@Stakebed
We want our old Vintage Don back. Not the celebrity attending car shows, visiting museums and generally being lauded everywhere. We want the Don that was covered in rust and grease everyday and shared his garage adventures with us. Where did that Don go to?
I fear it's already too late, Joe.
We have likely lost The Don to the siren song of celebrity... and it's completely our own fault for lionizing him over the past couple of years.
Hahaha - well, here I am, finding out that I've been both
lauded, and
lionized. Damn. Whaddya know....
But I want to "come back,' too! And I'm struggling to do that. Let's review a minute.
Worked 3 and a half years figuring out what to do next, and then doing it, to rebuild old Willa Dean top-to-bottom. Insofar as it's ever possible to "Reach The Finish Line" (see what I did there, with the Title of this Thread? haha) -then I guess I have reached it with Willa Dean. Sure, there are remaining issues - a rattle, and a hang-up with shifting outta first - but she's been driven over a hundred miles now, been to about 3 (? I think) Cruise-ins and shows.
And then I took the 'Victory Lap Vacation' around the USA - because I owed it to The Bride. And myself!
Now - I'm struggling with TWO dominant problems that have been preventing me so far from getting "back in the groove." (And I
do want to be back in the groove....)
The first is always an issue -
TIME. I swear, it's going by soooo fast since we got home. Every single day is jammed up with (non-shop) stuff that uses up all the hours. And the past coupla weekends have had wall-to-wall events, too. And it ain't getting any better looking forward. Tomorrow, I have to go to Cleveland, and on the way home to Akron. Akron at least is a Willys reason. I bought a radiator at the Flatfender event a week ago, and I'm dropping it off at the radiator shop for them to go through it. That'll be the radiator for the Run Stand for the Spare Engine. I keep chipping away at getting parts and pieces for that project, for "after Chuffy." And there goes Monday.
Tuesday I have to take Vintage Mom to a couple doctor's appointments, again up in Cleveland. That'll use up Tuesday. Wednesday is a haircut, and an oil change and service etc on the Big Jeep, at the Jeep Dealer. Boom - Wednesday's gone. Thursday I got the garage door company coming to install an opener on the third and final overhead door in the Shop. Because I'm getting old, and I open that one a lot more often than I thought I would - and I just want to, so I'm doing it. Or more correctly, I'm paying somebody
else to do it, because it doesn't sound much like fun. But that'll still tie me up for a chuck of the day.
And so there's next week - pretty well blown up with no progress in sight. (Although there's still hope for Friday!)
So like I said - two problems. That's one - the TIME issue. I don't have enough of it lately.
The other one is DIRECTION / MISSION / GOAL. I've been piddlin' around with little things on Willa Dean. And I have managed to patch a small section of rust hat-channel on the underside of Chuffy. Not really worthy of a posting - just couldn't get at it before, laying on the floor - until now when I finally have him up on the Lift and I can get at it with the welder.
But I'm not really sure what I'm WORKING on next.... if I DID have any time.
Chuffy, sure, that'll be the next main push. And then getting
@gasoil 's engine up and running. And I never finished the "FC Face" project hanging there on the back wall. But I will.
Just trying to climb back up in the old saddle, and get moving forward again. I can't write posts, unless and until I do something worthy of posting about. But I will....