project incouragment

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cowboyup1107

cowboyup1107

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So almost one year ago I bought my first real project car. A 72 dodge dart swinger with a tired 318 a 904 tranny and a 7 1/4 rear end. My intentions for the car is to make it a saturday night special. I purchased the car for $2k and stupidly spent another $1k on dress up MP valve covers and air cleaner, all autometer gauges and other things that werent needed yet in the build. The car has rust on the driver rear quarter panel, the drip line and a tiny spot on the driver lower door jam. I want to have a clean car and with my 22 year old mine I want it now. however I do understand the funds are not there. since I owned the car I pulled the motor out of the car started to clean up the frame for a spring relo kit and have been on the man hunt for a 8 3/4 rearend. I sanded down the hood to make it flat black as well. but everytime I go into my shop and look at my car wanting to work on it I cant find anything to do cause money is tight. What I am wondering is how much time you guys waited to complete your project and how much you have tied up in your cars? And words of incouragment would also be nice. It eats me alive when I see people on saturday nights cruising there hot rods and im sitting around twiddling my thumbs with very little results. thank you.
 
Sweet ride.You doin it right.start chassis first.(I've wrecked a few myself)Patience is a key.The faster you want it,the more you pay.Networking,(here,and locally)and be willing to do trade work or hustle.Pick a game plan stick to it.Find people and resources(from here) in your hood.Good luck, give us pics and feedback.Cheapest car 1500.00,took two years to build,ran 13.60&@103.It takes a commitment.
 
Had my Dart 14 years. It's never moved under it's own power.
 
be patient even though its hard. mine's been parked for over a year and I swore it would only take me a few months to complete the work I had planned (paint and bodywork, complete re-wire). I missed the summer cruise season, though thats not a big deal here, and I'm still struggling with buffing the new paint... need a dedicated buffer, more $$$. try to pick up as many parts as you can before you need them if possible, then when you get one step done you can jump right in to the next. good luck with your build -pauly
 
Drove it in 1996 and started working on it in 1997. Still sets unfinished but I did get hurt in 2004 so that has been a major set back. I am guessing I have 20 grand in parts plus $4500 in the car. Most likely another 5K to finish it. If I am lucky it will be worth 15K finished.
 
Ok im just like u . I want it now not later . But money aint there my barracuda is the 1st one that im going to do on my own . I dont know it all . But heres what i got for a game plan im going to get the bbp disk swap 1st i have all the new parts needed for it then stop the rust monster in the 1/4s then pull the motor clean it up and pint under the hood then start body work /paint ... then alot later the insides lol ...... I know its hard to wate trust me ive been looking at this cuda for months now and thats all i can do with it
 
I guess another reason I want it done so fast is I work with a bunch of young and dumb ricers that say the car is junk. I cant wait to see the look on my 20 year old boss' face when I embarrass him in his little subaru that he's never turned a wrench on.
:burnout:
 
I've owned my cuda for 16 years. 6 years ago I thought I would paint under the hood. 5 years later it looks like this. The hardest thing is to stay motivated. It helps to have friends or a site like fabo to make that happen.
 

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cowboyup1107 said:
I guess another reason I want it done so fast is I work with a bunch of young and dumb ricers that say the car is junk. I cant wait to see the look on my 20 year old boss' face when I embarrass him in his little subaru that he's never turned a wrench on.
:burnout:
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yup i here ya there hay pm when ever u want to shoot the ****
 
cuda20 said:
I've owned my cuda for 16 years. 6 years ago I thought I would paint under the hood. 5 years later it looks like this. The hardest thing is to stay motivated. It helps to have friends or a site like fabo to make that happen.
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I hate u lol That bcudas making me want me going stop showing it lol :prayer:
 
yeah it sucks that people my age for the most part dont have any respect for muscle cars. born in the wrong generation. I have noticed when I get on here it get my blood pumping and gets me out there to work on my car. Wish I had a few friends locally that knew mopars and could help me. thanks for the incouragment guys.
 
