Just can’t get a break!

[70ChargerRT]

I’ve owned my Charger for about 20 years and in 2017 I had finally saved enough coin to go full blown on completely redoing it. I did all The metal work and hired the paint, 3rd member rebuilt and engine work. I accumulated a ton of new parts and put them away waiting till my car and engine got finished. About the time I got the car and engine done I got called out to work of early 2018. I run work in the oil and gas industry, mostly installing new transmission lines, living out of a suitcase. I usually works 8-9 months out of the year and then the rest of the year off. Little did I know this job would consume my life the next 5 years working 6-7 days a week from daylight to dark. We did manage to get the motor and transmission in but I had to pull it back out this year. Well finally early this year we went to 5-8,s because our permits got pulled thanks to Biden but I’m working close enough to come home on the weekends. One really bad mistake I made when accumulating my parts I didn’t thoroughly go through them and another thing your warranty runs out on about everything. I’ll start with this just today. I just opened my box for my upper front and rear door pads that came from Legendary. On the drivers side front, right at the lock hole was a small cut, about a 1/16 wide that extended over back behind the pad. Looked like somebody tried to glue and hide it but over time it must have stretched and pulled apart. I tried to fix it but it was impossible and I made it worse. Shall I go on? With only a few miles on the motor the rear main seal begin to leak, about the 10th crank I spun the ring gear on the flywheel, the new T-56 rear tail seal started to leak, new Borgeson box leaked, the new rebuilt 489 suregrip was screaming around 55 MPH. Well I finally all got all of those fixed except the door pad of course, Guess I’m screwed on that one also. I still have some boxes I ain’t even opened yet that’s 5 years old. I’m almost afraid to. Like my rear bumper, that sucker may be rusted or pitted by now lol. I’ve busted my *** trying to get this damn thing done my Memorial Day but with the setbacks and only working weekends they ain’t no way in hell I’m getting done. I’ve only had 1 week off the last 5 years except for Christmas and Thanksgiving. I’m supposed to get a few weeks off here and there starting on memorial weekend so hopefully and I can knock a bunch of stuff out on those days. Am I the only prick on here that has that bad of luck?

 

[Budnicks]

Should be making some good money so it offsets it some...

sorry to hear that stuff too,
I have a few boxes, that same deal way out of the warranty period
none have looked bad 'yet'
(Long story, short version I was building 2 RRs both pretty-much the same
I bought 2 of mostly everything & the guy I was building 1 car for, bailed
6 months into the deal, he got separated & eventually divorced oh well...
I got stuck with, about $10k of parts, on the hook... Such is life)

I went 11 years without a real vacation
albeit;
I did take a weekend each of them years, I flew over, left Friday night
went to the airport, came home after the game got on Alaska Airlines
Sun. about 7:30-8:00pm Island time....
I'd to go to the NFL Pro Bowl in Honolulu Hawaii, spent most of the time
on Waikiki Beach or at 'Dukes Bar & grill', go to Hunami Bay Sat.
& usually slept at night on my buddy's hotel balcony...
I didn't sleep much...
We went there as a group, like 10-15 guys for like 15 years...
Most the group stayed for the week before & the game &/or week after...
People that came to my Concord Ca., Waterfall Way Home
Mon Night Football parties for decades...
It was literally 48hrs from my place to the island & back home,
back to work, the following Mon. 5:30am
(Construction Contractor/Facility Management, larger automotive dealership group)
I didn't count, going Drag racing or traveling, doing hospitality events or displays
or for racing/driving a 1,000+ mile, each way a vacation, it was work & hectic,
having to get back home to run the business...

I don't think I'd change anything either...
Part of what made me, me...

"what can go wrong usually will"
M-fer Murphy's Law strikes again

 

[dadsbee]

Ah.. 1st world problems. If that's the worst of the past 5 years take it as a blessing...

 

[moparedtn]

Yep, SOP for messing with old cars.
Serves us right for wanting to bring their cranky old arses back to life, eh?
It'll happen, man. Don't lose sight of the prize.
Every time an obstacle presents itself, double down on being more stubborn than that.

 

[70ChargerRT]

Ah.. 1st world problems. If that's the worst of the past 5 years take it as a blessing...

Well me and my family are surely blessed. They’re nothing like complaining about the little things in life I’d just like to get this car done so we can enjoy it some. Watching 5 of my close family members work until they die the last couple years has got me thinking about an early retirement when my boy gets out of college.

 

[70ChargerRT]

Should be making some good money so it offsets it some...

sorry to hear that stuff too,
I have a few boxes, that same deal way out of the warranty period
none have looked bad 'yet'
(Long story, short version I was building 2 RRs both pretty-much the same
I bought 2 of mostly everything & the guy I was building 1 car for, bailed
6 months into the deal, he got separated & eventually divorced oh well...
I got stuck with, about $10k of parts, on the hook... Such is life)

I went 11 years without a real vacation
albeit;
I did take a weekend each of them years, I flew over, left Friday night
went to the airport, came home after the game got on Alaska Airlines
Sun. about 7:30-8:00pm Island time....
I'd to go to the NFL Pro Bowl in Honolulu Hawaii, spent most of the time
on Waikiki Beach or at 'Dukes Bar & grill', go to Hunami Bay Sat.
& usually slept at night on my buddy's hotel balcony...
I didn't sleep much...
We went there as a group, like 10-15 guys for like 15 years...
Most the group stayed for the week before & the game &/or week after...
People that came to my Concord Ca., Waterfall Way Home
Mon Night Football parties for decades...
It was literally 48hrs from my place to the island & back home,
back to work, the following Mon. 5:30am
(Construction Contractor/Facility Management, larger automotive dealership group)
I didn't count, going Drag racing or traveling, doing hospitality events or displays
or for racing/driving a 1,000+ mile, each way a vacation, it was work & hectic,
having to get back home to run the business...

