J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

My "69 SWB Chevy has been down and apart for almost 2 years. "Disassembled" in the dictionary should have a pic of my truck along with the definition.

Wife and kids are on my case about it. Parts are in my half of the garage to complete it. Cab/chassis are in the driveway. The rest of the rust-free sheetmetal is at the painters. There's still work to be done on the cab before it ever gets shot with primer. Bed is lined with Vortex. Leather seat is in the garage. Tires and wheels stacked, neatly and getting older day-by-day.

I'm not getting any younger. Waiting one day is just like taking another step to the funeral home. I don't want the wife and kids having to deal with it when I'm gone. No, I don't have an appointment to die, but when you've had a stroke it all gets to be relevant.

So, ever feel like hollerin' uncle?

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

Every time I turn a wrench, I feel like hollerin' uncle! Don't let what is the inevitable for all of us, get you down.

Sounds like, regardless of health/age, you're in over your head. We've all been there and eventually seen the light. Don't give up on it. Summer is all but here. You've got MONTHS worth of weekends to plug away at it. It'll happen in due time. It always does.

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

Oh heck yeah, I've been there and I'm not even close to being as far along with my '63 C20 as you are with yours. It's easy to feel overwhelmed. That's when I usually step back for a day or two and just let it sit. It gives me a chance to calm down a little. It takes a lot of time to do these trucks but it is worth it in the end. Don't give up and enjoy the journey, headaches and all.

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

Nah, I have one project(a ahem "fine69") that i have had in multiple stages for 20 years.

What fun would life be if you gave up? Keep pluggin' away.

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

heck yeah keep goin at it

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

I have been there before, therefore I will NEVER build another vehicle I rather buy something finished and make changes to my likings only if I cant live with it. Unfortunetly there are so many guys that do the samething they get overwhelmed with other problems or issues. I really dont know what to tell you but I will tell you what I would do.
* I would sell the actual parts the way it is and try to get as much of my money back
* I would go and buy me a nice driver which I have seen several in the past few weeks.
* Go out and enjoy life and the hell with working on vehicles on my time off anymore.
* Spend as much time as I can with my children and wife.....

Good luck!!!

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

Working on my truck is stress relief after the crap I deal with from 9-5 (actually 6.30-5.30). I wish beating my daily issues with a hammer and then tossing them out if that didn’t fix it was legal.

I tend to keep several small truck projects going at one time. When I start to get close to completing one I’ll buckle down and knock it out. I get frustrated, but it’s still fun. I love solving problems.

Keep picking away at it, then one day you'll look around find that your almost done.

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

7 years so far on the current project , by the time i get something completed (suspension) they have came out with something new i have to have and i change it ..started with 4-6 static drop, then to air bags ,rear c-notch, next tubular a arms, center crossmember, longer track bar, now 3 inch raising bed floor and a bigger weld in notch.....oh well you get the picture!!!

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

I bought my truck 3 days before last years deployment. I got the loan, paid the guy, drove it straight to our shop in AL (3.5 hrs one way) in the middle of the night, then drove home and deployed. When I got home I had a really nice looking truck (GMC) that I could have drove for a while but it was not the burnt orange Chevy I wanted. I’m switching the front end.

The project was supposed to be for me and my 85 year old Granddad. On day two of the tear down we started wet sanding the paint to see what it looked like. There were 11 layers from top paint to bare metal. We ended up sand blasting it and at that point it became a full resto.

Now about the only thing I and Granddad did together, minus a little sanding and the engine pull, was stand back and look at the pile on the shop floor.

I started ordering parts and stuff for it only to make the rookie mistakes of getting stuff I didn’t need or even like. I was trying to find little things me and Granddad could do together. So I ended up hauling the cab to a Pro body man and paying him to fix it up. Quite a bit of money later we had a nice fixed up cab. Then, Grandpa and I went to a friend of his who was a pro welder and had him fix a patch in the bed floor. We then did a little body work on the bed together.

