I recently 'finished' my second big build (HunkoMetal, then TOW). What I have learned about myself through the process of building both of these cars is that I thrive on the thinking, research, planning, acquiring, and building the car. I love the end product, and I've been very proud of both of these cars. But as I sit here right now without another 'project' in the planning stages, I realize that I long for that again. Meaning that I enjoy the process of the build perhaps more than the final product, no matter how well it turns out.
When I step back and think about this and how it applies to other areas of my life, it's obvious to me that this is what drives me in general: the challenge of building something, of solving the problems that come up, and the satisfaction of overcoming them. I do this in my career as well, completely unrelated to cars, but one full of challenges which must be overcome.
In both of my builds, I wanted to build something different, something that not everyone else was doing. With HunkoMetal, I sought out and purchased the Martz subframe since at that time, hardly anyone was doing anything aftermarket (this was before/around the time that the DSE subframe existed). I actually spent a lot of time planning and discussing an IRS for that car too, but at the end of the day, it just wasn't practical given my skills and budget.
With TOW, I chose the JRS front and rear setup. Again, it was different than what most people choose, and I like doing something a little different and having to solve the problems. But in both cases, I wanted to build a car that looked the part and performed the part. Hunokmetal was a little more 'raw' with its 377ci small block that revved to 7500 at the drop of a hat and it's 4.56:1 rear gears. My style and desire to drive something like that has changed, so TOW is much more 'practical', and I had a focus to build a car that I could get in and drive anywhere with the convenience and comfort of driving a more modern car. I accomplished this, my drive back and forth to Dallas for the GG show proved that to me!
There's a style of car I like, and it's what I wanted to replicate while still doing something slightly different. I've built several Camaros, but I'm glad I chose a Firebird for this project to be a little different while still retaining most of the body lines that I love.
Every time I look at the TOW I smile a little, being proud of what Eric and I accomplished with her. But like I said, I'm feeling a bit 'empty' without the next project in the planning stage. Right now I don't have time to dive into a project anyway given other things going on in my life. But I look forward to things slowing down so that I can start the next plan... Will it be another PT car, or something more specifically track focused, or perhaps my first actual Hot Rod (something I've always wanted to do), I'm not sure.
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