Six months without the Charger...

[Dino]

I took it off the road last August and did a lot of improvements, but I'm not even close to finishing the current projects.  The severe cold also is a bit of a barrier seeing I have an non insulated garage.  I have no clue when I'll have the time to do the entire manual to power window swap, but at least all the important stuff is fixed and updated.

I just submitted my plan of study to the University and if I go full out, I will graduate with a bachelor's of science in exercise science 8/2015.  Then it's onto 2 years of full time PA school.  I doubt I'll have much time to do anything to the car so I'm thinking finish the current projects and drive the sucker as much as I can.  With all the mods done it'll be even better to drive than before. 

It's strange to have to put the brakes on playing with the car but there's just not enough time in the day to do it all. 

I just hope I can get it back on the road before the next winter because I'm itching dammit!   

[myk]

Bravo to you for tending to the most important project of all: your education, your life.  The Charger will always be there waiting for you and you can use that as an incentive for when your more life-relevant tasks are done well and completed.  Delayed gratification is key here; the Charger may have to wait for now, but that temporary sacrifice will help you build your life now so that you can enjoy the car and other things later.  If the weather bothers you, we're always waiting for more victims...er, people to join us out in sunny California...

[Dino]

Thanks Myk!   

You are absolutely correct and the car will indeed have to wait, painful as that is.

Nothing against Ca but I am more than happy in Michigan.  The winter really does not bother me even though it sucks not to be able to drive the Charger year round.  The summers are really the worst, very hot and very humid and I'm like a vampire at noon out there!

With a bit of carful planning I may be able to get the car back on the road in not too much time, but it's one of those things where not much can go wrong and you know how that goes.   

[Ghoste]

California is beautiful but I could never live with the government there.  I feel for you Dino but in the long run it will be worth it.

[Dino]

It will be worth it and I really should not complain.  But you know how it is, we all want the cake and eat it too.   

My only concern is that the more time passes, the more the car will start to look like a shelf, and I need to avoid that at all cost.

[twodko]

What Myk said.

[indreams84]

Bravo to your plans for school....I work as full time Registered Nurse in recovery with the US Gov't and am beginning my Nurse Anesthesia in 2015. I am also flying out in March to hopefully buy my dream car: a member's 1969 Dodge Charger R/T #s matching, restored. I've learned if you work for something, school or Charger or both, it can happen. Just have to play it smart.

[Dino]

Bravo to your plans for school....I work as full time Registered Nurse in recovery with the US Gov't and am beginning my Nurse Anesthesia in 2015. I am also flying out in March to hopefully buy my dream car: a member's 1969 Dodge Charger R/T #s matching, restored. I've learned if you work for something, school or Charger or both, it can happen. Just have to play it smart.

Thanks and kudos to you for being an RN and becoming a CRNA!   

I've said it before and I will say it again, nobody more important in the field than the nurse, no way around it.   

Sometimes it's scary to look back a mere 10 years and see myself on another continent, working in a body shop. 

Hard work does pay off, but lately I find myself looking for tv shows or movies that require zero thinking, I need a break from time to time!   

I did finally go on leave of absence from my job so I can focus on school.  It's not easy holding a 4.0 in nothing but science classes, and on top of that I became a board member in the student organization.  It'll look good on the PA application but it takes up a lot of time I don't have.   

I'm not sure when I will drop the ball but it's bound to happen!

[Nickrc3]

I concur with MYK. Good for you Dino!
It takes great motivation and self discipline to return back for a formal education as an adult. I know it all too well!

At age 38 (w/ family, house and full-time job) I entered Florida State with nothing. My AS from New Jersey was non-transferable, meaning I had to take all those remedial classes over again. Did I feel uncomfortable participating with 18 year-olds, and being the 'old man' in every class I attended? Hell yes! I vividly recall my Economics Professor telling me I was a 'bit old' to be pursuing a new career - never forgot that (actually he was with the Carter Administration so that justified this idiotic statement).
Graduated Magna Cum Laude in 3.5 years.
Twelve years later, I serve as a Director in our fourth largest public school district. Did it pay off? Absolutely. Never regretted one day of education, nor the cost.

Good Luck in all your endeavors.

[Dino]

I concur with MYK. Good for you Dino!
It takes great motivation and self discipline to return back for a formal education as an adult. I know it all too well!

At age 38 (w/ family, house and full-time job) I entered Florida State with nothing. My AS from New Jersey was non-transferable, meaning I had to take all those remedial classes over again. Did I feel uncomfortable participating with 18 year-olds, and being the 'old man' in every class I attended? Hell yes! I vividly recall my Economics Professor telling me I was a 'bit old' to be pursuing a new career - never forgot that (actually he was with the Carter Administration so that justified this idiotic statement).
Graduated Magna Cum Laude in 3.5 years.
Twelve years later, I serve as a Director in our fourth largest public school district. Did it pay off? Absolutely. Never regretted one day of education, nor the cost.

Good Luck in all your endeavors.

Awesome work Nick!  Magna Cum Laude is something to brag about, my wife received the same honor.   

It is definitely worth it, heck it would be worth it if I wasn't planning on another career.  It would be costly but I would never want to give up the things I learned and I am hungry for more .  As much as I love doing body work, there is nothing like challenging your mind and that just does not happen while working on a car, not like this.  You just cannot beat a good education.

I am a bit lucky in that I don't look my age at all so I blend it pretty well.  I can't pass for a 20 year old but I fit in the U population quite nicely.   

