(Re)defining the definition of a "project"?

I wasn't sure if this belonged under GRM or Off Topic- I apologize if I put it in the wrong spot.

This holiday season has left me standing in my small garage more than once considering the future of my two "projects". And I think I'm starting to reconsider what I really want in a project.

Car #1 is a 79 MG Midget with stock 1500 engine in it. The P.O. (a decent guy) informed me it "needed a tune up as it smokes a bit". Wrong. No compression on cylinder one. So at the time I thought to myself "cool, I'll learn how to rebuild an engine and drive the E36 M3 out of it!" Nope. In the four or so years I've owned it I think I've messed with every part on the car at least once. And it still doesn't run. Despite the parts money and bloody knuckles I put into it. And it just makes me mad to look at because I should have bought something else. (Previously I had pretty good luck wrenching on MG's, I guess I got lucky.)

Fast forward a couple years and I'm getting ready to turn 40. I'm knee deep in crewing for vintage racer friends' cars and decided I was going to build one. Reasons? So I could learn more by working on them, and pay for them a little at a time as I never have piles of cash on hand. I bought a relatively rust free roller, happy birthday to me! And it isn't a roller anymore as it needs serious body work (I don't know how to do), panels for said body work an a ton of front suspension bits (big bucks). My driver friends were going to help me with spares, and I'm sure they still will, but I only see them twice a year at best. No fault of theirs mind you.

So, has anyone been at this crossroads before? I'm not real sure what to do. I don't have room for a third car, and don't have money unless I sell one of the cars in my garage. And let's just say a non-running Midget (even if it's rust free) is not a hot item on the used car market. I've gone between having one crushed (take that! ) to trying to sell one again to lighting one afire, pushing it out into the street and claiming no knowledge of it.

As a bottom line I find myself pining for the cars I wanted as an irresponsible teenager but never owned. And many of the ones I see for sale- get this- run drive and stop!

Any advice to be offered? I'd appreciate it!

I didn't come up with this phrase, but I think it applies:

"If you wouldn't buy it today, you should sell it."

It's not easy, mind you, because of sentimental value, but it sure gives you much more freedom.

Sounds like you are getting tired of wrenching with no rewards in sight.

Sell them both in whatever fashion will maximize your cash pile.

Buy a running car that you can drive home in. For a Midget, that means 5k or so. You are about to put at least 3k into the engine of the one you have anyways.

DO NOT delve into bodywork unless you have a desire to learn it as a skill. It is soul crushing stuff for those that do not want to be there.

Rather than track race, take your 5k Midget or MGB or whatever that you bought already running, and do slaloms or track days and have fun for a change.

You're at the point where it's time to E36 M3 or get off the pot.

Reading between the lines, neither car is what you want enough to build. Dump them.

Go buy one you actually want to drive, not just own. Projects that take a weekend are much more rewarding than projects that take a decade.

Money, Money, Money, Wow 3 Grand to build a 1500. Man I love the older british cars, had a 59 bug eye when I turned 16. not much room for engine swaps, V-nothing will fit easy but an old 235 chevy(or ford)straight 6 will and the trans choices are endless,cheap narrowed rear and that 3 grand is now a Fistfull....../handfull.

I've always wanted a little British car, and a midget was high on that list. Know what happened?

I bought a miata... That was about 10 years ago. I still wistfully dream of a lbc occasionally, but my miata always starts, doesn't leak oil on the floor and even on worn out suspension handles better than the lbc would ever do, even with copious amounts of time and money.

Listen to Robbie..

I built both of my spitfire engines for a good bit less than $3k. I did the tear down and re-assembly, but farmed out the machine work.

spitfirebill wrote: I built both of my spitfire engines for a good bit less than $3k. I did the tear down and re-assembly, but farmed out the machine work.

I for one wanted to belive that was high unless you farmed out the complete job

NOHOME wrote: Sounds like you are getting tired of wrenching with no rewards in sight. Sell them both in whatever fashion will maximize your cash pile. Buy a running car that you can drive home in. For a Midget, that means 5k or so. You are about to put at least 3k into the engine of the one you have anyways. DO NOT delve into bodywork unless you have a desire to learn it as a skill. It is soul crushing stuff for those that do not want to be there. Rather than track race, take your 5k Midget or MGB or whatever that you bought already running, and do slaloms or track days and have fun for a change.

