PHILOSOPHY

Ok so this is my Mopar site and I have this philosophy page to rant and rave. I basically have a few things that I have noticed during my 33 years of life and 10 years of restoring cars. And of course I am going to rant and rave about them.

1) Don't become a pure sicko Mopar, Chevy or Ford fanatic, or fanatical in anything. Keep a balanced life. Don't become one of those people who works on their cars 24/7 while the kids and wife fall wayside. Take your girlfriend or wife out to dinner every once in a while and keep that attention flowing soon she will have no problems with you working on your car. I try to budget two or three hours a day three days a week on my car (I am stuck in a full resto) and the rest with my fiancee'. Now she wants to help me with the bondomobile instead of seeing it as a threat to "our time" (I always hated that saying). Cars like religion, booze, drugs, hobbies, and work can be dysfunctional if taken to the extreme.

2) Enjoy the car hobby and appreciate other cars, as you would like someone to appreciate yours. I have owned Chevelles, Vettes and Mustangs and feel that they are great cars, I love my 68 Cuda convertible even more. I believe that old car guys are a fraternity of sorts and the people make this hobby not the cars as we all are the same type of individual who likes to work on engines, suspensions, etc. Steel doesn't have a soul people do, so go help the kid on the corner with his brand X machine instead of sneering at it. The relationship between old car enthusiasts is the most important thing that keeps it all going. This is especially true with the old car crushing laws that are being instituted across the country. There is strength in numbers, our brand X enemies are really our allies.

3) Don't become such a Mopar junkie to the point that you will not own anything but Mopar products. I mean this in the respect toward new cars. This is fine if you own the stock but do you really think Mopar loves you too? I work in financial sales and marketing so I know the score. Business, sales and revenue build a company not nostalgia. Pretty much all car companies don't care about you past that intital revenue building first sale and subsequent dealer repairs on your product throughout its lifespan. They will try to skip out on any warranty work or anything else that the company will lose money on. The big three (Mopar, GM, & Ford) are not getting rich selling crate motors or blowing money on Nascar teams for fun. They do it for advertising. They do it for sales. They do it for money. These expenditures may somehow bring consumers to the dealers showroom floor if their vehicle is the next winning Nascar vehicle or even the local track champion's car. Somebody winning with their product may influence a sale in some manner so they are there to keep it going.
A car is a product like a microwave, TV, or blender. If your product is first class and well received by the public that equals higher sales which equals higher market share, which equals profits (hopefully), which equals a better stock price for stockholder like YOU or you SHOULD be (If you are not investing money for your future than shame on you. Tomorrow is sooner than you think.). If you buy some inferior product rather than a competitive one just because it says Mopar on it you are a fool.
This country was based on capitalism and competition. The way companies become competitive is that there are alternatives in the marketplace. If this wasn't so, Mopar will still be making the K cars and the possibility of the Charger illustrated above would be just a pipe dream. I currently own a 1997 Toyota Supra, a 92 Maxima, and a 68 Cuda convertible. My next car will be a Charger if Mopar ever decides to build it or maybe even a 300 which is a sweet ride. Those cars are competitive in their market segment.

4) It is just a machine. I am not trying to sound cynical but please don't live your life for a car. It is just that, a machine. I once worked during high school for a car dealership. The salespeople were masters at selling an illusion. If there is a fat overweight kid in the dealership, who probably can't find a date, sell him a Camaro and tell him that it will get him chicks. Skinny kid sell him a macho truck and tell him it makes him look like a tough guy and it will get him chicks. Usually what ends up is that they are still overweight or skinny, still can't get chicks but now in tons of debt (about the chicks, the right ones should love you for yourself not for some car, unless you just want to score which is fine too). Oh yeah, since kid fool is so deep in debt he can't even find the time to take a girl out as he will have to work plenty of additional hours at minimum wage to pay off that loan. Cars aren't free baby.
One thing I'd like to tell any high school kid reading this, go spend time with your girlfriend, go to a party, go workout, go study, go to some social event, go to college, as changing headers on a Saturday night will get you nowhere in life IF it is the ONLY thing you do.
So remember, this car isn't your life. Don't be the loser who looks at a car and thinks that he will get chicks if he has a hot ride. Some do. Most don't. Don't let some dealer sell you the phony dream that this car will get you laid. Don't imagine some sweet honey of a girl (like in a bud dry commercial) stacked to the max in a tiny bikini will automatically jump in your ride because it is "hot". Not going to happen my friend. You will be so much better off getting your ass into a gym, buying better clothes, getting a hair cut and the best of them all getting a good education.
Women are attracted to success not someone who is loaded in debt trying to look successful. Remember: In advertising and sales, we only want to sell you things you don't need. Don't believe the illusion. Like at a poker game, if your trying to figure out who is the sucker at the table and can't, it is probably you!

