Quality or Quanity:... Runners or Projects?..

[Brock Samson]

  I see alot of folks here have multiple projects littering the premisis.
  sometimes for years, decades even,.. and they bring new orphans home without finishing the older ones...
   And so,   just for the sake of argu, err,.. discussion, how is it you would rather have several projects depleting your pocket book,(and property values) and not a couple or a few finished bitchen cars?...

     

[greenpigs]

I wondered about that myself and I would like another project, but just one more which would bring the total to 2. Just chiming in as I do not have cars scattered around as my charger is just filling up my parents garage

Well I guess I want two more cars which would be:

A Volare\Aspen..with a \6 to drive to work in the nicer weather
Then a 64-66 barracuda to make an autocross\drag\street\ racer out of.

[Brock Samson]

and thank you for using shell kheck! 

[RD]

because good deals are just too damn hard to pass up!  plus in kansas, you are not a real musclecar fanatic unless you have 3 or more musclecars in varied stages of restoration or rustification.  Hey, we have rep's to protect damn't!!! j/k

[PocketThunder]

Well its a sickness...  When i lived in Chicago and had a two car garage i only had room for one car.  Now i've got a 3 car garage and a little more room to park a 4th car outside next to it.   I'm trying to only put money into one car at a time, but when surfing ebay and a part comes up that i need for the 69 i think, well i better buy it now, who knows when i'll find another one. and bam!  i'm tapped....

[dd44068]

i would some more but i have one and it keeps me depleted enough

[Telvis]

I am having a hard enough time getting my one car finished. I couldn't image stressing over multiple projects.

[Old Moparz]

This is too easy. I collected matchbox cars as a kid, so why not 1:1 scale cars now?

I think multiple cars, or even multiple projects, can happen by default, as well as intentionally causing your own stress & empty pockets because of fanaticism of the hobby. There are a lot of different reasons, & a combination of reasons that will do it. What causes one person to just about stalk a celebrity waiting for an autograph, while others won't even know who the person is? Where does the word "FAN" come from? How about the person who collects & saves all of one kind of item, like toys, dolls or records?

http://www.seattleweekly.com/music/9843/music-cruger.php

Maybe 25 to 30 years ago, I started seeing different Mopars at shows & kept thinking, I'll get one of those B-Bodies one day, or it would be cool to have one of those E-Body cars. Well, I started with my first '69 Charger, & had sold it when it became a POS sucking my funds every week. I bought a '70 GTX to replace it, but the tow truck driver screwed up the car. At that time I now had a Charger I was trying to sell, a GTX I was hoping to fix with the towing outfit's insurance payment, & my daily driver, a 4 door Coronet.

I sold the Charger, got some money to fix the GTX, but had found a ragtop I liked even more, the '69 Satellite that I still have to this day. Sold the GTX & later on, found my '71 Scamp with 42,000 miles for $1500 as my daily driver & eventually took it off the road to have painted. It was a long time before I owned more than 2 cars at the same time, but like someone mentioned, you sometimes can't pass up a killer deal. How about a '68 Barracuda ragtop at a yard sale you can drive home for $600? What about a rust free '68 Charger for $1200 with $2500 worth of new sheet metal already installed? I have the space to keep them, & the means to get them, so why not?

The '68 Coronet ragtop was another cheap local find, but my intention was to use it as the base car for a Charger convertible project. I sold the Barracuda ragtop to dive into this project. That would mean 2 cars for just making 1 car, so this puts me at a total of 4 cars soon to be 3 cars. I decided the convertible Charger project was a bad idea & beyond my capabilities, so I decided to sell the Coronet & build a Charger Daytona, another car I had always wanted, but can't afford to buy a real one.

I did get a '71 Barracuda, but only as a long way off, build it in the future project. The main reason was because I always wanted one, but watched prices of small block Cudas go totally beyond reach. I snagged one for $4000 & shelved it for later, or I'd never be able to own one at all. So now with all the projects on hand, I needed a car to drive & bought the '70 Road Runner. It's an almost finished car, a project which is not what I wanted, but the price was too good to pass on. For a car that needs about $1500 worth to get it to a show, I saved about $10,000 getting this one over a few others I had seen.

