WHat's your motivation

[747mopar]

I started thinking of how things change and how quickly your priorities get switched around as I laid on the floor of my charger last night figuring out how to mount the vintage air unit. When I bought this car nearly 10 yrs ago the plan was simple, lots of motor, no bells and whistles just a nice stereo and cool paint job. Back then I had just gotten married and was building our home (literally, basement, cabinets, you name it we built it all) so as you can imagine the car sat in the garage for a long time. Fast forward, I have two kids now and the focus has shifted to making it something for us to enjoy as a family which means the addition of a few things. After my daughter and I roasting our butts off at the Good Guys and the Mopar Nationals and having an air conditioned car to retreat to it was obvious it had to have air. Then theirs the seats, don't get me wrong the originals are alright but if we are going to take long hauls it's got to be comfortable so in went the 300 Chrysler rear seats and stratus fronts. Seeing how my kids always have drinks and spill them if they don't have cup holders in went an armrest with two cup holders. For long trips a dvd player comes in handy, I'm not committed to that yet but it's a possiblity that's on the list it would be mounted to the roof of I do it. Last is the seat belts, I'm not entirely comfortable with the kids having only lap belts so another trip to the junk yard is in order to see about installing the seat belts out of the 300 as well. So I guess my motivation has shifted from building a no frills pavement pounder into building something to build family memories in, how about you guys. Hears a pic of my A/C install, I really hated my windshield wiper linkage last night. While I was at it I added grease zerks to my wipers, I think I saw it in a mag. And yes I had to do some chopping on the console to make enough room for it to clear the wiper linkage, oh well I'll just have to touch it up.

 

[Budnicks]

I know how your feeling, I had 2 68 RR both RM23 HT's at the same time, one was a bad a$$ striped lighter weight toy, run mid 9's & street driven some {my race car with licenses plates}, the only other the car I have now, was supposed to be just a simple sympathetic restoration, repaint & mild performance add-ons, I had to {well I needed to} sell the race car with licenses plates, to fund other house projects, pay taxes etc., for $28k to a friend, I got to keep a few of the parts, like the A12 lift off hood & 6bbl setup, for the more recently purchased other 68 RR RM23, that was supposed to be just a mild restoration with mild performance stuff...LOL.... When I purchased parts, for the original 1st car... I purchased two of almost everything that worked well on the 1st car... Well now the supposed mild restoration, has turned into a "more drivable street version" or resto-mod {sort of} version of the other car, just with less camshaft, less motor, more weight & more creature comforts... It' funny how your priorities will change, maybe I'm just getting old too...LOL... Your wanting your family to be involved, let alone comfortable, with your hobbies/project, will change them for you also... Mine are all grown & gone, thank goodness... Now I selfishly build for just me & my tastes/likes & have evolved over the many years of doing these cars/projects...

 

[roadrunnerman]

Nothing has changed on my end. I still plan on building my car the way I was going to do it 20+ years ago when I first bought it. I had other cars to haul the kids around, 73 charger,75 dodge van,74 Newport,70 mustang fastback. My 69 RR is MY car (until the grandkids want a ride).

 

[YY1]

I finally figured out that what I really wanted is a nice old car that I can enjoy driving.

Something that is relatively reliable, has some modern features, gets reasonable mileage while being able to get out of it's own way, and that I'm able to wrok on and do some slight mods and upgrades to without devaluing.

My 73 satellite fits that bill perfectly.

It starts evry time, and so far (six months) has been super reliable, although I've been doing a lot of "40 year old car" maintenance. like gas tank, trans lines, M/C, heater valve, etc. It doesn't kill me at the pump (15 MPG and climbing). It has tons of "cool old car" appeal. It has, from the factory- electronic ignition, power steering, disk brakes and A/C. It also has lap and shoulder belts (use what you want).

It's clean as hell, 56K original miles. I'm the third owner. Only body work is a repaint, half dollar sized patches where the rockers meet the quarters, and some sanded and touched up surface rust spots on the valances and lower rear quarters. All factory spot welds are visible and clean. Solid cowl, roof, dutchman etc.