I’m back in Iraq now and can’t wait to get home and get back to work. I have thought several times, sell this one and buy one that doesn’t need much work so we can finish it up together. But then I remember the work we have done to it already and I want to finish it.

Point of all this is not getting the truck done but spending every second you can with Family. Especially after a serious medical emergency. If the kids are around pick one small part and focus on that for the weekend. It will make the truck build something more special for you and your kids. They may even keep on the truck to spend time with you. Ya never know.

If never finishing my truck means me and Granddad get to spend time together, then I never want to finish it. Ill ride my bike.

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

That's awesome! That is the way to look at it, and when you do finish it, everytime you look at it will bring back memories.

Thank you for your service to our country! Your sacrifice is appreciated!

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

I know I'm about ready to go insane with my '70. I started with a swb truck, kept fixin' things the PO hacked. As I removed hacked parts and unsafe parts I find myself down to a cab and frame. (Even though the cab is hacked.)
I figure at least it still runs, but the last time I started it up the engine compartment was on fire and my wiring burned up...I keep trying to fix her up with the thought (delusion) that I will turn the corner and start building her up again. I figure once I get to bare frame I will be turning the corner, unless of course the frame is bent.....

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

benton isnt that far from me, if you ever want a hand dont hesitate to holler, i jump at the chance to turn a wrench. Just because theres lots of work to do, doesn't mean you should let it overwhelm you. Not to mention, the prospect of giving up, just makes the end result all that much sweeter, when you take that baby on its first drive, and you think to yourself, " Man, i almost gave this up".

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

keep drudging forward. you can do it. step back , take a deep breathe, and start working.

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

5-6years ago due to recurring health issues i decided to scale back on the size and amt of projects that i'm capable of doing//I STILL HAVE FUN

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

All good comments, thanks. Part of my problem is that I can't do body work, so I'm having to farm that out. Heck, farmed it out. I know I've said this before but the body man has lymphoma....and some of my money. His intent is to do the job, but it isn't going as fast as I would like. Shame on me, huh? Still, it is daunting to say the least. I guess my fuss is that I'm not in control of the situation....none of it...truck or health. Sucks.

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

At some point it became difficult for me,when I used to whip stuff out like flapjacks.I`ve blamed it on raising a family,although that didn`t stop me at first.i`v blamed it on having an old house,but I used to at least get alot more done while doing alot on the house.I`ve blamed it on too many irons in the fire,but I have less than I did when I git more done.Now,I`m in limbo,which should mean plenty of time but other crap is filling in.If I had the money(definately one of my problems),I`d buy something to roll and still enjoy building,thinking I`ll build,slowly building,kidding myself,or whatever.
Fact is...I couldn`t live w/o having something looking at me asking for my time.I just can`t imagine it.

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

Man! That sounds just like me and my truck. I've had mine for a year and I don't think I'm any closer to getting it runable now than I was then, even with a huge amount of work already sunk into it.

Keep fixing/restoring/rebuilding/having fun, everybody.

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

dad gave me my truck in 84, had it on the road for 3 months in 92, took it apart in 92 and had back together for for last summer, put 539 miles on it!!....

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

I'm no body man either, and it doesn't help that I took my truck to a local shop to have some brake work done (master cylinder) and they tried to cave in the driverside door in on my '69... I just moved up here to Little Rock and the apartment I'm staying in forbids anyone to work on their vehicle in the parking lot, so I had to let a shop do it, and that's what I ended up with. I just got the Tremec 5 spd swapped in, and now my truck is in 'paint jail' because the shop is bs'ing me about paying for the work to repair the truck. I feel ya ChevLoRay, I'm staring at a pile of parts -CPP tubular control arms, c-notch, drop springs, sway bar, tach dash setup, Edelbrock Air gap intake, complete Comp Cams valvetrain, Holley 870 carb, Mar-K rollpan, and a bunch of other crap while I type this, but at least now we're closing on a house and will have a place to do my own work again. I will have to give MAJOR props to my wife for putting up with my truck fetish! There have been many times I've wanted to sell it all and just forget about having a hobby that involves a motor. But the fact that my '69 was handed down through the family from my grandfather leaves me unable to do so.

