jasonsamara

I'm 38 years old and each weekend we all go to the local cruise in together. We all are different ages from late 80's to 30's. I have a friend Jim who has a 1960 Corvette that he bought brand new and has never sold it. It is a true survivor with mostly original paint, original engine, exhaust, etc. (you get the picture). Jim never was a car guy he just happened to buy it and never sell it. It has about 80k on it and still drives very nice. I go over about once a month when he is in Florida for the winter and start it up and drive it around the neighborhood for him. It's a base motor car red exterior and black interior. Jim has no kids and has told me when he passes the car will be auctioned along with his house and the proceeds to be split between his nieces and nephews.

My dilemma started when I restored a lot of my 60. Once Jim saw how nice things turned out he started asking me to do his carpet, dash pad and restore the paint. My conflict is in 3 areas.

1. I would love to make Jim happy and do this for him because I would enjoy seeing him happy and enjoy his car because I believe he is 87 or 88.

2. The business side of me realizes by doing this I will only be driving the price up on myself if the car does go to auction in the future.

3. I'm afraid of the "what ifs" What if I break his windshield while removing, what if I screw up the new dash pad with a bad cut? It's a lot easier when it's your own car and not somebody else's.

I guess I'm leaning towards taking the car for a weekend and just cleaning the heck out of it and see if he is happy. Half of me wants to do it, but the other half doesn't. There is no money to be made because I would be doing it mostly as a favor over next winter.

Of course it might not make it that long either. He has backed it into something in his yard recently and did some scraping on the lower rear quarter and last week he over filled the tank and by the time he got to Pizza Hut the gas has taken the shine off the laquer and left a chalky white finish.

Am I crazy?

Geralds57

He sounds like a good friend. He'll appreciate your help. Good deeds are not always overlooked.

65hihp

at the very beginning you said he is a friend. And, he asked you to do some things for him. Friends help friends, just as much as they are reasonably able to do.
Is there anything else we can help you with?

warrenmj

The question I have is; do you have a family And will working on his car (in addition to your own) impact the time you would spend with your family? If the answer is yes, then you can honestly tell him you don't want to take away more time from your own family. You can then offer to spend a weekend "cleaning the heck out of it" as you stated.

Sounds like he is also no longer capable of safely driving his car at this point.

bluestreak63

If you want to do it because he is a good friend and you don't think he's taking advantage of your free services, then by all means. But if there are other motives at play, just continue to go to the weekend cruises and shoot the breeze with him.

ChattanoogaJSB

with Don.

Gary's '66

Personally, I'd just do the cleaning. As warrenmj pointed out, it not only sounds as though he's unable to drive it safely BUT he can't even gas it up without doing damage.

The way I see it, even if you were to basically "restore" the car, he's very likely going to undo many of your efforts somewhere down the line anyway.

Gary

tuxnharley

Sometimes friends have to tell other friends where the limits are...................

427435

Tell him of your concerns------especially the chance of screwing something up and your desire to acquire it.

Also, have you offered to buy it at a fair price? He would then be able to see it fixed up and get some rides in it.

Revfan

Does he know you are interested in the car?

I think I would take the car for the weekend (as you said) and tell him that you are going to clean it up and make it look nice in an non-intervention way and check it out to see what needs to be "done" to it. Then, make a list of the things that need to be done, prices for parts and time it would take you to do it.

When you give him back the car, have the discussion again about what his plan is on the car... Tell him that you are going to be an interested buyer when the time comes, and will his estate know to give you the first right of refusal?

If he says he is going to have the car auctioned, Then, I would probably say, Here is what I think you need to do to the car.... and show him your list of stuff and go over it, explaining what and why and use your car as a reference as in, "my dash pad cost XyZ and took me 3 weekends to do because its a major pain. A Vette shop would probably charge you XYZ to do it.

If the conversation turns to "I was hoping YOU could help me get it done", then I would say, well, it sounds like you (or your estate) is going to try to get top dollar for this car... While I did my own and it turned out great, there would be a lot of pressure involved if its somebody else's car, not to mention liability... and that kind of thing would put undue stress on your friendship as it would turn it into a "business" relationship.

I think the friend thing works both ways. Yes, you can HELP a friend replace his spark plugs, change a tire, or do a body drop.... but if the guy is in his 80s, realistically, YOU will be doing all the work. That is ok, but I think its a bit unfair to expect a friend to do a body off resto on a C1 without compensation of some kind. If not, I need to make more friends with the restoration guys on this forum.

If the conversation turns to, "I'd like you to get the car", then you could handle things differently, but I would try to figure out a way to come to some legal agreement as you don't know that his heirs are going to know to honor the agreement.

Interesting situation... can't wait to here how it ends up.

What is the latest on the big block you are bird doggin?

