't understand. Other than keeping someone employed your project isn't making sense to me. What's your motivation for this endeavor? A deep passion for Volvo's or early Alzheimer's? Ain't none of my business but I sure don't see any enthusiasm in this project.

BB :confused::confused:
 
#8 ·
Not a joke.

I'm actually coming out of retirement (going back to work) to fund the project

I have never understood the idea of cars that are are "perfect" in terms of body work and paint and interior and fit and finish, but I have never owned one. So - gonna see how I react to owning one. Anything I have owned has been mechanically re-done and that's where I stop. To me "appearance" is just not worth spending a penny or a minute on. As I said before - I never even wash any of my cars.

My '57 Chev got parked in 2003 - it was just not any fun any more. It is actually in the garage - but has become a horizontal storage platform with things piled on top of it and inside it. It has never been "perfect" either. My buddies say it is the friendliest car around - always waving at everyone. (it does not have even one ounce of bondo in it) It still has its vintage 1957 upholstery - with rips & tears and J C Whitney $25.00 seatcovers over the damage. Weatherstrip is mostly missing and hood doesn't fit worth a &*#^%. It is a 4 dr hardtop - but back doors never can be relied on to open or close properly. and none of the windows go up & down very well.

So far as I know, it still runs and should still run in the mid 13's, as well, (and still tow my travel trailer if I was still taking it to rod runs) but I just can't get any enthusiasm for it any more. Wife wants it outta the garage so she can put her Lexus in, so I'm gonna have to hire someone to finish putting the interior into my shop so I can put some cars in there and etc... (Anotehr reason to go back to work to get more $$$$)

My '28 Model A scattered the engine all over the strip when I missed 3rd. (NEVER go racing with a Gennie or a Lokar shifter!) I built a new engine for it, but I just can't seem to get enthusiastic about it. Engine is still on the stand. Thinking of maybe dropping in a 1UZFE (Lexus V8) instead, maybe I'll get around to it someday.
 
#10 ·
MY BS meter is off the scales,, must be some other way to draw attention to yourself,,, if you want to waste you're money on a project that will never be taken seriously, I'm sure a lot of folks here would be happy to relieve you of all that cash,, :D:D:thumbup:
this could get interesting, :confused:
 
#11 ·
Project pix (maybe - if any of 'em will actually LOAD!

Here is the "Project Henway" - to be done Parked beside my 1980 GMC "Heavy Half). In the shelter is my 1976 Grand LeMans. I've re-done the engine 3 times, but the body is "as was". It is the one and only time I ever bought a car brand new from a dealership - and I'll NEVER do THAT again! Can't quite bring myself to send it scrap metal, but that's really all it was ever good for - even when new! It has been hit a couple of times and gotten "MAACO" fixes.

I selected that pic and have now been waiting 20 minutes for it to upload!

Grrrrrr!!!!!

Seems the file size is too big. Now if I can figure out to reduce the file size - ONE pic is about 10 megs and on this site it seems that max is 2 megs so I'm screwed already on that.


Maybe I'll just dump 'em into "pornobukkit" - er - ahem I meant to say photobucket and post a link.

I also took pix of the '57 sleeping in the garage (covered in "stuff") , the '56 F100 in the back yard, the other 1800 (parts car) the '37 Dodge, the 700R4 that is cleverly disguised as an Astrovan (AKA a place to pile scrap metal until I get around to pulling the 700R4 out of it and then take it to thecarpyard.)
 
#13 ·
OK - project cars are viewable at:
Cars Photos by Dave57210 | Photobucket

And no, I am not trying to do anything except maybe trying to understand why appearance is so important to some people.

To me, the work done by bodyshops and detailers has NO value whatever. It does not add to performance, ride or handling - so why waste $$$$ on it?

So, when my wife "fell in love with" some of the cars done by this shop and asked why I never "finish" any of mine, I said - OK why not? Maybe it will help me understand why people spend $$$ and time trying to align door gaps and getting the "perfectly smooth" body work to apply umpty-seven layers of hand-rubbed paint onto.

I just don't get it. I honestly do not understand.

Cars that are driven get bumped into, get scratched, get dirty, get dents and bruised - so why waste time & $$$ on something that won't look like that after tomorrow?

If it is gonna be "pretty" - it can't be driven at all. It will be a trailer queen. If I'm gonna spend $$$ on something I can't drive, I'll invest in fine art to hang on the living room wall.

Someone said "what work do I do?" I am a project analyst. Is it worth your company's efforts to open a new factory, to renovate the existing one or whatever?

Is it a good expenditure of tax $$$ to build a new bridge?
 
#14 ·
Just so you know Dave, you can hover over your photo on photo bucket, a little gear looking thing will appear in the upper right corner. Once it appears hover over it and a window will open where it says "Get links". Click on that and at the bottom of the list will be "image code" click on the address and it will copy it.

