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If its not money, its the time,or the space

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steve from staten island

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Bear with me as im not in the best frame of mind lately. As some of you know i have a 69Ply sport sat convertible. The body is done and its perfect. Motor and trans is done and im accumulating parts all the time. I know of a guy who is very good and reasonable for the top and interior. So ive gotten some bases covered. My problem is working on the car. I waited all my god damm ******* life to get to this stage and now at 62 its another brick wall. We were going to move and id have a big enough garage and that did not happen,so the car is 100 miles away at my kids house in her garage. The problem is it will take me years to come close to getting this car on the road, and while i don't feel that old i don't feel like waiting. Id really like to drive that car next summer with the wife while we still can. Its just not working as of yet for me to take a day get on the road at 5AM drive there work on the car till whatever time and drive home. I actually called a well known rest shop just out of curiosity to see what kind of numbers to have them do the car. Almost a hundred a hour. Close to 800 a day times five times 20 work days a month. I mean can you even think about what it would cost to bring a car to get done from start to finish. Were do folks get that kind of money? Either way thats not me and is not a option. I restored one car,my MGB and i enjoyed working on it as much as driving it but that car fit in my garage. These guys buy cars,i might send him a disc and just pack it in as im disgusted. Who knows maybe tomorrow will be better. Thanks for listening
 
There are options. first 100 an hour is steep you can find good guys around here 40 to 60 an hour. Have you thought about renting a 2 car storage unit? even at 120 to 150 a month if you could get one close to home you could get a lot done and be close to home hopefully you could do a lot yourself then and not need as much professional help. Hope you get it figured out would be a shame to quit this close to being done.
 
I'd like a couple more cars, but at this point it's space, time and lack of desire to get into a project.
 
I work out of a 10x20 storage about 5 miles away. for $110 but I've been here a year and they want to double that... it's tight to say the least and I don't have any other options.
I've gotten used to the space and the fact that finding a place that allows me to work on my car is getting hard to find. I'm real tidy but there were moments where I had been in the middle of degreaseing and stripping the front end that would have thrown me out of there if anyone had seen it before I cleaned the mess. My other choices would be a boat yard that offers a work space and storage.
 
If you don't have it close, you'll never work on it. Who wants to drive 100 miles one way THEN work all day on it? I feel for you man. I had a project car that was stored about 50 miles away and it was a nightmare. I never had enough time for it because it was so far away, but it was stored for free. Looking back I would have rather paid to have it a lot closer.

Look into a storage unit or some sort of cheap garage option. You'll save wear and tear on your car, tons of gas, and your *** from riding that much. What if you rented space from a neighbor/friend/closer relative? A buddy of mine just had one of those wooden shed-type garages dropped off at his house to have his car stored in and for project work. Not too bad of deal. I also had one of those aluminum garage/carport structures put up at my house, it cost like $600 and definitely kept my project car out of the elements. Luckily the car was already sitting on a concrete slab so it made it a lot easier to work on. It looked like the one in the link below except it was really just a large 1 car garage area, and the walls went all the way to the ground on the sides. Some don't go all the way down. It had like 5-6' on each side of the car, so plenty of working room. Like I said it was $600-700 in New Jersey and they installed it right over the car. I made up some covers for the short sides so it wouldn't rain or snow into the working area. It worked great for a long time, and when I was done with it, I sold it to someone else! The roof might even be high enough to do an engine swap under the cover too.

http://aboutcarport.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/3-wall-covered-carport.jpg

There are options. Just have to look.
 
Thanks for the reply's. Renting a garage is not a option as the cost were i live would be unaffordable or in a very bad neighborhood. Driveway is not option either. To be honest im screwed. Without going into details i could make my present garage just barely deep enough but its way to narrow and there is no room to make it wider. The MGB just about fit in. Im going to have to just take a day now and then and go down to my kids house (i can make it in a hour and a half with clear weather and no traffic) and work on the car.
 
Steve from Staten Island is a New Yorker. Bad roads, bad traffic, and prohibitively high garage/storage/parking rates. If NYC wanted you to have a car, Steve, Bloomberg would have issued you one.

Move to the 'burbs, man. Maybe NJ or CT. I don't know how anybody can get anything meaningful done in a big city. Portland is bad enuff, NYC has gotta be a nightmare for a flat-walleted car guy (no offense intended, Steve. I, myself, is one too). I hope things work out for ya buddy, I really do. I went from a pre-divorce high of 1100 sq ft of garage/shop to a post-divorce low of working on my junk in my apt parking lot...with no tools, compressor, beer fridge, etc. Stick with it, keep working the problem til you figure out a solution. Don't give up or put it on the back burner. That's the mental equivalent of piling boxes of Christmas decorations (or other stuff...you know) on your project. You still have the fire to finish it, that's why you're upset about the situation. Use that for focus and you'll come up with a workable fix.
 