But seriously, I live 20 minutes from you and would love to come over and help you out of your rut. You have my number, so just holler when you get ready!!!

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

I just did sold it to the guy next door for his kid.He made a comitment to buy but no money so far.I may have to finish it.

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

I hear you but to be honest I just cant afford what I am building if it was a finished product. I have to do it a little bit at a time and take care of all the labor my self. It would be 15 or 20 grand and no matter how well I do in life I don't ever see myself being able to fork out that much. I bet you have at least 15 in yours. Its like LOCDOC said Building an old truck is like having bad sex. You cant wait for it to start but your damn glad when its done

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

"I'm not getting any younger. Waiting one day is just like taking another step to the funeral home. I don't want the wife and kids having to deal with it when I'm gone. No, I don't have an appointment to die, but when you've had a stroke it all gets to be relevant."

I have stuff like this too......One plan is to take some time and make a "what if" list. In about 30 mins, we can make some basic instructions as to what to do "just in case", Such as a post on this site would find new homes for your project w/o being cheated and move the stuff fairly quickly also. Then they are not 'stuck with' and are covered in case of...well.......and if all goes as anticipated and you finish 'er up, they would just fire 'er up,crank up the tunes and do a burnout in your memory!!
HTH

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

I hear you, my truck was down for years too. Sitting in the garage with half primered bedsides and doors, non running engine, crusty old suspension.

But chipping away at it a little at a time goes a long way. And before you know it, it's a truck again. My vision of what it could be kept me going, and working hard.

Hard work, yup. Frustrating, yup. Rather take the easy road and sit in front of the TV and drink beer or surf the internet, yup. We have probably all been there at one time, or all the time who knows :lol: But keep at it, you will be rewarded in the end. I am not really trying to be motivational, but just saying you are going through what most of us have, been there.

Also, is there anyway to get the truck from the current bodyguy and get it to another place? If the metal is rust free and mostly straight, find a local (can't believe I am saying this) macco or one day and cut strike a deal with them to paint it. There are some talented painters that work at these shops and they are fast, throw them a few extra bucks or a couple of cases of beer and you might be suprised on what they will or can do for you. I have seen some real decent jobs come out of those places, but not for $299 :)

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

I am with you....Doing ALL the labor here except for the smoothing of the firewall and the little bit of paint I am in mine for just about 22k. We did my built in three months from beginning to end and it was alot of hours seven days a week.

Sometimes you have to value what is important in life and in my case it is my children and wife. As I love my truck and I am very proud of it, I am not going to ever take time away from my family to work in another bucket.

Re: J'ever feel like throwin' in the towel?
 

Like many of you I have about thrown in the towel, so to speak, on my trucks. It seems like something always comes up to keep me from working on them.

The bad economy seems to be hurting a lot of people, of course including me. I am now among the rank of the unemployed because of health problems.

I am lucky though, my son and I share the interest in these old trucks and spend a lot of time together planning on his projects. When I am able I help him out.

I mentioned one day to my daughter-in-law that I felt like getting rid of everything and she said, "Why, it is not costing you anything to have them and when you get time and money you can work on them." That made pretty good sense to me.

If I never finish a one of my two project trucks it will be ok because I have had a lot of quality time with my son either working on them or planning.

I do keep my '71 lwb stepper in road worthy condition and drive it from time to time while I am gathering parts for it and the '67 swb stepper.

I had time to work on the '67 a few days ago. Did not get much done, hooked up the voltmeter and put a ground from the engine to frame. It felt good to get something done for a change, of course the next day I was not feeling great.

I guess as usual I have rambled on too long. I guess what I am trying to say is "Enjoy the jurney" and spend time with your family.

Danny