Regrets on projects?

[h76]

How many of you guys regret even trying to do a project charger? What were the major surprises that came up as you tackled these cars? Just wondering about unexpected things like parts hunting, juggling other things(family,job,etc.), other costs? Not to mention having to be patient enough to wait the time to do the car, even though you can't drive it.

[Baldwinvette77]

Surprises? The weather isn't co-operating with mine, but that should soon change, as for hunting parts, i enjoy traveling to track down what i need, the biggest challenge for me is money, but thats nothing special for most people. The biggest surprise for me, was my car turned out to be much less rusty than i originally thought when i bought it.  I'm not really regretting anything on it, What's up with yours? 

[Daytona R/T SE]

I wish I'd never seen any of them.

[moparstuart]

 I have one that has been a mill stone around my Neck ,  stressed me out big time . 
  One day I will do another one but the economy did me in on this one.  So i have finally just given up and sold it .

[JB400]

I regret not getting to it sooner

[hawkeye]

the charger project is alot like raising children.  most of the time they make you proud and give you alot of satisfaction.  other times you just wonder "what the hell was i thinking"?  the big surprise was alot like the children comparison too, it was how expensive they are!!  but a least with a car when you get tired of it you can sell it. 

[71ChallengeHer]

Surprises. Go read the thread The Challenger Is In The Rod's Shop.  .  Do I regret it ? No, but at the time I wasn't ready for all the surprises we found. Now, I have the car build just like I wanted it . 

[richRTSE]

My current project started over 10 yrs ago. With 4 kids, its really hard to find time (and $$$) to get anything done. My wife works days, and I have worked afternoons for the last 12 years, so we have never had to pay for daycare... but I have always had a little one running around to look after. The youngest one started kindergarden this year, so my project is slowly starting to move in the right direction again....

Really been rough not having anything to drive since I sold my 69 R/T SE 2 yrs ago, but I needed $$$ for my project(s)....  

...and buying a second project while in the middle of a current project really slows you down too....  

[Wicked72]

I regret selling everything off my car and for so cheap. Job went south and the money i had to buy all the goodies went by by so now im looking for parts that i already had once and im paying twice as much.

[Cooter]

Regrets? Well, On my Dart, I decided way back when I was 25 Y/O to repair the body "good enough" to race it. Well, looking back, I shoulda just saved and bought new quarters. Now, After sitrting mostly for the last 10 years or so, it has become painfully obvious.

Another is I have too muck "Junk" and not enough time to drive them all. I get one in fair shape and another goes to sh*t from sitting.

I never thought I would have "too many" to drive, but given enoguh time, you will wonder too. All of mine are bought as "junk" nobody else wanted.
Now, after all the time and what little money I could invest, they are at least drivable, but I cannot drive them all- All the time.

As for the PITA part of building cars, I don't too much mind what has come to be the Selling force behind alot of projects on the internet.
I've been through hell with about 7 different jobs with this ol Dart and I've never really tried HARD to sell. It just seems to stick around.
Same with my other cars.

[charge69]

Regrets?   We ALL have our little regrets about things owned or sold off in the past. At least you sure do when you get to be my age!

[bill440rt]

I am happy with the way every car turned out that I worked on.
Only "regret" I can think of is picking the wrong "friend" to help me restore one when I was much younger. It all worked out in the end, but it cost me more time & thousands of dollars.

[bakerhillpins]

My current project started over 10 yrs ago. With 4 kids, its really hard to find time (and $$$) to get anything done. My wife works days, and I have worked afternoons for the last 12 years, so we have never had to pay for daycare... but I have always had a little one running around to look after. The youngest one started kindergarden this year, so my project is slowly starting to move in the right direction again....

Really been rough not having anything to drive since I sold my 69 R/T SE 2 yrs ago, but I needed $$$ for my project(s)....  

...and buying a second project while in the middle of a current project really slows you down too....  

Yea, what he said      I regret not starting earlier in my life. Everything takes 10x these days.

[elanmars]

Not this time around. I did regret the times I've paid more than I should have for cars that should have been a-ok and only needing minor things at most but ended up needing major work anyway. Had to learn the hard way!

So at least this time around, I knew what I was getting into and that's why I was able to even lower the already low price by pointing things out and dealing better. I knew it needed work, bodywise and mechanical-wise but at least I'm starting low.

[Homerr]

I did a full resto back in the mid-90's on a '69 Charger w/ 383HP, auto on column.

Regrets:
Didn't buy a manual car like I wanted.
Didn't drive the car enough to get to know it before I tore it all apart, leading to...
Put all the beefiest stuff on the chassis (springs, torsion bars, shocks, sway bars, poly bushings) and it really changed the ride comfort.
Ended up with a decent cruiser and show car, but not quite the fun DD I really wanted.
Bought high, sold low.
(Maybe I should have bought that equally rough '70 'Cuda 440 Shaker car back then for $4200 instead...but it was also an auto on column.)

No regrets:
I built a friggin Charger, learned a bunch, made new friends, and had a ton of fun doing it!

[dogpro]

I regret taking it apart 10yrs ago and then having kids and now I forget how to put it together  Not that it will happen anytime soon

[BrianShaughnessy]

I've said several times over the past several years that if I had the chance again to buy Sinnamon and knew then what I knew now I'd have let it go to somebody else....

It's more together than it was a year ago but it's still a long uphill road.

[1970Moparmann]

Regrets - not really.  I wish I was a little more thorough in buying my Charger because I under estimated the amount of work it needed.

Maybe the only regret was selling one of them.  I wouldn't have got my Bird though....

[PocketThunder]

I wish I'd never seen any of them.

Yep!

[Daytona R/T SE]

I wish I'd never seen any of them.

Yep!

[Memphis Mopar]

No regrets but damn sure didnt think I would be spending that much!

[PocketThunder]

I wish I'd never seen any of them.

Yep!

When i was younger this was me:  "Gosh, I really want a Charger, but I don't have 20,000 to spend".  "I know, I'll buy a rusty field car for $500 and spend the next 3 years putting $18,000 into it."   

[Baldwinvette77]

I wish I'd never seen any of them.

Yep!

When i was younger this was me:  "Gosh, I really want a Charger, but I don't have 20,000 to spend".  "I know, I'll buy a rusty field car for $500 and spend the next 3 years putting $18,000 into it."   

So... How did that turn out for ya,.. cause i know this guy, who may have done the same thing... want to make sure I.. er. i mean he* didn't make a bad decision.   

[billfury]

I wish I'd never seen any of them.

Yep!

When i was younger this was me:  "Gosh, I really want a Charger, but I don't have 20,000 to spend".  "I know, I'll buy a rusty field car for $500 and spend the next 3 years putting $18,000 into it."   

That's me. I could afford a $20,000 Charger, but only $100 at a time here, $300 there. Before I knew it I was in it to far to back out .The only regret I have is buying some crappy parts for allot of $$$$. I learned from my mistakes to research before purchasing.   

[bull]

There was a time that I wished I would have just bought one finished instead of going through what I've gone through with a total project, but I'm pretty must past that now. Still, if I had it to do over again I'd be more apt to do lots of homework on a builder and buy one finished. I'd be money and lots of time ahead.

Other than that there are some sequential things I wish I had done differntly but it's worked out ok so far. And there's a couple of people/businesses I wish I'd never contacted because their "help" was anything but.