anniversity

[BarryK]

well, it's now been 5 months this weekend that I first brought BABY, our '65 coupe, home to live with us. Her first night in our garage was Sat 3/13/04.
So far it's been 5 months of joy, frustration, pleasure, pain, dreams coming true, and expense.
I always wanted to have a Vette of my own since I was 12 and looking back now over the last 5 months of various emotions and problems and pleasures of the car the question comes to mind, would I do it over if I could turn the clock back 5 months.....H**L YESS!!!!!


Even with all the problems I've had and expense I wasn't expecting this soon after purchasing a "frame-off'ed" car, there is nothing like the pleasure and joy of cruising down the road with BABY, hearing those sidepipes, seeing other cars look and getting the thumbs up.
In fact, my wife and I are already plannning the 2nd Vettepurchase for next year as she now wants a C4 for herself - as long as it's an auto so she can drive it. It looks like BABY will have another Vette sharing the garage with her as soon as the funds reaccumulate for her C4

 

[warren s]

Well Barry, its been anything but dull !!

 

[67HEAVEN]

anniversity

Anniversary and Adversity? :L

You think 5 months have driven you crazy? Try 37 years. :eyerole

 

[BarryK]

Well Barry, its been anything but dull !!

Ain't that the truth Warren!
LOL
you noticed I didn't use that word at all
:L

 

[BarryK]

Anniversary and Adversity? :L

You think 5 months have driven you crazy? Try 37 years. :eyerole

that's preety good Bob, I like the play on those two very appropiate words
:L

I'm hoping that things with this car will settle down a bit once I get all the many, many bugs worked out from the obviously poor restoration work that had been done by the prior owner. If I have to live with 37 years of what the last two months have been with this car non-stop one of us will not survive it - and I think it will be me (and defintely not my wallet!)

 

[Sting Ray]

Barry,


I am glad you have made it this far and the setbacks haven't soured you, I almost used to hate to read your posts. Now all seems well with the car, and I look forward to them.


Tom

 

[BarryK]

Barry,


I am glad you have made it this far and the setbacks haven't soured you, I almost used to hate to read your posts. Now all seems well with the car, and I look forward to them.


Tom

Hi Tom

you use to hate reading them/ How do you think I felt having to write and post them??!!
:eyerole
I will admit there were a few days that I really questioned if my dream of having a Vette was worth all the hassle but , no, I'm not soured from the experience.


BABY still has some issues but I'm learning to take them a bit more in stride now instead of in complete panic when I first got her. I guess I'm accepting that 39 year old cars are always going to need SOMETHING, and also accepting the fact that the so-called restoration it went thru before I got her was not up to the standard I would have liked to have seen or accepted if I had it done myself and so will have to keep redoing what was previously done as issues keep presenting themselves.
Having a neighbor with a '67 that is also pretty decent at working on these cars has been a big help recently also. Instead of having to come on here with every little issue complaining, venting and crying about it, I can now have him look at it, help me put it in perspective as a big problem or a little one and how to best handle it. He's been able to help me on fixing a few things already saving me paying out the big bucks to shops that can't seem to get the repairs done correct anyway.

Come this winter if I have the money I'm seriously considering having the motor pulled and completely rebuilt from the bottom up just so I know it's all 100% come Spring time and hopefully i'll save myself a lot of future headaches that i've had to deal with since I've gotten her. Although a lot better than before, I still don't think the timing is truely 100% correctly set-up and she is also going through oil fairly quickly which I don't know why - she isn't smoking or anything that I can notice or anyone else can see. Considering the level of other areas of the prior restoration I would just have more confidence in knowing the motor was in good shape if I get it all done myself and know just what was done and how. (well, not ME doing the work of course, but me getting the work done on it by a good shop. If I tried to rebuild the motor the car would never run again! :L )

 

[IH2LOSE]

The Joys of owning a collector car.

 

[BarryK]

The Joys of owning a collector car.

well, more like the joys of owning an OLD car I guess
:L

this is my first old car - all my previous cars have always been new cars so I've never had the experience of dealing with an old car before and all the additional work innvolved in keeping them running. Even just finding competent mechanics to work on her is tough.

 

[warren s]

Barry

I had a strange thought. I cant really get into a car I didnt work on. I was not that happy with my new to me C5, than I started doing some small projects on it and learning about it and I felt much better about it.

To each his own, hope you get some peacefull drining time.

WS

 

[BarryK]

Barry

I had a strange thought. I cant really get into a car I didnt work on. I was not that happy with my new to me C5, than I started doing some small projects on it and learning about it and I felt much better about it.

To each his own, hope you get some peacefull drining time.

WS

Warren

I understand what you mean as I used to work on my own bikes. Changed oil, clutches, cables, etc whenever needed. Just a bit scared and intimated by working on cars I guess. A lot more complex than bikes and not to mention expensive if i mess up something! Of couse, with the expense i've wasted on mechanics i've gone to that didn't fix the problems I might as well have spent the money on my own tools and learned how to do it myself!

Congrats on your C5! I'm sure you will learn to love it as much as you did your C4. I wish I could have bought your C4 from you when you were trying to sell it as my wife wants one but that purchase will have to wait until next year. One Vette purchase a year is the limit for us!