Of course me not knowing when to say when, or having a wife who doesn't care I get them is another couple of good reasons. I do have a goal for this year, & that's to have the Scamp & the Road Runner both on the road & finished. I am very tired of not having a finished car, but the main reason for that is I put a lot on hold to spend time with my daughter since she was born. The Coronet will either be on ebay soon, or I'll swap it with a good friend of mine for some major plumbing work I want done. At the end of the year I'll probably sell the Scamp & start assembling the Daytona project while I drive the Runner.

Unless I the guy I work with decides to let go of the AAR Cuda project that's been hidden in his garage since 1979. 

Current Junk List:
1968 Coronet 500 Convertible
1968 Charger (Daytona)
1969 Satellite Convertible
1970 Road Runner Coupe
1971 Scamp
1971 Barracuda

[sixpack70]

Deals on decent cars drive a lot of us. I know one guy with a 70 duster in his garage, a 68 Dart GT convertible mostly finished and a 70 charger 500 on the side of his house. I thought wow thats a lot of cars. Now I have my 70 charger, the the 69 mach 1 and a 67 mustang coupe for 900 bucks with only battery apron rust. It runs and drives pretty decent. I just have a sckness where I want more and more old cars. I guess I need to build a car lot out of my backyard.

[Charger_Fan]

What can I say, I like old cars. Yep, it's a sickness.

Most of the reason I bought my house where I did was that I had decent room to store project cars without having to pay for storage somewhere else. If I lived in a place where I couldn't keep my projects & had to sell them, it would really bum me out...moreso than having them sit there & not be able to do a proper resto. Because at least I still have them & will get to them one day.

If it weren't for some poor financial decisions in years gone by, I'm sure I'd have at least two of them done today. I have been making a definite effort to not buy things I really don't need & more project cars is one of them.
Although last fall, I did snag a 65 F100 from it's original owner for $400. That one was too good to pass on & if I needed to, I could easily get that money back out of it.

Let see here, project cars...
70 Charger
70 Charger parts car (undecided on whether I can actually part it or not)
66 F100 (my 1st vehicle)
65 F100 (still might just flip this one)

...that's not too bad, right?

[253862656971]

I have 4 Charger with 3 of them running.  Until just recently I only drove 1 more than in and out of the garage (69).  I have since driven my running 71 a total of 30 miles.  The 73 I have had running but I never have driven it.  All are projects in my book.  The 69 needs a paint job.  The 71 needs an interior and it needs all the trim put back on.  The 73 needs everything.  I also have another 71 but it's so rusty it's only good for a chopped up drag car.  I also have a 62 Pontiac Catalina.  It's been in the trailer for about 3 1/2 years now.  I had it started a few weeks ago.  It was also my first car and I'll be damned if I ever give it up!

So can we have another category?  How about running projects?

[Blown70]

Well I find a steal I cannot turn it down.  I will post some pics of the newbies once I pick them up.  I never over spend and know what I buy I can always sell for more.  Call it my stock market, if you will.

I only have no running driving mopars at the moment.

ask moparguy01, he has seen the shop and what will be soon to be in the shop.

Tom

[chrisII]

i think there are alot of diff reasns..in my case i have my charger, its driveable but neads some major work and paint to be a good driver. so i find my duster and i figure i really do want to stop driving my charger , so having a car with a fair paint job that doesnt nead major mechanical work seems like a good plann. im getting the car for less than the engine is worth and it will be a nice cruiser for a couple summers. once the charger is done then i will either sell the duster (with different driveline) or redo the duster to make it a truely nice car also. either way ive got 2 "projects" for a while. who knows what will turn up tomorow, but like somebody said above we never know if another of these cars will turn up. so if you can buy it and store it (someplace it isnt gettting trashed) i say go for it.

[Big Lebowski]

  The secret is always keep one Charger running and restored at all times. That way you can do your Sat. morning burnout, and the smell of burning rubber gives you that kick to get something done. I'm working on 3 cars.

[BigBlockSam]

because good deals are just too damn hard to pass up! 

:agree:

it's a sickness. what i do is i get them mechanically tight. so i can drive them and enjoy them as i fix the bodies and look for more mopars. Rene

[Brock Samson]

well i have no room, or funds for projects, they have to drive.. so i only have two vehicles,. it's a good thing too or i'd have prolly 50 planters in the front yard...   

[skip68]

Because we are collectors and they say it's a mental thing.    I look at it like this.  Take the one thing you like the most, now you find it somewhere for half the price what do you do? YOU MUST BUY.........! At least that's the way I look at it.  ...............It's an addiction......And now I am sick..............And I must not get help.  ............Chuck...

