Hi my name is Tom and I have a restoration completion problem
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Maybe by admitting the problem I might have a chance at actually completing the project.
About six years ago I purchased a 1961 Bonneville Sport Coupe with no drivetrain. It had very low mileage and we believe it was purchased to haul illegal freight (moonshine/drugs?) in rural Arkansas back in the day. That's another story...
I bought it because I had a 4 door StarChief as my 2nd car back in the late 60s, and it represented the higher end of class for the '61 Pontiacs (I know, I know the Ventura and shorter chassis are the preferred investments). This one was Black over Red and I am just a sucker for that combination. So I began the restoration soon after acquiring it. First I located a 428 block and built a "stroker engine" using the 455 crank and .30 over pistons. That still sits down the basement, haven't even broken it in as yet. Then I began to strip the paint down to bare metal and put solid coats of primer/sealer on the body. Even went underneath and did the pans, etc. Then some young vandals came by where I had it stored and smashed all the glass. I was so distraught that I stopped the effort. That was about five years ago. In the mean time I have acquired a few items, most notably a set of five 8 lug wheels and a few other Pontiac-specific parts.
Since then I switched gears and did a makeover on a driver quality 1962 Belair 2 door sedan. Occasionally I dragged the Bonneville out and did a little here and there, but never got back to it with a full swing. I kept telling myself that I didn't want to get "upside down" on a vehicle that did not have great value. I find it's hard to properly restore one of these full time passenger cars on a budget. My body man skills are amateur at best, and it's hard to get a black car to look straight. I spent about $2000 just in materials painting my Belair about 2 years ago, but I didn't prep as much as one could and the final effort turned out, well kinda amateurish. That vehicle is no longer street legal as I've decided to make a drag car out of it (it has a fresh dual quad 409 in the engine bay). Plans are to continue that drag car effort into 2015, so it's hard to tell how much time and money I can commit to the Bonneville in the coming year. But it would be nice to get back to that effort, as I feel that my labor to date on her is starting to degrade.
I made the decision to "retire" from one of my two "day jobs" starting August 31, 2015 so that will give me a bit more time. Prior to that I hope to construct a suitable shop space that I can drag the various cars to for storage and for repair. With that in place, I hope to pick up the pace a bit and maybe get back to the Bonneville.
I track the value of these cars on Ebay with some regularity, and it seems I might be better off just saving up the dollars and getting a finished one, but that would be admitting defeat. I have to admit, looking at the Bonneville in it's current state makes me feel like I have let it down. Perhaps this Forum can provide the motivation to set that right!
I have been assembling sort of bucket list as of late, and one goal is to take a car to the Bonneville Salt Flats and try to hit the 130 MPH mark. It would be a stretch, but how cool would it be to drive the Bonnie to the salt flats and make that attempt in a freshly restored driver?
Cheers!
Tom Kochtanek