I have all the parts to make it faster than a factory 73 RR and plusher than a 73 Sebring Plus (all factory parts), and I'm slowly adding those. So far- Tuff Wheel, Rallye Wheels, bucket seats and arm rest/buddy seat, dual rallye mirrors and deluxe door panels.
In the parts bin- machine gun tips, rallye cluster and tach, map light, cruise control, power windows, 3.23 SG 8 3/4, Road Runner hood, and a 2000 5.9 magnum (245 NET HP - more than all but the 440 in 1973).

I also have my 66 383 Coronet for an "early big block in a light body" car, which I'm currently taking a break from, and the 400-4 72 Charger, for a late "all the marbles" kind of car. I consider those to be "book ends" of the factory hot rod era. Not the ultimate, most desireable, but good representations.

Meanwhile, I enjoy the HELL out of driving my 318 Satellite to work every friday, and for errands on the weekends.

...and if we want to take a third person, or another couple out...functional back seat and working A/C!!

 

[RustyRatRod]

Today was a rough day for me and motivation. I've been trying to do small things to my rat truck every weekend. This mornin I went out to mark the frame and drill holes for my front cab mounts. Got my marks made, chucked up a drill bit, plugged my drill in and immediately tripped a breaker. The drill had a short. So I got my other 1/2 electric drill. It had been sitting on my work bench on a lower shelf........getting dripped on from a leak through the wall that rusted the chuck. After getting the chuck semi working, I chucked up the drill bit in that one. Went to drill my holes and no matter how well I center punched the holes, the bit wandered. I got two holes drilled out of the four and I was slap exhausted. My disability is such that I cannot last very long. Frustrating to say the least. So I said screw it and came in and rested awhile. After I settled down and watched a movie with the little woman, I got back up determined to get at least ONE frikkin cab mount on today. So I went back out, WELDED the mofo on the frame, used IT for a template and drilled the holes in the frame. Bam, one cab mount installed. I swear though, it almost makes me wanna give up sometimes.

 

[747mopar]

I feel your pain, because my wife doesn't dig the car and deems it not a priority I've been cut down to basically working on it when everybody is in bed "it's kind of hard to bitch if your sleeping haha". So Friday nights I don't get to bed until about 2 am, she goes to work in the morning and I get up when the kids get up usually 6:00-7:00. Saturday night I'm already exhausted from all of the sled riding and work until 2:00 again. If that isn't bad enough it seams like everything I do takes forever like tonight, all I wanted to do is get the dash installed nope nadda. Mounted the 6 AL box, checked a double checked my wiring, bundled and finished the dash wiring and it was time for bed. On top of that I have a nagging pain in my *** (literally) that makes standing a real challenge, last night Captain Morgan helped me out a bit. Just keep plugging away it will get done.

 

[306Doba]

Right now my motivation for my car is my great grandpa who bought it brand new. Not sure what my plans are yet for her yet but i'm doing everything I can to keep it as clean and original as possible.

@RustyRatRod

A lot of times when a job is a real pain in the *** it just feels that much better once you accomplish it, I'm sure once you finish your project you'll say to yourself that all the BS you had to endure was worth it!

 

[tpodwdog]

my motivation is very simple. and that is to see just how fast i can restore a car without going broke in the process. its a game i play with myself...(coincidentally, i do play with myself, but thats another subject. back to the matter at hand ) . i buy good cars with good bodies and are mechanical and electrical nightmares and hit them hard from the time they arrive until they are road worthy and ready.....fixing everything that needs fixed. my motivation is not my girlfriend(...got rid of her so i CANNNNN have cars)...or my children...( i have no children because i have government papers prohibiting me from reproducing ).......my motivation is sitting in this chair typing to you guys right now. and on a bright warm sunny day...i throw open the barn doors and say to myself... "HMMMMMMM.....which beauty will i give my attention to this fine day ?" I say in a low voice...."WHO WANTS TO GO FOR A RIDE ?"....and they all wag their tails....so i have to flip a 3 headed coin to see which one will take me on an all day adventure.

