Why "Don't we get no respect?"

[kkritsilas]

I wouldn't give him grief, but I'd walk on by. Antiques with the ubiquitous small block Chevy don't do it for me. Truthfully, I can go to any show around here and see the same set up. Ford/Dodge/whatever body with a cheap junkyard small block Chevy. But, hey, it's not my car. If he built it for his tastes, then that's all the matters, no matter what the naysayers say.



Damned good engines and can built to run. I'd wager that with the right wrench on it, the proper amount of research it would run circles around a lot of 350's.



If you enter a show and put a car on display, then you're asking for opinions. Basically, what you're saying, is that the only opinions which matter are the ones who are gonna give you an "attaboy!" If you can't handle the negativity with the positive, then you've got a chip on your shoulder about your ride. Again, did you build it to please the masses or did you build it to please yourself? If you built it to please the masses then you have to take the bad with the good. If you built it to please yourself, then no one's opinion of it matters, no matter how much work you've put into it, how well engineered it is.

As someone who used to build cars for a living (and will again), I've had customers cars on the show field quite a bit, either just on display or in it for judging. I've heard the negative things. I've heard the positive things. To all of which I said "thank you." The reality is: if you put your car on display you are going to hear negativity. It's a fact of life. Grow a thicker skin to it or pull the car off display.

But, then again, you're talking to a man who has owned a '69 Sport Satellite 4 door factory 383-4bbl since he was sixteen. If I had a dollar for every nitwit who told me to pull the powertrain out, put it in a 2 door, and clone a Road Runner I'd have had enough money to build the car ten times over twenty years ago. My car, my build, my decisions. I don't have to justify my thought processes to anyone.

See, there's the rub. I don't want to be like the masses with my builds. If the masses are telling me to pull the 239 out of the '54 and replace it with a junkyard 350 because I can build more power on the cheap then why do I want to be like the masses? I've heard the same thing with my F250 for the past 25 years. Put a 460 in it! The fact I can build 450ft/lb of torque at less than 3000rpm, have 5th double over right in the middle of the power band at 70mph with my 300 inline tells me these are the people who's opinion is based solely on what they read in magazines.

And these are the same people who think they can build my car? Yeah, let 'em have their opinions. Let 'em think they can build my ride better than I can. I take it for what it's worth. Let 'em think that way all they want. It won't sway my opinion of what my ride is.



So, he let the ignorant define his ride?

See, that's what I'm talking about. He wasn't prepared to hear someone of a differing opinion. They're going to come crawling out of the wood work, usually by someone who's never done the work, especially to an extent this guy has. Why do you even value such a person's opinion that you let them sway you in your thinking of what you've done?



Newsflash. The so-called purists aren't the only ones out there. The true "purist" wouldn't be criticizing your buddy for putting a small block Chevy in a Merc, they'd be criticizing himself for not leaving the flathead in place. A "purist" wouldn't be criticizing a home built car for not having a Mustang suspension, a true "purist" wouldn't have anything to do with the car. A true "purist" wouldn't turn his nose up at your J-bod for not having a B or RB because he'd know the J-bodies weren't offered with one.

These people aren't "purists," they're elitists. They think only their opinions matter and are willing to voice it until the cows come home. Why would you let someone like that have any sway over any part of your life, much less over your ride of choice and the decisions you make for your ride? Let 'em have their opinions. They'll have one anyway, rather you like it or not. The only opinion that matters is your own.

The 350 is not a junkyard cast off. It is a mildly built (350-380 HP) 350. That originally had a 3 speed TH350 on it. Owner felt it was running too high an RPM at freeway speeds, so he swapped it out for a 700R4. I really would like to see a 350-400 HP flathead, i'd like to know how that is done. From what I know, and I am no expert on flat heads (I've only seen two in my life, and they were both stock, one was in a rusted out Model A, as a small kid, and one other that the Mercury owner is restoring for an owner of a just after post war 1 ton Farm truck). I just figured there was a reason Ford went away from the flat head. but maybe they were wrong. All the guy wanted was a good, reliable ride that had some get up and go, and was easy to maintain. I don't know where you live, but flat head Ford parts (plugs, filters, etc.) are not easy to find up here. As for it "doing it for you", it doesn't matter. It wasn't done to "do it for you" or anybody else, it was done to fit the purposes of the owner. If "doing it for you" involves hauling around a close to 4000 lb. car with a 90 HP flathead, or maybe 200 HP flathead at best, then build one on your own. The owner gets a lot of enjoyment out of his car. He made his choices based on what he wanted his car to do. The owner is far more than capable of building or rebuilding any sort of engine/transmission combination that he wanted to. He is well aware of all manufacturers engines, choosing to use a Chev. 350/700R5 for ease of maintenance due to his using the car as a daily driver, not a trailer queen.

