Hi Paul:
I'm glad you and your son weren't injured--condolonces on your car.
Here's a couple of maybe positive thoughts (lemonade out of lemons, as
it were):
1. You waited 20-odd years to own a Tiger. You bought the best you
could afford-in this case a really nice restoration done by somebody
else. I can't count the number of times I've seen it written "buy the
best you can afford rather than beating your brains out on a car that'll
never return to you what you put in financially." And I think they're
right about that. BUT. If you bring the car back as best you can (I
don't know your experience level with these things) you might have a car
that is as nice as what you purchased (or maybe even better). Or you
might not. But the car would be YOURS in a way that it wasn't before.
As an example--my Tiger has been in the garage since beginning of
April. There was a hammering noise and what turned out to be debris in
one cylinder. Still don't know where the debris came from (The rings
were all intact). I had thought of just replacing one piston and it's
rings, get the car running and drive it, but I decided instead to
rebuild it. I didn't have the lump sum necessary to buy a crate motor
so I dismantled mine and took the bits to various places and had them
worked on, reassembling it (mostly) myself. The project has dragged on
with periodic infusions of money as they became available. Yesterday I
spent crowbarring the short-block into place (don't ask!). Today I'm
planning to start putting the top end in place. Some of the setbacks
have been heartbreaking when they happened, and I've gotten over
them--and on to the next crop of heartbreaks. I spend a fair amount of
time worrying about whether I've put everything together right or
whether it's just going to sit there and look at me when I'm done,
grenade itself, immolate itself--or just run the way it's supposed to.
But IF it works when I turn the key, I'll have a sense of satisfaction
and involvement that I wouldn't have if I had been financially able to
purchase a crate motor and have someone else install it. And if I had
the money for a crate motor would I do it this way again? Certainly
NOT! I don't need this kind of aggro. I'd buy the crate motor and have
someone else install it--in a hearbeat! Meanwhile I feel good about
what I've been able to accomplish to date.
So instead of having a 'runner' you've got a project car. Granted, it's
not gonna be a quick process. But you waited 20-odd years for the car
in the first place. Another couple of years (during which you at least
OWN the car) might not be so onerous. On the other hand, at the end of
that time you might say "Jeez, I'm tired of working on this thing, it's
finally done--I'm gonna sell it and get a Healey! (okay maybe not a
Healey :-) )".
2. Your wife's reaction is certainly understandable. But, since your 6
year old son has lost his old car ride priveleges, perhaps the two of
you might work on rebuilding the Tiger? Gives him something to do while
he's waiting for his old car ride priveliges to be restored and for
another old car in which to ride. And it gives him something to
remember later on in his life ("Yeah, I remember when dad hit his thumb
with a hammer while we were working on the Tiger. Man, I really learned
some nifty cuss words THAT day!"). Of course, if you rebuild the Tiger
and he helps you, he might become so attached to the car that he'll
NEVER let you sell it. Or maybe he'll want a turbocharged Honda
instead. Oh, well. Whatever you do he'll get a valuable lesson. If
you choose to sell the car, you'll have taught him to recognize that
there are times to cut your losses and just walk away and get on with
life. If you choose to rebuild the car, you'll teach him that apparant
disasters are merely setbacks and can be overcome. And that he can
learn some nifty new swear words along the way.
Whatever you choose, I offer you my best wishes and my best regards.
David Sosna
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