How many projects are too many?

[Jeff Norwell]

Never enough projects........ I love them all....

[Contibob]

I keep thinking I have too many, but can't seem to bring myself to part with them. I am at 17 cars now and all but two run and drive great. I have the nice ones, but I get most enjoyment out of the ones that need cosmetic work. I can drive my 57 Continental Mark II and no one seems to notice it. Then I get in my old 57 4dr Fairlane 500, dead paint, hanging headliner......., and I get high signs from everybody, Horns beeping, people taking pictures with cell phones driving down the freeway. My garages are starting to look like an episode of hoarders with parts and extra engines and so on. One day though, I am sure I will have to thin the herd, but for now? Drive em and enjoy them no matter what they look like.

[JPotter57]

My wife would say that one project is too many.  Myself, I have my 57, and my 61 unibody, my sons 79 Mustang Pace Car, and a 98 Mustang for my next driver age son.  All of them need work, some way more than others.  They are an outlet for me, when I have had all I can stand of work related issues, or political nonsense, I unwind by wrenching on my toys.  My 57 gives me the greatest satisfaction.  57s are my favorites, but I have a soft spot for the Mustangs too.  Luckily, on my 57 at least, I had bought up a great deal of the stuff I needed to get work done on it, so now that the job situation came with lower pay, I can still make progress on it.

[mustang6984]

Three Mustangs ('68 coupe-'69 fastback-'84 SVO), two '57 Ford Sedan Deliveries, '50 Dodge P/U, and an '83 RX-7. (the RX will probably be farmed out) Have my eyes on a '67 T-Bird and a late 40's panel van as well. As long as I can keep turning wrenches...I'll keep building. Also want to build a Factory Five '33 Ford.

At 63...I'm pretty much gonna be busy! LOL!!!

[Ford Blue blood]

I hope I live long enough to finish them!  Ranchero, 61 2dr Ranchwagon, and a 57 Retractable.  Have trouble keeping the finished ones ready and running as it is now!

I will most likely sell two of the finished after the Ranchero is completed.

[mustang6984]

A retractable?!?!?! Oh I am jealous! Would love to get my hands on one of those!

[canadian_ranchero]

i have 3 that run and drive.my 57 wagon,71 ford xlt f100 and a 65 mustang convertible.now if i live to be 150 years old maybe i will finish my project ones,66 mustang,79 mustang,59 f100,57 meteor wagon,57 meteor ranchero,and a 40 ford coupe

[mustang6984]

Gee whiz! How old are some of you guys? I'm 63, and I have read in Street Rodder about guys who are in their 70's and still building cars. There is a guy out here where I live who is 82-83...and still cranks out 1-2 a year! He makes me feel like a 25 year old kid! LOL!!!

[RICH MUISE]

I'll be 70 next month...wish I had another build in me, but I don't. I'd sure like to give a crack at making a Custom 300 convertible.

[mustang6984]

DAMN! From the way you speak of your builds...I would have thought you were a mere child in his 50's! LOL!!! I hope to be able to turn the wrenches into my 70's. I didn't get to really start until I was in my early 60's. Too much other "stuff" going on...although I kept collecting cars...and now have 15...some are daily's...most are not. (see list above) I also have a cross country move ahead of me as well...so there is gonna be that fun tossed in. Heading to Missouri, SW corner of...near Arkansas border...hopefully within the next 18-24 months. That will put me only a few hours away from you...so cruises would be possible! I'm originally from San Antonio...live in WA state now...across from Vancouver Island Canada. So, need to get as many running as possible, they ship cheaper that way.

I resurrected my build thread last night with pics of my floors...they be UGLY...swing in and take a look. Ideas will be eagerly accepted and looked forward to!!!

[RICH MUISE]

Branson Area? My wife and I keep talking about a trip to there. and Jerry's classic cars is in NW arkansas, about an hour so. of Branson.

A lot of us were/are where you are with your floorboards. EMS is the way to go for those. How are your tailgates?

[mustang6984]

The Sedan Delivery tailgate is a one-piece unit...heavy as all get out! I am going to split the thing in two, I have a bottom already, that I have been hauling around behind me for 45+ years. So I'll need to get the latches and hinges for a standard station-wagon 'gate and do the install. Top 1/2 is in really good shape, except the rubber around the windows is super dried out...but I am hoping to find some place that will have it. If not...maybe there is a way to soften it up again.
I have EMS in my parts folder...their stuff looks really good. Also have Mac's Antique Auto Parts...know anything about them?

Branson Area? My wife and I keep talking about a trip to there. and Jerry's classic cars is in NW arkansas, about an hour so. of Branson.

A lot of us were/are where you are with your floorboards. EMS is the way to go for those. How are your tailgates?

