Slick 60's

I use to look at some of your rides and say that is so rusty why not just find a better one than try and fix that piece of Truck...
I now have been helping a friend repair a totally rusted up Uni gate since I am too cheap to think of buying a 400 repop, but they sure look nice. He got the gate for 10 bucks and the outer support corners were toast and some surrounding panels too. When done it will have less than 40 bucks in it and will be presentable. Once stripped and painted it will be sweet with a bit of ....character....
I now see why you go so far with so little, the end result is more appreciated due to the time involved not the money.

time and ability vs. budget.

I have always said that I will always have way more time to put into a truck than I will ever have $MONEY$ to put into a truck...
I have the ability to tinker on one and it usually don't cost me anything but time, and I have plenty of that....

What a nice note Brian !!! ... Another factor that comes into play is sentimental value. My Grandpa bought my '61 Uni new ... but boy does it have tons of rust, could be one of the most rusted ones I've seen on this site. I'm estimating it's going to take me 500-750 hours to get her back to what Grandpa would be proud of.

another has been bitten by the bug, go get a slick and start grinding, addicting lil habit isn`t it.

You're a nice boy Irving...
U@ss

Hey I thought they used to call it a hobby. Now I find out Im addicted. Till I get it back in the garage not as addicted as others I guess

There's a fine line between what a lot of us do and someone buying a total POS and hoping to make a silk purse out of it. A lot of guys on here have the experience to fix hopeless things. Others, however, bought something on emotion and will have to spend serious dollars fixing it up when they should have just bought something nicer. Even fearless welders like my friend Charlie sometimes realize what they've got themselves into is a wasteful endeavor and wind up buying something better. I try to advise shoppers based on their level of expertise.

Unless there is sentimental value, my advice is to always save up and buy a better place to start. Parts and supplies have gotten so expensive that your free labor may not be such a bargain. Thanks, Lyman.

DV65CustomCab wrote:There's a fine line between what a lot of us do and someone buying a total POS and hoping to make a silk purse out of it. A lot of guys on here have the experience to fix hopeless things. Others, however, bought something on emotion and will have to spend serious dollars fixing it up when they should have just bought something nicer. Even fearless welders like my friend Charlie sometimes realize what they've got themselves into is a wasteful endeavor and wind up buying something better. I try to advise shoppers based on their level of expertise.

Agreed ... I never would have the courage to bring my Uni back to life unless I had, luckily, some significant welding and fabrication skills that have been built up over the years. Now I just have to get in gear to make it happen !!!

I'd rather be the guy that bought a $300 rust bucket to bring back to life than the guy that bought a 20+ thousand $ show truck and now has to spend another 20 grand fixing what all that chrome and shiny piant was hiding.

Jerry,
You nailed it there! I look at those "Frame Off" restorations on Ebay and wonder how much crap the shiny paint and chrome is hiding!

I have made it a point over the years to try not to judge anyone's cars, trucks or opinions. What works for me might not work for you, and vice versa. That's OK with me.
I have been "into " cars as long as I can remember. And for one reason only. I enjoy the mechanical aspect of them. Period. Once I finish a rig it usually is for sale. I enjoyed spending my time working on it, I enjoyed completing it and now it is time for the next project.
I do not enjoy displaying my rigs at cruise ins or shows (that judging thing?), though I have. I do like to attend and view what others have done.

In my opinion, whether a person is working on a $300 rusty hulk of polishing a triple throw down show rig doesn't matter to me. The important thing, to me, is if the person is enjoying what they are doing.

Just my opinion.

Roger Carter

ABA.
There is something for everybody. Short people need love too.
And some people, while they have the desire, simply do not have a place, or the time and/ or talent to build their own.
Just so long as they don't start blowing off about how much they spent or that they did it themselves I'll show proper respect.
Just a thought.
U@ss

Uncle Skip wrote:ABA.
There is something for everybody. Short people need love too.
And some people, while they have the desire, simply do not have a place, or the time and/ or talent to build their own.
Just so long as they don't start blowing off about how much they spent or that they did it themselves I'll show proper respect.
Just a thought.
U@ss

I'm just saying that I would be one pissed of sumbitch if I just spent 20+ grand for a rig and then have to work on it to make it right.
You buy a rust bucket you pretty much know what ya got.

I came real close last year to spending 15 grand on a 56 F100. If it had had a 429 under the hood......