Why do we do it..!

[mh434]

So I started by taking a few bits off to give it a little refresh...and then forgot to stop.....
Will it be worth what I put into it ? Absolutely not....
Is it a great sanity saver after a week at work ? Absolutely yes..
Is my wife aware of all the bills ?....errmmmm

so, come on, own up...who else got carried away with their Squarebird and ended up with a major rebuild ? (And yes, everything is labelled and bagged and hundreds of photos have been taken. What could possibly go wrong ?)

Jon

[Joe Johnston]

This hobby is a sickness and you have experienced "Mission Creep"! I think nearly everyone has experienced this infectious disease which makes you feel "while I am doing something, this also should be fixed, cleaned, painted, or whatever". It takes a lot of discipline not to go down this road. I was infected with it many years ago and restored a rusty 56 Thunderbird and made up my mind never to buy a low cost car that was rusty just because I knew I could fix it.

Your points are valid - we get a lot of therapy and satisfaction from working on these cars because we (sort of) enjoy it knowing its not about the money. After all, ya can't drive the family to the ice cream parlor or take them on a nice Sunday afternoon drive in a checkbook or a stock portfolio.

Enjoy!

[p38fighter]

The first car I did (56 TBird 50 years ago) I carefully laid out a budget and a list of goals, etc etc. 9 project cars later I realize the total unpredictability of the restoration process. I sold each one to finance the next and only made money twice. Broke even or lost some on the rest. And of course that always values my labor at $0. But everybody knows where to find me! The garage!

[jopizz]

At least we're not wasting money on non-essentials like food and clothing.

John

[YellowRose]

Why do we do it..!

Now that was funny!

[Tbird1044]

Jon:
I have all the admiration in the world for all of you that are restoring these cars across the pond. We all know how hard and expensive it is getting the right part that fits without dealing with long distance shipping costs and time involved.
My TBird was the first, and probably the last, restoration I'll do. Checked off my bucket list. It was quite a learning experience. I did enjoy the challenges of the job, set a budget and goal, and ended up spending twice as much as I originally intended. There is a great sense of satisfaction when I take her out for drive, knowing all the work that went into getting to that point.
Good luck with your project and enjoy the many hours you will spend in the garage and on the internet looking for parts and info. This site was invaluable during the resto project.
Nyles

[JohnG]

Jon, I have to ask: how many Squarebirds or other older American cars do you see in the UK ??

Keep at it!

john

[scumdog]

At least we're not wasting money on non-essentials like food and clothing.

John

No but the beer’n’bourbon fund suffers at times!

[mh434]

Jon, I have to ask: how many Squarebirds or other older American cars do you see in the UK ??

Keep at it!

john

Good point John, I don't think I have seen another Squarebird at a car show over here. Its one of the reasons I got one instead of a Mustang

[mh434]

No but the beer’n’bourbon fund suffers at times!

remember people, never drink and drive....You will spill most of it