Do you ever get to the point where you think about giving up?

[451-74Charger]

I have had my Charger 9 years, have not so much as undone a bolt (other than to remove bumpers).
I keep thinking, how long do I let it sit before I throw in the towel and sell it.
I know my wife wont let me, and I cant do much on it without building my garage, trouble is every time i get enough money to start building something happens (usually losing a job or having a baby sort of puts the brakes on any project). This time BOTH happen together. but Im still here and working (for now at least).
I have 2 other cars that need work on them, that at least I can drive 1 of those.
I have seen so many people give up on their dreams and felt sorry for them, but now know even more the reasons and feelings they had.
Dont worry, im not going anywhere, in fact im using this "down" time to re-evaluate how I can get this project going with the limited resources I have at hand, and the great support I get from this site.
My goal was to drive my Charger by my 40th, that may not happen, but there is always a possibility.
If I stick with the old 318 and 904, and just freshen up the body, i can drive it. However, i wanted to strip to a bare shell and paint properly, leading the joints etc, so no bondo.
but that can be a later restoration if I want

[Matthan]

If you are thinking about what you did not get done yesterday, then you are not doing anything today.

[694spdRT]

If you don't have the time, resources etc. to do a full resto then I would freshen up the body and get it back on the road. There are plenty of cars running around like that.(probably most)

I did the ground up thing on my '69 and I can't say that it is any more fun to drive than my '68 was with the 80's enamel paint job and bondoed up quarters. At least you can get some enjoyment out of it that way vs leaving it sit for another 10 or 20 years.    

[resq302]

Hell, I'm to that point everyday with something in my life.  Usually, I just take a deep breath, step away from the project or whatever is bothering me for a while and then return to it another day.  This way it gives me time to settle down, relax, and then you can think more clearly.

[Skyview69]

I've had my 71 for 20 years...still not near finished.  I've had my 69 now for 5 years...Haven't been able to touch it.  Like you said things happen and the cars always take a back seat to family and housing...but I still have them and I will hopefully keep them. I plan to make lots of progress on the 71 this summer and hope to ahave a driver by early next summer.  It will happen just stick with it

[Road Dog]

My 69 has never been restored, but if things need fixin at the time it gets fixed. I 've been talking lately about selling mine. It needs stuff done new trunk floor (not terrible , but still) Gonna need a motor rebuild probably in the next year or 3. I've got a 3 year old now and my priority money wise is not the car. I've owned it since 1978 and it is my first car. Only plus is it still looks decent and I can take it out and drive it every weekend. Sometimes I just think about what will needs to be done and think about selling.

[89MOPAR]

You should consider figuring out how to put 3-4 months of living expenses aside. Until you do that and can keep it there, UNTOUCHED, you'll probably feel guilty spending money on the car that should go to bills, family, house, etc.

  Then each big roadbump in the future will seem a little smaller.  It's free advice, and that's what its worth.  But i can tell you it's a lot easier for me to justify buying new drag radials/springs/etc with money in the bank and a 1yr old kid, than if i was on the edge of being broke with a baby.

[Troy]

Every day. Seriously. And I don't have a wife, kids, or a house. There are times when working on a project (or multiple projects in my case) just gets to be overwhelming. Coming here and seeing other people's progress and learning how to do things right tend to lessen the anxiety and make all things seem possible. Without that I'd have sold out long ago. I'd probably have a finished, drivable car though so even that's not a bad situation to be in.

Troy

[hemi68charger]

This is exactly why I gave up my '68 Hemi Charger R/T project and Dana (my former '69 T7 Charger 500 4-speed car) in trade for my current Daytona. Got tired of running after money/funds that always seemed to end up in of all places; groceries, kid's stuff, bills, home projects, etc. Everyone here pretty much knows the story. Now, I have a nice driver and collar room for the next project, my replacement '69 Charger 500.

Life is too short sometimes for the average Joe to be chasing too many dream cars.... unless you're Mr. Trump, Leno or the latest winner of Survivor, you simply have to make realistic decisions.. More than likely, it'll put a smile on your face and miles under your tires.......

