How far gone is too far?

[Rodney Bullock]

I was looking at 40 plymouth's thread about two tone cars and he had an old pic of my Plymouth. It made me look at some pic's from a long time ago. I remember my love for old cars was so stronhg that there was nothing that I would not do to restore a car. I had lots of energy then however that was not long long ago. It led me to some pic's of the stude. Yes It was a gift from a guy, was it to far gone or did I have such determination that nothing would hold me back. If I saw a car like that, gift or not I would run for the hills. How bad was your first or second antique and would you run for the hills NOW:)

Edited June 27, 2013 by Rodney Bullock

[55 Fargo]

Rodney you be a "driven Man", and I can relate.

My car was a serious "Basket Case", a Friend told me I was crazy, and why would you fix up that car, it's "Too Far Gone".

However my determination, drivenness, imagination, and halp from this forum broght my car back to life.

I did 95% of the work so it ain't as nice as it could be. If I had the money, I could do it all over again on another project, my car still needs things like bumpers and stainless re-chromed, but anything left ios about money, and having items fixed by others, my lack of cash stops that in its tracks, otherwise, I would have everything going on, even if it is -20 outside last night.

Here is a pic of the "Too Far Gone", when I first started the revival.....

[JerseyHarold]

What was considered a parts car 20-30 years ago would be thought of as restorable today. My first '51 Cranbrook (that I got in 1977) was not as far gone as your Studebaker. It was complete, had rotted fenders and rockers, and a stuck engine. I gave up on it and parted it out (which I regret). Today, someone would jump right in and fix it up.

[oldodge41]

My '41 Dodge was pretty bad. Dad and I wanted it anyways. We were told we were nuts, and we probably were but it was what we could afford. We too did all our own work.It is the worst one I have done but my dad and my brother did a '65 Mustang that was worse. Where we found it After we cleaned and disassembled for a couple weeks. As it is today. My brother just called me to tell me he bought another basket case Dodge Demon, so here we go again. Probably tow it home next weekend. Edit to fix picture.

Edited January 22, 2011 by oldodge41

[1940plymouth]

I liked the body style and the fact that the Plymouth ran, but she had some good sized holes in the trunk and in the passenger compartment, not to mentioned a huge dent in the driver's side rear fender.

I had enough basic knowledge to be dangerous so a friend and I went thru the brakes and replaced the cracked head and got her road worthy, mostly thanks to my friend, then over the course of the past 22 years I have done a good share of the work myself and with the help of my youngest son Shane. It is a driver, but by no means a show car.

My Father, who cars were a necessary evil" siad to me when I bought the Plymouth, "What the hell you going to do with that, they were junk when they were new, and still junk today" Now 22 years later, if I mention to him, if he wants to go for a ride in the old Plymouth, he just smiles and gets in and off we go

[Rodney Bullock]

My brother just called me to tell me he bought another basket case Dodge Demon, so here we go again. Probably tow it home next weekend. Edit to fix picture.

He picked a great car I had a Dodge demon, 318, dual exhaust, bench seat. Burgandy with mopar rims and white letters. I loved that car:confused: My cousin cried to my mom to let him and his father drive it to work:mad: It was all set up. It was perfect and they wrecked it. They ran it into two parked cars. I had to pay for those cars to be repaired and while I was doing that the tow yard it was being held at stripped my car. My cousin never paid for my car or the damage to the others. Years later we were at a family picnic and they needed some hot dog rolls. He looked at me and said "hey let me use your....He never got the rest of the sentence out. It's funny everyone there looked and just turned their back.

Many years later, I saw the car in front of a house. I knew it was mine as I grinded the chrome off the rear bumper in a place only I could have found. Please fix that car and let me see pic's I could not even bear to buy another. That cousin BANNED FOR LIFE:mad:

Edited June 27, 2013 by Rodney Bullock

[JerseyHarold]

My cousin sold Dodges in Brooklyn when Demons first came out, and he got the first one in as a demo. Nice car, but one fender had a Demon emblem, and the other side had a Duster emblem. You gotta love things like that!