i have a few cars for this reason. .....i love going to car shows and meeting people and discussing different venues of automobiles. talking about the same car all the time is rather boring. hunting down parts and bringing that car back to life i guess is the real motivation here. i see no reason to take forever to get a car done and road ready. 20 years is a long time to make a dream come true......and some dont in that legnth of time......so i get them done, drive them,enjoy them, swear and cuss at them....while i am still a resident of this planet. the last thing i want is regrets on how i WISH i had put more time in this car so i can drive it....because once time has passed....ITS GONE, and youll never get it back. i have restored 3 cars in less than 2 years back to life and ready to rock....4 if you count my buddys 66 charger that was dead when i met it. im 49 years old and with the way i smoke like an uphill locomotive....i may not be here long......my only regret is not having someone to leave these mechanical beauties to.......so i guess ill have to pick one of you guys to take care of them for me! So sign your name below and ill put you on the list ...LOL! Whoa Bundy!

 

[roadrunnerman]

You can put me on the list. Remember, I'm your long lost brother. LMAO.

 

[BIGSHCLUNK]

For me its gets harder and harder as I go. Both hands screwed up, (droppin' tools and crap ) cant see half the time, back/neck issues. It just takes longer to get things done, so I farm out a piece or two. But I keep going, enjoying my cars, still love driving them and meeting w others who have the same passion. No one in my family other than my wife has any desire for this. My wife says she'll bury me in one of them

 

[Ron 73]

My motivation has always been that i love making one purdy again (to my liking), My health has slowed things down to sometimes its days that i cant go out and do what i want, Ive learned to live with it but it gets frustrating at times, Your mind wants to head right into it but the body says nope! But everytime i can im out in my little shop plugging away and having fun doing it, its very seldom i have a day that im down right discussed because something didn't fit or not work right, I still have a ball doing it, tomorrow is another day to give it my best shot.. Im working on getting another car to start here soon, so this winter im working on everything i can to make my 73 right and ready because i do love to grab the wife and just go riding, So i guess my motivation is simple, I love the cars i work on and enjoy the work, the figuring out of things in how its going to be, even using the night hours looking up parts or information to do something. Its just plain fun! and the finish of the day reading and seeing everyone else s work here and all your progress, Things arent like they were when young but i don't think it could get any better then it is now with my cars and Ram for the winter months, Its all what we make it, Money is always short but thats all part of the cars, If it was simple, anyone could do it, when its difficult, were building a dream that the memory's will last for years.

 

[shag766]

what motivates me. that's a good freakin question. it's a mental thing for sure. i am in my shop usually in the early a.m., 4-5. except for days like today, i'm hung, lol. in reality i should be somewhere warm and sunny for the winter. i have tried it, but i got bored. you can only golf so much and getting pissed everyday gets boring also, and it hurts the older you get. after 3-4 weeks of yelling "4" with a hang over i would start looking around at car's and parts there-of. it was a back to your roots sort of thing. i have traveled all over north america for some years as a truck driver so now that's boring, but, if i buy a car somewhere i am in the truck with the trailer on and happy to be doing it. go figure. lol
i usually spend 2-3 hours in the morning and another couple hours after supper, usually, and i am at piece with my self. i get most of my work done in the morning and after supper its just relax and think about what else should be on the list for tomorrow.

good question. i don't know. its more karma than anything else, my guess.

 

[terzmo]

I've been through so many cars in the past 30 years, I can't remember most. By fixing,selling,I have a 67 R/T that I have zero invested, so far. In the 60's...a muscle car was out of the question and then the draft...military service..marriage...kids...grandchildren...but I still get out and drive all the cars, including the current one. What keeps me going is the fact I now have a muscle car and the "high" of someone complimenting it is hard to explain. (every day someone says somthing nice or alot of times people will pull alongside and say somthing nice) and my thinking is if you have an old car, it deserves to be driven and taken care of. That's what motivates/keeps me going. (plus , in my opinion, they quit making real cars after 1974.)

