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June
13, 2003 Has It Been A Year Already?
One year ago today, the Century arrived at my doorstep. While it simultaneously feels like a long time ago and just yesterday, I think I'm keeping a pretty good pace to have it restored in a reasonable amount of time. It is interesting to review the past year and see how my goals have changed. At first, I was just going to drive it for a while as-is. Then I started fixing things and realized that it needed A LOT of work to be completely roadworthy, so I began the restoration. Along that path, I went from just doing a body-on "freshening" to a frame-off "driver" restoration and now to a full-blown concours show restoration. I know that changes the scope of the project exponentially, but as one enthusiast put it, "It won't take much more work or money to make it a show car once you're doing a frame-off restoration." Well, OK, then. I sure hope he was right! After nearly four months of inactivity, during which I renovated my work space and garage, I started on the restoration in earnest around Christmas. And while my progress has been sporadic at best in the past six months, I am planning on a more regular schedule once I get my even more ancient house finished (which should be soon!). Money is another sticky issue with any restoration, and I've learned that doing it right the first time is always cheaper, no matter what it costs. But it's also important to keep a budget and stick to it so I don't get in over my head. With house projects winding down, I'm hopeful that I can start tackling bigger chunks of the restoration that require bigger chunks of cash. We'll see... During the past year I created this web page and the Dual Carburetor Registry, of both of which I am very proud. The Registry has introduced me to some great people and always quick-starts my enthusiasm when I feel it starting to wane. Other Buick Club members have instilled in me the feeling that a project like this is very possible for anyone with a little know-how and a lot of patience (though I sometimes seem to have a lot of know-how and little patience). The restoration has become a conversation piece and bridge to new friendships. Just the other day we had a workman in our house who spotted the car and came out to talk shop. It turns out that he has a '70 Hemi Cuda that his father bought new. Better still, it's a factory lightweight with a fiberglass front end. And get this: it has only 8500 miles on it and still wears its original factory slicks! I can only imagine what that car is worth today. But that guy never would have said a word to me if he hadn't seen that pile of Buick in the garage. I count Doug and Nick Seybold among my newest friends, and know that I can turn to them whenever I get stuck. With their accumulated knowledge, I'm confident that there's nothing I can't handle on this project. They've already helped me out of one jam, and I'm sure it won't be the last. Nick E-mails me regularly, especially when there's no progress on the project, and prods me to hurry up and get busy. Sometimes that's what it takes, so thank you, gentlemen! I look forward to playing cars with you very soon. And I have all of you, my regular readers, to thank as well. Many of you E-mail me, and I really enjoy that. I like to think that I'm helping and inspiring all of you the way many of the sites on my Links page have helped and inspired me. Whenever I feel that I've hit a wall, I visit one of those sites I've found and realize that it can be done. Usually that's all it takes to rekindle the enthusiasm I had one year ago today. I appreciate you guys more than you know. Finally, I'd like to thank my wife, Julia, who has been an absolutely perfect wife throughout this process. Generous with her time and understanding, she's what made this really possible. Not many wives would let their husbands remodel a garage or let them dig up their gardens and back yards to bury pipe for compressed air. She's always been understanding of my needs, wants and desires on this project and knows how important it is to me. She knows that being in the garage is almost like therapy for me and listens to my technical jargon, even when she doesn't have a clue what I'm saying. So Julia, the biggest thank you of all goes to you. Without you, my life would be very, very different. I hope you all stay tuned for the rest
of this drama. We're not even out of the first act! Previous
Restoration Day E-mail me at toolman8@sbcglobal.net This page accessed Thanks, Fidget! |