Jon,we all agree our country is a great one with many places that should be visited at least once. Me,i like DC, like the Museums and the newer air museum located outside DC is a must see. Although i might not take very young children (id wait till they were mid to older teens) NYC is a must do. To take a ride on the Staten Island ferry (free) and see the first sight of freedom and hope which would be Miss Liberty is a awesome sight. Visiting that island and Ellis island is also a must. But thats just the beginning and i won't bore you with a list except seeing a live Broadway show. Your remark about Bloomburg needs some clarification. He is somewhat as you say but had we had him as a president we'd be in the black financialy real fast. Menatally ill and criminals might not be able to buy guns but thats another story------In short the plan was to move to a less populated area and have some property but other issues got in the way. Its just the curve ball life throws at ya. Whats fustrating is I'm retired,i still work on the outside but i have some more time. The money although is always a issue is not the problem. I'll suck it up and as long as my wifes health stays the same,which really is all that matters.i will just go down there and work on the car when i can. My grandaughter is always asking me when we will work on the car. Now a question,Im going to put the engine and trans in from the bottom,bolted to the K frame and lifted in place. One of the guys i work for has a trans jack for large truck tranny's. I was thinking of using it as this would be stable enough and lift it in place. What do you think and thanks for your post to me. When you and your sweetheart visit the big apple,you call me and the pizza and beer is on me
 
So... if the body is done and perfect, and the engine and tranny are done, why do you need a garage? I have a beautiful two car garage with lots of room. Guess how many times my Road Runner has been in it? Zero. Because it's full of kids crap like guitar amps, weight benches, pool table, etc. :) So everything I've done on my car has been in the driveway.

When I lived in Baltimore, and had no garage or driveway, I did my work out in the street. Everything from installing engines and trannies to interior and electrical. And when I lived in St. Mary's County in MD, we had a garage that was so frigging narrow when I parked my car in there I could barely get the doors open, so I would park the car in there and back it out to the road to work on it.

It sounds to me like most of the hard work is over if the body and engine/tranny are done, so why do you really need a garage?
 
I need a garage because i don't have much of a driveway,thats the problem. What driveway i do have is on a steep slant and is right next to the street. Working on the street is also not possible. My only choice is to do the work were it is at present. I just get pissed off at times
 
I have the same problem with my driveways. Our last house just had an annoying slope to let rain and any round tools or parts roll off. :) Our current driveway has a pretty steep incline to it, so chocks and jack stands are a must.

I just remember the Korean adage of "The distance between the possible and the impossible is a measure of a man's will". And to paraphrase Van Wilder, "getting pissed off is like rocking in a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but doesn't get you anywhere".
 
If that car doesn't fit in your current garage & you have to drive 100 miles each way, to just work on it, then what are you going to do with it, if or when you finish it ??, it kind of sounds like, even finishing it is up in the air...

It seems like a better game plan needs to be addressed now, before the car is finished, for the future or your freshly restored car will just have to sit outside in crappy east coast NYS/SI weather for at-least 7-8 months of the year {or all year round, if you want the car at your house}, even under a car cover that's not very ideal...

Sounds like having to drive 100 miles every time you want to use the car, could get rather pricey too, that $$$ spent on gas could help to rent a space or share rental on a space, I'm sure many other people are in the same dilemma...

Or your just going to have suck it up & to deal with the 100 mile drive & the associated costs, each way/back & forth, to work on or be able to drive the car, stored properly in a garage, where it belongs {sorry my pet peeve, these cars need to be garaged or they just get ruined again, especially in bad east coast types of weather} along with the upside of visiting your daughter & grandkids...

Look on the bright side...
Visiting the loved ones & working on the car, sounds like a good break, kills two birds with one stone, if they will have you, maybe you could, bring the wife & stay for a couple days at a time, but good luck with your dilemma...

Sound to me like you have some decisions to make...
 

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the car is high and dry,safe and sound were it is and thanks for the advise. I dont need the money and the car could sit there for the next twenty years. That is not what i want. I will continue to get parts,maybe get the drivetrain in and thats that. Id like to drive it but id like a lot of things. Again i appreciate the reply
 
Hit some cruise nights where the car is and start talking to people, most of the guys restored their own cars and can maybe help you get things done, or know someone who can. Working with someone who knows what they are doing can make things go fast and will be allot cheaper than a shop rate.
Who knows, you may make some good friends while your at it.
And quit talking that giving up ****, just get it done somehow, you will thank yourself for it a million times when your cruising with the top down.
 
dont give up

There are always low points in a long term project. I had a lot of times where I wanted to quit and sell the car, or I got frustrated. Its good to build up a network of people and shops you can trust to help with parts of the project when you get stuck or life gets in the way. Craigslist is very useful for finding rentals. Renting time on a 2 post lift is worth thinking about for your k member install, you can find those situations on CL in the rental property section. Makes it easier to work alone with a lift.

sit down and break the project down into parts with initial goals based on getting the motor into the car. You will be more motivated to keep going if the car is running.

I now know a lot of shops in the tristate area that are experts in mopar, if you need any recommendations let me know. Good luck!
 
Steve you maybe a misguided Liberal Democrat,that we can't change! but you are a Mopar Guy! Finding a garage is not to bad. I live in Central New jersey and Garages here in New Brunswick are really reasonable, since it is a College town. I have a 2 .5 car garage with Electric that costs me 225.00 per month. I have enough space for second car, tools, tig welder, rotater and shear and folder. I have AC and dehumidifier as well. We can find you a garage and from Staten Island 30 minutes.
 
I pay $600 a month for an equivalent of a 2 car garage.When positioned,you can open both doors.I have all my tools and everything else I've been draggin around for 25 years.
You hafta look at craigslist and knock on some doors of the houses with the large detacheaed garages in your area:yes:
 

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