40plyguy Posted April 3, 2017 Report Posted April 3, 2017 I bought my 40 Plymouth 2dr sedan 20 yrs ago. Towed it to my in laws and parked it in their driveway. I originally had grand plans of totally restoring the car and making it pretty much as it rolled off the assembly line in 1940. I put it up on blocks removed all the brakes as they didn't work. removed the dash and other bits and pieces and started cleaning some things up and that's about where it sat. Meanwhile I was busy with kids, work and life (Sound familiar?) I gave up on it several times. Tried selling it a few times to 2 deadbeats who never showed up to get the car. Tried giving it away for free. One guy was really excited because his Dad had one and he thought it would be a great project. He never showed. Recently I was resigned to the fact that I may as well just junk the thing because it's only been sitting and a Raccoon had made a home in the interior some years back and ruined the interior upholstery and headliner. (I had the front floorboard out)........The engine was now stuck as well after sitting so many years with the head off. A couple months ago I started putting Creeps oil in the cylinders. Didn;t seem to help much. Anyway to make a short story long, the day I was gonna call the junkyard i pulled back the cover from the car. Took a long hard look at it. ( I swear it talked to me!) I convinced myself then and there that the car is too good to junk and I can make it road worthy again. The past 3 Sunday afternoons I've set aside a block of time and dedicated it to the 40, Yesterday I was ready to remove the flathead six but it started raining. Today it was raining as well in the AM but around noon it cleared up for a while. I trook advantage of that. Ran over to the car and finally after all these years removed the engine. I had just put away the hoist and tools and got the eng in my trailer and it started pouring out. It's amazing what can be done with the right frame of mind attitude and focus. Thanks for reading my rambling.............................................. 6 Quote
Plymouthy Adams Posted April 3, 2017 Report Posted April 3, 2017 good for you...being realistic in your approach will go far in accomplishing the deed with sanity to spare....remember, you can eat an elephant if you take one small bite at a time... 2 Quote
knuckleharley Posted April 3, 2017 Report Posted April 3, 2017 Sometimes it really seems like getting started is the hardest part of the job,doesn't it? Quote
BigDaddyO Posted April 4, 2017 Report Posted April 4, 2017 2 hours ago, Plymouthy Adams said: remember, you can eat an elephant if you take one small bite at a time... And they're good with mustard. Quote
Worden18 Posted April 4, 2017 Report Posted April 4, 2017 Don't give up on it, just consistently pick away at it.....and enjoy it while you're picking away Congrats for finally getting to it! I have the engine out of my car atm, it's frustrating and a little worrisome but one day at a time is how I'm approaching it. Quote
Andydodge Posted April 4, 2017 Report Posted April 4, 2017 Good to see you have made some progress, are you still planning on a stocker or updating it a bit, either way works, the main thing is to feel that you are making a difference to it, even a little bit at a time............welcome aboard the mopar train, its a good ride and you meet some great people..........regards from downunder.....Andy Douglas Quote
rb1949 Posted April 4, 2017 Report Posted April 4, 2017 More interesting now than it was 20 yrs ago. Piece by piece it will be a clever, challenging and enjoyable hobby. Have fun. Update as you go. Quote
Ranger Posted April 7, 2017 Report Posted April 7, 2017 Wow! 20 years in the in laws driveway. You must be some kind of son-in-law! Good luck with the project. Get it running before you tear it apart completely. It keeps you motivated to be able to fire it up and tackle one piece at a time. 1 Quote
40plyguy Posted April 7, 2017 Author Report Posted April 7, 2017 Thanks for all the encouragement. I plan on retiring next year and would like it somewhat roadworthy by then. 1 Quote
classiccarjack Posted April 7, 2017 Report Posted April 7, 2017 On 4/3/2017 at 3:56 PM, knuckleharley said: Sometimes it really seems like getting started is the hardest part of the job,doesn't it? This is true in many life situations.... So so true! Quote
classiccarjack Posted April 7, 2017 Report Posted April 7, 2017 40plyguy, Do you have pictures? These are amazing cars and I am glad that you are saving it. Quote
Bingster Posted April 7, 2017 Report Posted April 7, 2017 Yeah, I've had Carlo for seven years and do what I can when I can. Right now I've had to stop and build a garage for it. Quote
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