Paste that address here and you will have this.

 
#15 ·
Incidentally - I just checked my notes on the '57. It had been going to 7 or 8 rod runs a year, but never venturing out of the garage for any other purpose. I took it to the store once and it got vandalized (got keyed) plus someone decided to see if a diamond WILL scratch glass - they tested it on my windshield.

It sometimes accumulated as much as 500 miles a year. It was costing well over $2.00 per mile for insurance and registration etc.

At that time, I was building my business and money was tight, so I saved $$$ by no longer getting insurance and registration for it - in other words, I stopped taking out of the garage.

I bought it when my son was about 4 months old. He is 27 years old now.

When he was 5 years old he helped me do an engine swap on it - he worked the engine crane for me.

He ran into it with his tricycle when he was about 4 or 5.

Paperboy ran into it with bike, dropped bike down the side of it.

Paint that is on it, was on it when I bought it, ditto interior was in it when I brought it home 27 years ago (complete with wrong front seat - it is out of a 2 door car and is red under the "el cheapo" seat covers. I actually got a correct seat for it (also red, also ripped and torn) out of a wrecked '57 Bel Air 4 dr HT, but have never worked up enough enthusiasm to actually get it re-upholstered and installed. Again- appearance is just NOT important to me.
 
#16 ·
If appearance is not important, then why have old cars. Just buy something new to get you from point A to point B. People into old cars and muscle car (era) like the cars because of the looks. My Willys is very nice with a blown Hemi hanging out of it and I always get assumptions that it is trailered, but truth is, it never sees a trailer and I drive it long distances. I am not a 'trophy hunter' and would prefer shows take the money spent on trophies and give out door prizes so everyone has a chance to win something. My cars are always nice, but I don't have to pay someone to do it either. I get many questions about who built and painted my cars - they always have this shocking look when I tell them "I did it".

I am not sure why you want to pay someone to do a project for you when you have no interest in it. You have cars now that you have no interest in. It does not make sense to me at all.
 
#17 ·
Because I have never a car had that is "finished" - I have no idea if it is worth doing.

My cars get as much attention as anyone else's, just because they are old cars. Being painted may or may not have any impact - but quite frankly, if the only reason a person drives old cars is because their ego needs to be fed by people telling them how wonderful they are for owning it - then I feel sorry for them!

If you don't enjoy the car - why own it? If making it 'pretty" increases your sense of self-worth then go for it! I'm just not that insecure

Why am I paying someone to do it? Because I have NO idea how to do it myself. I am much better at painting with a brush than with any spray gun. My body-work skills are worse than non-existent. I cannot do upholstery to save my life, nor can I weld at all. I have NO imagination about changing the appearance of a car. I cannot visualize it in a different color, never mind customizing it. Even when I built model cars, I always built them stock and never painted them. They stayed white with white interiors.

Most guys seem to start with a vision of what it "should look like" Since I do not have such a vision, I just do not make any appearance changes because I have NO concept. (But I do know that if I try, I'll wind with something that is only fit for the crusher.)

I do know what it should feel like to drive, how it should drive, how it should handle, accelerate, and stop, so I do that stuff.

As I said earlier - I DO have new cars. There are 2 Lexuses (Lexii?) LS's in the driveway. Neither has ever been washed or vacuumed. As with all my "fleet"- they get 100% pure synthetic oil changes with WIX Filters every 5,000 km (3,200 miles) and get brakes flushed once a year, trans & Diff flushed once a year. Like all my cars they get fresh plugs (iridium) and fresh air filters once a year and new battery, new belts & hoses every 2 years. (My 3500 Silverado is a disease-el so it doesn't need plugs, but it gets oil changes with filter (synthetic oil) every 5,000 km, and same maintenance sched as the others. The Silverado got hit in the right-rear fender/bumper shortly after I bought it. A buddy pointed out that had happened, or I never would have noticed. Seems the bumper is bent. Yes I guess it is. So?
 
#19 ·
Over the course of my working life, I ran into more guys who were so insecure that they needed to hang the pictures of "here's me with the President", "here's me with Tiger Woods", "Here's me with so-and-so" etc. all along a wall of their office. It's called the ego wall. Usually also had shots of themselves graduating from some school or other and their various degrees as well.

I once had a boss who was SO into that crap that he insisted that I had to have certificates all over my wall as well.

I did NOT hang any of my degrees. (not sure where the physical certificates actually are! When last seen my mother had them!) I did, hove hang my "certificate for perfect attendance in grade 3", my membership in the Boy Scouts, my membership in the Canadian Owners & Pilots Assocn. my membership in the Opimian Society etc, along with copies of class pix from every grade in school.

He was more into "I'm more important than you - my suit is more expensive"

"I'm more important than you - my watch is more expensive."

