Need Some Motivation

[70_440-6Cuda]

Hey all!

Well, it has been a rough several months for me on the home front and my dreams of a '70 'Cuda restoration has been seriously waylaid.

2 teenagers in club sports have really taken off, but that is all good - just time consuming!  My dad, however, is in a fast paced decline over the last several months mentally and that has been a real struggle - especially considering how bright and talented he was throughout his life.  Couple that with a bunch of unfinished home renovations needing to be completed (I have been the "contractor" doing all of the work with few exceptions) because we need to move - have to find a larger house to accommodate my parents as it is glaringly apparent my father cannot be left on his one and my mom is struggling to manage on her own.  And just to make it interesting I ruptured the upper tendon in my bicep and had surgery in December and now physical therapy twice a week and am not supposed to lift anything heavier than a glass of water.

Add to that a new role responsible for a $40M business at work and you get a lovely combination of stress and 0.0 free time and even less money!

Well, there is my sob story   But I am beginning to wonder if I should cut my losses on my project and buy something done already?  Hard decision to make as I love the journey more than the destination.....

I think the frustration of no time is starting to get to me - starting to think there is no way this thing will ever get done.  I have collected a lot of very cool parts to get the car back to original but am sort of at the point where I need to completely disassemble and get paint done, which is feeling very overwhelming....

Not sure of my point, but hoping to hear some of your stories of how you kept up your motivation, or your decision making process of whether to fish or cut bait?  I have been seriously thinking about finding a decent V code that is already done; anyone have any advice on maximizing selling a project?  Or maximizing how to get this one done?

[dodj]

Hard decision to make as I love the journey more than the destination.....

Then let it sit off to the side for a while. Take care of the most important things in life, then after the batteries are recharged and some free time shows up...do a couple small jobs on the car.And maybe the spark will be re-ignited. That's what I did when I started feeling like the car would never get done. Put it to the side for a few months. I'm glad I kept it.

[mtull]

Time with your children and parents is an investment you and they will never forget or regret!  When my oldest moved away for college I was a bit lost and wished I could get back any of those times spent working on the house or career instead of spending that time together.  The regret of not working on your car is nothing compared to the regret missing out on time with family.

I worked on a muscle car I bought in 1988 on-again-off-again for twenty years before finishing it.  It was even more meaningful when I was able to enjoy the car with family.  I dreamed for years about the destination but it was the journey I remember the most. 

I drove the car less then 10 miles and sold it.


   

[mtull]

anyone have any advice on maximizing selling a project?  Or maximizing how to get this one done?

Have you considered sending it to a trustworthy shop to do the minimal amount of work to get the car running/driving/stopping?  I'm not suggesting highway driving, just enough to get it in and out of the garage from time to time.  Sometimes just hearing it run and seeing it move is enough to keep the dream alive until life's responsibilities subside. 

[70_440-6Cuda]

Thanks for the replies!!  @mtull, I love this - "I drove the car less then 10 miles and sold it"!!!!  I have done that many times in the past, and like you every type of brand / vehicle to different levels of restoration / customization...

I think part of my issue, is the car is complete / running / driving.... just an old restoration done poorly and I started down a path of no return so to speak taking the front fiberglass clip off and wanting to get the sheet metal done - problem is I do need some metal repair and need to find someone to do some small patching for my front fenders as I am no metal worker.

Yes, family and all that first for sure... the project just seems a bit overwhelming and with no time or extra cash seems a bit of a waste just sitting there.  Plus it is all disorganized and all over the place because I am limited on space.  Just the regular frustrations of suburban living and restoration projects in general - nice to hear experiences from others as I know my situation is by no means unique.

And I agree - buying a done car is a double edged sword - I have done all of the renovations on my house that I am capable of for the very reason as I can't stand paying someone to do something I would do better / take more pride in to make sure it is bulletproof.

I also need to make a plan - I think that is also my biggest dilemma...

I would like to strip the car completely down and get it painted so i can just focus on the reassembly part and restoring the non sheet metal parts as I go... just seems that undertaking is massive and I am afraid to get started.

Appreciate the feedback!

[mtull]

Plus it is all disorganized and all over the place because I am limited on space.

I've done a few projects that way.  I'm hoping to avoid the added stress due to disorganization this time around but, like you, I'm limited on space and time.
I've also found it more difficult the older I get to find large chunks of time to stay on task for those jobs not conducive to leaving undone (bare metal).

Keep the faith! 

[torredcuda]

I bought my Barracuda in 1982 and had big dreams of starting the restoration soon, six months later the 340 blew up, I broke up with my gf, lost my apartment etc. I collected some parts but didn`t get to work on it until 1992 when I bought a house with garage, got it on the road in `96. I bought my road runner in 2000 after selling my `69 Barracuda and finally just started working on it last year. Lack of time, always a lack of money, lack of garage space and just life stuff getting in the way. Sure you can buy a done car but you really seemed excited to restore the one you have and as you said you enjoy the process (I do as well) so I would keep it even if you have to put it on hold for a while and get back into it when everything settles down.

[Brads70]

" Plus it is all disorganized and all over the place because I am limited on space."