You are putting it all out there when you display your car. You will get some jeers along with the cheers. But in the case of the person commenting on the Bugatti replica (by the way, the guy designed and built it from photographs) was out of line. He was dismissive of the 5 years of effort the guy put in. I'm sure corner carving wasn't on the top of his list. If nothing else, he should have respected the person's workmanship and effort. Over and above all of that, he was wrong. The Panther chassis under the Crown Vic is better for handling than the Mustang chassis (of the time) was. It is an IRS chassis, and in the police form, is about as solid a chassis as you can get from a factory car. The criticism was not made on technical grounds, but to put the guy's efforts down, and to be a condescending p***k, He was a Mustang owner, so his car was best. Doesn't really matter if it was true or not, as long as he could trash talk somebody else's efforts in an effort to make himself and his choice of car superior.

As far as the "purists" out there (note the use of the quotes), somebody needs to teach them some manners. Talk choices, talk techniques of doing thing. Do not put people who have put in hundreds to thousands of hours of time and effort to bring their dreams to life. You may not agree with their dreams, which is fine, becasue everybody has their own dream (or concept of what they see as the ideal car). My dreams may not be your dreams, this is why they are MY dreams. Don't h ave anything good to say, just keep walking. When did it become acceptable for people to walk around putting down others. How insecure are they? I don't like 67-70 Chargers (just way too many of them), but love '66 Chargers. I certainly wouldn't put down any 67-70 Charger, despite my feelings for them.


Kostas

 

[My imp]

This thread is getting out of hand. I said I was going to try to not be politically correct. Not that I'm an F'n knuckle dragging Neanderthal, but back in the day, people knew the meaning of the word respect! If they didn't, you took them out back & explained it to them. There used to be consequences for acting the ass. Now, these days, these a**holes feel its their God given rite to say or do whatever they want w/o repercussions. Just try to tell them when they have there friends with them to keep there opinions to themselves, or move along! Good luck with that one! Parents in this country are afraid to introduce the arm of knowledge to the seat of knowledge (bust a kid in his ass!) because of "child abuse" laws. I personally worked with a guy that went to prison because the first time he pulled his minor son off of his wife/kid's Mother, the kid called the cops & said his Father was abusing him. He went to court, pled his case, & was told if it happened again that he'd go to prison. He told the judge the kid was a minor, & therefore he couldn't kick him out of the house, the judge wouldn't put him in a juvenile detention home because he didn't have any evidence. He asked the judge what he should do? " Not my problem" was the basic response. The kid held his parents hostage by threatening to either hit himself, or have one of his friends do it, & tell the cops his Dad did it. When they finally decided enough was enough, & refused anymore money, the kid jumped the Mother. My friend pulled him off the Mother & he did throw him into the wall. One phone call, & he was put in jail. We worked for the State of Fl. DOT, & you couldn't have any felonies & work there. He went to jail, & lost his job. The little F'n crack head laughed at him as he was being sentenced! THAT'S who comes & comments on our cars! I can take suggestion, compliment, question, etc. but these little urchins need to be taught some good old fashion respect! There are far too many of there ilk out there these days. They run in packs seeing just how much they can get away with. You can always spot their parents, they're the ones offering excuses about the medication they're on, & how they haven't stabilized yet. I believe we used to call it an attitude adjustment?