After a while I got SO tired of their silly games that I took to wearing blue jeans and not having a single thing on my office walls. They had to have an immaculate Jag or BMW or Lexus. So I made sure my (leased) Lexus was NEVER washed or vacuumed or cleaned. (if it weren't for fact that it was provided for me at no cost, I'd have made a point of always driving a rusty old firebird or something like that.)

In every case it was their own need to be recognized for status that caused them to be arrogant bleeps.

I also found that the truly powerful people - WHO HAD BECOME POWERFUL THROUGH THEIR OWN EFFORTS had no need for the peons to admire them. They were secure in their own abilities, their own accomplishments, their own personalities.

A lot of folks on here and elsewhere only drive hotrods or old cars because people admire them when they go down the road. (I'm more important than you because my watch is more expensive, my suit is more expensive and I have a pic on my wall with the president! Also my car is cleaner and shinier)

If folks don't "oooh and aaah" all over a guy when he drives a Porsche India Red Deuce Coupe with 200 flawless coats of hand-rubbed clear, will he cease to exist? Will his enjoyment of it cease? Is his ONLY reason for driving it because of the paint? Will a fingerprint or a smudge destroy his enjoyment of it?

I choose to have cars that I enjoy driving, without any need to have people admire me for driving them. If I could drive my '57 without attracting ANY attention whatever - in short by being "invisible" while driving it - that would be my ideal.

I do the next-best thing.
 
#20 ·
I kind of get what you are saying, I kind of wish my car blended in a little more. I have never had a car that was real nice but the last one was close. I drove my 57 Chevy from Oregon to Colorado and every day for years, then I had it painted. It never was the same after, I stood guard over it when I took it anywhere. No fun anymore.
 
#21 ·
I can Understand where your coming from on alot of what your saying Mr.Dave... Seen a lot of people like you said... For me I like the creating part of the build..

I can't say I don't like it when people like what I created,,I do... It just help's me feel better about myself as a person.... Something no one here know's about me, and only my close friends know is.. I'm very hard on myself when it come's to believing in myself...(You know we had this talk before about this through emails to each other),,,

I don't feel I'm insecure, Just hard on myself... Not sure if that's the same are not..:drunk:

Anyway... I hope your build is what YOU want... And I also hope you have a lot of fun with it when it's done..Good luck Mr.dave..
 
#23 ·
I can Understand where your coming from on alot of what your saying Mr.Dave... Seen a lot of people like you said... For me I like the creating part of the build..

I can't say I don't like it when people like what I created,,I do... It just help's me feel better about myself as a person.... Something no one here know's about me, and only my close friends know is.. I'm very hard on myself when it come's to believing in myself...(You know we had this talk before about this through emails to each other),,,

.
When it is something YOU CREATED and people don't like it - then it would be hard to take, hard to smile through. But if you ran out and bought (or made) a car purely because it is supposed to be a symbol of (rich and powerful) success and you will get all upset if folks don't all fall down and worship you for having it - that's something else.

My mind is not geared to visualizing artistic works that have not yet been created. I can read a spreadsheet, and read a topo map, talk to people, do the research and visit a site and tell you if it is a good idea to develop the site - but I cannot visualize what the development will look like.

My clients love the fact that they can rely on my advice (esp for "go/no-go decisions") but I have to hire design folks to come up with the visuals for a report.
 
#22 ·
I'm not saying I won't drive it - but I cannot honestly say that I will either! It is totally unknown territory for me!

I have never in my life had a "finished" car. I just do not know if I will like having one. Maybe I'll love it and get the rest of my "fleet" done up, too. Maybe I'll hate it and just park the thing.

As I said - this oughta be interesting. I have to rely on the builder to come up with ideas for any custom body work and to tell me what color it should be. I honestly have NO CLUE - no "vision for it". He'll have to do some good renderings of what it will look like. (Same as any and all other cars!)
 
#24 ·
All I have to say on the subject of "perfect cars with perfect paint jobs" is that people WILL still pick them apart and find ANY flaws. Ever been to a "show & shine"?

And then there is the other end of the spectrum. (and this could be me)
Some guys will spend a fortune on "bling". The engine is flawlessly painted, with gobs of chrome, braided stainless hoses. There will be new mags and tires at all four corners ... and he'll drive it around in primer for several years.

Sometimes it's the upkeep and fixing of broken parts that keeps them (us) from ever getting the darn thing "finished", perhaps?
 
#25 · (Edited)
Oh yeah, done the show n shine thing. Got a trophy or two (out of pity I suspect) and then there are the shows (one of my clubs does this - so I don't even go out to our own events now!) where they give a trophy to EVERY car that comes out - a great incentive to bring out your aunt's 12 year old Honda Civic instead of your rod!

In my case - it's a combination of things.

I put a car together to USE - to drive, to travel long distances, to tow my travel trailer with (yes my Silverado 3500 is better for that) and to enjoy.

Once I have the driveline and suspension and handling the way I want it - I consider it to be "done", and I move on to another project. The appearance (interior and exterior) are just SO unimportant to me that (even though I keep saying maybe someday) that I never do anything with them. If the car was blue and rusty with one red fender when I got it - so? 25 years from now it will still be blue and rusty with one red fender, still capable of running in the 12's, still handling like a dream, stopping like a new Porsche, still reliable enough to travel across the country without a second's thought.

Engine room not so much bling - I tend not to do any aluminum or polished stainless in there. What does that add to power or reliability? I tend to leave steelies and dog-dish hubcaps on stock-looking tires as well.

I don't bother with primer - I'm no-where near good enough at bodywork or paint to even attempt THAT! And I'm too cheap to pay a bodyshop, so....

That's why this is such a "reluctant experiment" - I honestly do NOT know how I will feel about the car when it is done! It's gonna be interesting to see!
 
#26 ·
Dave, Dave ,Dave WE have had this talk before, have you checked your blood sugar today.:mwink:

Number one I know what you are saying, you only like doing the heavy wrench work, that's cool.:thumbup: But let me say this, if you are taking it to someone that often makes the great 8, don't. You will be paying for that also, there are plenty of shops that can do a very nice job for way less money. You will be paying for that great 8 trophy and not getting a great 8 job. His rate will be a lot more than other shops.

You know I don't care if people like my car or not, I built it for me not anyone else. But I do like to have a nice looking car, I'm not trying to show off or wait for people to say nice car, but to me I don't want a rat rod looking car.

You know I have a CMC 33, I had my choice of getting a real rough 33, or the CMC, I took the CMC just to see what I could do with it, I have put a boat load of money into it, not only changing the frame but the body was bad. It is just about ready for paint, I can paint some what, but I have to much into it for my paint job. It is going to be painted by the only guy in the country to have two cars in the great 8 the same year. He is a friend of mine and yes he is giving me the works, but it will cost me. This will be the most I have ever put into a car, but once before I die I want a super nice car and I picked a body that most people don't like.

I know you say you don't care how a car looks, but why go to a car show, do you just look at the engines, or the underneath of the cars. I think you have looked at cars and said to yourself, that is pretty neat. If not you need to take up fishing, softball, bowling, or go to the junk yard and look at the cars.LOL

I know you don't care how it looks, but just to help keep them alive you should clean them if you don't want to there is always the car wash. Keeping the car clean is like keeping the yard mowed. Where I am no body but people that come out here, or me or my wife see it. It gets done once a week and I'm the one that stands back and looks at it and thinks, damn that looks good.

Bob

P.S. Give me a call we have not B.S. in awhile, I would give you a call but the cleaning lady tossed your number before I could get it in my phone.:smash::pain:
 
#27 ·
Yes Bob. My glucose reading this morning was 6.9 (on the International scale - that translates to 124.2 on US scale). Before lunch it was 5.8 (104.4 US) and 2 hr after lunch it was 6.6 (118.8 US)

I do go to shows. I keep wondering how folks can afford to have cars that look so nice and why anyone would want to spend so much $$$$ money making them look so nice when one rock chip or parking lot ding means they wasted "a zillion" dollars!

Until I was reading this bulletin board, I had NO idea that things like door gap alignment was important to anyone - it was not something I had ever noticed. I know that on at least one of the daily drivers I have owned, the driver's door rubbed on the rear edge of the LF fender (it made a squeak/squawk noise when the door was opened or closed) - but it never occurred to me that it could be adjusted - or that it was important enough to be concerned about.

On my '57 one door has to be fought with to open it and the car leaks like a sieve when it rains. It has been pointed out to me that the trunk lid does not close right and hood does not conform to front fenders. It has been like that since I bought it, 27 years ago this month. I suppose if I cared about appearances I could get a body shop to look at it, but spending $$$$ on something that trivial just rankles my cheapskate nature no end.
 
#28 ·
Its your car(s); do what you want. this going on and on to explain why you're spending a small fortune on paint to park it under the old oak tree to prove yourself right is mostly to see who gets up in arms over it. I painted my trans am in my dads driveway once. It looked very good, it was my first full size paint job and I did it with budget tools. If you can swap motors and build suspensions, you can use a paint gun. If you can spread peanut butter on toast, you can use bondo, and Im pretty sure you have the ability to blocksand. You could do the body work, take it to Maaco, and explain to the shop owner you want a good paint job and we could help you spec the paints and primers you want the shop to use. Or; you could take your car to a local tech school, have the teacher hand pick some students; you'll get a very reasonable price for very quality work. And the rest of the small fortune you can donate to the school for peoples education to learn a trade; if you want to feel better about yourself.
 
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