 

[Bruzilla]

What motivates me is the drive. Simple as that. I like the roar of the engine, the snap on acceleration, the double takes from other drivers, the cheers from Steelers fans, I like it all. And my car will never have A/C. I like driving it with the windows down, arm out the window, and radio cranked too much to ever spoil that with A/C. Plus I was driving for close to 20 years before I even owned a car with A/C, so it's no big deal for me.

 

[67 coronet]

my motivation is still the act of building cars.as long as it dosnt start to feel like a job,i will keep doing it.never get attached to any of my builds,i end up selling it shortly after its finished so i can do another.current project on hold since a freind got hold of a lamborghini diablo i am gonna build for him for a dump load of cash.so wish me luck.

 

[YY1]

I love the windows down and the music cranked as well, but a/c makes that an option...and the wife is much more likely to go with if the a/c works...plus those double takes can be tripple takes if folks are smart enough to realize rolled up windows in 90* means the 40 year old car has working a/c

 

[747mopar]

What motivates me is the drive. Simple as that. I like the roar of the engine, the snap on acceleration, the double takes from other drivers, the cheers from Steelers fans, I like it all. And my car will never have A/C. I like driving it with the windows down, arm out the window, and radio cranked too much to ever spoil that with A/C. Plus I was driving for close to 20 years before I even owned a car with A/C, so it's no big deal for me.

Amen to that, don't get me wrong those are the very things that motivate me personally. I do love my A/C hear in Ohio, about the time the car shows and Mopar Nats come around it's also in the 90's with the humidity in the 90's as well "miserable". Like I said I have a young family and want us all to enjoy it for a long time, trust me it will roar and the windows will be down with the stereo crancked the majority of the time.

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my motivation is still the act of building cars.as long as it dosnt start to feel like a job,i will keep doing it.never get attached to any of my builds,i end up selling it shortly after its finished so i can do another.current project on hold since a freind got hold of a lamborghini diablo i am gonna build for him for a dump load of cash.so wish me luck.

Yeah, that's probably the most important factor, after all how many of us would ever finish our cars if we didn't enjoy it. For me I almost enjoy it to much to the point that all I do is plan the progress for the next visit to the garage and wish I was already there.

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I love the windows down and the music cranked as well, but a/c makes that an option...and the wife is much more likely to go with if the a/c works...pus those double takes can be tripple takes if folks are smart enough to realize rolled up windows in 90* means the 40 year old car has working a/c

Couldn't say it better myself.

 

[Propwash]

Cool Thread. Neat to hear what drives you guys to keep or put your cars on the road. As well as the memories that go along.

What motivates me.......Being five and sitting on the front steps with dad. Can of Budweiser in his hand, bottle of Coca-Cola in mine, just watching the cars go by and seeing the street lights reflect off the paint. Remembering walking up to the garage on a warm summer night, pops under the hood of his bird and that old plymouth just looking back at me, its headlights gleaming like polished dimes. Looking back at second grade, dulling all my #2 pencils drawing hot rods on my homework, instead of listening to that squawking teacher. Sixteen and walking out the front door with keys a jingling and a giant grin stuck on my face as I grab the cold chrome door handle on the Coronet. Picking up my buddies, rolling down all the windows, blowing a tank gas just cruising town and feeling invincible. Years later..getting married, leaving the swank limo to the wedding party and the wife and I dressing up that same 40some year old Dodge with "just married" painted on all the windows, soda cans dragging out the back and paper garland flapping from the antenna. Now days....Hot Coffee on a Sunday morning, firing up the heater, watching the garage lights flicker as they try to warm up......And with that same big grin on my face, looking at my old pal the Dodge and the roadrunner resting, silently just waiting for spring. So what motivates me? Heck guys, it's a lifestyle. Sure there's highs and lows, but being around these cars, taking care of these cars, and creating memories with these cars is honestly something that's been part of me from the beginning. To not have them would be like losing the joy and comfort of being around a good friend. Motivation.....my problem is trying to find motivation to do anything else. :grin: