Luxstang Wrote: I’m starting to get fed up with the car.
The more I do on it the more seems to fail.
Replaced the upper and lower control arms a few weeks ago. Took it for an alignment yesterday and the guy tells me he can’t adjust camber on the passenger side.. Turns out the hole in the rear ex-center washer is round so it no longer adjusts the camber properly. (Ok, when I replaced the control arms I could have sworn that washer was ok otherwise I wouldn’t have put it back in….)
Now I gotta wait for 2-3 days for a new set of screws with washers to arrive.
I had the wheels powder coated (and posted a thread about it) and I don’t like them anymore. The 18 inch rims rub with the new tires, I gotta get new ones but I don’t really want to either.
The rear windows are out of the car as I’m waiting for WCCC to fix my pancake motors, so no interior in the back at all.
Plus yesterday a big chip of paint flew off the rear quarter extension. I’ll need to try my painting skills on that….
I wonder if I shouldn’t just leave everything and simply drive the car into the ground as a daily driver and call it a day.
Hang in there with the Mustang, Luxstang, it will be even sweeter when you get it done!!!
My 73 is my second Mustang restoration (70 was my first) and my third personal restoration in the last few years. I can attest that you do run in to those periods of time when it seems that the car just doesn’t want to be restored.
Heck I bought and drove the 73, maybe 5-6 times and it bent a rod and burned a valve. Had the heads redone. Drove it 3 or 4 more times and then discovered a bottom end knock had to tear down the entire engine and send it out for machining and rebuild. While trying to get it back together I ran into wiring problem and drive train problems. Don’t even get me started on the rusted floor pans (now complete).
I restored my ’84 Corvette and I will tell you, there were day when I felt just like Luxstang (by the way he’s in Luxembourg). The Vette was powered by the infamous Cross-Fire engine. So many problems with the fuel system and multiple injector rebuilds, it was enough to drive you crazy.
Many folks do give up, you can find thousands projects on the internet looking for a new home.
But before you quit, go to the forums for you car, like Luxstang did, you’ll get some encouragement and maybe even helpful suggestions for getting through those periods. Con some friends or neighbors to give a hand. I found that a good motivator is to have neighbors come and see your progress. I have one neighbor that loves to look at what I’ve done and another (Dan T.) who has even spend more than a few hours giving me a hand with some of the tasks.
Restoring a car is not much different then most things you tackle in life. If you hang in there and stick it out to the end, it will be rewarding.
Thanks for reading.
Tim
My recent restorations:
 1970 Mustang – Multiple Trophy Winner. Self-Restored |
 1984 C4 Corvette – Multiple Trophy Winner. Self-Restored |
 1975 Fuel Injected VW Bug – $30k Frame Off Nut Bolt Restoration – Managed Project |
 1973 Mustang – In Progress. Follow #ProjectSportsRoof Self-Restored |
From FaceBook: Scott Frazier Dude, I had a 72 fastback like that. It must’ve been built on a Monday. I swear no matter how much quality work I did it kept breaking down. I finally sold it and I’m glad I did. Hate to say this about any Mustang but it was a POS. The 73 I have now hardly ever breaks down has been a quality car. I hate to say to anybody to give up but….
From Reddit: rom billyillyilly via /r/FirstGenMustang
And that’s where a good group of supporters comes in, people that are actually interested with honest opinions on your process. I’m 4 months in on a 73 Mach 1 resto/mod and the guys at 7173mustangs have already opened me up to a ton of what I’m getting in to and they are a great support to the cause!
Good to hear from another 7173Mustangs subscriber!!! They are great there.
Remember some guys called the Cross Fire the ‘cease fire’ injection?
Although I’m not as frustrated as Luxstang, I do have some sympathy. My test drive of Project Beep Beep was brief and did not reveal how bad the brakes were. I probably would have passed on Beep Beep if I knew how bad the brakes were and how much $$$ it would cost for a disc conversion.
My dad was a true car guy and always warned people of the commitment you have to make when you buy a classic car. You really have to commit time and money. But even ol’Dad dumped a few rides when they became more hassle than pleasure.
My advice, if you consider the car a curse, help out the hobby by finding someone who will appreciate the car and continue the progress. You will make a life long friend and your car might even come back to you one day fully repaired and restored.