I have a 66 cuda it's ok how it is but i want it all nice and shiney [no money] but it's driveable and i do show it i've owned it 5 years next month,i also have a 73 charger my son bought this year and like you he wants finished yesterday [a little more money than me] but it's a basket case with lotsa rust i have been doing metal work for ever and there's more to do. Stick with it don't give up walk away when frustrated come back when calm in this hobby things take time[unless you have deep pockets] you will get it done.
 
sadly I'm in the same boat. It's been a year since I bought mine and I have actually gone backwards. Vinyl top is gone, got some paint sanded, etc. no real progress. But I'm patient and that's what it takes.
 
cowboyup1107 said:
yeah it sucks that people my age for the most part dont have any respect for muscle cars. born in the wrong generation. I have noticed when I get on here it get my blood pumping and gets me out there to work on my car. Wish I had a few friends locally that knew mopars and could help me. thanks for the incouragment guys.
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i here ya there too not to many around here neather :banghead:
 
I gave up on most people.

In a way its good few folks think these old cars can no way in hell be quicker than a new sports car. Good cause its harder to get drag in to court, ha ha.

You should be doing this to please yourself, oh I know, showing off is fun, I'm sure guilty of it.

You gotta think twice before you buy. Getting the car running would be first on my list. Dress it up later on. Smart on looking for an 8 3/4 but if the price is right and it fits, an 8 1/4 can handle some power. Only thing is your suck with one gear ratio, 8 3/4 are easier to change at home--but they aren't cheap.
 
Had my Dart 14 years. It's never moved under it's own power.

HA! Just kidding,

That sounds like mine, i drove it and raced it for a while, but it has been sitting now for nearly 11yrs without a motor...

TO the OP...

It takes time, lots... and money, lots...

The big thing is be patient, I tell myself daily what my next part is, or next goal is. Dont get destracted by something you MAY want or use in the future... Most those parts end up sitting or resold... It keeps me motivated to plan ahead, and read about parts needed. I am a long way from interior, but havr spent the last 2 weeks reading about seats. Being here lookin at other projects helps too. Honestly, when i cant afford a part, or get bummed about what I have left to do, i stay outta the garage for a week or two. That helps me wanna work the next time I do head out.


Good luck, dont add up the reciepts,

Joe
 
Btw, i live in denver, would love to grab a beer, talk mopar, or help with some work. PM me if your interested... But be aware, i do drive a subaru daily...

Joe
 
Start in one section first get it finished and move on. Start planning your build and sourcing parts. If you gobble up every part that comes along you will miss out on deals. This hobby doesnt have to break you.
 
dont add up the reciepts.... tell me bout it i did that the other day ...omg i got 2400 bucks in the cuda and it dont even run now lol
 
I agree with so much of what has been said here.. Patience is one of the biggest things.. Everytime I walk into the garage to start another night of seemingly endless work, I just remind myself that Rome wasnt built in a day.. My Dart started off as 'work in progress' theme.. I got her roadworthy first.. then every winter picked a project I could afford and that we could realistically get done before the next spring/summer so I could drive and enjoy the car.. I am at year 6 or 7 (I am beginning to lose count) and this was only the 2nd summer I couldnt drive the car.. I finally got far enough into the project, that winter wasnt nearly enough time.. lol.. I hope to have her done for spring 2012.. I also know the itch and burn of wanting it all now rather than later.. two weeks from now it will officially be a year since I last drove the car.. thats when it got pulled in to start the project Im currently in.. but you just got to think of what you'll have when your done.. and as someone else said, build what you want for yourself.. what will make you happy.. click the link in my signiture to see how its gone for me... as for how much do I have in it? ... well... I paid $350 for the car.. I used to keep tabs on what I spent.. over the years, I gave that up... lmao.. somethings are better off not being known... if I had to guess, I am probably just past the 5K mark LOL ... If its encouragement you need from time to time, this website is the best place for it.. its full of awesome members that would be more than happy to provide it... keep at it, good luck, and I look forward to watching the progress....
 
