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I imagine that most of us have been there Gasser - - - - don't give up and bail out - - - - give it time and keep the 'passion' - - - - "trust me" in time it will come back around.
I've bailed out of playing with cars 50 times over the years and swore I would never play with them again. But I somehow always go back. Sometimes financial issues make that decision for us, but I can tell you from experience, that changes and you WILL recover.
Just don't get rid of too much of your stuff as you will be kicking your butt later for making that decision.
Don
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Then stay on the sidelines!!!! Good pit guys are very, very hard to find, especially someone who can speak from a "been there, done that" standpoint rather then just the usual "read about it in Hot Rod mag rag" guys... You know the one's, they like to stand around modeling their new crew gloves, but won't do anything that could get them dirty!!!!!!! Also nice if you're good with a video camera, then do the playback with the driver and help analyze what both the car and him are doing right and wrong!!!!
Just don't get silly and sell all your tools and stuff!!!! I've seen guys do that, then go out at the start of the next season and run up a huge bill in the Snap-on truck!!!!
When you're done with school and start recieving a decent income you'll be back in it....
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I retired from racing in 77' to start my business and never even went back to another live drag race even to watch,until the year before last...........................man things changed!
I did that too for awhile. By the mid 80's I was down to household tools. but I got the bug again when my son got into cars. Funny where the times & circumstances take us.
Gasser, sorry to hear about you losing your tools to a thief.Quote:
Originally Posted by gassersrule_196
I have two sons, and one grabbed onto math & science in school and ended up with a degree in engineering - he designs major high pressure vessels for a niche company that serves everything from gas pipelines to NASA and still has his first Mustang in the garage. The other son did OK in school, but in college he just couldn't see how the sheepskin was going to be his key to happiness, and he ended up in the Navy. He did their 'A School' (fundamentals) on jet engines which put him on F14's in Japan and two SE Asia & southern hemisphere tours, then a 'B School' on helo's which gave him turbo skills plus helicopter specialties. He got out after eight, got his A&P card and now works for a private company maintaining their growing fleet of planes, and supporting their R&D efforts on the planes. It may not be the right thing for you, but the service was the right thing for one of my boys and he has made a good life for himself and his family. Hope things work out for you, whatever your decision.
Just don't get rid of too much of your stuff as you will be kicking your butt later for making that decision.
Don[/QUOTE]
I did that around 96 and I have been kicking myself in the _ss ever since the things I took to the scrap yard:eek: I have spent many days looking for to buy back. I just got a wild hair up there somewhere and said thats it... Well I've built 3 cars and 3 trucks since then and have 2 more on the burner now SOOOO never say never
you cant quit.im not done watchin you yet.
i`m kinda the opposite .. i need to quit but cant .. just yesterday in my stang i backed right in front of a car that barely missed t-boneing me .. my driving scares me ..
Just remember what they used to paint on trailers.... "The disease for which there is no cure!" :-)
I don't know if this scenario fits with yours? I was lucky enough to have learned a skill, and I now help others, which satisfies my need just fine. Also, the money stopped flowing out... and a some even flows back in. It doesn't pay like my old jobs, but I get to do my hobby full time.
You could also do what a few friends of mine have done, and that is to sell the hot rod, and buy a clean running car or truck that gets mildy customized....maybe some noisy exhaust, some wheels, and a little striping or paint. Then you help put on events, and run around with the guys, helping on other projects. That keeps you in the middle of it, without a great demand on dollars.
Hang around, I'll tell you when you can quit!!!
Listen to Jerry!!!
seriously, If your having fun on the sidelines,,, great....
But you can always keep at least a lil easy slow paced project around, just pace your self.