I don't think I'd change anything either...
Part of what made me, me...

"what can go wrong usually will"
M-fer Murphy's Law strikes again

I’ve been to all of those places in Waikiki. I stayed 6 weeks in Waihiawa where my uncle was stationed when I was 18. The week I mentioned I had off was celebrate me and the wife’s 25 wedding anniversary. We went to Maui and I really liked it there also. Now I don’t know about offsetting and money lol. I’ve got 2 kids in college who im helping lol.

 

[Mopar Hunter]

Legendary Auto Interiors has a limited lifetime warranty.

 

[Photon440]

Legendary Auto Interiors has a limited lifetime warranty.

That's okay, because my lifetime is limited too.

 

[70ChargerRT]

Legendary Auto Interiors has a limited lifetime warranty.

Yeah another dumb *** move by me even screwing with it. I read that last night when I was looking up the price, they’ve went up $225 just for the uppers since then. I’m going to call them anyways since I bought all of my interior there. I was thinking they didn’t have a no return policy since black was considered a custom color for 70 Chargers but since it a had a tear they should cover it hopefully.

 

[70ChargerRT]

That's okay, because my lifetime is limited too.

Mines probably limited lol

 

[davek]

Keep your eyes on the prize, I feel the same way about it never gos smooth. Waiting 7 months to get metal work done and still waiting. Next thing was my Bee wasnt happy I was working on the charger so she decided she needed an alignment and thats when I noticed a bad UCA. Shall I go on.

 

[Hey-O]

I've done the same thing, gathering up all the parts needed is a lot of fun, paying for them sucks! When you buy sometimes companies send you t-shirts. I've waited like you did and not only was the part not right, but the t-shirt didn't fit. I started buying what I need, when I needed it and opened everything the day or so that it got here. I get it.

As far as retiring, I did the same as you, worked till I had nothing in my life, but work. After 7- 8's or 12's for months on end you get burned out. Pick a number and an age and go when you can. Good luck!!

 

[DeltaV]

Endeavor to persevere.

 

[Detective D]

Little stuff like that can really get to you when you work for a living. By the time you get a little free time and energy, you don't want things to fight back, but that's not how life works

"Rubber" stuff won;t keep like it used to. Mostly because it isn't rubber anymore, not since the plantations burned some years back. Same as why tires "expire" after 5 years now and you can find a real rubber spare in the trunk of a car from 1982 and it won't have a crack in it.

Don't throw in the towel, you gotta take a deep breath and fix it. There will always be the next thing to fix, and even if you get it perfect it won;t stay that way unless you put it in a bubble. But what fun is a car if you only look at it? Get it running, do some burnouts, make it decent enough and plenty of people will give you thumbs up and smiles anyway and you get to enjoy the thing besides.

 

[DeltaV]

I purchased my '70 Charger in 1985. I'm not done. Time and money...when I had the time, I didn't have the money. When I had the money, I didn't have the time. My car was in dry storage from 1991-2016 while I moved around the country and had TDY assignments all over.

I have the upholstery and materials ready, as well as engine parts. A myriad of other things to do of course, but nothing difficult.

The pace will pickup once I am retired in a couple of years.

Endeavor to persevere.

 

[Runcharger]

Honestly, I expect problems with any aftermarket parts. It's unfortunate. When you get an aftermarket part that bolts on, fits and works it feels like a big win.
My friend Greg built a 71 Cuda and bought all first rate ($$$) parts. Aluminum Dana 60 had the perches welded in the wrong spot, 4 speed kit came with the wrong shifter rods, Sent the wrong dual disc clutch, "Pro built" 572 all aluminum Hemi had the wrong camshaft and valve spring retainers installed, TTI headers hit the crossbolts on the block, Had to send the FI contoller back and on and on.

 

[Mopar Hunter]

That's okay, because my lifetime is limited too.

We’re all have limited lives on this earth.

 

[DeltaV]

No extended warranties either.

 

[70ChargerRT]

Little stuff like that can really get to you when you work for a living. By the time you get a little free time and energy, you don't want things to fight back, but that's not how life works

"Rubber" stuff won;t keep like it used to. Mostly because it isn't rubber anymore, not since the plantations burned some years back. Same as why tires "expire" after 5 years now and you can find a real rubber spare in the trunk of a car from 1982 and it won't have a crack in it.

Don't throw in the towel, you gotta take a deep breath and fix it. There will always be the next thing to fix, and even if you get it perfect it won;t stay that way unless you put it in a bubble. But what fun is a car if you only look at it? Get it running, do some burnouts, make it decent enough and plenty of people will give you thumbs up and smiles anyway and you get to enjoy the thing besides.

Some good advice and yes I plan on enjoying it.

 

[70ChargerRT]

Honestly, I expect problems with any aftermarket parts. It's unfortunate. When you get an aftermarket part that bolts on, fits and works it feels like a big win.
My friend Greg built a 71 Cuda and bought all first rate ($$$) parts. Aluminum Dana 60 had the perches welded in the wrong spot, 4 speed kit came with the wrong shifter rods, Sent the wrong dual disc clutch, "Pro built" 572 all aluminum Hemi had the wrong camshaft and valve spring retainers installed, TTI headers hit the crossbolts on the block, Had to send the FI contoller back and on and on.

View attachment 1468196

View attachment 1468197

That sucks and I even forgot to mention that my TTi 1 7/8 headers that’s supposed to fit awesome according to everyone else hit my steering idler. TTi did everything but blame themselves. They said I’d have to eat the shipping if I wanted to send them back.