5) Concourse level type people. I dislike you guys. You are the types that go to every show and point out what is not original on somebody's car, like something is the wrong shade of black, isn't a crinkle finish, hose clamp isn't right, etc. etc. Or the anal type that goes "Well I drove it to Detroit to get genuine OEM air for my tires from the factory". You ruin the fun for the rest of us who don't wish to compete in the concourse level, nor care about it, nor can afford 100% originality. Now this group of slime tends to be associated with the Corvette crowd but I see them at Mopar shows. I know at least three friends who don't being their cars to car shows anymore as wiseasses like you just stand there and criticize everything. Usually this is after we work all week to prep a car to show it off. The shows are supposed to be fun. Now I don't care if they criticize cars going for the concourse trophy but after that is over they get bored and walk around and hack on the rest of us. Elietest jerks.
Concourse individuals also look down upon people modifying their Mopars say with disk brakes since it's not original. If the car is safer because of it, and not a trailer queen, how can you put originality over safety? If one day in a rainstorm your beloved drum brakes fade out after going through a puddle and your narrow reproduction bias ply tires start slipping and you hit a tree hard, you are dead. Nobody is going to go "Well, he left a wife and kid behind, but boy it was worth it as that Cuda was 100 point concourse level perfect... he had his priorities straight."
Another thing concerning shows, the parents who let their kids run wild and climb all over the show cars should be tortured, shot and their children sold into slavery. It just disrespectful to the owners and any rational person who likes this hobby. I usually see some thirty pound overweight "TaeBo" tape watching mother going: "OK sweetie pie, sit on the pretty car (read $3K urethane paint job in your Sears "roughneck" jeans with metal buttons all over) so mommie can take a picture of you smookums". Arrrggghhh! Death to all of you.

6) New BMW owners. I am guilty of this myself. I owned a 325I (worst car I ever owned) and sold it for a 1997 Toyota Supra. Those certain BMW owners I have read about in magazines and met in person, who consider themselves "car enthusiasts", only talk about how they detail their car with 12 coats of pure Carnuba wax, hand buffed with a chamois and blah blah blah. They are also the driving glove wearing sissies who go buy the Momo steering wheels and carbon fiber or wood shifter knobs and aluminum sports pedals to enhance the feel of their car and maybe on a Sunday go and install a unibody shock tower support (ooohhhh ahhhhh). You guys are pathetic!
One thing I have realized about German cars (especially the Porsche 911, my favorite) is if the factory didn't build it in the car when new you probably don't need it for your leisurely 55 mph drive to work. Real men build engines, get their hands dirty changing exhaust systems, cams and intakes and are on a first name basis with the local machine shop not the detail shop. Note: I didn't notice this wimpy attitude with the Mercedes restorers I knew or the old BMW restoring guys who work on 2002's / 3.0's and my friends who work on old 911's. These are good people and great cars.

7) SUV OWNERS. Oh god, I detest these things. Texas has more trucks than the remaining fifteen or so Southern states around it. It is the top truck state in the nation whereas most of the big three show their new trucks over at the Dallas auto show before any other in the United States including the Detroit and NY auto shows. In fact, Ford had displayed their new 6000 pound sport utility, the Excursion, down here first. I call affectionately call the Ford Valdez (like Exxon Valdez). If you have not heard of this sport utility it dwarfs the full size Chevy suburban. It won't fit in most garages and its HUGE. By the way, Chevy suburbans are called "Texas Cadillac's" down here.
Where was I, well there are like ten suburbans down here for every 25 cars and it is just unreal. I am beginning to think my Cuda is a subcompact. Scary seeing 5500+ pounds coming down at you being driven by some soccer mom who is yelling at her kids in the back seat and not watching the road. I was almost nailed by some lady in her Chevy Suburban doing this exact thing.
If you have never seen what a big SUV looks like after an accident with a typical car come to Texas. Usually it is the same soccer mom crying with her children huddled around her after she crushed some average joe to death at a stop light. Those tears are tears of joy my friend as her family wasn't hurt; not for the poor sole she killed who has a trunk lid implanted in his head.
It is a bit weird to seeing little crosses on the side of the road as I drive to work placed there from families of the victims, they are becoming commonplace now. Graveyards on the side of the road.
There will be more deaths as a result of the "truckification" of America. This is not going unnoticed in more rational states where the death tolls on the roads is increasing from SUV accidents. Those states are questioning the rationality of vehicles that weigh more than trucks and handle like trucks but one does not need anything more that your average class drivers license. Motorcycles need a different class why not SUV's and the proper training to operate them safely.

8) Sean's Laws on restoring old cars.

A) If your going to waste money on a car restoration its always best to do it with a convertible so umm you MAY get some of it back if you decide to sell it.

