Long term project vs lifespan?

[INTMD8]

Anyone else ever think about this?

Like many decisions in my life, for better or worse, the contemplation of buying and building my 57 Brougham was "**** it". I layed it all out on paper. Should be completed for under 120k.

I have the capability, I have the determination, the money??? It will get there.

Flash back a few years. I have a 99 F355 GTS. Mint, fun as hell. Next to it, a 70 Malibu with a twin turbo LQ9.

Not sure if others can relate but since those cars were "finished" I felt a bit bored and having the ability to jump in either car and actually drive it was entirely underrated at that point.

So again, I get to a point in my life where I feel I want a project but this is biting off a HUGE chunk. Out of pure desire I buy the 57 Brougham. I do as much as I can until I run out of money and like anyone with an addiction, sell the Ferrari to keep funding it. Run out of money, sell the Malibu.

I'm now several years into a major project, at least 130K into it and maybe half way done? I still have passion for it, it is still an obsession but I often stop and ask myself, would I have been better off keeping what I had and actually driving this stuff????

Funny, when I'm building something I can't wait until it's done. When it's done, no matter how great it is, I'm bored. Strange hobby. Even though the Eldo was/is my "dream" car, I have had so much time working on it I have built the next 5 projects cars in my head, obsessively.

So, am I all alone here or has anyone else traded the current luxury of automotive enjoyment for the far off dream of driving the ultimate car you can imagine?

By the time I've completed my car, 5-8 years will have passed I'm sure. I do love the process of a build but I may have skewed the ratio to an undesirable timeline. Just don't have the bankroll to move forward at the pace I'm used to.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

Im sure others will understand what your talking about..

but I for one read some mental retardation in there.. a ferrari and a twin turbo malibu... to fund a 57 brougham.. oh well i guess some guys just got it like that..

Annnnndd...

Driving is what makes those cars WORTH messing with..

[silvermonte]

For some its the journey and not the destination.

[DETON8R]

I personally enjoy the build and then the pride of accomplishment.

My challenge is that I started the project, with the intention of father/son time, which we did get. And my son liked it so much he decided to start his own project. Unfortunately my project has taken a back seat.

Call it divided loyalties. His projects are for a vehicle that he needs to drive and can't have down for an extended period of time, my project is for something that doesn't need to run right away. I wish I could think about the build all the time, but that isn't realty for me at the time, too much else going on.

My son has learned that cars and trucks are something to challenge him and get enjoyment from. Good lesson. And his desires and ability to do the things he wants to do himself are limited, by budget, by talent, and by other priorities. Another good lesson. And he has learned that he has way more desires then budget. OUCH, that lesson REALLY HURTS!!

I knew that I could do my project, I had the expertise, creativity, tools, funds and support from others who have done more than I can, or will do. So I'm OK letting it go for now to support my son's needs.

[OBeer-WAN-Kenobi]

I definitely understand what you're talking about. It's like some kind of sickness or something.....LOL Sometimes I'm not even finished with the current project before I'm thinking of the next one. Many "Wouldn't it be cool if my next project was" 's are floating through my head just about the time I'm 80% through a particular project..

That being said, I really like to drive my stuff after I get finished but it usually only takes me a couple of years before I'm bored with it and want to try something new. I've never once kicked myself for selling something and moving on.

Now, The '69 I'm working on that is now in the "running driving project" stage is an example of something I had to get done fast so that I'd have a second vehicle to drive. That gave me some extra motivation as I do have an ambition problem from time to time. If I have all the time in the world to finish something, I will literally take all the time in the world to do it. I am the Pontiff of Procrastination.

Anyway, to finance my '69 build, I had to sell my daily driver, which gave me the motivation I needed. That brings me to my second problem. Money. I NEVER have enough money to do this stuff but somehow manage to get by with it anyway. There always is something coming up like my mortgage, property taxes, or my house needing a new roof. So I sell stuff, junkyard dive, beg borrow and trade my way to getting it done somehow.

The money problem is one of the reasons that I often like to build cheap stuff that doesn't look the best but does cool stuff. I like things to perform well but I'm not a stickler for tiny details. Don't get me wrong, I notice the details and greatly appreciate the time and thought that goes into them on better builds than mine, but I'm extremely likely myself, to just say "F' it!", good enough. Get it done and get out and enjoy it. Paint doesn't make a car more fun to drive, neither do $4000 rims, or billet hinges, or smoothed firewalls but a flame throwing supercharged engine with the suspension and brakes to match DO make a car fun to drive. I think this is why I really appreciate the current rat rod thing. Of course I do enjoy my "creature comforts" like a comfortable interior and AC.

In the end, all of that stuff doesn't matter. It's the fun of planning, dreaming and actually building something that I enjoy a lot. I love driving it after but the building of it with my own ingenuity and two hands is probably what I enjoy the most. I guess some people don't understand that. I suspect most of them had a shop do a lot of their work for them.

[dontlifttoshift]

Wecome to the club brother!!

Most people on this forum have some sort of project A.D.D......some of us are afflicted way worse.

To complicate things, there are those moments when you realize your first, or second, or third plans for a certain aspect just aren't what you want them to be. The rework, the money, the days off the calender, it wears on you. All in pursuit of perfection, full well knowing perfection is unattainable, it doesn't exist, you press on. Cutting up perfectly good parts fresh out of the box, modifying your plans, telling yourself "what's a couple more days?" Deadlines come and go. Weld shows up in your thread to tell you how many cars he has finished since you started

You _love_ the car but you hate what it has done to your life.....consuming every waking moment. Your mind wanders, you go a little crazy really. You start to think an amphicar would be fun. Cool stuff comes in the shop and you think you would rather have that. You miss the little projects of throwing parts at a late model, compared to the prototype work we do on early stuff, drilling holes in a late model is a cake walk. You need some time off, so you go to a car show or a track event, as if breaking something on the car you have is a vacation.

You are not alone. Just this moring I had two future projects run through my head.....a 58 Edsel with a GT500 powerplant and a chassis to carry it but done up like a bellflower custom, candy, metalflake, lace, etc.....from that it was a 29 roadster with an aluminum flathead, pretty traditional car with two sets of wheels and tires designed to murder the Goodguys autocross with the right driver. That was this moring. I haven't worked on my Mustang in 2 months.......Shop has been busy....life has been busy

I try not to think about my mortality.....everybody dies, I'm going to do something different.