I've always worked full time in health care while taking classes, so it took me 3 years to get 60 credits.  Now that work is out of the picture I can speed it up and hopefully start my new career when I'm around 43 - 44.  The good news is that my first pay check will be well over double my current, or better yet last.  That's when I will be able to restore the Charger properly, top to bottom, just the way I want it.

Not there yet though.   

[bakerhillpins]

What Myk said.

+1000



And more of where that came from.  Ya, know I have a set of free round trip tickets left from last years Woodward travel planning debacle.... ok, thinking outside the box with lots of hurdles here but maybe fly out and we get her done?    Just start a fire in the corner of the garage and work fast. 

[Dino]

What Myk said.

+1000



And more of where that came from.  Ya, know I have a set of free round trip tickets left from last years Woodward travel planning debacle.... ok, thinking outside the box with lots of hurdles here but maybe fly out and we get her done?    Just start a fire in the corner of the garage and work fast. 

Wow Brian, I could never repay that debt...except maybe in about 4 years where I will have time to come out to NH and fix that car of yours, you're a patient man right?   

The fire is a great idea!  No wait...wifey says it's not, not sure why though...   

Now what happened with the tickets?  I thought you made it over here?  I tried coming home early from vacation to meet up with you but it didn't work out, I got home late on the last day.

[The70RT]

Your young kid so do what you gotta do and it will all fall into place   ....I had to check your age, 40 isn't that old 

[Dino]

Your young kid so do what you gotta do and it will all fall into place 

Thanks bud   

The brain is getting a bit slower at times and recovery takes a bit longer but yes, I cannot complain about my old age just yet.   

[bakerhillpins]

Wow Brian, I could never repay that debt...except maybe in about 4 years where I will have time to come out to NH and fix that car of yours, you're a patient man right?  

The fire is a great idea!  No wait...wifey says it's not, not sure why though...  

Now what happened with the tickets?  I thought you made it over here?  I tried coming home early from vacation to meet up with you but it didn't work out, I got home late on the last day.

So.... I tried to use my leftover free flights last year and had to "buy them back" since it was ~2yrs since I earned them (cost $50 so still a deal). These were grandfathered from the "old" free flight rewards setup. Somewhere during the communication process with the airline it wasn't clear (as much me as them) that there were LIMITS to which flights I could use them on. So AFTER I bought them they told me I couldn't use them. So I have until roughly Woodward time to use them up again. So better use then loose? Besides, I am always up for stupid s**t like that. It's an adventure. Problem with adventure, it's hard to wedge into married with children life.   which is why I mentioned lots of hurdles..

 It would be a fun trip though.

Yea, well now I have a bare 69 440 short block that I am going to rebuild too. I can't seem to stop buying projects.    At least this one can sit in the basement and I can work on it with the boys all year, rain or shine. Just have to spend $$ on parts. My wife really loves me.     

[myk]

Thanks Myk!  

You are absolutely correct and the car will indeed have to wait, painful as that is.

Nothing against Ca but I am more than happy in Michigan.  The winter really does not bother me even though it sucks not to be able to drive the Charger year round.  The summers are really the worst, very hot and very humid and I'm like a vampire at noon out there!

With a bit of carful planning I may be able to get the car back on the road in not too much time, but it's one of those things where not much can go wrong and you know how that goes.  

Eh, I'm always bragging about the weather over here but my convertible and Charger see fewer miles every year as I continually give in to my paranoia.  Being from the east coast myself, I will say that NOTHING on this planet is more beautiful than walking down the street in the fall and seeing the trees in their one-time-of-the-year colors, while breathing in the coolness of the air.  If I hadn't become such a coastal panzy I might be living in a 4-seasons state as well.

Dino I was in the same situation as you are; in the middle of school/college but I had just bought the Charger.  Instead of applying myself to school I cut classes so I could hang out with the people that were always working on it or meeting up with people who were heavily into the local racing scene.   Needless to say my academic career suffered and I eventually dropped out.  Years later I can only regret not sticking with school as it will be that much more difficult for me to return to academics; and yes, it's "never too late to go back," but in all honesty the best time to go to school and prepare the foundation of your life is when you're younger.  Again, delayed gratification is the key here.  Suffer now, enjoy later; your Charger and DC.com will always be there for you...

[71 SE3834V]

Have 2 kerosene heaters, will travel.  They stink but put out the heat! 60* in my 1 car garage when it was in the single digits outside.

[Dino]

You guys rock!   

I wish I could get you all over here and some day I can, but time is not on my side right now. 

I've been thinking on what to do to the car and I am going to have to let a few projects be for a while.  Instead of adapting a volt meter to look like a stock ammeter, I'll just reinstall the ammeter and keep it disconnected.  It's just takes too much time to do the conversion.  Power windows will have to wait as well.  I need to remove the doors to drill the holes (as mine is a manual window car), and as long as I need to do that I should also rebuild the hinges.  At the same time I want to do the vent window seals and roof rail seals although I may do the latter this spring.  It does tend to leak in one spot when it's real nasty out.

I have my front discs ready to go on but I know trying to replace the distribution block with a 70's combo valve is going to take a lot of time due to the limited space.  The drums work fine now so I may put that off until next winter.

So what I need to do to finish is finish the electrical, worst is done, and calibrate the new sending unit and all the gauges.  Install new shocks and do some odds and ends like fit the new alternator and install the new fuel pump and hook it all back up.  The Firecore system is in place, minus the wires so I'll have to do some tuning once she fires up again.  I also wanted to add an H pipe but have no welder so I'm thinking of going to my mechanic and get a quote.  The exhaust is old and I don't want to spend a ton on it but it's not beat up enough to get rid of it, I just need to add the crossover.

Not a ton of work but it takes a long time when you only have an hour here and there.