Overview

OVERVIEW

Upon starting a quest, such as sinking irrational sums of money into a rusty old truck, it's good to reflect on the question of "Why".  Why am I doing this?  Is it to make money, is it to have a practical form of transportation, is it to impress "girls"?...  Uh... No.  It is none of those reasons.  So let's try and think rationally about this irrational expenditure of funds -

Anyone with more than a passing familiarity with bringing an old vehicle back to a semblance of newness knows that it is no money-making deal.  You can quickly spot the "newbies" who are unaware of this fact at just about any antique car show.  They are the ones running around pointing at various rusted relics and saying, "Man I could fix that thing up and flip it for a mint!"  Worse, are the shysters who see the same hunk of junk and envision the dough to be made off of one of the unsuspecting "newbies" who thinks he is getting a "fully restored, rare, blah, blah blah". 

A quick perusal of any old car price guide will show that any decades-old, Detroit-mass produced vehicle is never going to be worth the cost of fixing it up.  And yes, "fixing-it-up" is the term I much prefer... sounds cheaper than saying "restoration".  But even at that, it is no retirement nest egg.  Anything you chunk continual dollars into with zero return is not my idea of an investment.  So, we can quickly rule out the idea that I'm doing this to make money.

To the untrained observer, it might seem that fixing up an old truck has at least some practical value.  After all, it could be used to haul stuff and run errands, because it is a truck, right?  Well, sort of yes and sort of no.  I mean, yes it was originally designed and built as a truck, but now forty five years later, it has become something else.  Today we expect our trucks to be more and do more than this old gal was ever intended to do.  She's earned a retirement lifestyle.  This "fixing-up" that I'm doing is like a trip to the old truck spa - only more expensive.  Once she emerges from the confines of the paint booth, it would be a shame to throw fire wood and cinder blocks in her freshly painted bed.  No, we'll have to be careful with her.  She will probably tote lawn chairs and ice chests, but not much else.  So on the practicality score - zero.        

Thirdly, it has nothing whatever to do with turning the heads of the fairer sex.  I hit a home run-touchdown-gold medal on that front over twenty years ago and was blessed with the good sense to realize my good fortune.  Besides, if this old truck was for such a purpose - it would be a pretty lame attempt.  I mean really... a crusty old Dodge pickup?  I would hate to see the woman turned on by that!  I can just hear the banjos playing now.

If it is none of the above - then what is the reason? 

I think it all began before I was born.  In about 1959-60.  I say about, because I'm not sure of the year.  I have the Bill of Sale, but there is no date written on it.  My Dad bought a 1951 Ford sedan for the princely sum of $55.  It was no antique car to him of course.  It was just a kid's first car bought with a kid's hard earned dough.  But out of that long ago transaction - I trace my love of old cars.  Growing up, we always went to the old car show on Petit Jean Mountain every summer.  Daddy knew every car.  Eventually we bought our own old car together - a 1954 Ford.  (We went in "halvesies"; $50 each.)  We even started working on it together.  I was going to drive it to high school in my senior year.  It was going to be sweet.  Then, to my continual sadness, my Daddy got called away to a better home on high.  I've had a succession of old vehicles since then and I think in some way all of them has been a way for me to stay connected with that project my Daddy and I started, but never finished.  

Stay tuned...