 

[alf44]

this is what she looked like when i bought her 4 years ago. now ive put her in a few car club shows and cruise ins looking a bit worse for wear. had factory blue paint with a cpl shades of primer, unfinished patch panels, rust holes, cracked windshield, ripped drivers seat, mismatched tires. very few people even stopped to look or ask questions but a few did. i felt proud to just put her in the shows so others could see her, not caring about others comments . now the few who stopped did ask good questions like what year, what engine ( super /6 ) what were my plans and how long would it take. no one in earshot said anything nasty but im sure some did as they walked away. i agree that we all build or have built for us, the rides we want in our minds and hearts. if the only way a owner can get what they want is to pay someone to do the work, no one should put them down,,,, as long as that owner takes respect for the work done and HAS respect for anyones ride.. we all need to respect others car of choice or if we dont ,please keep the comments to ourselfs.. just my 2 bucks worth

 

[My imp]

View attachment 4826this is what she looked like when i bought her 4 years ago. now ive put her in a few car club shows and cruise ins looking a bit worse for wear. had factory blue paint with a cpl shades of primer, unfinished patch panels, rust holes, cracked windshield, ripped drivers seat, mismatched tires. very few people even stopped to look or ask questions but a few did. i felt proud to just put her in the shows so others could see her, not caring about others comments . now the few who stopped did ask good questions like what year, what engine ( super /6 ) what were my plans and how long would it take. no one in earshot said anything nasty but im sure some did as they walked away. i agree that we all build or have built for us, the rides we want in our minds and hearts. if the only way a owner can get what they want is to pay someone to do the work, no one should put them down,,,, as long as that owner takes respect for the work done and HAS respect for anyones ride.. we all need to respect others car of choice or if we dont ,please keep the comments to ourselfs.. just my 2 bucks worth

That was my point. This thing has taken on a life of its own! I guess I generalized a little too much on some points. Whatever your walk of life is doesn't matter to me. How you build your car doesn't matter to me. I raised two kids by making others cars the way they wanted them. I'm talking about an attitude, not specific people. You know Rodney Dangerfield? "I tell ya, I don't get no respect!", THAT'S what I'm talking about. It sounds like a few of us have been rubbed the wrong way by some of the comments. I've re-read some of my comments, & agree they could've been taken in ways other than what I meant. Nothing was meant to offend, unless you're the type that goes to car shows & start acting the ass. From what I've read here for the past year, no one sounds like that that I've noticed. Anyone who has is no longer on the site!

 

[holmes]

"Returned to the FABO area..." Were they yelling to tell you you had won a trophy for the F-body or yelling at you because you won a trophy for the F-body?

Not to sound cynical, but I was around FABO during the... less than receptive... days of the F-body subforum. Hell, I took more shit than most for it being there.

I have never caught any crap from anyone on fabo but I also have a short friend list there and everyone was genuinely happy for my getting the trophy especially in a 4 door f-body. I have also heard of fabo members catching crap here this site so I guess there are buttholes everywhere. I like fabo, fmjbo, and for trucks only but I try to avoid all the bickering but if I were blown some shit I would probably blow it right back.
I'm with ramenth as far as I like to see a Mopar powered Mopar, a Ford powered Ford and a Chevy powered Chevy....etc. But if I see a mixed breed that looks good I'll bite my lip and keep my opinion to my self since it's not my car or money. Hell, years ago I had a 1979 Aspen 4 door that I converted from a slant 6 to a nice about 300 horsepower 360 for sale on ebay that some idiot told me I was stupid for ruining the car by changing the engine, trans. and rear end. I told him when he said that the bidding was already twice what a 6cyl. Aspen would bring and I had 2 days to go on the auction.(it was at $4000 at that time) He was just pissed because I didn't want to trade it for his 76 Royal Monaco so he also got in touch with the high bidder and said it was a rusted out piece of junk and he knew the car.(he had never seen the car) The car had 21,000 miles and no rust ever. I met him on Brice Road the next year during the Mopar Nationals and he was a real tool! Here are some pics of the "rusted out" Aspen.

 

[alf44]

what a beauty

 

[alf44]

now about what you should change on that car...... if it was mine i would change,,,,,,,,,,, the air in those tires !!!!!!!!. and that darn washer fluid- wrong color fluid in that jug,,, just kidding folks. great more door

 

[My imp]

Bitchin' ride! I know what you mean about the half breed cars. Not my cup of tea either. It really gets annoying after a time to hear on all the auto shows when asked what do you have for a drive train? "350/350/10 bolt" Did anyone see what the first 2014 episode of (formerly Powerblock TV) PowerNation TV? How to rebuild a junkyard LS. Oh joy!

