What keeps you motivated to keep 'chargin' on?

[chargen86]

Hey guys,

Im feeling a bit down lately, it just seems so damn hard to get the gears rolling on my '68 R/T.
Im thinking of throwing in the towel to be honest, every time I wanna progress something gets in my way and sets me back. For instance do you know how long it takes to find a decent spray painter in Australia that wont rip you off? Plus they are talking one year waiting lists it is ridiculous! 
Everybody asks me "Have you finished the car yet?" and I keep telling them no and it is embarrasing. I thought I would be finished with it ready to drive in 2 years and now it is coming up to 5! My girlfriend thinks I am wasting time too 
I just want some support from others who have done the hard yards; was it all worth it in the end? The time, money, the obsession??? 
Otherwise I might turn my baby into scrap metal... at least I'd be making some money for once 

[Darkman]

Have you got any pics of the car?

I have only just started on the looooong road of rebuilding my 68!

I get my motivation by looking at other rebuild threads on here

[tan top]

 what stage are you at ?? have you got any pictures ??  don't get  down !!  think every one  has  gone through it at some stage ,
as for people  asking  have you finished it ,  don't worry about it !!

[Mrs.Caveman]

first stop being a "girl" !at least you have a charger!there are so many people who dream of having one and never be able to do it!can't find a painter then practice and you do it yourself!but manly do not care what others say !sorry if i hurt your feeling its the time of the month but sometimes all we need is a good shake up!me being a girl learned a lot how and what to do with our car instead of waiting for people to keep their promise or trying to rip me off!

"I believe the ability to think is blessed. If you can think about a situation, you can deal with it. The big struggle is to keep your head clear enough to think."
Richard Pryor

good luck and cheer up!

Veronika

[redgum78]

Yeh it is hard to find the time, money and motivation sometimes. I am 2 years in on my Challenger and its not in paint yet.
Are you doing much of the work yourself? It can be very rewarding and motivating to have a go at doing some of those tougher jobs. Would you consider painting it yourself? If you are not looking for show quality finish you might be supprised how good a job you could turn out in your shed or garage. I find even the smaller jobs are very satisfying when complete (sorting bolts, painting brackets, repairing rust etc).
If you really have run out of energy on your RT I would say whack it in storage for a year or so. You will regret it forever if you sell it plus selling a semi restored car at the moment you will not get the sort of money it is worth.  
You have a high end Mopar there that you are restoring. If you have the cash you could buy cheaper Mopar that is in driving condition to keep your appetite wet while continuing with the RT. Then sell it off (or keep it) once the RT is done. That's kind of what I have done. Challenger RT 440 is the long term project and 73 Charger with 2 barrel 400 in it is my fun driver.

I have had every nut, bolt, wire, clip, etc and spent hours and hours with a mig welder, angle grinder, body file, etc and still have hours, days, weeks and even years ahead of me on the Challenger RT. I love my Charger but the Challenger RT will be much more rewarding for me once finished simply because of the hours I spent on it in the shed.
Hope this helps

[RallyeMike]

In the long run you have to make yourself happy. Some people really like the process of rebuilding, and some don't. If youve thought it through and really are not having fun, start saving your pennies and buy a completed car a few years down the road. In the end, it can actually save you money to buy buy a completed car anyway.

[Patronus]

As hard as it may seem, it can be done. My advise: find a friend to help. Much more can be done by two. You can bounce ideas off each other. Techniques, ideas, methods. Stumbling through it yourself can be daunting. Waiting on a spot in the shop? Many of us have been there. Thats why many of us do it ourselves. And like RallyeMike said, if thats not the route for you then double up the job for a couple years (they go quick) and save. One second in the driver seat and you'll forget all about 24 months of sweat. Hell, Im going to have to tint the windows just so no one can see me smile.

[Ghoste]

Obviously the best way is to drive it but thats noty always practical.  Sometimes all I need to do is stand in the garage for a bit and stare at the car.  Admiring the lines and the smells of it will get me going.  Other times watching some of the video I have shot of or with the car helps or even going through old photos.  Sometimes watching a good Charger movie like Dirty Mary Crazy Larry will do the trick.

[elacruze]

Posting lots of photos here on this forum will raise your spirits!

Ok maybe that's selfish on my part but it's still true lol.

