Discussion Forum - Northstar Chevelle Club

Lost in the 60s · President

Street rod

67ss · 1K+ Club

I almost bought another project today but then talked myself out of it. Decided it would be better to put the money into the chevelle instead. You can only drive one at a time and insurance on so many vehicles gets overwhelming after awhile.

Lost in the 60s · President

67ss wrote:
I almost bought another project today but then talked myself out of it. Decided it would be better to put the money into the chevelle instead. You can only drive one at a time and insurance on so many vehicles gets overwhelming after awhile.

You have more willpower than me.

Did you vote ??

Derek69SS · Founding Member

Not sure how to answer this... what would I do, or what do I think you should do?

Lost in the 60s · President

Derek69SS wrote:
Not sure how to answer this... what would I do, or what do I think you should do?

I already know we have the same disease. You would buy another car BUT a project or done.....that is the question..

Derek69SS · Founding Member

Easy answer... one of each.

Derek69SS · Founding Member

Just checked, and the poll does indeed allow me to vote for all 3 options... that's what I'd do.

Lost in the 60s · President

Derek69SS wrote:
Just checked, and the poll does indeed allow me to vote for all 3 options... that's what I'd do.

I thought it would only allow 1 choice, oh well.

You are as bad as me. Does Jenna know the depth of your disease, or is it growing with the new shop space..

Dan Williams · Active Member

Lost in the 60s wrote:
Derek69SS wrote:
Just checked, and the poll does indeed allow me to vote for all 3 options... that's what I'd do.
I thought it would only allow 1 choice, oh well.
You are as bad as me. Does Jenna know the depth of your disease, or is it growing with the new shop space..

Jenna saw the "compound" that was Derek's parents place before they moved. She knows the disease well and married him anyway!

Chris R · 2K+ Club

Finish what you have or buy a turn key car. You still have a handfull of other cars that are still projects. I would also step back and take a look at if your being too picky. Im not saying that you are, just that its a good idea to step back and make sure your not being over picky about certain things on a car thats over 70 years old.

SteveS · Super Poster

I'd wait for something turn key. Even if it's done you will still tinker with it, it's what we do. As for the one's you listed, sounds like you like the 28k one better than the 25k one, 3 grand isn't a lot to get what you want. But, you did say the project would end up being exactly what you want for 30k. How far off is the 28k one from being exactly what you want?

My problem is I go way over budget when I build something. If the project car could be done for 30k, I would end up with 50k in it. What ever part I'm buying there is another one for a little more money so I upgrade, all the upgrades add up and then I change plans mid stream and sell the part for a loss to do a different direction. I probably have as much in parts for my car that I don't own anymore as what is on the car. But people around me tend to get really good parts for cheap .

-- Edited by SteveS on Friday 5th of October 2012 06:55:41 AM

SteveS · Super Poster

Your too late .

I bought a set of Z06 heads with hollow/sodium filled valves then I sold those to get the CNC ported ones I have now.

I bought an LS6 intake that I sold to get the fast intake.

I bought a cam that I exchanged for a bigger one when I changed direction to a 383

Told you it was bad.

-- Edited by SteveS on Friday 5th of October 2012 10:29:14 AM

67ss · 1K+ Club

Lost in the 60s wrote:
You have more willpower than me.
Did you vote ??

Yep I voted you should work on what you have already. Make that chevelle and camaro mint and tinker with the other ones. Mitch I don't think you will ever be lacking for things to do.

Lost in the 60s · President

Dan, that's good..I forgot that Derek came from a farm setting with acres of room to store "projects"....

My wife got blind-sided with me. I was living out of my semi and pickup when we met. She did get a little insight the first time we went to my storage building and it was packed full of parts and tools but I don't think it registered with a city girl as to what she was getting into...

Chris, my pickiness comes from not wanting to do a lot of body restoration. As has been pointed out, I have 4 other cars here now that still need major panel work to be nice. I was/am hoping to find a really clean car that needs minimal body work before paint and concentrate on putting in the suspension and drive train of choice. The car in TN was presented as such, with only the front fenders and running boards needing work. They are bolt on items and didn't bother me, but when I get there and the bottoms of both doors are completely gone along with other areas that would need fabrication and welding, it just pi$$ed me off that he wasn't completely up-front with everything.

Many of the done cars have moved the fuel filler into the trunk and that really bugs me. I don't like the idea of filling the whole car with gas fumes while filling the tank. Also, many don't have the original VIN/ serial tag on anymore. The sellers have a title but there is nothing on the car to identify it as the original title or to track it in case of theft.