@NOHOME- I know you have talked me down from this ledge before. And after that I did find a new sense of purpose with both projects. That was a year ago. Since then I've made no real progress. What's going on with the RWA is someone repaired some rust (I'm sure) in the curved bits of the sills, but they welded in straight metal instead of a patch panel to match the curve of the front wing. I started poking into it, but being a structural element of the car that much resembles an onion I don't dare go too much further.

Lessons learned- I tried to save money on the 1500 engine rebuild, did it twice in fact, and paid for it in the end (no running engine). I haven't even really delved into the core 1275 I have for the other car.

@WonkoTheSane- to paraphrase what NOHOME told me before is old British cars are like boats- they always need something. My experience aside, I would not deter the right person from buying a Spridget. Had I bit the bullet and paid for a good running example, I could have handled the ancillary stuff. I just got in over my head too fast- money and knowledge wise. I learned a ton, but it cost me a ton too.

spitfirebill wrote: I built both of my spitfire engines for a good bit less than $3k. I did the tear down and re-assembly, but farmed out the machine work.

Race engines aside, 3K is not far off the mark. It's a practically a tractor engine for Pete's sake!

GTXVette wrote: Money, Money, Money, Wow 3 Grand to build a 1500. Man I love the older british cars, had a 59 bug eye when I turned 16. not much room for engine swaps, V-nothing will fit easy but an old 235 chevy(or ford)straight 6 will and the trans choices are endless,cheap narrowed rear and that 3 grand is now a Fistfull....../handfull.

I love them too, and probably always will! But you are absolutely right about engine swap options. I'm pretty sure my 74 was destined for one as the trans tunnel was modified.

This is way beyond my skill set to do alone!

I hate to be the one to say it, but a 5k Miata would change your outlook on life. Think of it as a Bugeye Sprite.

sounds like you could liquidate and move to a Miata without too much effort.

I really love tin challenges, and I can pour the Kool-Aid when appropriate...but it's not for everyone.

Thank you all for the advice! I kind of knew the answer, but wanted to ask anyway.

I find that what I really like in a project car is one that runs and drives in a mostly good fashion that I can make some repairs and improvements to on a relaxed schedule. Having a lot of other interests means I don't really want to spend hours and hours in a shop wrenching on stuff that I can't enjoy.

Now...if I'd only realized this applied to boats the same way it applies to cars I wouldn't have a 17' sailboat taking up half my shop space and needing fiberglass work before i could even give it away...

Seriously, cut your losses on what you have and get something that moves you. And that moves. In the end, this crazy car hobby is something we do for fun. We have no commitment or debt to pay to these mechanical objects. When they aren't fun anymore, it's time to move on.

Very well put! I think this the way to go...

Ive been in this place, its one of the biggest reasons my wagon still has the i6. Everytime i do an engine swap i find 40 things to do while im there that ends up turning a weekend job into a couple months,

Its alot more enjoyable when you can drive your project.

With a few exceptions I find anything which I don't drive for 6 months or more gets sold. I've come to realize that I finish projects with deadlines but the ones with no deadline sit and get abandoned. The exception to that rule has been residing in my front garage for a year and a half now in a whooooole bunch of pieces and I can't get motivated to start it and no one wants to buy it. It's my white whale and I'll get to it some day.

But the other projects I've done I allow myself 6 months to get them driveable (not done) and then its a driving project from then on, if its not moving its lawn art.

I want to say I alway's drove my projects in..... I bet half never ran again,I likely only drove half of the other half and sold off the rest. I want to finish this car for the next Challenge, But I need to sell off some other stuff for money as my wife says no mo' money 'cause I have plenty to sell. Crap! I have got to be my worst enemy.

In 1994 I wanted a Triumph TR4. But, at that time I realized they were all 25 years old and many of them questionable.
Instead, I paid more but financed a '90 Miata.
I still have the Miata and it is 25 years old but it has started faithfully all those years with no end to that faithfulness in sight.

I am glad I chose a runner over a looker.

In reply to ultraclyde:

What is the 17ft Sailboat?
Thistle?

Sell it all get a Miata that runs a d drives.