[TK73]

Wish I had focused on the Charger instead of hauling the Fury, then the D-100 and finally, the Valiant home.  I'd be way further along on the Charger...

[Old Moparz]

Wish I had focused on the Charger instead of hauling the Fury, then the D-100 and finally, the Valiant home.  I'd be way further along on the Charger...

Hunter-Gatherer-Syndrome. 

[rare69]

i want one really nice car first, then move on to the next. passed on a pretty nice 70 r/t charger for a bargin so i could finish the 69. not enough money to do everything i want to do on the 69 and dump money on other resto projects.

[hemihead]

I am rebuilding a 73 right now but I want to buy more just to park in my yard so I can be like everyone else and be a big shot ,macho guy and brag to everybody about the cars I have.Then when someone asks me if it's for sale I can say I'm going to fix it up some day.When it's half rotted I'll ask big dollars for it.   

[Charger Aficionado]

  I'd like everyone I touch to be running...  Sometimes it just isn't possible.  I took a spin in the GL today and it felt GREAT. 

[Lowprofile]

How can you pass up a good deal or the opportunity to save a car from the crusher. I guess I have the sickness, because I want to save them all.   

[MOPARHOUND!]

   And so,   just for the sake of argu, err,.. discussion, how is it you would rather have several projects depleting your pocket book,(and property values) and not a couple or a few finished bitchen cars?...

Depleting?  With the way Mopar prices keep going up, especially Chargers, I prefer using the term "investment" versus "expense". 

Sold some oil stock and "invested" in a 2nd generation Charger recently.  Still an investment, just via a different investment vehicle (pun intended, haha).

And the other cars in the barn?  I wouldn't sell the hoods to you today for what was paid for the entire cars years ago, their appreciation continues.

You have a good point though Strat, I have thought of selling it all, keeping an automatic and a 4 speed car, and maybe a 3rd.  Build a nice garage for them, and things would be a lot simpler.

[dodgeboy67]

because every mopar we save from the crusher is a potentiel chevy killer......or import eater whichever you prefer

i think some people by parts cars and then decide that they are too good to cut up

[6pkrunner]

I have 7 Mopars right now, and it wouldn't matter if I only had one. At this stage there is no money for any of them. However, I am optomistic that the future will improve (kids move out) and I can get back at it full bore. right now I only get parts when the price is right. And in today's market that isn't too often. I have always thought of these are retirement projects anyway so anything done earlier than that is a bonus.

[hemihead]

I see alot of " i gonna fix it up someday" here. And everyone complains whenother guys say that.

[Troy]

I see alot of " i gonna fix it up someday" here. And everyone complains whenother guys say that.

I wouldn't say "everyone" complains. Most of the time when people complain about guys hoarding cars it's because they don't have one - not because they have a yard full.

As for me, mine are actually getting worked on but none are finished yet so I guess that sticks me in the project category too. As long as I have the space to store them without them rusting away then it doesn't matter how long they take - at least I'm not still searching.

Troy

[Old Moparz]

As long as I have the space to store them without them rusting away then it doesn't matter how long they take - at least I'm not still searching.

Troy

I can agree, I find myself in a different category now that I have several of the cars I have always wanted. I mean, I am not in car search mode like a few years ago. Now it's car parts search mode, but with more & more aftermarket parts being reproduced, it's an unexpected benefit of waiting with a project. There will always be something else I'd like to own, but the prices of what I want will better dicatate what I can actually have. It forces me to stay with the current fleet. I'd like a real Daytona & a Superbird, & had always thought I'd be able to get a Hemi car, but screw the idea of buying a car for more than I paid for my house. 

[694spdRT]

The only time I really have a problem with the "I am going to fix it up someday" crowd is when the car is sitting out in the elements and deteriorating. We have several "projects" but, they are all safely stored indoors.  

I have been after a particular Chargerr for two years now and it has been sitting in the same spot for 17 years. It is to the point that the car is literally in the ground and it is only a matter of time before it is too late.    

[hemihead]

The only time I really have a problem with the "I am going to fix it up someday" crowd is when the car is sitting out in the elements and deteriorating. We have several "projects" but, they are all safely stored indoors. 

I have been after a particular Chargerr for two years now and it has been sitting in the same spot for 17 years. It is to the point that the car is literally in the ground and it is only a matter of time before it is too late.     

