by Andrea L. Algar
Motorheads Performance
Sometimes bad things happen to nice people. As a matter of fact, I often find myself thinking that more often than not, it seems to always be the nicest of people that are hit with hard times.
Several years ago, we had a nice gentleman (we'll call him "Joe" to protect his privacy) ship his car from us from Las Vegas after we'd had several discussions about his classic truck. Options were looked at and just as the project plan was coming together disaster struck. We had to put the project on hold. The Las Vegas economy seemed to collapse overnight and our customer found himself without a job. Not only that, but Joe's wife lost her job as well, and they were soon forced to relocate to another distant state.
Just this weekend, we heard from Joe and he described that hard times for his family meant losing it all. Job, home, personal belongings...everything. He was certain that he probably lost his classic truck as well. Imagine his surprise and delight that we still had his truck, protected and safe, awaiting word when things finally took a turn for the better! While the restoration plans will need to be drastically scaled down, we look forward to reuniting Joe and his wife (who despite the odds have stood by each other through this traumatic ordeal) with his dream car in the near future. Plans will begin for getting it running smoothly again - the paint and restoration work will be done at a later time, as Joe wants to enjoy the simple pleasure of driving his dream!
Owning a classic car or truck that requires restoration of any kind - whether engine restoration or a partial to complete body restoration - requires some forethought of potential pitfalls that seem to take us wildly off course. Classic car restoration costs can be great. We try to warn customers that if they are planning on major life changes (especially getting married, purchasing a new home, or having children), that they should make sure that the savings coffers are full before starting. It is extremely difficult to follow through with expenses that can span over the course of a year or two, and these types of events often change a person's priorities in life.
If you would like to make a contribution to Joe's restoration, which would allow Joe to complete a bit more work on his truck, please send Motorheads Performance an e-mail. We would be happy to apply any size donation to the cost of getting his dream truck up and going again. As a matter of fact, we'll donate an hour of free labor for Joe's project for every $500 received!
Motorheads Performance of Leesville, Texas shares news and information we hear about each day in our classic car shop. Specializing in cars and trucks from the 1920's through 1970's, Andrea & Guy Algar handle performance work, upgrades, repairs & maintenance, and restorations. We hope our articles are helpful to enthusiasts of all types, whether you like hot rods, street rods, classic cars, muscle cars, antique cars, race cars or old trucks.