Another guy is nice when you’re putting a hood on.
I work alone and I am more like the guys you mentioned. I go to shows but tend to engage in conversations with non car people who are reflecting on owning one of the types of cars I have. I enjoy the artistic part of restoring the cars most I think. Researching what what was correct and restoring it to make it correct or an artistic license to correct. For me it is not mainly about the car it’s about the history and restoration process.
I so agree.perfect isn’t the point.
Well saidnot the fender tag douchebags.
Man I love this guySome people get it but most don’t.
And I also do the best work when alone because there's no distractions like beer drinking etc.
Absolutely but sometimes it takes me to friggan long. I’m my own worst critic.I believe it was stated earlier about figuring out how to do things when by yourself.
Sure is a good feeling when you do.
Some of our citizen’s think living in the East is more relaxing environment .I work alone mostly, people that tend to stop in seem to be overwhelmed by jealousy, instead of learning from me or just appreciating the time I put into my builds. I do find its mostly the case at car shows, out of every 100 people Id say there's only a few that actually appreciate and can recognize the detail and man hours that go into a build. Seems like its not like the old days where someone can stop in without drinking being the priority, I quit 7 or 8 years ago and haven't looked back. I pride myself in my work, I am my greatest critic , but I would love to mentor some younger generation kids , but the attention span in this internet need it want it now world has ruined that.
Main problem I run into is the prices of parts, people hording things just to make a buck, no wonder the younger guys get turned off of the hobby, chances of them being able to own and repair thier own mopar are slim to none,
Heres my latest show car build, 2.5 years on and off as i work full time as a biomedical technologist. Have 2 full on show car builds under my belt, now I can use what I've learned to make my 2 70 chargers stand out. Only way I can afford to have the cars I want is to do every single thing myself , steel, body paint, upholstry engine , electronics, Helps to have a career that allows me the time to research and find what I need for parts at a reasonable price.
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Maybe I should have a couple before hand....? Might settle me down some and shoot better. lol In the 70's I had a 67 Dart with a 6, 3 speed and 3.91 gears and some other mods and would hang up the shifter unless I had a couple of beers before hand. Back then I really didn't drink all that much but two did the trick. Kinda found out by accident and didn't do it but a couple of times. It also showed me that even a small amount of alcohol does slow down your reflexes....contrary to what anyone tries to say otherwise. These days I won't even get in a car after just one sip.That is something I will absolutely NOT do, that comes at the end of the day during "clean up" time. That's like taking a 6 pack with you to the gun range, not going to happen here!
I hear your pain. Years ago there was always 'friends' looking for some help including moving (years ago, I was one of the few with a pickup) but after telling people to go find someone else with a stronger back and a weaker mind than what had and it wasn't long before they quit coming around. Same thing for borrowing my flat bed until someone borrowed it and then loaned it to another person! Screw that crap. U-Haul down the street has them cause mines broke....and sometimes it was and done by others!1980-1984 me & about 6 other guys rented a large warehouse to store & work on our cars , it was awesome , bunch of hot rods, built some cool stuff & it was nice having help when needed, my current Charger was 99.9 % done by me alone, IF & when you get sick or older & unable to work on other peoples cars you find out how many TRUE friends you have including family, my phone RARELY rings now days, but I still get the occasional call from someone wanting advise on how to fix their car, OH but they will pray for me LMMFAO !!!! my advise to others is LIVE LIFE like there is NO tomorrow while you still can.
I used to love having a bunch of my car buds over
always BBQ-ing, having parties, watching games or races
but, most of them are 100+ miles away now...
I miss the comradery of that old group 6-10 reg. key people/friends
we all had common interests & we had racecars
we all were good at what we did & we celebrated it often
Now, too many of my friends have been divorced (some more than once)
& moved far far away or are running away for some lame reason or other
to what 'they think' are greener pastures
A couple have actually moved back too &/or divorced & moved back
said; "they really regretted the move"...
I still rarely see any of them now, since 2007-ish
the 100+ miles is a big deterrent for most...
I hate going back to Concord or Sacramento area, myself...
They do seem to like coming up here
but not to help or work on the car or trucks etc.
to want to enjoy the country, wilderness, fishing or hunting etc.
away from the shithole valley or bay...
I still did most all the work on my cars
even when we had people over...
It didn't really ever slow me down either
in fact I think it motivated me more...
I did most/much of the work on many of their cars too
or they would be paying to have it done...
I wanted them to be out & active, without the help they wouldn't ]have been able to do much of it...
I didn't mind it at the time...
I did get burned out on always helping others,
but not the riciprication...
But,
I enjoyed the like-minded people, joking, bench-racing
drinking a few beers, watching flicks, eating meals
going to races or traveling with them...
And especially giving 'each other **** constantly'
& loving it...
Like someone else said; "sort of like a sports team aspect"
I do miss that part...
I do have a neighbor Darren that tries, he's eager to learn
but he's more of an extra hand when needed...
I rarely ask for his help...
He's 10 years younger than I am
But, he also has young kids & is always busy
so it's few & far between, he's always going somewhere...
He did build a nice 68 CJ5 from the ground up, with a lil' guidance/help
I helped & guided him for about 2 years...
I enjoyed it & I think he really did too...
He wants to do a 64-71 Dodge D100 truck next...
That will be fun...
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I've hung sheet rock, trussed turkeys, dugI do prefer to do some things by myself without any distractions. As another member mentioned, bodywork !
I've had car owners want to help on their cars and every time, I have had to go over their work. I'm not an OCD perfectionist but I do try to get the body and paint to look as good as I am capable.
Engine building? Oh yeah. A chatterbox buddy can distract you enough to make a mistake that shows up during break in or miles down the road.
Most of the time when I really appreciate the help is on some junker car where precision isn't a factor.
Lifting hoods with helpers avoids scratches.
Breaking in an engine is another time where extra eyes really helps.
I do get help from Mary for moving cars around the yard, bleeding brakes and some other medium duty tasks. She is strong enough to help lift steel hoods too!
It does come back to the guys working together though. If you've never been in the military, been on a sports team or worked alongside a bunch of like minded guys, you might not understand why I say that I really like the camaraderie. It really is a thing.
Years ago, We'd have marathon sessions doing engine swaps. In the 80s and 90s, lowered cars and mini trucks were the big thing. I was "the guy" in the neighborhood with a floor jack and jackstands so I got tapped to chop coil springs, install lowering blocks, do spring-under jobs, etc.
I rarely drink...same for most of the dudes that I hung out with. When we were focused on a project, if there was a screw up, we only had our own incompetence to blame.
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Awesome work there, KD.I am fully capable of doing almost any car task by myself. I've stacked conventional and truss roofs alone for years.
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It is more fun to have good buddies around though.
Well it is pretty quiet, but if you want to pay more for gas, food, highest cancer rate etc than east coast is where its at lolSome of our citizen’s think living in the East is more relaxing environment .
I am fully capable of doing almost any car task by myself. I've stacked conventional and truss roofs alone for years.
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It is more fun to have good buddies around though.