I think i might give up hot rodding

[retselgerg]

welp guys i have been working my A"" off on my truck (5speed, all new brakes springs hoses calipers rotors etc etc, new shocks new rims n tires etc etc..........welp i got my truck painted and for some unkown reason it now has a small chip on tha fender not that big of a deal i mean i can redo the fender but it just seems like everything fights me so much harder then other ppl...........for instance my frind alex has a build 05 ss cobalt (low 11 sec car) he repainted it in his driveway in like 2hours and its spotless me my dad and my popaw worked our but off on this job....I use to consider myself a patriot to the old school but i think i might hang it up......just cant get things going for me ya kno....

[determined1]

look back man you said it yourself it's an 05. a car with less than 4 years on it.or a truck thats got history and 30 plus years on it...this might help you out. i own a 63 and recently the mrs and i went for a ride down the 101. after a long day of tooling on the truck. it was nearing sunset when we passed a couple of old timers sitting on a bench. as we passed they gave me a thumbs up. to know that i am doing my truck justice enough for someone that could have bought my truck 45 years ago, and for me to bring back a memory or two of when they were 24 was good enough for me. i sorry man but you've got my respect for working on your truck with your own two hands and driving the piss out of it. stick with it the frustration and headaches are what this game is all about.

[Arad68]

Hang in there man!!! Your truck looks good!!! Your friends Cobalt is fast because it is all about the horsepower to weight ratio. It weighs next to nothing and its got a lot of horses for its size. How many times was your friend's Cobalt painted before he painted it again? I'm sure it's nice, it better be it's only 4 years old. Although it is an SS it still just seems to blend into the crowd all to readily.

[basemodel67]

Hey- if it was easy to have good looking old truck, they wouldn't be so cool. And you won't look like you're driving your sister's car, even if it is an 11 sec. Cobalt, which I doubt it's really that fast without dropping halfshafts!

[72chevyk10]

i always say if you are gonna put the work into building it its gonna get driven. and if that means a scratch or ding so be it. i see no point in a "trailer queen" imo. if i go through the truoble of building it it WILL get driven. IMO

[special-K]

Sounds like you have paint prep and chemistry confused with hot rodding or old vehicle vs new.Isn`t the 11 second Cobalt a hot rod?Couldn`t the paint chipping vs not have just as easily been reversed?There`s plenty of trucks on here that have paint that`s holding up.It`s not the vehicle,it`s the paint job.But,if your heart`s not in it and a modern car is comparable to a classic truck in your mind,go for it.

[jim zag]

Jump in that truck and go for a L O N G R I D E !!! It always amazes me to see people turn their heads as I drive by in my old truck! I get the thumbs up from the older guys! My truck is rusty and dented and the black paint is coming off. This hot rod stuff is all about the IMAGE in your HEAD!!! This is supposed to be FUN! GO FOR A RIDE! Your truck is way nicer than mine! Anybody can buy a ride! YOU BUILT YOURS! BE PROUD OF IT!

[cdowns]

hot rods are vehicles made prior to WW2

[Elephanthead]

Don't hate on the Cobalt SS, it one of the best bargains in the performance world, it also goes around corners fast, not all racing is a 1/4 mile straight line. I would buy a used one in a second if I could find one that wasn't beat to hell by the prior owner.

[retselgerg]

I decided im taking tha truck out tonight for a long cruise (havnt drove it in over a year) I'm just gonna take it out and get the feeling for it again...guess i just get dishearted pretty easy. and alex's car really is a low 11 car i think his best time was a 11.3 and off topic the cobalt in general is a bargin in todays compact car market.....

[big_al_71]

I have heard too many people get frustrated with these old buckets. I have been there many times and I am at that point where I wont build anything else as there are other things more important to me for the moment. I live in an area where there are many people with some serious cars like porches, ferraris, corvettes, hummers, escalades I mean some nice cars but guess what? I am the ONLY one with a "hooked up C10" and that is where my satisfaction is, the fact of knowing that I built and own a serious C10 that some of these cars have nothing on mine, yeah they are worth more than my bucket but my bucket is "Unique" and you Won't see another around my area. I have never owned or will I own a "trailer Queen" the cars and trucks I owned I drive them, enjoy them as much as I can. I could be just like everyone else in my area and bought a depreciating german or american new car but I chosed to own an old bucket that in worse case scenario I will break even if I ever part with it. Do what you feel in your head that you want to do but remember anyone can go out and buy a new vehicle and add some bolt ons but at the end of the day you will own a generic vehicle that ANYONE can have...
Good luck!!!

