Great looking Ride!
Your story is inspiring. I am in something similiar myself. Somewhere between feeling stupid and wanting to carry on.
My decision is to carry on, your story reinforces my own thoughts.
At 12 (1974) I wanted a 1st gen Camaro BAD. I bussed tables till I was within 2 months of my 16th Birthday. Found a 1967 std 2 dr coupe, 327 2 barrel, "3-on-a-Tree", and bought it. It was beautiful.
Had a dent in the rear left quarter (Pretty big one) but it was all I could afford and it was mine. All $500 dollars worth of it.
Two weeks after turning 16, got hit by a drunk driver. Totaled it out and had to have my shoulder reconstructed.
After recovering, I bought a 68 RS Camaro ($75), it didn't run, but it looked pretty nice and I figured I would just fix it over time. Since I wasn't Driving it, to save money and speed up the engine restoration, I dropped the insurance on it. Shortly thereafter it was stolen and never found. Crap!!
Following that fiasco, in 1978 I bought a 1969 SS 396. Had been a race car, nothing matched, it was about 5 different colors, but the body was straight, the interior was good and it ran. (283 sbc) That was the car I put the LS-7 in and had it painted. It looked great but as we all know it handled terribly. That was the one big part I couldn't solve at that time.
1981 I graduate from high school, and I had to sell it to go to college. Boy did that suck. Between the grants and loans, I still couldn't make things work so off it went. I promised to get another one someday after my education and do it exactly the way I had dreamed of doing this one.
I worked, started a business, and stayed real busy for the next 23 years. In late 2004 I got broad sided in my 3/4 ton 4X4 Suburban. I got hit in the drivers door by some broad in a Lexus who was talking on the phone and in a hurry to get home. She ran a red light and hit me at about 50 mph.
Well after a discectomy, two back fusions, two complete shoulder replacements and brain damage to my left frontal lobe. Things looked pretty dim. Couldn't drive or talk or really even function. I started having a series of operations with cognitive therapy in between. Last November I had my last operation (Knock on wood) Shoulder replacement.
Well early last year the Doctor and my family and friends encouraged me to take some trips with my wife and start enjoying life again. Well while looking on ebay one day I saw a 1969 RS/SS Camaro for sale not a mile from where I live.
For fun I want over and drove it. Oh my God did that bring back some fond memories. I was hooked again.
Time to stay good to my promise, I will get another 69 Camaro and finish doing it the way I had planned and promised myself. I would of bought that car, but it was a numbers matching, and I wanted to enjoy the experiance again of making it mine.
Between the back operations, shoulder operations and therapy I was still dealing with, lifting and turning wrenches could not be a big part of this build, but who cares I'll pick everything out and do what I can. What I can't do, I'll hire it out.
I found a company who did total restorations, and I could participate as much as possible in the construction. This started in July 2006. Things were finally going fine. In November 2006 it was time to get my second shoulder replacement.
I had it done and started my Physical Therapy about two months later. I decided I would start working with them again on the car, hopefully to get it done by March 07 or therabouts. I really want to give the Power Tour a go.
Tried to contact them and couldn't reach them. They were closed and they were gone. All the phone numbers were disconnected. Nothing!!
Tried emailing, Nothing. I finally received a letter in the mail telling me that they had ran into some hard times and had closed the shop. This was going to be an expensive restoration, I just didn't know how expensive. They were gone and so was about $50K of Car, Kick Ass Parts, everything.
Well ****! I got screwed and feel like an idiot to boot. I had done several months of looking for a good builder, had met their suppliers, seen other cars in progress and other owners. They had had one of there cars at a previous SEMA booth, and were very well connected with some big time builders. (I'm not going to mention any names because there is pending litigation going on)
I'm really bummed out at this point. Finally, after visiting with some close friends and a lawyer, My, "Due Dilligence", hadn't been bad it was just a really bad situation. I had met some very fine suppliers, checked the BBB talked to other previous customers, visited the facilities etc.
Well I'm currently talking to another person about buying their 1969 Camaro. I'm tired of this crap, both physically and financially.
I'm going to buy and fix up a 69 Camaro if it kills me, or hair-lips the Pope, or both.
The GTO story is one I think I can relate to pretty well. My budget is not near as big as it was before but, I will continue until it is finshed. (At this point I might just be plain stupid, but at this point as they said in, "The Blues Brother's", movie, "I'm on a Mission from God".
And God help those jerks that hosed me out of my money. They are going to be litigated to hell and back. May not get anything but satisfaction, but it will Suck to be them.
Anyway, once I get a new car, I hope to meet a lot of you. I know I at least have something in common with one of you. ;-)
My new Ride will be called, "Fever". '69 Camaro Fever that is.
Take Care and thanks for reading,
tyoneal
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