I have the cab sitting on its back, the box leaned against the wall, the frame on saw horses, the rear end on the workbench, and the front end hanging from the lift. The tranny is on the floor and the engine is resting on a lawn cart trailer. AND dirt and grease are everywhere!

I am tired of cleaning and finding problems - just spent 3 days polishing the frame and still have a few nooks and crannies to clean before I can paint! Next time it goes to the sandblaster!

I would buy a sandblaster myself, but there are 4 swimming pools within 100 yards of where I am working - I can just hear the owners, including my wife, complaining about the dirt and dust I would cause!

Last night I discovered my 9 inch rear end was not the 3.25 posi I was told it was - it is a 3.88 open rear end. Something else for me to change!

I wanted a change in pace and to make some progress so I started on the front end this morning. I just wanted to clean, repaint, and install new bushings.

You guessed it. The right front spring has been replaced with the wrong one, the drums are too groved to turn, and the king pins need replacing. It is even money as to if I can rebuild the wheel cylinders or will have to buy new ones.

All this and the 100+ heat. I wanna go fishing. Anyone know when football starts?

Like George/Earl says, THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE FUN!!!!!

OK, rant over - I can still clean and paint 3 sets of springs today!

 

I think there is a Monday night game on tomorrow night, Bears vs. Dolphins.........Monday Night Football, preseason game

Yes, it is supposed to be fun. But, we HAVE ALL been there. Some of us are just at different stages. The further I get, the closer it gets, but it's always the same thing, "If it isn't one thing, it's another," no matter what you are working on and where your progress is at.

I remember explaining my woes to my dad at one point. His response, "What do you expect? You are building a truck!" I guess there is more truth in that than I realize.

My advice, if you are too bummed out to work on it right now, stop for the day and go fishing, like you want. The truck will still be there when you come back in a few days. Heck, I left mine in the same place for a few years, little did I realize once I started back up on it how close I was to getting finished. Money and time, time and money, both of which nobody has when doing such big projects. It's nice to see it come together in the end though, you start to work longer and faster......labor becomes more of a necessity.

Stay focused, have some fun, and save those pennies......you'll need it for gas when you are done

 

Yep, if your having problems and getting frustrated..."walk away"..it'll be there when you get back...UNLESS you decide to let it "go down the road".
Working on my 47, same deal...put it in the shed for about a year...now am back at it strong AND..... it is getting together.

 

*****, nobody can really know exactly how you feel - 'cuz everybody feels a little different in a given situation.

That said, I have also been faced with a mega-mess and crappy old parts everywhere. I was even dumb enough to put pictures of the scene on a web page to remind me of the "We'll never get this cleaned up" days. I look at that web page and those pictures now and then - usually when I'm feeling something like I think you described in your post.

I recently brought my cab back from the storage barn and am going through the mega-mess situation once more. Bird poop, mouse droppings (careful with that stuff - diseases!), spider webs, rotted cardboard, dirt, grease, seam sealer, rust, broken glass, hay and straw from the horses in the barn, and a bunch of unknown crud. It got everywhere in the garage. On top of that, after stripping the cab there were filthy parts everywhere in the garage.

It's taken my son and me several weeks to get the energy and time to reorganize the garage:

- clean all the cabinets, shelves, benches, and floor
- put all the tools away
- bag and tag all the cab parts
- put all the part bags in safe storage
- rearrange everything to make room for working on stuff

FINALLY, tomorrow we get to actually start restoring something on the cab.

It feels really good to have everything clean and ready to go - but a few weeks ago, I was pretty overwhelmed by the mess and all the things to be done. You already know how that goes.

 

I would have to say Fishin's the Mission, at least for a day or two. Back off a bit, clear the mind then hit it again.

 

Boy, you sound like I did a few months back... I did a post letting everyone know how sick I was of cleaning 50 years of dirt off the frame trying to replace my brake lines. The truck sat for a good 5-8 months, and I was spending countless hours laying on my back scraping and cleaning and getting dirt in my eyes, clothing etc. Everyone gave me words of encouragement in here and I have to tell you, it came together and was all worth it. Where your at on your project is difficult. It also sounds like the heat is getting to you, which is understandable. LOL... Don't get discouraged and keep going. When you put the key in and go for a cruise on that clear 70 degree day, It'll all be worth it.

 

This is certainly the place to come, if not for sympathy, then for understanding.

Most everyone has read Earl's World. It is one of my favorite things about this board. A careful reading will give you a peek at the organized, systematic methods of our crazed moderator. If he can come up on frustration that sometimes bears down on us, then there is hope for the rest of us if we heed the quote... "What do you expect? You are building a truck!"

As a younger boy my frustration tolerance quotient was low. So was patience. So was cleaning up messes. Earl's World has given me a new slant, as the years have added a modicum of patience. I've managed to stick with the interior redo from sewing upholstery to engine turning my new instrument panel. A few more wires and driver's side vent glass and I can start on " How I Spent My Summer Vacation". School starts next week for teachers.

que lastima, himmelberg

 

Hang in there!!! Cleaning is definetly the hardest part, takes the most patience but yields the biggest gains when you start to reassemble and replace!

good luck, Ed

 

Your description sounds like how our local car club got it's name. The Yard Art Classics. I think we can all identify with you.

 

Use that sand blaster to bead blast your neighbors pool tile, charge em, and pay for the new sandblaster! Their tile will be good as new, and the nylon beads can be vacuumed up later from the bottom of the pool.

 

Oh... and you can pick up the wheel cylinders for pretty darn cheap. I'd go that route if I were you over rebuilding. The instant gratification is kinda nice, and it sounds like you could use some of that right about now..... that and a 7 pounder tuggin on your line!

 

Yard Art Classics. I LOVE that name.

We got a whole little village near where I live that fits that description. They have a village law that says you have to have at least three inoperable vehicles on the front lawn at all times.

 

Lol... sheesh... I can't even fly an American flag outside my place!

 

that's really too bad, I sometimes need a reminder of those kinds of things when I ''complain'' about living ''out of town'' I fly my flag (and my Ford Racing banner) on a regular basis, I don't even think about it. Thanks for the reminder.

 

Sorry... I just hate California. IF anyone happens to know of some property somewhere's else, DO let me know. I want outa this place in a big way. Been here all my life, and now I understand why my siblings are gone and SO happy living elsewhere.
I've just had enough of the state. Time to leave.

Property with a large garage anyone??