I wound up after twenty years away from it and totally unfamiliar with any technology pre 1972....So I decided to start building a copy of my high school ride.....so far it is not even rollable,,, but every now and then I get one of the youngsters and we go and putz for a few hours on it and thats fine......just remember Have fun!! Do what makes you smile......Now hand me that ratchet!!!
i have not built any thing in 10 years for myself .i when i did my cars were just roll around engine stands for me it was more of just how much i could stuff in a car and still drive it on the street..i never did it for any street racing;).i always like building / machining engines . helping when i can its abit cheaper for me.i still get a kick buying nice stuff for customer engine builds
hard to have a project when you have no storage!
oh i want to join the army, but i have to lose 80 lbs 1st
If you're going to lose 80 lbs Scooter, you might as well join the best and it isn't the Army.
If you're truly looking at the military you should talk to the recruiters and go in with some written guarantees, and most important with a plan on what training you want to get. If you enlist without a plan you may come out with only the experience and several years off your clock.Quote:
Originally Posted by NTFDAY
i have taked with them, i need to lose alot of weight, no its army or nothin for me if i do it. but im to far away from that goal
What's so hot about the Army?Quote:
Originally Posted by gassersrule_196
better oppurtunity then the marines in my eyes. also its family tradition. started with great grandpa-grandpa-dad n uncle cousins and then there me, the incredible blob:LOL:
Everything the Army offers, except the medical field, the Marine Corps offers. My oldest daughter is a registered nurse and a Major in the Army on the Lt. Colonels list and my youngest was a corpsman in the Navy and I played recruiter for awhile a few years back. Then again you only get out what you put in, but as Roger said you have to have a plan.
in the Army you don't have to ride around in the bottom of a boat
Good one Jerry.:LOL: I'll have to admit that I'm not too fond of the Navy's boats.Quote:
Originally Posted by jerry clayton
But in the Navy you get to sit a mile or two off shore and lob big shells, fire cruise missles, or send the planes in to wreak havoc :DQuote:
Originally Posted by jerry clayton
delete......
I'm sorry for all your bad luck lately. All I can tell you is Keep Your Head Up. Things will get better. Make a plan and stick to it. A goal will help you stay focused. I'm sure you have heard all this before. All this stuff applies whether building a car or in life.
Keith
whatever you decide gasser i sure hope that you intend to stay around here. really enjoy talking to you and have benefitted from your knowledge. things look bleak now i know but it will get better with time.
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My brother is a Colonel in the Army. He seems to like it and has served for 20 plus years now as a Doctor. He's on his way to Afganistan next week. I wish you well.
Scooter, it's clear you're frustrated, and probably a little tired of talking about this stuff 'cause it ain't real pleasant for you. I'd bet if you had the chance to meet up face to face with any number of folks on this site or anywhere else you hang that you'd find some guys (or gals) that spent a part of their life in a similar place to where you see yourself now. That's not to minimize how you feel and what you're going through, but to illustrate that you can work your way out of this funk and have a good result. Others who are very much like you have conquered similar demons. But that's only going to happen when you come to the realization that no matter how much interference comes your way it's within your power to make change happen.
To summarize a couple of the very good points made above: "A goal without a plan is only a wish". It doesn't have to be a big, elaborate, down to every detail plan, Pick the most important issue and tackle that first, then the second, then the third, and so on................you eat the elephant one bite at a time.
I've already weighed in earlier but Uncle Bob's post brings back memories of the early 80's for me. We had a shop in Iowa, Body Shop/Auto/ Truck/Farm equipment repair. Carter's grain embargo put the squeeze on farmers (our customers) so we found ourselves on a sinking ship. To make a very long story short I found a job in the 11th hour of looking, out here in IL. We ended up selling nearly everything out of necessity & since it was a depressed area we got about .28 cents on the dollar. That was not enough to get us above water so for a good long while working the new job I made payments to the bank back home until we got out from under the whole deal. Did I mention we had a 2 year old & a 2 month old @ the time to take care of.
Now about 30 years later it's a whole different deal.
If things had turned out a little different (as in) if we could have made it go and hung on to that business, I don't think we ever would have realized the life we have now. I think we would have always been just getting by. At the time I thought it was the worst thing that could happen especially with 2 little kids in tow. Looking back it was without a doubt a blessing in disguise.
Hope everything works out for the best for you too Scooter.