 

[Jack Meoff]

An Ever Start battery in a Mopar??? What...are you kidding??? :toothy11:

Holmes....that's a gorgeous car!!!
Just to clarify my "cheque writer" comment....
I meant just that....a guy who casually peels a cheque, buys a car then proceeds to be an a$$ about it.
I did not mean a guy who worked hard to save enough money to buy a car he is passionate about. The previous type is a showoff....the latter a car guy.
I can proudly say that I have never and I mean NEVER knocked anyone's ride..ever....not here, not at a show or any other board I'm on.
To me they're all special in some way and all have their merit.
Over on "another board" for M's we've had new members afraid to post pics of their car because it's "not good enough". I bug them to post pics.
Sometimes it's a rough around the edges Fifth or Diplomat....peeling paint, stock 318, beaten interior....and I always compliment the car and tell them they should be proud of it.......it's theirs and it's a classic piece of Mopar history....some say they want to do this and that and maybe do, maybe not. Who cares? You're in the club....you're in the hobby so as far as I'm concerned....you're one of us......us being the crazy lunatics that save and drive these beautiful old babies.....not some pompous prick who bought the most expensive show piece he could find so he could show off.
That being said I've met guys who bought...not built fully resto'd cars worth large money and they've been the nicest, most respectful guys you'd ever meet.
There's all walks out there...pick your friends....screw the rest.
A couple of years ago I was at one of the smaller shows I like to go to..
This kid maybe 18 or 19 tops showed up in a beat up Mirada.
It was rough....rear bumper slightly hanging, dings all over, very tired paint and badly worn interior and a slant under the hood.
This kid was beaming when he showed up....thought he bought the holy grail.
After an hour or so after the usual wipes made the usual derogatory comments about his "POS"...comments like "that would make a good derby car", etc...he wasn't smiling so much.....ignorant pricks.
I went over and started asking him about his car.....
After a half an hour he was smiling again.
I told him....pay no mind to these arrogant turds...your car is special, it's yours and it's on the road. You're just as much part of this club as anyone else here.
I'm not sure but I like to think I'm part of the reason he kept coming back.
And also part of the reason that whenever someone bad mouthed his car it seemed to roll off and he was still proud of his "classic"
We're all in this together....something I try to never forget.

 

[My imp]

Can't we all just get along? asked the philosopher & philanderer Rodney King.

 

[Jack Meoff]

Can't we all just get along? asked the philosopher & philanderer Rodney King.

Before he got busted again :toothy10:

 

[ramenth]

I hear what you're saying and I sorry for the generalization leading to the confusion in what I was trying to get across.
I have no problem with someone who worked hard one way or the other to get what the passionately want.
Same thing done two different ways...

In case you haven't noticed, I tend to play devil's advocate on threads like these. I always have, especially when people get painted with a broad brush.

Arrogance is arrogance, no matter where it's applied. Some of you can tell stories of having the check writer put your ride down. Being on the professional side of it, I can tell stories of the do-it-yourselfer putting down the check writer for being "just" a check writer. Take a look at some of the previous comments in this thread. One of the reasons I said people have a chip on his shoulder. If your proud of your work and you're pleased with it, then why let the court of public opinion sway you in your thinking? Does it matter of someone thinks his or her engine bay looks better than yours? Or does it matter more that you think your engine bay is just right the way it is?

In the end, the only person you have to please is yourself. The point I've been trying to make, though, is that when you put something on display in the public, then the public is going to give an opinion. One should be prepared for negative opinions and take them for what they are worth. (The next question is, though, is the opinion negative or contrary to what your thinking is?)

 

[Jack Meoff]

In case you haven't noticed, I tend to play devil's advocate on threads like these. I always have, especially when people get painted with a broad brush.