R66

WOW, here I am at 67 looking at both sides. Every day I am reminded that I can't do and don't know what I used to do, but still give it a try. The LORD will have mercy some day and end the game. In the mean time, I am the old MR FIX IT SUCKER for everyone in a small town of older people, most on a fixed budget, that need a helping hand (water heaters, lawn mowers, snow removal with the OLD HOE, electrical repairs, auto repairs, etc.). Most are only friends when they need something free and could buy me out if they wanted to. I hate to see someone else rip them off because they are old (now I have to look in the mirror again) and they cannot or will not try to do it themselves. 80 something is not DEAD, but will not move fast and will not be much help.
First: If you have a family, you need to talk to the wife about the impact on her and the kids. If she is as nice as you, she will probably say go ahead, but you know you have to read what she really means. Don't gamble the most important relationship you have in you life. If you do not have a family, it is just your decision, but keep in mind the executor of the estate will not and cannot by law give you credit for your work unless documented in his will. It is a gift. Don't go overboard or hope he will adopt you.
Second: A Friend might ask you to help him, but not ask you to do it all yourself without compensation if he can really afford it. Maybe do the clean up and do the carpet, but set a place to say NO. If he winters in Florida, and he has a home somewhere else, he is not on a fixed income and can afford to have it done professionally somewhere else. I know, as we are on Social Security, it sucks. Your help should then be limited to helping him find a reputable mechanic to perform the work unless he pays you a reasonable labor amount for each repair.
Third: If he is leaving everything to the nieces and nephews, where are they and why doesn't he ask them to help. If they deserve his money, they must earn it with something other than an occasional phone call or visit. It may open his eyes.
Fourth: Against my nature, I would recommend you be only be a FRIEND that will HELP with minor repairs and cleanup. He has to contribute if only being there clean parts, to hand you a wrench or a beer as you are busting your butt. He will appreciate it more and you can find out if he is really sincere or just a user as most are. IF HE CAN DRIVE, HE CAN HELP, but it may slow you down.
Fifth: If he enjoys the cruises and companionship of other Vette owners, would any one else be willing to help him out?? It is always more fun for you and 3 or 4 to have a BUDDY night and he will enjoy it more too. Help him set it up.
OLD, BUT NOT DEAD

jasonsamara

Yes he has a ton of money, but like most of that generation hoards it away and lives as cheaply as possible.

The family is garbage and only see him as a pay day. They have broken into his house and stole things when he was in Florida.

I also have a friend that is his neighbor and I wonder if I'm gonna step on his toes because he thinks the world of the car. He is older and a bit large and that is why I go drive it in the winter because he is to big to get in and out.

I don't have to have this car because you can only have so many of them.

I think I will start with cleaning for a weekend. Then maybe the carpet and we will just judge it as we go. If things go good that dash pad will be the last thing. I don't know that he will spend the money on the parts, but we will see.

Revfan that bb still hasn't moved. For a guy that just retired over the winter and said it was his priority to get it out, it seems to be going the other way. I drive by a few times a week to see if the junk is moved from in front of the garage door. Now there is an old camper sitting there.

I'm backing off a little because I don't want to press to hard. He liked the offer and his wife wants it gone, but as others have stated he has to be ok with opening the door and it not being there. I feel I'm close, but until I get the title anything can happen. Lots of people know of this car, but just like my 66 he would never sell and people give up trying. Then years later nobody stops anymore and the car continues to sit and the owners have a more open view.

71scgc

No good deed goes unpunished.

The damage he does trying to drive it will move your auction price down as much as your work will move it up...

Carter

Roger Walling

I have always helped friends and it seems that the more you help them, the more they expect.

I recently had two friends request my "help", (actually they wanted me to do it)
on their projects. I explained that I had my own project to do and that I was unable to do theirs.

If you want to help your friend with him on your side doing what he can, go for it, but don't expect anything in return.

RoudyRick

We it comes to friends and family there is never a "loan" of help or money, just a "gift". If you expect to get something back you will be disappointed and it will cause future tensions. "Been-There-Done-That"

vettebuyer6369

I think this is the key. Someone else said that the friend thing is a 2 way street... This is very true. Why do you have to make all the accommodations?

He's not asking you to help him get his brakes fixed so he can safely drive his car. He is asking you to do work on cosmetics, carpet, dash and paint, otherwise known as "elective surgery." These as things that make the owner more proud of the car and enhance it when it's time to sell it to the highest bidder, possibly the heavy guy on the other side of the street, and generating funds to leave to his family members.

I think providing cosmetic restoration work, something that car be expensive, should be compensated in some way. And the fact is, this work is time consuming and will definitely take away time from your car and home projects, as well as family time.

I think a simple, "I just don't have the time to work on someone else's car, sorry," would go a long way.

Frankie the Fink

I have mixed feelings about it - its a slippery slope. I've been in the position where well-meaning friends unintentionally took advantage and I became their default restoration source...

I can recall back when the old tube TVs were prevalent and I repaired them on the side, supposedly for some side income. Wasn't long before I had a room full of broken TVs that 'friends' wanted repaired as a 'favor'. I finally spend a day on the phone telling those folks to come get them because I didn't have time for it...

SupremeDeluxe

I'm about the same age as you (37). I have 3 toy cars, a growing business, a wife with a career of her own, and most recently a 6-month old baby. I don't have time to drive my 67, let alone work on it. I can't imagine making time to work on anyone else's old car as a favor or otherwise at this point in my life. On days when I am lucky enough to have some free time, I always choose to spend it with my baby girl.

If I was retired I would look at it differently, but at this station in life time is the fuse in all things.

hedgehead

Let the nieces and nephews do it.

67vetteal

I would ask him to leave the car to you as you have been a good friend. Al W.