AB (Troy)

[PocketThunder]

I agree with all of the above.  Your gonna be 40 soon?  Well, you're not getting any younger and pretty soon you'll be turning 50 and still no Charger to drive.  So i'd get that car back on the road as soon as possible and skip the full blown resto for now and wait till your kids are grown up.  They wont have memories of riding arounding in "Dads" Charger while its parked in the garage throughout there childhood.   

[451-74Charger]

  They wont have memories of riding arounding in "Dads" Charger while its parked in the garage throughout there childhood.   

I think that is motivation right there !!!

[grdprx]

I agree with all of the above.  Your gonna be 40 soon?  Well, you're not getting any younger and pretty soon you'll be turning 50 and still no Charger to drive.  So i'd get that car back on the road as soon as possible and skip the full blown resto for now and wait till your kids are grown up.  They wont have memories of riding arounding in "Dads" Charger while its parked in the garage throughout there childhood.   

That's what I'm trying to do, get memories with the kids.  I asked my 4 year old if he wanted a Charger when he grew up.  He replies, "No, it doesn't move and you always have to fix it!  I want mom's car.  She can go buy a new one."  I tell him that mom can't afford a new car, to which he replies.  "Then she can run!"

Fix the car, and enjoy it!  I tried to get mine running by my 30th.  That was last year.  Almost made it this year, but now I am shooting for the summer.  I enjoy every acomplishment made on the car though!

[bull]

Oh yea, several times I've considered quitting and many times very seriously. And sometimes looking at other people's cars makes it worse because when I look at how perfect some of them are I think of all the time involved to do what they've done and it's actually a little frustrating. I think the key to it is to take little bites each day. Some days all you do is organize your garage or clean up a couple bolts and other days you'll install the engine or half the interior but it all counts toward progress. Just keep plugging away because I can guarantee that if you quit you'll wish you hadn't.

[Patronus]

Sometimes, its such a big project. Kinda creeps you out when you take it apart and are like...."well sure hope I can get her back together." Thats where this place comes in, always someone here to help. I think the hardest part (for me) is seeing everyones nice cars on here. What usually takes 4-5 years Im doing in 6 months....

[hemi68charger]

 They wont have memories of riding arounding in "Dads" Charger while its parked in the garage throughout there childhood.  

I think that is motivation right there !!!

100%. I have vague, albeit fond, memories of myself and my Dad with his '69 Daytona when he had it new... Now, I want my kids, Julie and Jacob, to experience the exact same thing... One difference though,,,,,,,,,,,, I won't be thinking of my Daytona as "just another car" like my Dad did back in the day.......

You can't experience moments like this with a garage-queen........

[41husk]

I would also suggest buying something that you can take to shows and cruises.  Maybe needs interior, paint etc.  I hated during the over 10 years that I was trying to finish my challenger, being the guy at the show telling the people showing there cars, " I have a convertible challenger in the garage"  and feeling that many simply did not believe you.  If I had not bought a car that wasn't real nice to show and enjoy, I would probably never had finished the challenger.  It also helped that I changed from a nut and bolt restoration, trailer Queen car to a nice driver after finding the original motor was missing and a few other issues. 

[grdprx]

 They wont have memories of riding arounding in "Dads" Charger while its parked in the garage throughout there childhood.  

I think that is motivation right there !!!

100%. I have vague, albeit fond, memories of myself and my Dad with his '69 Daytona when he had it new... Now, I want my kids, Julie and Jacob, to experience the exact same thing... One difference though,,,,,,,,,,,, I won't be thinking of my Daytona as "just another car" like my Dad did back in the day.......

You can't experience moments like this with a garage-queen........

Awesome pic!

[Road Dog]

  They wont have memories of riding arounding in "Dads" Charger while its parked in the garage throughout there childhood.   

I think that is motivation right there !!!

My boy is 3 years 5 mo and loves riding in the car. Wife says I can't sell it for that reason and I agree. He'll have lots of pics and memories for sure.