Arrogance is arrogance, no matter where it's applied. Some of you can tell stories of having the check writer put your ride down. Being on the professional side of it, I can tell stories of the do-it-yourselfer putting down the check writer for being "just" a check writer. Take a look at some of the previous comments in this thread. One of the reasons I said people have a chip on his shoulder. If your proud of your work and you're pleased with it, then why let the court of public opinion sway you in your thinking? Does it matter of someone thinks his or her engine bay looks better than yours? Or does it matter more that you think your engine bay is just right the way it is?

In the end, the only person you have to please is yourself. The point I've been trying to make, though, is that when you put something on display in the public, then the public is going to give an opinion. One should be prepared for negative opinions and take them for what they are worth. (The next question is, though, is the opinion negative or contrary to what your thinking is?)

Point well taken.
And playing devil's advocate is always
A healthy reminder of the realities of life sometimes.
That's why I posted my last response.
I do see both sides of the coin.
As far as your last point...I guess that's where my bone of contention lies.
If someone has something to offer on how I could do things better I'm more than happy to listen....it's happened before and some folks offer genuinely good critiques that are helpful in making my car better and THAT I appreciate.
Sometime piping off just to be a smartass I have no time for.
I like my cars...a lot. And to a fair degree I'm happy with them.
I'm sure most will agree they're never truly finished. There's always something that can be improved and that kind of input I'm always open to.
Telling me my MU3 paint has too much flake to be MU3....smell ya later.
My car, my choice.....
As far as putting your car on display means opening yourself to opinions and criticism....I absolutely agree.
Basically you're saying "Here's my car....what do you think?"
Expect someone to answer that question.
It's all good in my books....as I said...if someone offers advice, positive or negative, as long as it's constructive and not just a smartass comment I see nothing wrong with that.
My personal policy is....I don't criticize or point out shortcomings unless asked.
Until that point.....I check out the car, compliment it and move on.
If someone asks what I think I'll offer my two cents.

 

[ramenth]

Point well taken.
And playing devil's advocate is always
A healthy reminder of the realities of life sometimes.
That's why I posted my last response.
I do see both sides of the coin.
As far as your last point...I guess that's where my bone of contention lies.
If someone has something to offer on how I could do things better I'm more than happy to listen....it's happened before and some folks offer genuinely good critiques that are helpful in making my car better and THAT I appreciate.
Sometime piping off just to be a smartass I have no time for.
I like my cars...a lot. And to a fair degree I'm happy with them.
I'm sure most will agree they're never truly finished. There's always something that can be improved and that kind of input I'm always open to.
Telling me my MU3 paint has too much flake to be MU3....smell ya later.
My car, my choice.....
As far as putting your car on display means opening yourself to opinions and criticism....I absolutely agree.
Basically you're saying "Here's my car....what do you think?"
Expect someone to answer that question.
It's all good in my books....as I said...if someone offers advice, positive or negative, as long as it's constructive and not just a smartass comment I see nothing wrong with that.
My personal policy is....I don't criticize or point out shortcomings unless asked.
Until that point.....I check out the car, compliment it and move on.
If someone asks what I think I'll offer my two cents.

What's funny to me, is when people find out that I used to professionally build cars.

All the sudden the person in question starts picking his or her car apart and pointing out flaws. The first couple of times I would demur and give them compliments. "It looks good." "Don't worry about it." It's like all the sudden he or she has a professional in front of them and thinks that I will catch things with a pro's eye and start pointing these things out and they're beating to me to the punch.

I won't do such. We all have different skill levels and different talents. Yes, I do have some professional arrogance. There's been many a time over the past five years, when a car has rolled into my shop and I've had to correct someone's screw up to make the car run right again or it's something that even the most basic of vocational students would know better than to do I've cussed the fact that some people shouldn't be allowed to touch a wrench. For the most part, I've never cussed a do-it-yourselfer. It's usually other professionals that I've wound up cussing.

I had a Toyota Camry come into the shop one time that wasn't running right. The owner's ex-husband put the timing belt on for her and it started kicking all kinds of misfire codes. I re-timed it (good thing it was a Toyota), put in a set of plugs (two and four had cracks in the porcelain, usually associated with over-tightening) and she was on her way. I applaud him for making the attempt at saving her some money.

