Hi Ryan, unfortunately there's not a lot of people left out here that can do that sort of thing. The car community isn't what it used to be either. Forums like this were a very busy place but with faceplant etc people don't frequent forums near as much.
If you look on here there's only one or 2 projects going on, lots of people rid of their cars too, or dying.
By the sounds of it there's at least one week worth of work to be done. There's always one more problem or snag.
I have a shop capable of getting the car in but am not looking for a long term project either. Too many other projects plus I still work for a living. Being 1.5 hours away doesn't make it easy for you either, I'm not traveling to work there, sorry.
Have you tried Old Autos newspaper? Or the Antique car club of Canada?
It's a beautiful car and deserves to bee finished.
If you're interested in bringing your project To Napanee, message me and we can discuss.

This is my current project.
https://ontariorodders.activeboard.com/t60822877/1938-chev/
https://www.hotrodders.com/threads/1938-chevy-coach.541679/

Mike

wuga wrote:

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Have you tried Oshawa Classics? My friend with a 51 Meteor used them with success.
Warren

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For some reason, I am not getting notifications about my threads, even though I checked the box for them. 

 

Thank you for this recommendation!  I have never heard of this place before. They didn't come up in Google searches for me, when I searched for "classic" "car" "restoration" mechanic/shop.  When I searched the name, they popped up right away though.

 

I was there today talking to Gary, and he said to give him a call next week.  Fingers crossed I can get something done with this car soon, because it's such a liability as it sits.  If they can just get it moving and stopping, I'd be happy. Anything more than that is gravy.  

 

Now, the next hurdle is trying to find a shop that is willing to mount four new white walls on the rims.  Every place I call does this hand wringing two step "uhh we uh.. don't usually work on.. uh.. anything like that.. and there uh... is.. uh a possibility.. uh  that it could..  get damaged..." and they don't want to do it.    They say I need a "custom" tire shop, but they never know of any.

 

 

 

 

Have you had any luck Ryan?

Iwannagofast wrote:

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Have you had any luck Ryan?

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I have been talking with Garry from Classics Oshawa. It sounds promising. We might be able to get it in next week!  Fingers crossed.

I have been working on getting it ready. Tying up the loose ends that are a PITA to do with the engine in the car. Anything I can take care of myself that will make their jobs easier. 

 

I was going to put the engine back in and have it towed up to Oshawa Classics for them to get it going. I can't get the engine in. So it can't go anywhere. I have no way to transport a loose engine. I have the money to pay them to do it, but no way to get it there.

Honestly, I'm sick to death of this car. Every... single... teensie... weensie... little thing on this car has been a battle, and I'm at the end of my rope with it. It has been four years of pure unmitigated misery trying to simply get what I was promised, and paid for; a running and driving car. I could have bought a fully restored coupe, or an older restoration convertible for what I have sunk into this cursed black hole of a car. I never wanted a project. I just wanted a car I could drove around in. I got absolutely lumbered with a basket case, in a very uncomfortable and inconvenient place to work on it.

It would be great if I had a nice garage to do all of this work in, but instead I have an un heated, no AC ten foot wide storage unit that I have to shimmy around in, and pee into an old washer fluid jug. I can't do it anymore. Its just a car. A pretty car, but a car none the less, and no car is worth this much aggravation to me.

I really just want it out of my life. I'm sick of paying for it, working on it, worrying about it, stressing over it. It was supposed to be fun. Its turned out to be as much fun as a root canal. With me moving very soon, I am going to be busier than a one armed cabbie with crabs, so I can't waste any more time on the toys I have.


So... best offer?

Bob T wrote:

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I understand your frustration. Most of us including me have been there and more than once. My advice is walk away from it a while and regroup. Your options are sell as is and you will not be happy with what you are offered or find a way to get the engine in and running. At that point sell it or hopefully enjoy it. Best of luck.

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I have been walking away and regrouping for four years. The only progress that gets made is my age goes up, and my bank balance goes down.

I can't do it anymore. I have no help. I was willing to pay a shop to just do it for me, and I can't even get to that point.

I am buying a business and moving to the US. I have to be out of my house in a month. I don't have time to scratch myself, let alone work on a car anymore, let alone one that I have come to loathe with a passion.

I am paying a fortune in storage (three cars in storage is costing me $900/mo) plus furniture in another unit is another $500/mo. 

So far, this car has cost me $15750 in storage fees alone.  $5k for the engine. Tires, paint, new parts, rebuild services, shipping, duties, taxes.  For a car I got to drive 300 yards.

I just don't want the car anymore. I don't want to work on it, which is why I wanted to farm it out to a shop, but the bloody thing screwed up that plan as well.  It is just not meant to be. Even if by some stroke of magic, it was running and driving right this instant, I still don't want the car.  I don't even want to look at it. My life, my desires, my situation have all moved on from this.

I look at this car and see:

- the dealer who cheated me. 

- my father with whom I shared an interest in classic cars, and with whom the last words exchanged before he passed were acrimonious and about this car.

- my mother who never really approved of this car, but whom I dreamed of taking to her favorite country store in it. Cruise out in the country on a sunny day. She's gone now as well.  She was cremated on the one year anniversary of my dad's passing.

- all the other things I could have had with the money I blew on this.

- all the hours spent on it that I could have spent with people I loved, and who are now gone forever.

I have zero positive experiences, memories, or emotions attached to this car.

I got screwed when I bought it and it's been screwing me ever since.  I know I am going to be screwed when I sell it, but thats the story of my life. 

It is what it is.

I'm open to reasonable offers.

 

 

I feel quite liberated at this point.  Making the decision to shut'er down has taken a lot of stress off of me. No more parts to buy or track down. No more nuts or bolts to turn. No more worrying about how to do this or that. 

Maybe some day I'll get another one, but next time I will be less trusting, and go for something that actually works. 

-- Edited by Worst_username_everrrr on Sunday 14th of June 2026 04:07:55 PM

Chris Stapley wrote:

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Be prepared for another huge loss at this point, sound like you've created a huge project for the next guy and that
is going to be very unfortunate at this stage. Cars have taken a huge dump this past year as well, you may be better
off to find a cheaper storage solution for the time being and maybe you'll get your mojo back.. You won't be likely to
find a $7500-10,000 buyer at this stage.

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At this point, I'm as concerned about the next guy as the previous guy was concerned about me.  I did all the heavy lifting. I spent all the money putting things right. When all they did was slap an edelbrock on it, and pumped it full of stop leak, I sourced a new block, and imported every single piece to build a brand new one. I bought and mounted the new tires. I repainted the engine bay and the hood. I had the carb, antenna, gauge cluster, clock and brake booster rebuilt. I bought all of the new parts.  I don't see what the next guy has to complain about. He's getting a lot more than I did for a lot less than I paid.

I am moving. Leaving the country in a couple of months.  I am not going to be here to store it, work on it, or even drive it.  I don't want to spend even more money to drag it down to Texas with me, to have to deal with the same problems in a different location.  I can't do it myself, here or there anyway, and I can't find help for love nor money. I can't even get one of those two bit mobile mechanics on kijiji to spare an hour of their time to wriggle an engine in to place WITH me, not FOR me. 

 

If it's worth that little, there really is no point in investing any more time or money into it.  At those amounts I may as well sell the engine and scrap the rest of the car.

 

jarvis1 wrote:

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Buy high, sell low....
I've been doing that for years.....

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 LOL, welcome to the hobby, right Jarvis?