Steve, you are right on with the actual cost of a build. I did more number crunching last night and my original estimate of 20k after an initial 10k purchase is low. I wasn't taking into account "incidental" items like aluminum radiator and electric fans, complete wiring kit, AC, etc. The cost ballooned about another 5-8k, depending on creature comforts.

I've experienced the mid-stream phenomenon too but have a very clear picture of what I want for a rod and for my other cars as well. This "experience/learning curve" has cost me dearly too...

Derek69SS · Founding Member

SteveS wrote:
But people around me tend to get really good parts for cheap .

Note to self: Convince Steve he needs to upgrade heads, cam, intake, injectors, etc...

Bowtieman427 · Active Member

It aways cost more & direction change is a killer. I see my 72 as a never ending project. One thing I love about it is I can change all kinds of stuff in it and not worry about it being original or killing the value as it really has little value compared to originals. The non original Hot rod option is great. They are a lot more fun, but comes at a great price. Used non orignal parts are cheap second hand. Know that the money you put in to it you will never get it out.

Point is get the car with all or most of the bells and whistles upfront that you want. Make an educated buy know what you are going to change and its cost upfront to get the bottom line. The high ticket items or things you can't or do nto want to do are all done. Personally if it is not an original car I don' t think about it, becuase I know I will lose no matter what. So accept the fact that if you were to unload parts youmay only get 50-75% out of them. It is not like a house build or remodle where puting it the way you want may bring the value up may even be a lot more then what you put into it. Hot Rods are a loosing endever if looking at the $$$ perspective. Customize = a lot of money in, be prepared to take a big loss on resale.

Original car may be a different story. Hot Rods are a lot more fun and who can put a price tag on that : )

Derek69SS · Founding Member

Mitch, here's what I would do...

Forget about all of your existing cars. You've already built them in your head 1000 times, and they're no longer exciting to think about. Don't sell them though, just think about how "someday" you'll finish all of them, drive them often, keep them spotless, win awards, race them, and be the envy of every man.

Buy a project. Disassemble it just enough that it's difficult to sell. Park it in the corner and call that one "next"

Buy a "finished" driver you can enjoy, but settle for something less than what you really want, because you just wasted too much of the budget buying that project car mentioned previously... while you're out "enjoying" it, keep thinking about how much better it could be if you changed some things. Finally, take it all apart, and sawzall up some critical structural areas so that it will require extensive fabrication and way too much time to ever finish.

While it's taking up the space of 2-3 cars by being disassembled and keeping you from doing anything fun because you have "too much stuff to do" mentally move on to another project... no, not that one you previously called "next". This one will require a whole new car, because this is an even better idea.

Lost in the 60s · President

Derek, I'm glad you added the "what I would do" part, because it sounds like a confessional rather than a suggestion... although I am going to print that out and show my wife... Then I can say "see, I'm not so bad or the only one like this".

It also seems you have been sneaking around my shop un-noticed because it hits REALLY close to home with what I have now, with the exception of a nice car that wins awards. Nothing like that around here...

I hear everyone on the "never done". Any turn key I would buy has been built to that persons liking and I would change things to personalize it to me. That is the ONLY aspect of another "project" that attracts me. I am old school and LIKE hammering gears, hence if I built a rod from scratch, it would most likely have a Keisler 5 speed in it. That part alone adds many thousands to the cost as they aren't available used. If I keep the hp down a little from "the Dream" I could get by with a WC T-5 at a substantial savings.

Scott Parkhurst · Super Poster

I'd buy a running, driving rod. You're going to change some stuff anyway, so get one that's close to what you want and finish it up.

Tony Hoffer · Moderator

Just buy 3 Vegas and 5 vintage snowmobiles and then get so absorbed in work they you cant even enjoy your one running car..

Lost in the 60s · President

Tony Hoffer wrote:
Just buy 3 Vegas and 5 vintage snowmobiles and then get so absorbed in work they you cant even enjoy your one running car..

I know where there are 2 Brut snowmobiles sitting in Stillwater, if you need more...

Lost in the 60s · President

Now Kevin, you know darn well that "He who dies with the most toys".........

Is still dead...