I drove my dart onto the trailer in the summer of 2005 (won it on ebay for under a grand with replacement top w/window, front and rear seat skins and 2 instrument clusters)and got it off the trailer the same day. then the waiting started. if you take away the cost of the top and seat skins I purchased the car for around $500.00 which ain't to bad for a convertible.
little did I know just how bad it was. the first look was ok in all the pictures on the internet, the PO has strategically placed spare part over the worst places and spray bombed the rest. as for money spent I lost count after another grand in parts to tell the truth. the Wife called it the ugliest car that I had ever drug home and was a rust bucket, which made me more determined to fix it instead of scrapping it for parts. now it's starting to grow on her (since I picked up a second one and she saw one in the Woodward Dream Cruise while we were up in Michigan) and she want's that one done for her with her choice of colors for the outside and a pearl white top and interior with A/C of course.


usually you have 2 scenario's
1. got money no time, bought little parts and things that I knew were bad just by looking, I found boatloads of bad stuff just by yanking out the interior.
2. got time now no money, hopefully this happens AFTER you have got some parts to work with, In my case that was what happened.
now I'm doing everything that doesn't cost money and spend extra time getting it just so and making a list of the critical parts that I will need later when money becomes a surplus again. (according to the Wife that'll take a while and don't hold my breath)
and it's in this stage now
View attachment DSCF2598.jpg
it takes time and planning to do it, Wish I had more money but I'll do all I can until the parts and fixes that don't cost anything run out.
hang in there it'll happen.
 
Spent the six months unemployed....Got tired of looking at a ride on stands,one step at a time.Now, it runs! This site helps!Helluva lot more motivating than a bunch of whiners makin monthly payments.Ask,do they work on their own car.......
.
 
Yeah this hobbie can cost lots of money but better spent on it then at bars, casinos, amusement parks, vacations,,well hold on. Vacations is money soon gone with only memories left but it can be good for your mental health. Same with this hobby, it can be good for you. Work does seem to get harder as you get older, that is a bummer.

U need to checkout ebay and fabo for used parts. Again get it running, its a big help to getting you motived, least for me. Body work can be a pain but I rather do body work on a running car. If the rust isn't very bad you could fiberglass it and spray paint it..I know half *** but always can cut and weld later on. Fiberglass mats are super messy but the stuff can work to seal bottoms of quarter planes.

What I would never do is what some folks did to these car when they were 15 years old, take a few towels and soak them in tar and layer them on the inside bottom of the Q panel. Yeah it sealed the trunk up but what a mess ! That was getto fix here in Detroit
 
66Dvert said:
I drove my dart onto the trailer in the summer of 2005 and got it off the trailer the same day. then the waiting started.
usually you have 2 scenario's
1. got money no time, bought little parts and things that I knew were bad just by looking, I found boatloads of bad stuff just by yanking out the interior.
2. got time now no money, hopefully this happens AFTER you have got some parts to work with, In my case that was what happened.
now I'm doing everything that doesn't cost money and spend extra time getting it just so and making a list of the critical parts that I will need later when money becomes a surplus again. (according to the Wife that'll take a while and don't hold my breath)
and it's in this stage now
View attachment 264130
it takes time and planning to do it, Wish I had more money but I'll do all I can until the parts and fixes that don't cost anything run out.
hang in there it'll happen.
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ummm do i see a back 1/2 of a 65 val in that pic
 
dart_doctor said:
ummm do i see a back 1/2 of a 65 val in that pic
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yup and that all that's there the back half. not much left of that thing now it's been patch metal for the dart. mostly rust even the door jams have rust in it,but it does have good rear frame rails which I'll save.
 
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