Well, maybe that guy is waiting until his kids are gone or he is financially better off or an investment or some of the other things mentioned above.My point is when is it ok to hang on to something for years  and when are you considered to be one of the " gonna fix it" guys?The only difference I see is if you are the owner or if you are the person wanting to buy it for nothing.

[694spdRT]

I think we all are or have been "gonna fix it guys" to some extent with any project cars. All my families project cars were bought at prices that would not buy one project car now. That is why they will wait in line because they could not be replaced. My dad has a couple projects he is working on and numerous completed cars. My brother in law recently bought a '70 Charger that I found for him and he is collecting parts.  I am just starting the Challenger as I type this and there is some minor work to do on the '68 if I want to but, they don't sit around to never get completed.

I agree if someone wants to buy a car for nothing from an owner then they really should not complain if they don't get it. The big difference for me is with cars that are deteriorating away. The car simply will not be around to fix whether it is being saved for a kid, an investment, or for when the funds are available to do a restoration. It doesn't really matter what any of us think because, in the end, the owner gets decide what to do and it is their choice to leave it sit, part it out, sell it, or whatever.

In my particular case, with the Charger I mentioned, the guy I am talking with has been on the fence as whether he wants to fix the car up or restore it. He has even told me that it should be stored better and I will get first crack at buying it if he decides too. I have offered to come and help jack the car up on blocks to at least get it off the ground. He agreed that was a good idea and he would take care of it. That was two years ago and it is still on the ground. I will keep trying....

[mrmopar66]

I don't see the problem. I wanted the cars, had the money, inside storage. So I bought them. I may not get to them for another ten years. I have teenage sons that I'm sure will won't to build one. I can tell you that money spent on a Mopar is betteer then in a 401 K at this point.


Brian

[Blown70]

I don't see the problem. I wanted the cars, had the money, inside storage. So I bought them. I may not get to them for another ten years. I have teenage sons that I'm sure will won't to build one. I can tell you that money spent on a Mopar is betteer then in a 401 K at this point.


Brian

I agree,  I do not like people that let them sit out.  Cold storage is fine.  Just do not let them sit out and rot.  I have one more car 2 car other than what I have.  Then I am done and will fix them  They all are going to be in doors.

Tom

[BigBlockSam]

i should have my dream garage with in the next 2 yrs. till then i store most of my cars outside with covers and car capsules. it's a never ending job to keep weathering and rust away.first all my cars are on pavement, not on dirt. i use alot of wd 40 under the hood and undrerneath. on the larger areas i clean and spray rust encapsulator and other paints every yr. plus they are all insured and registered. plus they are driven weekly. not driving a car is the quickest way to let them yturn to shit. Rene

[JimShine]

I would love to go with quality, but found myself with quantity. Sometimes deals pop up you just have a hard time saying no to. Then when find a car you really like for as much as the grille cost on your project, its near impossible to say no. Over this winter I have realized I need a game plan. I have to take it one car at a time. I am maxed out on insode storage too, so now any deals I find have to be passed on to people I know rather than taken advantage of. Its better for me and the cars I already own.

[Brock Samson]

  well, i passed on a couple E-bods to concentrate on my Aircraft Carrier..
There was a Hurst 300 that needed paint, a hood and a trunk,. in about 1987
  In the late '80s ('88?) i got a chance to drive a '71 Plum Crazy 'n Black 440 Six-pack Chally with elastomerics, i seem to remember an overhead console but i don't remember a small rear window,.. it was an auto car and pretty rough, but convinced me, even with a 4 bbl where the duces should be that a six-pack was the motor I wanted in my Charger..  When i drove back the guy said he's sell it to me for $6.5 K cash and I passed... I guess i could'a taken out a loan...
  Then in '90 while shopping for my second ram van i stumbled upon a burnt orange '70 Grand Cuda that had been parked for years,.. it had a slant 6 and a three on the tree and what i remember as orange and black houndstooth bench front seat, they wanted $5 K for that one and again I passed cause i needed a new(er) Van not another project..
I ended up gittin a white '89 Ram 150 van, Short WB with 318, AC, Auto trans,.. for $3.5 K, just what i wanted and what i could afford.
after i chipped two inches of spilled and hardend Paint out the back It was good to go...
  There were a couple other non mopes too,.. the one that springs to mind was the low Mile PERFECT bone stock '66 Toronado, seafoam green in and out and $6K.
would you have gone for those?.. 

  http://www.toronado.net/cpg133/albums/userpics/normal_Engine%20%26%20Drive.jpg