I owned my Charger for 25 years before I got around to anything other than drivetrain work-of course the car was solid if not pretty.
My solution for stalling out on any project is commit myself to 1/2 hour a day spent on the project, even if the first couple days are just sitting in a lawn chair with a beer wondering how deep the dust really is.

Seriously, just stare at it for a while and before long you'll feel like moving forward, whatever that direction may be. Find some way to make an improvement, even if you decide to sell the time spent will make the car more attractive to a buyer. I hope you decide to dive in to the unknown, learn what you must to tackle the project.

[TK73]

I guess there is a lot of that... getting in too deep and selling...

What i did to keep interest was buy a driver that needed some work. In the first 8 years I only did maintenance; wheel bearings, brakes, tune ups, water pump, axle repair once and LOTS of gas because of a heavy pedal...

8th year was upgrade to 360, car was "down" 2 weekends.

Our latest upgrades; rust repair, paint, 440 have expanded to 5 months so far due to a shop fire and major illness... going a bit nuts without the car being mobile...




Gotta suck looking at a 3500 lb paperweight for years on end...

[nvrbdn]

ok man my story starts 4 years before i got married. bought my 70 in decent shape. wrong motor non running. started working on the car. id work on it a couple days a week when i had time.(i was a single parent raising 4 kids alone)(youngest 1 1/2 yrs old.) i have been married 11 years now and finally last sunday night the motor fired up. i have a few little minor things to do yet, but all the major stuff is done. spring i will get the tires for the wheels that will be on the car. i thought of giving up since it was taking so long. my kid wrote NVRBDN1 on the back window for my liscence plate and said,"dad you will never finish this car." well the wife said "you are not selling that car, its your dream. it isnt costing anything just sitting in the garage and you will soon get back to it." so it sat alot while i tried to get motivated. now i can say that im glad it is still here. take your time. pick one little job (like sanding a fender) and do it. baby steps to get back in. and like said before, watch shows that have the charger in them. i thought id have mine running in no time when i got it, but life got in the way. now its done and the wife and i will be cruising our butts off. plus we are past the kids at home age, so nothin holdin us back

[bobs66440]

In the long run you have to make yourself happy. Some people really like the process of rebuilding, and some don't. If youve thought it through and really are not having fun, start saving your pennies and buy a completed car a few years down the road. In the end, it can actually save you money to buy buy a completed car anyway.

The Charger I have now was pretty much as you see it when I bought it except for a new interior and misc mechanical stuff, and that's the way I like to do it. I did a ground-up restoration on a '72 'Vette  about 15 years ago. It was 2 years of hell and I will never do that again (at least until I retire). I do enjoy some parts of the restoration but it can quickly get overwhelming, as you know.

I agree with RallyeMike. If you enjoy the hobby but don't enjoy the restoration process, maybe sell it and save for a more complete car. In the end, you will probably spend less money, have more free time and everyone will be happier. 

[Cooter]

So......Your saying that you thought you'd be cruising in 2 years, but sounds like you bought a car that needs at least a 5 year resto? Am I reading it right?

First off, don't take anything I say here the wrong way, as it's meant to be contructive. Rome won't built in a day. All of us who HAVE TO build our own rides cannot afford to drop off at the painter and wait for the X-mas present to be done. We have to take time away from our families, work, other projects, Honey do lists, etc. to get ours done, so to exclaim that your thinking of throwing in the towel because it isn't happening fast enough is like a slap in the face to all of those who made it happen no matter what. What? You think we don't deal with the same issues you are facing right now? First off, I wouldn't be with a female that constantly gave me sh*t.

If the drive is there, you'll get it done no matter what...You gotta keep your eye on the prize. If your just tired of the car, then sell it and let someone else finish it. But, don't be surprized if it ends up parked beside your newest project come cruise night and your kicking yourself for selling it.

In parting, all I can tell you is this for a FACT!! There's just no better feeling than cruising a car that Fought you every step of the way, and everybody around you fought you. There's just something bout that first cruise.

[Marck]

What kept me going was the thought of doping my first burnout... Simple as that... :-)

[PocketThunder]

The thought of someday scoring in the back seat.   

[Darkman]

The thought of someday scoring in the back seat.   

Still waiting, huh?!?

[chargen86]

Wow, I didn't expect so many of you to reply....so much for the support! I know it sounds cheesy but reading all of your replies has made me man up and keep going.  

