The one car that I wish that I still owned

Ok.  I hope that the images show up when clicked on.  I still need to figure out how to have them show with out having to click on them. I'm hoping that they don't open just for me.

I built this car a long time ago. My son is 23 now.  He was 16 when the picture was taken.

It has an aluminum tub that C5 Corvette suspension cradles bolt to.  I kept the stock wheelbase but had the torque tube shortened and moved the engine rearward by 23 inches.  The LS6 and 6 speed transaxle make it go. 

Before the body shown I ran the car with some simple Tbucket panels that I bolted to it.  That body was black with flames.  I kept the paint scheme for the 50's inspired body.  In hindsight I should have painted with out flames.

The day I finished the car with this body I was taking it by trailer from NY to NH.  I stopped at an injection molding company in VT that molds parts for coin banks that I make for kids. The owner of the company saw the car and asked to go for a ride.  When we returned to his business we had a line of cars that followed us in.  He offered me a price that I couldn't refuse.  I had just had my life savings stolen and I needed the money to feed my family. 

Since then I've started many builds.  In my attempts I never got a car to the point that I was completely happy with it.  In the mean time I've had full knee replacement and 2 heart attacks. I've had other health issues as well.  It hasn't been easy to keep building.  But, it's what I like to do.

This past Thursday I went to VT to pick up more parts.  It brought back memories of the one car that I never wanted to sell.   

https://image.ibb.co/mGn8d6/flamed_speedster_rear.jpghttps://image.ibb.co/mNxVrR/flamed_speedster_front_low.jpg

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In reply to jmc14 :

That thing is rad. What is it? 

My “girl that got away” was my old ‘70 Datsun 510 sedan. L20b. SSS peanut head, dogleg s12 5spd. Weber downdraft, Tires wider than the fenders, and it would roll them through 2nd gear. I bought it for 1,000, sold it for 1,500... worth much more today. Even with the rust. 

I was discussing with my mother last night how she traded her fairly clean 89 Grand Wagoneer for a pool table a few years ago. 

In reply to jmc14 :

Click on the little picture icon. Place the link you posted here into the URL box and hit OK at the bottom of the page. 

I've had a lot of uncompleted projects over the years, but this one hurts the most.

I saved for several years to buy my dream car. This was to be my forever car. A 1987 GMC Caballero. I drove it exactly once, from the seller's house to my garage. 

A surprise divorce cost me the garage and I was forced to sell. A sad day.

I remember when you took that car to Watkins Glen. Unloaded it right in front of our rental house on Rt 14.

The car I wish I still owned is my '91 Integra. It would have been better served as a track rat than as a trade-in for the Audi A4 that was sold in less than a year.

The vehicle I wish I owned the most is my '90 E150 conversion van.

Well, I've made progress on pictures thanks to Nick. But, I still don't have it down.  Sorry for the double post of the rear.

I spent about a year of extra time sculpting the body. I like the old sports racers.  They were my inspiration.

I wish I still had my 1980 Toyota 4x4. The suspension was shot and the worn-out 200k mile 20R made maybe 60hp, but I loved it.

I wish sometimes that I still had my 1988 Mazda 323. By this point it would have had turboed 2.5 MZR/Duratec swap. And weigh only 2100 pounds with me in it.

In reply to jmc14 :

That is a very good looking body. I hope to one day be able to build my own car. 

The one I wish I'd never let go of changes all the time. I always want my first car back a black 1980 T/A. But lately I've been missing the 77 Monte Carlo. That one was mint and I never should have let it go.

I was hurt badly when a drunk driver hit me from behind while parked, I was out of work due to my injuries and had to sell both my mkiv supra and my 77 celica liftback. Dark time in my life. 

It's a toss up between my 1969 Bradley GT and my 1953 Studebaker. At least the Studebaker went to a good home, my dad's cousin, who then hired my dad to modify it. The Bradley was sold to "a friend" who said they were going to "make payments" then promptly "disappeared" after paying me $300.

White 1970 Audi 100LS manual.  Room like a Cadillac and 30mpg when that was rare.

My first car, 1960 Plymouth Suburban, 2 door wagon. 225 slant six, column 3 speed. Very basic, not even a radio. 

I could close the tailgate with my 9'4" longboard in the back. So slow that I got passed by a fully loaded school bus while doing a full throttle pull. 

It was reliable as an anvil, and only a bit more complicated. 

Oh well, after 40 plus years, at least I still have the longboard. 

I only have a car I regret NOT buying, a 1990 Civic hatch.  I ran a '90 Civic Sedan for a while, with the plan to swap all the go-fast parts over to a CRX or hatch someday.  I ended up selling it and moving on to an MR2 which I never clicked with.  I think a clean hatch would still be with me today. 

In reply to jmc14 :

Great looking build, even better to see you posting on here again!

I don't have any cars that I regret selling.  Cars I miss, sure, but none that I wish I had never sold.

Of course, I've never had to sell a car due to necessity.  That's probably a major factor.

I regret selling my 1960 TR-3 over 30 years ago.  I actually tracked down the people that bought it.  They still have it and its still not finished.    

stroker said:

White 1970 Audi 100LS manual.  Room like a Cadillac and 30mpg when that was rare.

I had a '71 100LS Sedan for a while in college.  The headrests would come off and the front seats would fold flat, level with the rear seat.  I loved that car too.

The one I miss the most however is my '71 240Z.  I only sold it about 4 years ago.  Stupid move on my part. 

No words! (2004-2007)

Last one

Had to sell it because of Military commitment overseas for 4+ years. Couldn't take it, and didn't want to store it for 4+ years (bought by the guy that did the Post Inspection in Seattle, WA)

Haven't slept well since 2004. 

@jmc14: I've seen pics before, I love that car. Are those aftermarket Mini cooper headlights?

The one(s) I regret selling? Well, I've had over 40 cars and am pretty realistic about them, don't get too attached, and know that despite the rose tint of nostalgia they would've been trouble to keep this long. But I do miss my 1966 Pontiac ambulance and my father-in-law's 1993 Chevy Astro, just for nostalgia reasons. I sold it at close to 300k miles for $300 or so. It still looked and ran good. We only sold both of those cars because we were planning on moving downtown with no garage and no storage space. Well, we didn't, and since then I've wished a few times that I still had the Astro.

As far as really, really regret... the '99 Miata. We bought it at ~3 years old with 36k miles for a song and had a wonderful 5 years with it. Sold to fund a new driveway, and had enough money to pay for the driveway saved up again by the time the contractor finally started. Well, I could go buy another but it just wouldn't be the same. 5 years, doubled the miles, and sold it for $7500. That was a good buy.

In reply to M3Loco :

Ouch.  I think I would have stored it.  But back in 2004 who knew E30 M3 prices would sky-rocket like they have?

SFM6S1299

(NOT my car - just a representative image)

I’ve owned a couple hundred cars, usually fun cars last a month or two with me before I trade or sell them to get something else. The one I regret is a 1991 AMG 5.6sel, one of 50 cars built by AMG west in 1991. The close second place was a pretty nice 2.3 16v, I’ve had a couple but should have held onto that one.