[oldodge41]

I will keep you up to date on the Demon Rodney. It is a '72 that is a completely stripped basket case. Originally a six cylinder car that has had a k-member swap for a 360 that comes with it. The guy stripped it and was sandblasting but lost interest. I had a '70 Duster 340 and a '74 Duster 318 that were sisters to the Demon. I miss the '70 a lot. banned for life is letting the cousin off easy in my book.........Tim

[rustyzman]

Most vehicles I have had, particularly early on, were very very rusty. In my family we did all our own work and kept everything until it was used up. My 240Z (my first baby) was rusty and bad when my family bought it at 8 years old. My dad did a lot of body and floor work to it at that time. Then I bought it and did more resto work on it (in my sweet neighbor lady's garage for about 2 years, she was really great to me) and then drove it as a daily driver for 3 years. It needed lots of body and structural work (unibody).

The worst one I ever did was at a shop I worked for. It was a 76 280Z that belonged to a very nice librarian who just loved the car. It got her through some very tough times when she had no money and needed dependability. Sadly, Chicago eats Datsuns. Later on she brought the car to me to make it safe and roadworthy again because she really wanted it to be solid again. Really was not at all safe to drive, frame rails had rusted bad enough to no longer really be holding the sway bar, front suspension and crossmember. Budget only allowed structural work. The local body shops refused and said it could not be saved. I took it on and got it back to solid again. By the time I was done removing the major structural rust, the floors and the entire car from the firewall forward was gone, save one upper frame rail. Again, this is unibody, so no frame left, no core support, aprons, nothing. I used a lot of NOS Datsun components but there was quite a lot of hand fabricating. It took me over a month of 6 days a week and in the end I was paid for about half the time I had into it. I knew financially it was a total loser, but the happiness on her face driving that car again was worth all of it and more.

It still cost quite a bit to do, but to her it was worth it and no one could tell her it was too far gone.

There were others as well, but that one really stood out.

All the time and money spent on my Z was worth it too. It is gone now because rust really overcame it from my daily driver use and years of no garage. It reached the point of not worth doing again (to me), but instead became a donor or components for vehicles literally all over the world. More importantly it became the engine/drivetrain donor for my buddy's '51 Chevy that his grandfather left him. It lives on in a most unique way.

My '54 is far from perfect. It has rust, damage from abuse and from non use. All the work I did personally and professionally up to this point has prepped me for this project. It will never return what I put into it, but that is not the point. I am doing it to enjoy the ride, both literally and figuratively. I have no plans to ever sell it. No due dates, no pressure (though it does have to be somewhat mobile just for practicalilty). Some who have seen pictures can only see how much it needs. The real enthusiasts see what it is and what it can be.

I say if you want it bad enough, nothing is too far gone. Its all up to you and what you can see in that old car.

[40plyrod]

My 1st project was a peach with only a bit of rust in the footwell below the heater and some in the box sides, but my dad actually bought it for a farm truck and then gave it to me. It was a great way to get started. The second project was a bit more challenging it was my dad's first car a 1927 chrysler and had quite a bit of rust in the rear wheel wells, tailpan and lower cowl, but the worst part was the rust in the belt line in the rear of the cab. I started with the easiest patches and worked my way up to those. By the time I was ready for my next project I felt pretty confident in my ability to patch rust and really like the lines of what turned out to be a very rusy 40 plymouth sedan. So far I've replaced the floor( firewall to tailpan) lower sections of both rear wheel wells, tail pan, the bottom 5" of the trunk lid(inner and skin), Holes in the lower rear fenders (both sides),5" of the lower rear quarters (behind the doors) as well as 5" of the passengers door bottom (inner and skin). I still have to do the drivers door and the lower cowl(both sides as well as the drip rails(both sides). If I had had more money to spend and was able to find a better 40 (they're pretty scarce around here) I would have probably bought a better one but I like the challenge and sense of accomplishment from taking a car that was probably heading for the crusher and making it like new again. If however my projects are following a pattern I'm a little afraid of what I'll try and save next:eek: Maybe I'll take my Dad shopping with me:D

[Chester Brzostowski]

I say if you want it bad enough, nothing is too far gone. Its all up to you and what you can see in that old car.

Rusty,

Thanks I really enjoyed your post.

Chet...