Sorry for sounding like a girl as Mrs.Caveman has called me! Although Veronika, you are a girl yourself and you seem to have so much perseverance!  

And Cooter thanks for the slap in the face I didnt take it the wrong way! The reason I feel this way is mainly because painters don't take me seriously because I'm under 30 or on the other end they think I have tens of thousands of dollars to spend. Are they that costly in the U.S?! I don't want to do it myself because I do want it to be showroom finish. I want to create THE WORLDS GREATEST 1968 CHARGER  

Reading some of the stories particularly redgum78 and nvrbdn were fantastic, I wish there were more people from Melbourne, Australia here because I dont have any friends with the slightest clue about cars, they are all office worker types who are afraid to get dust on their hands.

Do you still wanna see pics of my RT Darkman and tantop?

Thanks again guys, best forum members ever  

Think I might go rent Dirty Mary Crazy Larry now  

[Darkman]

Do you still wanna see pics of my RT Darkman and tantop?

I've said it before, and I will say it again.....is a duck's butt watertight?

Don't want to burst your bubble, but you may just have to settle for the world's SECOND greatest 1968 Charger just behind mine   

[lexxman]

I know how you feel,I'm in the same boat.I know I'm so close to getting it painted,but then I look at the car as a whole and man It's sooo  far.I 've been working on my 69 for three years now and I can't wait to get pass all the dam body work.People ask me are you having fun with it?My answer right now is no,but once I start putting it back together.Then it will be fun( I hope). If you can go to a car show and talk to other owners.

[Laxy]

Hey mate, I lived in Melbourne until 18 months ago when I had enough and moved across to Perth. Having 'car mates' will do you wonders for motivation as they can help you with ideas and working on the car. Get along to every Chrysler show you can, seeing completed cars really helps motivation too. Charger Club of Vic show and Chryslers on the Murray aren't far off.

Are you a member of the aussie forums? http://www.moparmarketforum.com and http://www.hemi6pack.com are the go, plenty of Melbourne guys who could recommend painters and suppliers, you can see upcoming events and you will make some new mates as forum members catch up in person regularly. MM is a bit more serious, while H6P is like a pub.

Painters are mainly dogs around Melbourne (and everywhere), so I feel your pain. But there are good ones - the best place for a Mopar restoration in Vic is actually up in Elmore.

Have you considered getting a cheap Valiant just to have something on the road in the meantime?

Anyway whatever I've said above is probably not news to you, but a 68 R/T is well worth persevering with! We need pics!!

PS. A few 'motivational' Charger movies you should watch if you haven't already (always worth repeat viewings):
Bullitt
Dirty Mary Crazy Larry
Cannonball
Drive Angry
Deathproof
Vanishing Point (the 1997 remake)
Any Dukes episode/movie
Even the first Fast n Furious!

[bull]

Once you get over the hump it does help. How you define that is up to you but to me once I had it painted and got the drivetrain in place I knew I was over halfway there. After 7 years I still have a ways to go but you've got to keep plugging away at it. Progress begets progress so once you see results you're motivated to see more. If I were you I would just get in line at one of those places with the year long wait and do other stuff in the meantime. You'll be surprised how fast that deadline sneaks up on you.

[Fred]

DON'T DESPAIR!
I had my ups and downs like most. Some days I could have ripped my hair out and thrown the project in, everything was taking heaps longer than it should have, some things had to be done over a second or third time (costing me more money than it should have) and there were times when I thought it would never get finished and I started to wonder if I'd see the day when I would actually get to drive it. It was all so frustrating.............

But I stuck to my guns and kept at it even through the lows and in the end...................it all paid off and I'm happy as Larry. There's no looking back now and I'm having heaps of fun.

IT WAS WELL WORTH IT!  

[PocketThunder]

The thought of someday scoring in the back seat.   

Still waiting, huh?!?

I said someday didnt i?   

[A383Wing]

For some people...."someday" never comes 

[HeavyFuel]

Dude, if I can hang in there, you can. 

I've had my '68 R/t for 20 years last month, and only have put 150 miles on it in that time.  It's been sitting......and waiting for me to get it done.  I'm getting there, but I hear where your coming from.  Take a hard look at what you want, and what you are willing to go through to get the car done.  You might be better off buying a 'done' car.  I kinda wish I had.  Nothing like doing something yourself, but I've wasted half my life on this resto, instead of driving.