Currently I have 2 cars all apart. Parts everywhere , even in the house. The Challenger just got picked up this morning to get painted and the trunk pan replaced ( I had the parts) Maybe this picture of my workspace will encourage you some....
Very few of us have beautiful  spacious shops to work in. Go get it done, get after it! 
I find most people's  problem is not ability  but rather a fear of failing, lack of confidence . Truth is you can do it yourself most times and screw it up multiple times doing it yourself and still be ahead financially by paying someone else to do it. Or buying the tool to do the job and only using it once is usually cheaper than paying someone else to do it for you.
If there is a will there's a way!
Like the old analogy, how do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time! Try not to get overwhelmed at the whole project, just concentrate on one thing at a time . 

[Brads70]

It's tight...

[RUNCHARGER]

It depends where the enjoyment comes from. For me Being out in the garage got me away from a high stress job and driving the bejusus out of the finished project gave me stress relief as well.
That's what this hobby is, stress relief. It's an optional activity that is in no way necessary for our pursuit of life.
If you sell them shortly after finishing them it would not make any sense to sell the project and buy someone else's finished car. If you dig the cars and coffee thing or taking it down the track then sure just cut to the finish and sell the project (at an all time high right now) and buy a finished car.
Either way don't let it sit for years torn down. Either reassemble what you have or put a finite reminder in your phone to either fish or cut bait by a certain date is my recommendation.

[TripleBlk70]

First, so sorry to hear your Dad is in decline. Very sad fact of life for us to have to deal with the loss of parents.

My Dad passed in 2013, and my Mom - who was never a very happy person to begin with - spent the rest of her life in a long slow decline until last June. Sad, but I like to believe they are back together somewhere in the great beyond, and happy.

I don't know you personally...but I have some experience with kids, and jobs, and losing parents, and how quickly time passes.

So my advice is this: if you can, hold on to the car. Even if you don't/can't work on it in the short term. It seems like the car has meaning for you, and I think if you get rid of it you will be sorry later on. Kids grow up, jobs change and/or slow down, and eventually you will have more time. When that happens, how will you feel if you've sold off the car you really wanted to finish and enjoy.

The other thing is, if you keep the car (and haven't already done this), make a list of what you want to accomplish. Break it down by systems or discrete tasks. And when you can, start chipping away. Little by little you will make progress, and eventually you will finish.

After my Dad passed in 2013 I decided to get back into cars as a hobby, and build a 55 chevy as a tribute to him (we had discussed building one together but never got around to it). Long, LONG story short I bought a rolling shell of a car that needed pretty much everything. It took me 6 years to build that car from nothing into a running, driving show car. There were MANY days I felt like I would never drive it, let alone get ti to a car show. But I kept at it.

Now I'm working on my newest project, a 70 challenger convertible that reminds me of my high school days. Keep the faith brother, you will get there.

[71vert340]

About 18 months ago, I finished a Charger I was working on for 17 years. I tried working on some aspect of the car 5 times a week even if it was for just 15 minutes. It was relaxing. Sometimes, I just bagged and organized the parts I had already removed. I would take photos with my cell phone for 15 minutes and transfer them to a computer file so I could see where the parts came from and how they went back in. Sometimes, I would sit down at the computer and order some small inexpensive parts I would need. Sometimes, I just cleaned and painted parts I removed. Those 15 minutes added up and sometimes I could find 20 or 30 minutes. I would soak parts to remove the rust (vinegar and salt in a bucket works well over time) and then prime the parts. All I might do some days was change the parts (nuts and bolts) I was soaking. A few minutes during the week, I found, helped me to relax and I didn't feel guilty about the car sitting there with no work being done as I was working on it a little bit. Just small bites each time. Now that I'm in my 70s, I still just take small bites working on this 72 Challenger I got as a basket case. It's coming along for the 18 months I've had it in my shop. The car accident I was in has slowed me down but not stopped me. People who only see it every few months are amazed at the progress. It seems slow to me. Just find a few minutes each day to relax and do something on the car. Today, I pulled the LCA out of the solution, washed and dried it, took it to a friend's house to press out the pivot shaft and bushing. It took us 25 minutes to do that and remove the ball joint from a spare UCA. We then sat and talked for 2 hours. I came home and painted the LCA. Actual work was maybe 40 minutes total today. I could have broken that up in to 2 days.
 Terry W.

[6PKRTSE]

I have gone through similar situations.  Marriage, kids, divorce, single Dad raising my kids basically solo. Family health issues. Moms passing last April. Dad's been in and out of the hospital over the years. However, through everything. I was able to keep my Challenger. Worked on it when I could and when spare money from side wrenching allowed to buy more parts, close to 20 years myself of working on it, it is getting closer to finished. If they are ever actually finished.

[70_440-6Cuda]

First I want to thank everyone for sharing - it makes a big difference, I think to more than just myself.  It is good to get some feedback, inspiration and just connect with people sharing the same passion for the automotive hobby in general, so thank you all.

I really enjoyed reading through others 'experiences - life happens to all of us for better or worse.  I am going to take some of the tips from all of the responses and see if I can't put a little effort here and there - even just to organize a bit - and see what kind of impact I can make.

To be honest, it is great to be on here talking about doing something, even if I don't - renews the excitement of thinking about "one day, some day" I will have a car I love done to my satisfaction, hopefully!