On the other hand, when someone has been turning a wrench for as long as I have and does East African engineering on mounting an alternator on a 2.4L Stratus instead of taking the time to do it right... then I have the issues. It's sign the person doesn't care anymore. Time to hang up the wrenches and find something else to do for a living. Or... he doesn't know how to do it right and shouldn't be paid by a shop to work on customers cars.

But I digress.

I've come to find out, when a person starts picking apart his or her car in my presence, he or she is looking for advice on how to do it different. I didn't see it, a friend of mine who was at a show with me had to point it out. The person in question was telling me what he or she did wrong, inviting my constructive criticism. A person very rarely comes out and asks for it from me. As such, I don't stand there and pick a car apart.

You see, for as good as I am, there's someone out there better. It's a matter, for me, of not picking someone's car apart (although I might discuss it later with my dad or my nephew) simply because no matter how good I am, someone can do the same with my work. I may have overlooked something in the metal work before I put the paint down. I may have overlooked how something should be mounted correctly. It happens to the best of us. There's only been One Perfect Man who's walked this Earth and I ain't Him. And when you spend 120 hours a week in the shop (which I did) looking at the same project for weeks or months at a time, you have a tendency to grow tired of looking at it. I had to get a quality control in place, to go behind me and pick out the small things I would overlook just from becoming snow blind to the project.

As a result, I don't go to shows to criticize anyone's ride. There are things I might do differently if it was my ride, or things I might suggest if it was a customer's ride, but ultimately, if it's someone's pride and joy, and he or she takes pride in it, then that's all that matters. Far be it from me to try to take that pride away.

The issue is when people think they have a right to do so, no matter who it is.

Who has time for people like that. As I keep coming back to, when you put your ride on display and you hear the negative comments, it's all comes back to us, as individuals as to how we handle it. We do we let those who seek to take our pride away do so or do we just chalk it up to "opinions are like assholes...?"

 

[Jack Meoff]

What's funny to me, is when people find out that I used to professionally build cars.

All the sudden the person in question starts picking his or her car apart and pointing out flaws. The first couple of times I would demur and give them compliments. "It looks good." "Don't worry about it." It's like all the sudden he or she has a professional in front of them and thinks that I will catch things with a pro's eye and start pointing these things out and they're beating to me to the punch.

I won't do such. We all have different skill levels and different talents. Yes, I do have some professional arrogance. There's been many a time over the past five years, when a car has rolled into my shop and I've had to correct someone's screw up to make the car run right again or it's something that even the most basic of vocational students would know better than to do I've cussed the fact that some people shouldn't be allowed to touch a wrench. For the most part, I've never cussed a do-it-yourselfer. It's usually other professionals that I've wound up cussing.

I had a Toyota Camry come into the shop one time that wasn't running right. The owner's ex-husband put the timing belt on for her and it started kicking all kinds of misfire codes. I re-timed it (good thing it was a Toyota), put in a set of plugs (two and four had cracks in the porcelain, usually associated with over-tightening) and she was on her way. I applaud him for making the attempt at saving her some money.

On the other hand, when someone has been turning a wrench for as long as I have and does East African engineering on mounting an alternator on a 2.4L Stratus instead of taking the time to do it right... then I have the issues. It's sign the person doesn't care anymore. Time to hang up the wrenches and find something else to do for a living. Or... he doesn't know how to do it right and shouldn't be paid by a shop to work on customers cars.

But I digress.

I've come to find out, when a person starts picking apart his or her car in my presence, he or she is looking for advice on how to do it different. I didn't see it, a friend of mine who was at a show with me had to point it out. The person in question was telling me what he or she did wrong, inviting my constructive criticism. A person very rarely comes out and asks for it from me. As such, I don't stand there and pick a car apart.

You see, for as good as I am, there's someone out there better. It's a matter, for me, of not picking someone's car apart (although I might discuss it later with my dad or my nephew) simply because no matter how good I am, someone can do the same with my work. I may have overlooked something in the metal work before I put the paint down. I may have overlooked how something should be mounted correctly. It happens to the best of us. There's only been One Perfect Man who's walked this Earth and I ain't Him. And when you spend 120 hours a week in the shop (which I did) looking at the same project for weeks or months at a time, you have a tendency to grow tired of looking at it. I had to get a quality control in place, to go behind me and pick out the small things I would overlook just from becoming snow blind to the project.

