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I hear that crap all the time. "It's just rotting away" or "You should sell all those old cars and buy a new one" which is often followed by "you'll never get to them anyway" and that's from people who know me and watch me take a rolling shell to driver in less than four months, do frame off restorations in less than four years, and paint cars in 3 weeks.
This is my standard reply to them.
Just because you would never get them drivable doesn't mean I won't. Just because some guy has a car in his yard that is rotting into the ground while he watches Baywatch reruns, won't sell it, and will "fix it up someday" doesn't mean my stuff will rust into the ground like his. You want it so bad, you can buy it when it's done instead of when it's the yard art that I picked up years ago that they used for a parts car. I will rebuild it, I will make it reliable. You will let it rot in your yard like the guy who won't sell it to you.
No you can't give me $200 for the ratty GTO that has a new 455, overdrive trans, built 12 bolt, and runs flawlessly. No you can't give me $500 for the 72 Formula that has it's original rare round port 455 in it, four times that won't buy the heads. No you can't derby the T37 I have sitting here. No, I won't sell you a Formula 400 so you can put your Targetmaster 350 or junkyard 5.3 in it. Is the T37 or Formula 400 worth more than $500? Nope. Why won't I sell it to you? Because I buy dead projects from guys like you who let them sit for 20 years and it's your only old car. Right now it needs all the parts I have safely tucked away and have been collecting for it while building others. Those parts are worth more than the car is right now, and no you can't buy them too. When it's done, probably, but it won't be cheap. $2500 wont buy a car I have $10k cash and two years time invested in rebuilding it, even if it isn't painted yet. I'm not your charity service.
My 79 10th Anniversary TA has been sitting since 1988, I'm collecting parts for it because it was rough but rust free when I bought it in 87. Some are rather difficult to find, or expensive to buy. It's safe, not going anywhere, and theres no mice in it. Barn find? No, I know it's there. Most don't know for a reason.
Only one of these isn't painted, all of them run and drive, put in fuel and a battery and go. This pic is only 6 years old. How many cars have the people telling me that crap done in the last 6 years? None I bet. I've gotten 7 cars painted and drivable despite a divorce and being homeless for two years in the same time. The question isn't if I will get to them, it's which one do I want to do this week.
This is my standard reply to them.
Just because you would never get them drivable doesn't mean I won't. Just because some guy has a car in his yard that is rotting into the ground while he watches Baywatch reruns, won't sell it, and will "fix it up someday" doesn't mean my stuff will rust into the ground like his. You want it so bad, you can buy it when it's done instead of when it's the yard art that I picked up years ago that they used for a parts car. I will rebuild it, I will make it reliable. You will let it rot in your yard like the guy who won't sell it to you.
No you can't give me $200 for the ratty GTO that has a new 455, overdrive trans, built 12 bolt, and runs flawlessly. No you can't give me $500 for the 72 Formula that has it's original rare round port 455 in it, four times that won't buy the heads. No you can't derby the T37 I have sitting here. No, I won't sell you a Formula 400 so you can put your Targetmaster 350 or junkyard 5.3 in it. Is the T37 or Formula 400 worth more than $500? Nope. Why won't I sell it to you? Because I buy dead projects from guys like you who let them sit for 20 years and it's your only old car. Right now it needs all the parts I have safely tucked away and have been collecting for it while building others. Those parts are worth more than the car is right now, and no you can't buy them too. When it's done, probably, but it won't be cheap. $2500 wont buy a car I have $10k cash and two years time invested in rebuilding it, even if it isn't painted yet. I'm not your charity service.
My 79 10th Anniversary TA has been sitting since 1988, I'm collecting parts for it because it was rough but rust free when I bought it in 87. Some are rather difficult to find, or expensive to buy. It's safe, not going anywhere, and theres no mice in it. Barn find? No, I know it's there. Most don't know for a reason.
Only one of these isn't painted, all of them run and drive, put in fuel and a battery and go. This pic is only 6 years old. How many cars have the people telling me that crap done in the last 6 years? None I bet. I've gotten 7 cars painted and drivable despite a divorce and being homeless for two years in the same time. The question isn't if I will get to them, it's which one do I want to do this week.
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