Another straggler followed me home!
I fully agree with you.
Well, i need to say this.
You have come a long way in your welding and fabrication skills since i first met you, George.
A lot of this has to do with attitude, and the willingness to jump in, get your hands dirty, and not be afraid to try new things.
A lot of people would say, why not buy the AMD drop offs etc. because they fit better, blah blah blah.
These are also the people that insist on a $10,000 resto paint job.
For lack of a better way of putting it, you are showing the people on here what you can achieve by starting with a decent overall car that needs some love in the rust department, (and LOOKS a bit bad) using skills that a typical do it your selfer has or acquires by tackling projects like these.
(Having a decent shop and tools helps too i guess.)
You will end up with a car that is a good functional driver for someone when you pass it on, and though not a particularly rare car deserving a high dollar top end resto, it will be a nice car for someone to enjoy and have a lot of fun with and not worry about rust issues ever again.
This also represents a car your average joe that is on a lower end budget would like to fix up and personalize it after you get the metal work done and enjoy the rest of the build............
Isn't that what this hobby is all about?
Not everything needs to be bucks up and perfect to be a good functional car.
My hat's off to you for doing this and posting lots of pictures for all to see and learn.
Maybe this will inspire some others to tackle something similar and get another one on the road to be enjoyed.............
Thanks for
Dartnut I understand the sincerity here by being supportive of your friend. I do think for someone learning the ropes and doing things on a budget that gdrill is doing good work reviving old cars most young people only see as trash. It is my generation that doesn't hold the same esteem for a lot of these vehicles. I know for one that my build seems absolutely asinine to friends of mine. Why? Why when the money I am putting into this car could buy me a brand new Mercedes or easily pay for most of a jaguar F-Type?
A little about me, I worked through high school and most of my years in university as a 'shop boy' watching others restore 100k show cars and racecars. I graduated three year ago with a degree in marketing with an emphasis on statistical analysis and economics. I went to work for a high caliber banking firm in New York then D. C. as a regional markets analyst. I made more money in 1 year doing this than all seven years of working as a shop hand alone. I hated it though, there was vicious competition, a cold-calculated cost of doing business and, while I was not a trader or a portfolio director, there was a sense of disconcern for consequence. I worked 80 hour work weeks. I was all over the country/world for different reasons. I never had time for me, I had money but in return I lost my relationships, my ability to do for me and love of experience. I couldn't even work on my car, instead it sat wayward waiting for my time.
So I left, I came to work with my dad who has been running a very successful hot-rod only shop in Northern California. Now I don't do technical work, I only manage and sustain accounts, payroll and hiring. I work 40-50 hours a week like a normal person and I am paid much less while being much happier. So, fast forward a year and not only do I handle all business aspects but I am squarely in charge of bringing new accounts in, meaning I'm doing what I love. Selling. I'm very good at it too. In fact two months ago I took a consultant based position with a concours shop in Northern California. I won't say which but I will say we specialize in Aston Martins, so if you want to really know a Google search should suffice. I work only 20-30 hours a month there, am paid a salary and I basically only show up when we go to events, auctions or shows to convince really, really rich dudes that they want to restore their cars with us for the tune of $300,000 or so.
Why do I tell you all this? Not to brag or rub it in. In fact, I am making two-thirds less money than a year ago. It's not about the money or success. It's to give you an idea that I speak from experience and knowledge. After all, I'm under 30. I'm sure your experience differs. What I can safely say is that auto body is the hardest sell for hot rod enthusiasts. It makes not one bit of sense to me either. At our shop we break down a budget, build a plan and then execute as closely as we can. Obviously things come up or customers change course. It happens all the time.
Most the time we can sell them on the $12,000 engine build or the $8,000 frame fabrication work but then they have a hard time swallowing a $10,000 dollar paint job. Hell, they just put $12,000 in leather and fabrication work in the interior. Why is it that you guys have a hard time paying for the work done when it comes to body and paint? It's the first thing one typically notices from a distance. A great paint job makes or breaks interest in your car. Not just people gawking but judges too. It is like going to the barber and telling him you don't care what it looks like only that it is finished cheaply and quickly. Now, we work budget builds as well, 3-4 grand paint jobs vs $15,000 jobs are not even remotely close in terms of quality, finish and fit.
I hate the sentiment here, dartnut, it comes off like autobodies rip you off but if you saw the amount of work that went into a 10k-20k paint job you'd know why it was expensive. 300-400-500 hours of work, every small issue fixed, fabrication work that can take days, coating, sanding, coating, sanding. On and on. Hours and hours of wet sanding with softer grit to get that wet like look to paint. Now, is this what is typical? No. I'm just stating, hot rod lovers will spend their entire budget on 'go fast' parts but bemoan work done when it comes to body and paint. If you don't care so be it, we won't put our name on a finished product when someone doesn't care. Really, it's a passion. One of my favorite cars is the '73 dart. I love the body lines. Does it make sense I've put in 12k on the engine or am buying a sst 6 speed Magnum for a car that will be worth maybe 25-30k all said? No. It's a love. Sometimes the money just doesn't make sense. Other times it does. When you want to keep within a set budget or value of the vehicle it makes sense. But don't act like a 10k paint job is simply a luxury or a bling purchase. There is a difference, a monumental one. I'm not saying dgrills work is bad but put side by side you'd be able to spot a huge difference in quality.
