Unfortunately, the project car game is two-sided. Eventually the small herd of cars you’ve been collecting, hoarding at your friend’s house, the front yard, and local shops, will have to be purged. The first step to addiction is admitting you have a problem. As of now, I’m sitting on four vehicles with shallow pockets.
As diehards of this industry, it’s just too easy to pick up new projects to play with. In some aspects, it’s what keeps the wheels upstairs turning. The more projects, the more motivation, right? Like my good friend, Bill Howell, just mentioned the other day, “It’s all about having a vision.” That’s true, too, because as loyal enthusiasts we have to look past the patina paint, various rust spots, missing trim, dilapidated interior, and flat tires to truly see the potential beneath the surface.
It can quickly spiral out of control from there. You end up greedy, blindly buying up whatever you see just because you can rather than because they have great potential. While spending $50-$100 here and there on one project car is possible, spending equal amounts on three or four at the same time can become emotionally and financially taxing. Catch my drift? I’m sure you’ve been in this same situation.
In an effort to practice what I preach, I’ve been in the process of trying to sell my black ’86 shortbed C10. It’s all about baby steps with a little here and there. Although I had a ton of plans for it, which included dropping in a fuel-injected 383ci small-block with a 700-4R overdrive transmission, I’ve since decided to drop that combo into my ’79 C20 longbed. I’ve grown attached to the little black truck, and I hate to see it go. However, when potential buyers are practically tugging on your sleeves you buck up and just let it go.
If all goes well, I’ll have the original drivetrain out of the longbed with the new stuff in shortly. Of course, that’s another story. We all know those weekend jobs can quickly turn into weeks. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.