do you consider working on you classic a "break from reality or big hassle" ?

If you think its bad now wait untill the kids come...LOL. I went through it many times with my car. I bought it 1992 and 3 kids latter Is some what finished. I've had times where I did nothing on it for a year. Then I feel the urge and start working on it again. I wouldn't sell it. Just step away a bit and you'll feel the urge again. Come winter time you wont have the lawn to deal with and you might find some time to work on it.

Steve69

bikefreak600 said:

lol hell no i never consider selling it. just tired of working on it and want it to be driveable. but i refuse to let somone else work on it. just wish it was done

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I thought you were saying you were getting to the point where you were not going to work on it anymore. If that was the case, I would rather see someone finish it than to see it just sit.

I know how you feel. I felt that way a few times working on mine. It just makes it that much better when it is done.

Bro, when its done, it will be worth it! I don't have a classic yet, but have done several engine swaps on 4th gen f-bodys....It gets frusterusterting, and you often question, "What the hell am I doing!" Currently I am looking for a 66 or a 67-70 FB, and my budget is around $500. That being said, I have the drive train all set, but know I will have my work cut out for me!

Stick with it.

Both.

Usually any sort of deadline is a joy killer.

Working on the car is often better than driving it IMO. I agree with Max that deadlines are the worst thing as far as killing any fun you are having. Also deadlines are good for reducing the quality of my work.

I am racing against the clock, and the clock is winning. When i got married last year I decided to do one more project before we had a kid, so last sept i got my 67, and immediately redid all the powertrain and suspension. Then in December God decided we needed a kid....we had him in July and I was afraid of like what i have read (having kids and then never finishing stuff), so i made it my mission to get this car finished by december. So not only do i have the joy of working on the car, I have challenged myself to complete by a deadline, which makes me push harder. So you may can set yourself some goals and then stick to them. Maybe that will help. I have till december to skin the rest of the paint off the car, get some color on it and install a complete interior, and it will be done. lol

my 2 year old daughter has never gotten in the way, maybe slowed down the process a little, but she loves being in the garage with me under the car and that makes it more enjoyable.

My car was torn down in 1995. i finally got it back on the road last year. So i know how you feel. It's better to take your time an do it the right way. In the end you'll have a great car you can be proud of.

This is gonna sound corny, so feel free to laugh. For me, any major rebuild/restoration has been an adventure. Like any adventure, it starts with great enthusiasm, then turns into work, then to misery and drudgery. But like any charachter-building excersise, there comes a day when it's all worthwhile and then some. My build took nearly 6 years, and most of that time I was broke, and I mean broke. Like you, I found that life doesn't respect car schedules. House payments still need to be made, as do repairs. To get what I wanted, I sold off lots of car parts and memorabilia I had collected over the years. Nothing was sacred, little by little I sold all the collectable stuff I had bought over the years, and it sometimes got spent for needs rather than wants. Like the time I sold a set of expensive, yearly racing annuals on ebay that I had collected over the past dozen years. The day the check got here, my daily driver blew a head gasket and the repair took all that money and then some. Talk about wanting to cry, I had two non-running cars, no money and I just sold a set of books I had for years hoping to buy the upholstery for my project and instead it had to go to get the POS I drove to work running again. But there were many more good times than bad, like the day I painted it and it came out like glass. Or the day the new engine got here, or when the wife and I installed the windows, or bolted in the seats. Or the day I let my 6 year old son use the spray gun to prime some brackets, and lastly that first drive. The car ran great, looked great and rode great. People I didn't know were giving me the thumbs up or just staring. A week later I pickup up my son from grade school in it so all his buddies could see the car "we" built. That was three years ago and the car has only gotten better, new springs, I tuned the carbs and fixed a few gremlins. It's also won a few tropies, which is OK, but nothing, and I mean NOTHING beats the times when my son and I take it out early on Sunday mornings to spectate at the local drags. We get up early, and as soon as the engine fires up and settles into a rowdy idle, everything in the world seems better. There are no problems in my life when I pull six years of my life out of the garage and head out with my son. I got there and you will too, just don't ever give up.

Yes, I agree with everybody here! It does suck when you get over loaded with "life".
But, firing up the hot rod, and running it through the gears is some of the best therapy there is.
My younger son and I took our Cougars to a local MOPAR show a few weeks ago, and got to play a tiny bit of bumper tag. I can't tell you how cool that was for me...Or just seeing him drive his cougar on the strip while I'm driving mine....It makes up for an awful lot of "life"....