[retselgerg]

cdowns like your "1960 F100 hot rod project awaiting install of 429cobrajet"??? just playin with ya lol thats when hot rodding started (prior to ww2) but to me hotrods are not cars or trucks its a lifestyle....thats my outlook at least

[Tx Firefighter]

If it was easy, everyone would be driving a nice old truck. Fact is, it's not. It's a constant struggle to overcome obstacles. It makes you stronger. It makes you more capable. It makes you feel pride in your accomplishments.

For me, it isn't about having a neat old truck. It's about having a neat old truck that I struggled to build and overcame the hardships.

[oldblue1968chevy]

boy i hear ya lol they dang trucks fight ya the WHOLE WAY lol stick with it, thats wat im doin with my disc brake convo....i wish i woulda fixed drums and drove it some but hey im this far might as well keep chuggin along, and to make dad wrong..he said i cant do it

[nvr_di]

I agree stick with it man your truck looks great! and for me I know its cheesy but what doesn't kill us makes us stronger. Or - if it was easy everyone would do it. The sweet aint as sweet without the sour.
Any more cliche's I can throw at you?

Really though all that fighting and all those challenges you over came should add to the pride you have in your truck and the work you did. And to me it shows. Dont get me wrong I respect an 11second anything but my true love is more than just muscle.
The uphill battle sucks and is a frustrating hell sometimes but for me that's what I love about it. Maybe im just a glutton for punishment but it gives the project a soul for me. I had an aucra daily driver that I did 0 work to and there was no soul, no connection, I really didnt care about it to much accept for it getting me to work.
I think It takes a certain kind of person to see a project through to the end. Anyone can just bolt on parts thats easy. But taking it down to nothing and rebuilding or creating from the ground up thats hard but so much more rewarding.

ok im getting off my box now.. bottom line man reconnect and enjoy your truck and wear that pride on your sleeve you earned it!

[6772owner]

I agree with everyone, sometimes I just want to beat the snot outta my truck with a sledge hammer, but you just step away for a bit and then go at it again. The hobby wouldnt be what it is if it was easy, hell we all know the blood, sweat and tears it takes. The Cobalt (or anything else thats only 5 years old) doesnt take much to do bolt-ons and go, the truck takes real dedication to tear apart, de-rust, and get back together. Hang in there buddy, we're behind ya...

[PanelDeland]

For me it's relaxation thing.I like working on my truck.I enjoy accomplishing something that most wont even attempt.I get frustrated just like everyone else, but I either step back and think it thru or step away for a while.When I overcome that obstacle the sense of accomplishment gives me a feeling of pride and that relaxes me.

[eightbanger]

Originally Posted by big_al_71

I have heard too many people get frustrated with these old buckets. I have been there many times and I am at that point where I wont build anything else as there are other things more important to me for the moment. I live in an area where there are many people with some serious cars like porches, ferraris, corvettes, hummers, escalades I mean some nice cars but guess what? I am the ONLY one with a "hooked up C10" and that is where my satisfaction is, the fact of knowing that I built and own a serious C10 that some of these cars have nothing on mine, yeah they are worth more than my bucket but my bucket is "Unique" and you Won't see another around my area. I have never owned or will I own a "trailer Queen" the cars and trucks I owned I drive them, enjoy them as much as I can. I could be just like everyone else in my area and bought a depreciating german or american new car but I chosed to own an old bucket that in worse case scenario I will break even if I ever part with it. Do what you feel in your head that you want to do but remember anyone can go out and buy a new vehicle and add some bolt ons but at the end of the day you will own a generic vehicle that ANYONE can have...
Good luck!!!

Big aL sounds like your discribing the kinda place I live in, only swap the the Escalades for Range Rovers and Porche Ceyenne's. And I bloody love riding round here in my Chevy Truck....I'm the ONLY one (helps being in the UK of course)
retselgerg you may have hit the wall, but you will get past it, anyone can have a nice 05 lets see how well your mate would do with a 67 yours is the challenge his will never be, and his will NEVER be as cool. Speed is easily acheived let that be te next part of your project if it means a lot to ya.

