Do you ever just hate your car???

[Pedigry]

Hey guys,

There are days I think swapping my 70 mustang out for a C6 Z06 and calling it a day is a good decision. Yes, I would miss the attention at the gas station and the sheer rawness of the car but today I hate my car.

I have been working on the car nonstop for the last couple years since I have bought it. If I listed the amount of work i have done it would be 50 lines deep, yet the car still isn't nearly as good as it should be. The brakes are manual and they suck, I won't be able to do track days with the car with manual brakes. I thought the pads might be glazed so I swapped the pads out yesterday but the car doesn't stop much better than it did. The gear vendors quick working...again. The transmission leaks, the rear main seal is leaking, the geometry on the front end is off so it bump steers and wears the inside of the front tires. It needs a tune, I have a coolant leak as of last week and now its puking coolant which makes me think I have a blown head gasket. the list goes on and on. It's now personal. I will get the above items ironed out and I will force this car into something enjoyable to drive and own, but the idea of owning a realiable sports car is really appealing.

There are days where I love the car...and then there is today...

[srode]

Days like this are why there aren't many cars like yours on the road. There are less people that are willing to deal with the ongoing problems. On the other hand, most people I know that had a car like that they sold them for something more modern and reliable regret it....

[79 Camaro]

So we have two hot rods. Our car show short distance hot rod is a 80 Camaro with a LS3 swap. All new suspension and C5 brakes. A true 28k mile cream puff. I am the second owner. Our long distance hot rod is a 20 Mustang GT 5.0 convertible. The Camaro is nut and bolt resto and goes down the road quite nicely.
But the Mustang is so far ahead of the Camaro driving wise you really can't compare.
Maybe keep the Mustang and go for the Corvette? So as we do maybe a short and long distance hot rod?

[boss_hoss]

I've gone back and forth on this a few times. I've chased brake problems, I've gone through 2 transmissions and any number of miscellaneous issues to the point where I've considered selling my car and getting a 911, or newer GT350. The thing I keep thinking about is #1 will I ever be able to buy this car or something similar again and build it up to what it is now. The answer for me is no, I'm just not at a point in my life where I can dedicate that much time again. And #2 is a new sports car/muscle car going to give me the same feeling I get when I fire up that V8 and get after it, I just can't shake the idea that it won't ultimately be what I was looking for and my old car was long gone. You in the doldrums right now, it takes several years for most guys to work out the kinks once a car is done or close to done. You'll figure it all out and it will be exactly the way you want it and you'll enjoy it more than if you gave up on it. It just takes a while.

[dhutton]

Sometimes projects go sideways when guys dive into them without a solid plan. Make a plan and execute.

I’m also not a big believer in the drive while you restore strategy. I prefer to tear them down and rebuild them properly. Much better end result usually for less cost.

Don

[79 Camaro]

I can tell you the 20 Mustang is not slow and the exhaust note is just about perfect. A bit loud on start up but zero drone cruising. The heated and cooled seat are super nice. You could easily put a 1000 miles on it in a long day and it won't hurt you a bit.
But my current 80 Camaro is a car that I wish I could of had in 1980. It stops well, brakes well and handles well. And is fun to drive. But 1000 miles in a day? It could do it but it would not be nearly as nice as the Mustang.

[btmatt]

that is "hot rod" for you...if it were easy, everyone would be doing it

[TheJDMan]

Keep in mind that any Joe Blow off the street with sufficient bucks in his pocket can go out and buy a factory hot rod and given the performance of the modern muscle cars it can be impressive. But, once you have seen one, you have seen them all. On the other hand the home built hot rod is one of a kind. That home built car is the one that gets the attention at the gas station.

That said, I would sell the Gear Vender and buy a TKO or T56 Magnum. For your manual brakes, not knowing what dia master cylinder you're running, typically you can generate more brake pressure with the same pedal pressure by going to a smaller MC piston diameter.

[Vimes]

Can I hate someone else's car? I am almost finished putting a transmission in my mother's truck for the second time. Installed it and it promptly blew the torque converter clutch material through it, not even 15 miles on it, so I had to send both the tc and trans back for another go-through. The TC clutches was the diagnosis given by both the trans shop and the TC builder. It's back in, but I decided I didn't like the cooling lines I bought to get past the headers so I tried bending my own. 200 dollars worth of pipe later I think I finally got it knocked - by using 99 Blazer cooling lines and a little tweaking. I hope to get it started today. And the next time Mom has something go wrong with it, I'll recommend a shop. I hope to never lay a finger on another GMT800 again after this, every single one I touch turns to lemons.

[ULTM8Z]

Keep in mind that any Joe Blow off the street with sufficient bucks in his pocket can go out and buy a factory hot rod and given the performance of the modern muscle cars it can be impressive. But, once you have seen one, you have seen them all. On the other hand the home built hot rod is one of a kind. That home built car is the one that gets the attention at the gas station.