[hemi68charger]

 They wont have memories of riding arounding in "Dads" Charger while its parked in the garage throughout there childhood.  

I think that is motivation right there !!!

100%. I have vague, albeit fond, memories of myself and my Dad with his '69 Daytona when he had it new... Now, I want my kids, Julie and Jacob, to experience the exact same thing... One difference though,,,,,,,,,,,, I won't be thinking of my Daytona as "just another car" like my Dad did back in the day.......

You can't experience moments like this with a garage-queen........

Awesome pic!

Thanks...     Proud Papa.....

[FLG]

Man reading all these replies sure makes me feel damn lucky where I am with my car.

I got her 3 years ago (I'm 21 now) and I've been doing all I can to keep her drivable and keep gathering parts on the side.

I wish I made further progress but recently things have gotten really well for me. The new engine should be done this month, than its the tranny, all the interior pieces, trunk floor, and a pass quarter panel, bulge hood and a few other things and its time to save cash and get her ready for the shop. I'm not touching the car until I gather the rest of the parts. There's no point in taking a car apart when you don't have the funds to put it back together. Plus I get to enjoy it every week. I've grown to LOVE the fact its unrestored, I can lean on it and sit on the front bumper, I don't need to worry so much about where I park...but I can't wait till its perfect.

If its going to take you too long and you want to enjoy the car either freshen it up and get her on the road..or sell yours and find a driver. You can score one for pretty cheap if you look around. There's even a forum member selling a clean 3rd gen driver for around 5k if you look in the sale section.

[hemi68charger]

If its going to take you too long and you want to enjoy the car either freshen it up and get her on the road..or sell yours and find a driver. You can score one for pretty cheap if you look around. There's even a forum member selling a clean 3rd gen driver for around 5k if you look in the sale section.

When I get my "new" '69 Charger 500 next month, it'll have a kaleidoscope of a front clip, a Daytona butt stripe and a blue 440... But, who else can go drive a "Joe-Dirt" C500?   

Like FLG, I'll gather parts I don't already have and get her running as an auto. Then, I'll paint and convert to a 4-speed later.......

[moparstuart]

If its going to take you too long and you want to enjoy the car either freshen it up and get her on the road..or sell yours and find a driver. You can score one for pretty cheap if you look around. There's even a forum member selling a clean 3rd gen driver for around 5k if you look in the sale section.

When I get my "new" '69 Charger 500 next month, it'll have a kaleidoscope of a front clip, a Daytona butt stripe and a blue 440... But, who else can go drive a "Joe-Dirt" C500?   

Like FLG, I'll gather parts I don't already have and get her running as an auto. Then, I'll paint and convert to a 4-speed later.......

you can borrow my wing for a while and really look like JOE   

[hemi68charger]

If its going to take you too long and you want to enjoy the car either freshen it up and get her on the road..or sell yours and find a driver. You can score one for pretty cheap if you look around. There's even a forum member selling a clean 3rd gen driver for around 5k if you look in the sale section.

When I get my "new" '69 Charger 500 next month, it'll have a kaleidoscope of a front clip, a Daytona butt stripe and a blue 440... But, who else can go drive a "Joe-Dirt" C500?   

Like FLG, I'll gather parts I don't already have and get her running as an auto. Then, I'll paint and convert to a 4-speed later.......

you can borrow my wing for a while and really look like JOE   

I'd have to get a limp-eyed front nose to do that..........   

[694spdRT]

 They wont have memories of riding arounding in "Dads" Charger while its parked in the garage throughout there childhood.  

I think that is motivation right there !!!

My little boy just turned 21 months old. The last two toy cars we let him pick out(on his own) were a '70 Challenger R/T and a '69 Charger R/T.

I am hoping that trend continues as the little squirt gets older. I think "car car" even came before mama or dada on the first words list.  

[472 R/T SE]

The only time I got frustrated was around the early 90's.  There were several cars I wanted but couldn't afford.  I had a nice '68 Coronet R/T but wanted to move up.

So I changed professions doubling my pay.