+ He does'nt get to be a member of our club.

[UltraBlue71]

Originally Posted by jim zag

Jump in that truck and go for a L O N G R I D E !!! It always amazes me to see people turn their heads as I drive by in my old truck! I get the thumbs up from the older guys! My truck is rusty and dented and the black paint is coming off. This hot rod stuff is all about the IMAGE in your HEAD!!! This is supposed to be FUN! GO FOR A RIDE! Your truck is way nicer than mine! Anybody can buy a ride! YOU BUILT YOURS! BE PROUD OF IT!

I have read alot of this cat's posts and we must be kindred spirits, In a cobalt you are a face in the crowd, in a old chevy truck you are like a hot woman in a tight pair of jeans, everyone takes a glance, so to speak...
I love the way the hood shakes and vibrates on my old ride as you run 65-70 down the blacktop, the cackle of the duals as you let off her, you either get this thing or dont, brother, I have 71 C-20 that I have pumped every spare penny my family of 6 could afford into, for the past year and a half, guess which one goes into our 1 car garage every night? It sure as hell aint my 02 Tahoe or the wives 05 Sonata

[special-K]

Isn`t it funny how people who`s sole interest in vehicles is to own the current "one to have" and think they`re all that?They don`t even get it.I have people who can`t afford "the one to haves",drive newish common b.s. because it all they could afford,and think my place is a junkyard...call it West Virginia,always comment on how many vehicles I have.Yet,none are off the driveway and complete,tucked beyond the house into one corner towards my shop,they are obviously of the same type(a true sign it`s a hobby(not an accumilation of broke down junk),large parts stored inside sheds or tarped(again,tucked out of plain view),and everywhere else is landscaped extensively...like I don`t just dump oil and rut the place up.I tell them this isn`t suburbia,I`m not trying to be suburban,and I wish it was West Virginia.Others will pull up and never stop ranting about all the neat stuff and point out all the rarities I`ve gathered.It`s all what you like.I like people who are interested in neat old stuff(n.o.s.).If I wanted store-bought or cookie-cutter I`d have it,not spend my life wanting it.To me,that`s low-class.

Go take a ride.I garauntee you`ll feel different about your truck.It`s all about driving them,making them go,and even them not going.

[LEEVON]

Don't get discouraged. I look at it this way; there are many challenges/rewards in life. Most of them are corporate (faith, family, work, etc..). By corporate I mean things that are done in societal groups with set standards and expectations. Hot rodding (or Hot trucking) whatever you call it presents a unique challenge/reward. In my case I really don't have any friends that I get to enjoy the hobby with, but my Father and I have some quality time in it. So really it is a solo hobby.

The real reward comes from challenging yourself and meeting those challenges. Nothing feels better than using the engineering portion of your brain to solve a problem, even better is breathing new life into an old machine. The compliments and thumbs up are just a bonus. Some people climb mountains, others gain knowledge or physical strength. We happen to have hot rodding. It's about the journey.

[Skirkpat]

Compacts suck, Going fast in one is not real bright either, and plenty of hot rods have been built with cars pre and post war, thats a silly comment hot rod is an attitude, not a model.

[big mike71]

Originally Posted by Skirkpat

Compacts suck, Going fast in one is not real bright either, and plenty of hot rods have been built with cars pre and post war, thats a silly comment hot rod is an attitude, not a model.

I can't even fit in a colbalt. Remember don't sweat the small stuff.

[clay68c10]

So, how was the drive?
Mine was great today, got to ride with my little girl after work. She loves it because she gets to see the driver in her rear-facing kiddo seat.

Its the little stuff like that. I've had shiny and $hitty paint, either one is OK if you like the ride.

[weasel29gm]

I wouldn't trade my 69 for Cobalt or any other newer ride. And as " Hot Rod '' goes when you modify to run faster and look cooler you just '' Hot Rodded '' it regardless of year. Some just has to be period correct. I'll give credit to younger guys that ''Hot Rods'' the newer rides even if I don't care for some of em'