B) Car restoration is a time and cash-losing proposition. It is best to just work a second job and save that cash and buy a good car. Better yet put your dollars in a good mutual fund so it grows faster. If you buy a fixer upper watch out as you will spend oodles of money and time fixing it up far beyond what its worth. Look in any paper and you will see something like "1968 Camaro, $30000.00 invested, $8000 or best offer". Invested always means lost and that doesn't include his labor! If you buy a good car than you can waste time doing carb or engine swaps which are fun rather than grinding out chassis rust or block sanding some door panel. The only way to make money on classic cars is to part them out and sell everything on Ebay.

C) Never buy a seriously rusty car. Like cancer it's a pain to deal with and it never is really right. This excludes things like a car with perfect floors & frame yet a fender is rotted. In other words don't buy something where your gonna have to weld it up with a lot of patch panels. I do body work for fun (I am sick I know) and sometimes it just isn't worth the time and its hard work.

D) Buy something some other sucker got tired of. Project cars are usually the ones where somebody bought something really out of hand, spent hard dollars and invested the grunt work to the point where its almost as good as some clean original (if he saved his money for a decent one). This is the time where he loses interest right when there is a glimmer of hope of finishing it. Scoop one of these babies up and you will be so far ahead of the game.

E) Stop reading Car Craft and Hot Rod etc. These magazines only are in business to sell advertising. You do not need roller rockers, 4 bolt mains, big cams, and a host of other trick parts that only make you poor. 90% of the cars that people are restoring from the 60's never had this stuff on them when they were built. If you race than I can sorta see spending the money on trick parts. However, for the average Joe, keep your money and save it for good engine machine work where it counts. I was watching Hot Rod TV on TNN yesterday and they were installing (in their project Chevelle) some super duper fuel injection setup (a 4bbl doesn't build much revenue for a company unlike a $800 injection setup), Currie rear end ($1200.00 they didn't like the 12 bolt or something that was in there), and some trick differential to body connectors to replace the OEM ones (that looked in perfect condition, only $300.00 more). After doing it they ran down the price for all of the stuff and they said something like:
"Well for ONLY $2500 or so invested (uh oh, that word "ONLY" and "INVESTED" when I hear that I feel like I have to drop my pants ang grab my ankles) our street Chevelle is running much better and picked up 1/10 second and 2MPH in the quarter mile". Huh? ONLY $2500, 2mph in the quarter. I know that $5k will buy a nice straight Chevelle if you don't own one and a decent Mopar, or least a nice rebuilt motor or paint job. 2mph and a lot of work for $2500…. feel like somebody is getting the stiff one in the a$$. Don't believe the hype and don't let it be you.

F) Buy with your head not your heart. Weird cars = low number of owners = limited amount of reproduced parts = expensive! For example…Corvairs. Now if you look at Clark's Corvair catalog (I used to own one..a small block v8 1966) when they want to re-produce a part they need orders first to justify the tooling expense (good business sense!). I remember they wanted to reproduce something like a replacement crossmember and the tooling was like $50K. So they ask for prepaid orders and they foot the rest of the tooling bill to produce it. We have the same problems here in Mopar land, parts are expensive and not available! This is the deal with body panels. The problem with our part suppliers is that they (Year One, Paddock etc.) make Chevy parts too and there is no money in making Mopar parts (5% of all aftermarket sales) for these guys. I can't think of one small company that is proactive in finding out who needs what in the Mopar community and offer to make it for us if we pony up the cash and orders beforehand. I know Clark's Corvair parts isn't getting rich making these parts so they must really care about their customers. Lets be honest with 5% market share Mopar parts have to be expensive. Just look at a Weiand or Edelbrock SB Chevy aluminum manifold price Vs their Mopar version. $85 vs like $150, somebody has to pay for all of the tooling. If you are totally new to the auto hobby and tight on cash go buy a VW bug until you can afford your first Mopar. These cars are as easy as pie to work on and since they are still currently made in Mexico new parts are so cheap they are basically free. Now if you like weird cars than cool, I respect your individuality but be prepared to afford it.

G) American cars = cheap parts, Japanese = expensive parts, German = really expensive hard to find parts. Trust me on this I had a 325I BMW, and nearly cried every time I had to get a part. The Japanese and American cars share a lot of parts nowadays so it is less of a factor now. Open the hood of your 1986 to date Mopar and look at that Mitsubishi engine, alternator and starter amongst other foreign stuff. Oh wait, it's now Daimler-Chrysler…. I guess we will be looking forward to Bosch parts in our new Mopars.

H) Watch out for restored cars. Look for wavy bodies that may be hiding excessive amounts of bondo etc. I am taking it in the a$$ right now with my convertible cuda. What looked ok was just loaded with ½" thick bondo. I took it to a sandblaster to remove all of it. There wasn't much car left after they were done. Buying this car was an error in judgement.

That is all of the ranting and raving I have to do. If you take offence then sorry but this is how I feel and it is my website anyway.

Home / Body Types / Brakes / Buy/Sell / Excel / Fender / How-to / Inner Fender / K-Member / Links / Philosophy / Pictures / Qtr Panel / Rear Axle / Suspension  / Tools / Tranny / Unibody / Wheels