As some of you guys are the same as me, always surfin' cars for sale, whether it be ePay,Trader, or kijiji have you noticed the amount of cars that have been taken apart and abandoned? I mean project cars that are taken apart for resto, started on, then left sitting to collect dust, and finally put up for sale. It's a subject that I find very interesting and close to home. You find a car you just gotta have, make a deal, drive it or drag it home, the boys come over, bench race over a few beers, help tear it apart, then literally the wheels fall off! Usually the wife,lack of cash, overwhelmed at the scope of actually restoring a rusty POS, general lack of focus, and the one that always gets me, find another car. The part I can't get past is how people think that their car is "75% restored" when it's torn down and a little primer sprayed on it. Usually parts are missing, or "just needs a motor, trans, interior and paint" I mean whats left? Or the "rust free southern shell that just needs trunk and floor pans" Yeah right. Maybe southern Ontario or Ohio. If it's rust free, that means it needs NO rust repair. Very few people are wanting to buy a pile of parts unless it's ten cents on the dollar. Even then it's still not a bargain. I bought a '77 Corvette that way back in '91. It was all in pieces after the owner decided to take it apart and restore it to relive the glory days when he and his wife first met. Well after he took it apart he should have checked with the wife first. She wanted nothing to do with it and finally demanded he get it out of the garage. I figured"this is a piece of cake" Yeah right again. Lesson learned? NEVER,EVER buy a car someone has stripped down unless you are going to part it out. By the time I chased parts, figured out where everything belonged, chased more missing parts, found rust, de-laminated fiberglass, didn't find all the pieces he swore were there, etc. I hated that car with a passion. I ended up taking 2 weeks of holidays to do the final prep, paint and re-assemble the trim. This was after a couple hundred hours of work already. While I was home having supper the day after the paint was done and most of the trim was on it sitting outside the body shop letting the sun cure the paint the shop owner called me and said there was a guy wanting to buy it. Sold it without even driving it. SO who else has been down this road? Tell your story.
Too many times for me. The Studebaker was one of them, the 65 Mustang was another. I'm sure there will be more. I think it's the "gathering" instinct that causes us to do this.....
-- Edited by 69Laurentian on Wednesday 13th of May 2009 07:54:36 PM
Over 17 years and I never finished it. The complete chassis was restored, powertrain all restored, body all stripped and sealed. That is where it ended. I wanted to try to do the body myself. That was a mistake. I gave up and sold the car. Now it's painted red (it's gorgeous) and needs everything put back in, glass, interior, wiring etc. If I could afford to buy it back I likely would.
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1966 Strato Chief 2 door, 427 4 speed, 45,000 original miles
1966 Grande Parisienne, 396 1 of 23 factory air cars (now converted to a "factory" 4 speed)
I have a 63 Impala that I bought in 93. Expected to have it done in 3 years. Worked on it in 96, and again in 2000. Haven't touched it since. Last July I sold my other 63 Impala that I bought in 2002 because it became clear to me that I would never do the car. The guy who bought it from me spent the whole of the past winter doing a body off. He had the body & paint done outside, and sent the motor and trans out to be rebuilt, but put the car together himself. All the new sheetmetal required went with the car because of course I bought it. He's ready to cruise this year. Next decision: whether to do the 64 Catalina 2+2.
65 chevelle SS.. new everything, paint done, interior done, engine done, tranny done, beautiful car.. sold it before I even heard it run. for about 6800.00 in 1990 with well over 13000 in reciepts and we all know about never including time in the equation.. I cried as it was loading on the flatbed.. literally.
I'm a buy a running cheap car and upgrade as I drive kind of guy. I think I would pretty much always prefer to have a driver. When I retire I might consider doing a full tear down and restoration, but right now there is no time or desire to get into that.
I've done that myself, bitten off more than I could chew. These photos are from 1986, and show the 3 cars I was trying to work on at the time.
The Malibu, which I'd had since 1977, was getting a 396. I kept it a few more years unfinished, and then sold it to a guy in Kelowna. I teared up when it went away on the rollback. The Vega sedan delivery, a low miles locksmith car, got a low miles 305, turbo 350, and a Monza rear end. I also put glass hood and fenders on it. The biggest job was swapping in the GT dash and complete wiring harness. I ended up selling it to a guy in 100 Mile House, BC who gutted it and made a drag car out of it. A heart breaker. The 68 442 I saved from the wrecker and then sold to a guy in Trail BC who needed it for parts for his ragtop conversion.
Funny enough, after years of wondering whatever happened to it, I found the Malibu 2 weeks ago in Penticton. The guy had just bought it from Kelowna. I wish I'd known it was for sale. A lot of good memories with that car.
been through that with a few Olds. They get done barely drive it than sell it. Did the same with one of my motorcylces too. But that was because of starting a family. This is why I waited to buy the car I have now. Knew that car since I was a kid and how it was kept. A good place to start and be able to finnish without hating it.
My three DKW's are all abandond projects! I am putting up shelves at the moment where each little bit and piece will be placed. I am surfing the net and made contact with DKW owners who have completed their projects! It is the only way to go. No wife problem! She's glad I'm not bothering her all day by lying around in the house and drinking beer in front of the TV!
-- Edited by Johann65 on Friday 15th of May 2009 11:39:48 AM