[59meteor]

Are you sure that you really want to convert your Sedan Deliveries tailgates to the much more common station wagon style? I have owned 2 57 Ford Sedan Deliveries myself, and I always thought the 1 piece tailgate with the 3 windows were just so cool! If the factory spring loaded upper hinges are working correctly, I never found the 1 piece tailgate to be that hard to open. Funny that the 58 Sedan Delivery used a totally different  setup to hold the tailgate open. An interesting differance between the US 57 Sedan Deliveries and the Canadian versions (I live in BC),is that the US cars (trucks?) have "Courier" emblems on the front fenders, where both my 57s had "Sedan Delivery" scripts. Do you know many car guys up on the Northern Washington pennisula? I have been drag racing at Bremerton Raceway for over 35 years (although I mainly race at Mission Raceway here in BC). I know racers from a few areas up your way, like Forks and Indianola. Also, a couple of years ago, I met a guy from Sequim, who has a 59 Ford Custom 300 drag car, same body style as my current 59 Meteor Niagara 300 2 door sedan project.  Also, there is a racer from Port Angeles with a blue 64 Falcon drag car, which used to belong to a couple of other Ford racers from Spanaway and either Tacoma or Puyallup.

As for "too many" projects, I guess its a subjective question. I an 59 years old, and have been "playing with cars" since well before I got my drivers license in 1973. Over the years, I have had a number of Ford performance cars, including 5 factory "R code" 428 Cobra Jet Mustangs and Fairlane Cobras, have been drag racing continuously since 1974, with a number of different cars (all Fords), but having worked on cars for a living since the late 70s, and getting older, I gotta admit enjoying working on my own stuff ain`t as much fun as it used to be. Between my wife & my daily drivers, I have 2 drag cars, a F350 Dually, and enclosed car trailer to keep in usable condition, I hope to have my 59 2 dr sedan ready for the road by next summer, after that, I kinda think I won`t be doing any new project cars in the future. As long as our local dragstrip is open, I plan to keep racing, although I may sell 1 or the drag cars, likely my Mustang, as I have my drag Fairmont for 30 years now, and still enjoy banging thru the gears at the track. I have several friends with so many project cars, that they could never finish 1/4 of them, even if they live to be 100 years old!

[mustang6984]

I planned on keeping the top half of the tailgate, and just replacing the bottom. A friend I had about 45 years ago had done that. The bottom unbolts and slides off I guess...then he cut the support arms off the bottom and added in a standard bottom gate.
My gate does not stay up well...and I kind of liked the idea of having the drop down bottom. BUT...if I could find a way to be sure that arm would hold the thing up...I might change my mind. I also am missing the latches for locking it on both cars, and not sure if those are available anywhere for Sedan Deliveries..which was another reason for splitting the gates.
I do not know anyone over here on the Peninsula who races. I live in Port Angeles which is just about 20 miles from Sequim, and my cars are in Dungeness which is 5 miles north of Sequim. I think I have seen that blue Falcon at a couple of car shows here.

Are you on the island or over in Vancouver City? I keep threatening to go to the island and do some photography...but I just haven't done it yet. I'd like to spend a couple of days over there just wandering around shooting what ever comes to my eyesight. Especially over at Butchart Gardens. Haven't been over there for about 20 years now. Funny...when I lived in Olympia we went over several times, now I live 12 miles away...and haven't been over!

Do you still have your Couriers? I didn't know there were different name plates for the Canadian vs. American cars. But then again...not surprised. A lot of strange things were/are done when it comes to the vehicles in Canada as opposed to the U.S., like the Mercury P/U trucks. (Saw a movie a week ago on TV...supposedly took place in WA...but I knew right off it was shot in Canada...the gal in the movie pulled up and parked a P/U...that was a Mercury truck. LOL!!!
Might you have any Courier/station wagon parts in your stash that you would like to part with? If you are on the island...that would give me the push to head over for a bit.

I'll keep turning wrenches as long as I can...as I stated above, I see stories in Street Rodder about guys still building in their 70's, and there is a fellow here (in Sequim area) who still cranks out 1-2 a year, and he is in his 80's!

[djfordmanjack]

I also had a 57 Delivery 10 years ago. tried to buy it back from its current owner recently, but no chance. He loves it so much. I would try keeping the og tail door. it's one of those major parts that make a SD. also it is much more practical to get heavy items inside the car than the 2 piece drop down gates. Been lifting Ford engine blocks in and out of my Del Rio and its a pain. just great with the SD door. I was hauling huge stuff in the Courier. The 3 piece SD glass seals are available from Classic car Parts ( Obsolete car Parts) Oklahoma I think.
You should check the springs up at the hinges. maybe they are broken or weak.