That said, I would sell the Gear Vender and buy a TKO or T56 Magnum. For your manual brakes, not knowing what dia master cylinder you're running, typically you can generate more brake pressure with the same pedal pressure by going to a smaller MC piston diameter.

Agreed on the seen-one-you've-seen-'em-all aspect of the newer cars.

But it does take patience and dedication to keep the older cars running well.... and the attention it gets is well worth the effort. Seems to be getting more attention as time goes on these cars get rarer and rarer.

I've had frustrating times like the OP on my Camaro over the last 34 years... but, if you love the car and are determined to get it right, I guess you grin and bear it, and keep at it.

Surprised to hear about the GV issue. Mine has been ultra reliable since I've had it for the last 5 years or so... it's behind my TH700 and I'll never go back to just 4 speeds... I'm spoiled with 8 speeds now... lol. I was getting on the freeway this morning with it and had it in 1st_over as I was getting ready to make a quick lane change from slow speed... then when an opening came, I nailed the gas and then shifted into 2nd.... those kinds of neck snapping close ratio shifts is something you'd never experience with a TH700 on it's own.

[2nd]

sounds like you are just burned out at the moment, here's what I do in that situation. Push the car into the back of the garage (or someone elses garage ) put a cover over it and walk away. give it a rest. The worst reason Ive ever heard for selling a classic car is "I just got tired of it" as was mentioned earlier in the thread, you will regret selling down the road. just my two cents.

[Zachalanche]

Must be something about 70 mustangs. I hate mine too. But then there are the good times that keep me coming back. seems like all the issues you listed are manageable. Start picking them off one by one. Find an event you want to enter and use that as a deadline to get your car sorted to keep you motivated. Otherwise, you are only building the world's most impractical daily driver.

As for your brakes, is your master cylinder the right size? are you running old lines that may be blocked? Mine has manual brakes and it will send you through the windshield if you stand on the brakes.

There does seem to be some pain that comes with changing everything on a car at once. it feels a bit like reinventing the wheel. Plus there's a bunch of aftermarket parts that aren't that great, but the manufacturers never get that feedback because most of the stuff they sell just end up sitting in a garage next to an unfinished project somewhere. My car is 100% new parts and I have had more problems than my junkyard LS swapped 4x4 ranger that has a quarter of a million miles on it. the Ranger has had 0 issue, it rips, and it's my favorite to drive because I'm not worried about scratched paint, and it doesn't have the rough around the edge's manners of a track car, and oddly, its reliable.

So, in summary, power through and plan do something with the car that makes you happy (road trip, track event or other).....or get a Ford Ranger ..I guess ;).

[79 Camaro]

For me building a hot rod was a stress reliever. I had a fairly high stress full sales job. But it was a great job and I liked it a lot. When I'm out in the shop I'm not thinking about the next sale. But sometimes I did have to walk away from a build. Take a break. Have a cold one.
We didn't have a late model hot rod until we retired. The first fall after retirement we toured the Black Hills in a rental Mustang GT 5.0 convertible. My wife said we have to get one of these. At that time we had a 71 Corvette convertible with a LS/4L60E swap. It was a great project but not really super comfortable long distance hot rod. Our current 20 Mustang 5.0 convertible is.

[79 Camaro]

But there is an up side to someone getting tired of their project.
I bought this 67 Nova SS from a guy that got totally hosed by a shop doing a LS swap.
Zero rust car. Turned out great.

[ULTM8Z]

Yeah, that did turn out nice

[Pedigry]

Thanks guys! Just venting. I'm not selling the car. I will get it the way I want it. Some days you just feel like the car has it out for you. lol. I did swap the pads and that did make a big difference. The front were glazed over pretty bad. I actually went up on the master cylinder. I had a willwood 7/8 and went up to an inch to give the pedal a little more travel. The brakes are much better than they were. Pulling the radiator tonight, going to go get it pressure tested. It may or may not be fixable, it's an all aluminum be cool high end rad so I don't want to replace it if I don't have to. Also someone mentioned swapping out the C6 for a T56, that is definetly in the works. I am looking forward to getting rid of the automatic and the GV all together, sports cars should have sticks in them (sorry auto guys). I don't know if there will come a day where I don't have a laundry list of things to do on the car but I do love working on it most days.

[Zachalanche]

I actually went up on the master cylinder. I had a willwood 7/8 and went up to an inch to give the pedal a little more travel. The brakes are much better than they were.

Maybe my brain is off today, but his sounds backwards to me. Smaller MC = more travel & higher pressure & softer pedal, Larger MC = less travel & lower pressure & firmer pedal. Either way, if what you did is working better, that's good.