As a result, I don't go to shows to criticize anyone's ride. There are things I might do differently if it was my ride, or things I might suggest if it was a customer's ride, but ultimately, if it's someone's pride and joy, and he or she takes pride in it, then that's all that matters. Far be it from me to try to take that pride away.

The issue is when people think they have a right to do so, no matter who it is.

Who has time for people like that. As I keep coming back to, when you put your ride on display and you hear the negative comments, it's all comes back to us, as individuals as to how we handle it. We do we let those who seek to take our pride away do so or do we just chalk it up to "opinions are like assholes...?"

Well said....as always.

 

[ramenth]

I have never caught any crap from anyone on fabo but I also have a short friend list there and everyone was genuinely happy for my getting the trophy especially in a 4 door f-body. I have also heard of fabo members catching crap here this site so I guess there are buttholes everywhere. I like fabo, fmjbo, and for trucks only but I try to avoid all the bickering but if I were blown some shit I would probably blow it right back.

There are those on FABO who accept Mopars in general. If's it a Mopar, it's awesome.

There are those who are only fans of A-bodies and all other Mopars suck. Then you have some who are only fans of his or her A-body and every car which isn't his or her own suck.

I meant this as no-knock on FABO and it's general membership. Mainly just those who can't see the forest for the trees.

 

[My imp]

I agree on most points, but believe some of mine were misunderstood. I've beat this dead horse long enough. It seems we all have pretty much the same opinion on this thread, but can't see the forest for the trees. Had I not repaired, restored, rebuilt, & a bunch of other re's, I wouldn't own a home, couldn't have supported a family, & generally enjoyed what I did for a living. I've met some of the best & worst kinds of people doing it. I would love to be able to do it again. But until medical research comes up with a way of correcting my back problem, I can only wish. Like they say," Wish in one hand, &........"

 

[ramenth]

I agree on most points, but believe some of mine were misunderstood. I've beat this dead horse long enough. It seems we all have pretty much the same opinion on this thread, but can't see the forest for the trees. Had I not repaired, restored, rebuilt, & a bunch of other re's, I wouldn't own a home, couldn't have supported a family, & generally enjoyed what I did for a living. I've met some of the best & worst kinds of people doing it. I would love to be able to do it again. But until medical research comes up with a way of correcting my back problem, I can only wish. Like they say," Wish in one hand, &........"

And as one former pro to another, it sucks when something you love is taken away from you. I had to close the restoration shop when Sarah and I lost Katie. There was enough stress in my life going on at the time, that it was the easiest thing to cut loose. I've been itching to get back into ever since as it's been the only point in my professional career in which I've been truly happy. That's with owning another shop as a general repair shop, pulling frames in a collision shop, specializing in driveability at the dealerships.

Now I'm building trains for a living. Interesting work and one in which I'm excelling, but I know it's not something I'm destined to do forever. One of the reasons I want to get my shop built is so that I can spend my "off-hours" in what I call my occupational therapy.

 

[My imp]

I hear ya brother! Short of selling sexual favors or selling drugs, there aren't too many(legal) things I wouldn't consider to get the dough-ray-mi to build my garage the way I want it. I could get a conventional loan, but the wife says she'd like to retire some day. The old gal has a point. I couldn't use it commercially, even if my body would hold up, we have a busy body neighbor who already turned in a guy for restoring HIS OWN CARS! Never took in a paying job. Had as good a ventilation set up as you can have for a home shop. It wasn't like there were clouds of clear coat floating in the neighborhood or anything! And unlike the bill of rights guarantees you, you don't have the right to face your accuser! That way, they get everybody pissed off & looking over their shoulder as to who turned you in. Then when you say that other people are doing the same thing or whatever, they throw the old if you want to tell us who you're talking about, we'll site them too! Well F you! Want me to do your whole job? Go over there & site them myself? I don't give a sh*t what someone else does on their property! As long as it's not on my property, & they're not doing it at 4am keeping me awake, I don't give a...

 

[Jack Meoff]

Some people need a good and proper b**ch slapping.....