-- Edited by Lost in the 60s on Sunday 7th of October 2012 10:39:37 AM

dashboard · 2K+ Club

This post reminds me of my nephew Jim, Jim’s 24 now but twenty years ago he had a toy fire truck that he played with it all the time. Might have been made by Tonka Toys right here in Minnesota but the brand really doesn’t matter. Then one day someone gave him an earth mover sort of thing and the fire truck got parked in the closet while he moved imaginary dirt all around the house. Soon after that came a Jeep with flashing lights and a small electric motor. Within just a couple of years his toy inventory had grown to the point that the closet would no longer hold all of them so he started to stash them under the bed.

The point here is, he always played with the last one he received and the others collected dust both in the closet and under the bed. Nevertheless the toys where given to him and someone else paid for the storage and upkeep so he keep them all.

As we get older our toys get more expensive and take up more space. Big difference; they are not provided free of charge any more, they cost many thousands of dollars to have, store and maintain, that’s thousands of dollars and we still only play with the one we got last.

Now I find myself in need of a larger closet to put things in or a bigger bed to stuff them under, it’s very expensive and I only play with one while the others collect dust.

dashboard · 2K+ Club

And I fully intend to let my executor deal with the issue. Now I want a 442.

Lost in the 60s · President

dashboard wrote:

And I fully intend to let my executor deal with the issue. Now I want a 442.

Hoo boy, are you NEVER satisfied ....

chevelle · Member

Recommend that you buy a running car, since you still have a project going. I keep telling myself that is the way to stay focused, one project torn up at a time.
Of course I'm now thinking of keeping my Chevelle in my main garage so i can "do a little work" on it over the winter if the work on my 59 wagon gets far enough along. It has been apart for ~2 years now, starting with the plan to replace the sheet metal trim above the rear window. it is currently a shell almost ready to prime. oh well.
in any case i can relate. Looking forward to your decision.

John D · 2K+ Club

I'm kinda glad that the tan/cream & brown car turned out to be a loser... something about an un-molested gennie being carved up into a street rod bothers me. Let the restorers have that one.

Finish the cars you have... and then regroup and buy a rod project.

Lost in the 60s · President

chevelle wrote:
started with the plan to replace the sheet metal trim above the rear window. it is currently a shell almost ready to prime.

Some people call that "project creep". I call it "sequences". Once you dig into these cars, it doesn't seem to stop until there's nothing left to remove....

Chris R · 2K+ Club

John D wrote:
I'm kinda glad that the tan/cream & brown car turned out to be a loser... something about an un-molested gennie being carved up into a street rod bothers me. Let the restorers have that one.

Finish the cars you have... and then regroup and buy a rod project.

I didnt want to say it but thats what I was thinking too. There are enough 30's era coupes out there that are built into street rods. There arent many restored or semi restored cars out there. Those IMO should be left alone.

Tony Hoffer · Moderator

Lost in the 60s wrote:
Tony Hoffer wrote:
Just buy 3 Vegas and 5 vintage snowmobiles and then get so absorbed in work they you cant even enjoy your one running car..
I know where there are 2 Brut snowmobiles sitting in Stillwater, if you need more...

Lets talk! Seriously...

-- Edited by Tony Hoffer on Monday 8th of October 2012 08:17:06 PM

Lost in the 60s · President

Tony Hoffer wrote:
Lost in the 60s wrote:
Tony Hoffer wrote:
Just buy 3 Vegas and 5 vintage snowmobiles and then get so absorbed in work they you cant even enjoy your one running car..
I know where there are 2 Brut snowmobiles sitting in Stillwater, if you need more...
Lets talk! Seriously...

-- Edited by Tony Hoffer on Monday 8th of October 2012 08:17:06 PM

You're goofy, but I'll drive by and see if they are still there and talk with the shop owner about them.

Tony Hoffer · Moderator

Lost in the 60s wrote:
Tony Hoffer wrote:
Lost in the 60s wrote:
Tony Hoffer wrote:
Just buy 3 Vegas and 5 vintage snowmobiles and then get so absorbed in work they you cant even enjoy your one running car..
I know where there are 2 Brut snowmobiles sitting in Stillwater, if you need more...
Lets talk! Seriously...

-- Edited by Tony Hoffer on Monday 8th of October 2012 08:17:06 PM
You're goofy, but I'll drive by and see if they are still there and talk with the shop owner about them.

Right on.....

Lost in the 60s · President

Tony, I just did a drive by.

There were partially hidden and when I got close, they are Moto Ski Nuvik's.

Tony Hoffer · Moderator

Thanks for looking....

Its parts Im after on this old stuff now... It doesnt take too long to strip them down and put the good stuff in bins.. When the time comes to put one together you just pick the good stuff out and start assembling...

At least thats how it works on paper..