[oldodge41]

Rustyzman that really sums it up well. 40plyrod that is some nice looking work.

[rustyzman]

Thanks guys.

Its really good to know that I am among like minded company here.

[Don Coatney]

I had a '70 Duster 340 ..Tim

I sure wish I still had my 340 Duster.

[rustyzman]

This was a thread on another forum I belong to. The thread is about this mans retirement shop he built, but there are some pictures of what he restores in it. Particularly interesting is the one at the bottom of the first page. A great example of its never too late!

Not Mopar, but you gotta appreciate the dedication and skill.

http://www.practicalmachinist.com/vb/member-shop-photos/oldcarguy-s-retirement-toy-shop-124958/

[1940plymouth]

Not a 340, but a 318 with three speed on the floor, Duster Twister, good car, I had it three years, It was a '72 that I bought in Nov of '71 when I was in Topeka, Kansas, after being in Alaska for a year

[rustyzman]

I always wanted a Dart Swinger 340. And a 56 Fury. Maybe someday.

I miss my dads '69 Valiant. I can still here it start. 18 years and 186,000 miles on it when it left us for Victory Auto Wreckers. I don't even think they gave us any money for it. Sad.

[Gary Manes]

There is no such thing!! When I was in the Army near D.C. a friend and I took a drive one Saturday out as far as Luray Caverns just really enjoying the beautiful scenery and weather.

Going through Luray we noticed a Museum with some cars in it. Both of us were " Car Nuts" so in we went. They only had a few cars back then, but all were beautifully restored. One was a late '20's EXTREMEMLY rare Mercedes SSK.

Just as we were nearing the exit we noticed an old gentelman dusting an early '30's Ford coupe. We ask what he knew about the cars. He said, "Everything, I helped in the restoration of all of then." He told us that the SSK was found in a field so far gone it was barely recognizeable as a car; much less the rare SSK phaeton it was.

Run down to Luray and see if it is still there.

[Jim Yergin]

I thought the wood just needed sanding and re-varnishing. Little did I know.

Jim Yergin

[55 Fargo]

Not a 340' date=' but a 318 with three speed on the floor, Duster Twister, good car, I had it three years, It was a '72 that I bought in Nov of '71 when I was in Topeka, Kansas, after being in Alaska for a year[/quote']

Nice car Bob, I had a Black 1972 Duster Twister, 340, 4 speed, bought it used in 1980, what car had a lot of balls, blew the doors off many a SBC, and Furds too.

It had headers, but cannot rember if I had the stock carb or something else, all the rest stock except for track bars, Keystone mags, with Mickey Thompson tires, at least on the back they were MTs.

I regretfully only kept the car maybe a year, and sold her.....

[Chester Brzostowski]

Jim Yergin

Jim,

Great job the pictures say it all...

Chet...

[Big_John]

As I get older, a little wiser and a lot more lazy, I'd rather start with something a bit more solid and complete. Some guys will rebuild just about anything though. I have a friend restoring a 69 Roadrunner convertible from this:

That's a project not for the faint of heart.

[JerseyHarold]

YIKES!!

[55 Fargo]

As I get older, a little wiser and a lot more lazy, I'd rather start with something a bit more solid and complete. Some guys will rebuild just about anything though. I have a friend restoring a 69 Roadrunner convertible from this:

That's a project not for the faint of heart.

I am the type who would do a major project if all 'my ducks are in a row", meaning, cash,tools/equipment, experience and knowhow, and time, patience, and energy.

Now having it all come together in order to undertake a major project is not for the faint of heart.

At this age, (50 this year), I still have the drive and energy for these things, but again, for me I would want all angles covered before entertaining a major restoration project..........

[falconvan]

I think most of us (including myself) have to admit that the main enjoyment in the hobby is the build rather than the finished product. There's just something great about a nice summer day with the garage door open and the ballgame on the radio while you tinker with whatever it is you're trying to give life to. Dont get me wrong, driving the finished car is great but it's the time spent using your skills that really sparks us. I've started several cars over the years that didnt get finished for one reason or another and I dont regret any of them; they taught me a lot. So if you want to put your time into this, go for it. Whether it comes to completion or not, it looks like it would be a lot of fun.