rayvaflav

So this damn car of mine ... '66 Coupe, 8 years of ownership, 3 of those where I actually drove the car before somebody ran into it, therefore triggering a frame-on restaeux ...

I keep digging deeper ... and deeper ....

But I feel that I am at a point where I can start coming out of the disassembly stage and enter into the much more desireable reassembly stage. And then my wife walks in ...

And she starts asking questions ...

Such as:

"How much longer are you going to be on this car ?"

"Will I ever be able to put MY new car in OUR garage ?"

"When it's done, are you going to spend every Saturday sitting next to it in some lawn chair at some car show ?"

"When it's done, are you going to call your friends over and have them stare at it in the garage while you share that Bourbon you overpaid for ?"

"Are we going to have to budget for an enclosed trailer so that you can cart this car to these shows that you won't dare drive to ?"

I assured here that there are no plans for a trailer in our future, she can get her Volkswagen station wagon back in the garage and she can load the dogs into it when the weather is bad and that I have extended the effort to make the car cooler in the summer, warmer in the winter, easier to start, gauges and lights that work correctly and that I will continue to (as I have previously) drive it to work at least twice a week.

And then, the last question she asked :

"So when it's finished ... Can I still drive it ?"

Now to me, that is the best question that my wife could ever ask me. She has driven the '66 before, she tells me that she's a little scared of it but she loves driving a four-speed, she likes that it's so unusual and as a doctor she loves calling on her doctor friends, picking them up in this car and scaring the crap out of them.

I think that one of the best things that you can do with these old cars of ours is share it with your significant other and enjoy the thrill of seeing them enjoy your passion as much as you do.





Ray

Root2812

You're a lucky guy. My wife hates my car. I wish she would show any interest in it beyond complaining about how much it cost and how it doesn't seat all 3 of us. It's my dream car but there are days I contemplate just getting rid of it.

Enjoy sharing the experience with your wife and I hope you enjoy all the adventures you two will share in the car.

6T5RUSH

Think you've got a keeper there!

That's got to be a great feeling to see daylight in a tunnel, knowing that it's not a freight train of additional $ staring you in the face. Kudoos to you on getting her back on the road for you and your bride. Looking GOOD!

Jim
In God We Trust!

tuxnharley

That post ended a LOT better than it started!

kellsdad

My nephew is a more ardent car guy than me. Several years ago I dropped by his place to show him my latest cool car. He loved it and his kids all loved it. His wife looked at my car as if I had brought the Playmate of the Year by for him to admire. She saw it as competition and she did not like it. ... They have been divorced for several years now and he is still passionate about his car hobby. .. I guess my point is this. Spouses don't have to love everything their partners do. But if your spouse is truly passionate about something that always has been and alway will be part of their life, then you better accomodate that passion if you want to keep the spouse. As most of the readers here are of the male persuasion, know that I'm talking to you too.

desertpilgrim

Rule #1: At car shows, the ID tag under "Owner" lists her name FIRST. That's how you get a second....

mmaturo

I own my 60 because when I found it at Mecum a year and a half ago and started looking at it she was with me and REALLY liked it. I did not at all expect that reaction out of her. I had the Mecum folks come and start it for me and check that things actually worked...something I did not do with my caddy. Anyway she gave me the ok to go after it. We had two great days where on a weekend she drove the vette and I drove my caddy to our downtown area...she is comfortable driving it but not the caddy (size and how much I love it but the size is the real issue). Anyway I was beaming ear to ear watching her driving it in front of me and really enjoying it. The first time her mom came and visited after we bought it she took her mom out in it. That was the last time she drove it because she was pregnant and soon simply couldn't fit/get in out of it easily..never mind safety since its not exactly the best thing to be in if there was an accident in our community. Now a year later she still hasn't since driven it since she is always with our baby but I know she will and wants to. Its a big win for me.

I was actually then and still am after a 63 SWC but she doesn't really like them at all (she likes the convertible version just fine but I want the coupe for the iconic design) so I did compromise my first goal of which vette I was after but I do really love my 60. I never thought I could fit in one being a bigger guy but I did that day and sealed the deal. Smaller diameter wheel and well worn in drivers seat thanks to the previous owner who is also my size...I sure as heck will never get the seat foam redone.

She is also ok with car shows because she has taken a real interest in photography and she really likes taking detail shots of classic cars of all ages (brass included) she has a huge appreciation now for how detailed cars were and how beautiful the craft was. So she will go entertain herself. She extraordinarily good at it so my man room has 25 of her pictures in frames going up the stair and in the space of just wonderful detail pictures. Huge win 2.

wmf62

you are blessed... in many ways... enjoy

Bill

Frankie the Fink

My wife waited until I sold the '61 (still have the 63 couple) and then says, two months later, "Man, I really loved that little convertible!" Of course that never came up during the 9 months the car took to sell. Fifty years together and I still get surprised by things ?

So, fine, if I can pick up a convertible (most any model will do) I'll get one...maybe a modern one.

cbernhardt

I am extremely lucky in that my wife loves cars and loves to work on them. In 2004 we drove her '62 up to Carlisle and a front wheel bearing (C4 suspension) literally broke in two. Luckily we had just turned off the Interstate were only doing about 20 mph when it let go, or it could have been disastrous. As we were accessing the damage one of the Carlisle staff trucks stopped and the driver asked if we needed assistance. I told him what had happened and he volunteered to take me to the fairgrounds so I could find a new bearing, and he also took me back to our car after I found the bearing. On the way back he asked if I needed help putting the bearing back on the car, and I told him no, that my wife would probably have the old bearing off by the time we got there, and he looked at me like I was nuts. Anyway, I was correct, she had the bearing off and we put the new one on the car and continued on to the fairground.

dahogan

corvetteed

She had a lot of good questions, and as I was reading them, I thought your answer might be that a second garage would take care of most of them.

The fact that she still wants to drive it (after you finish it) is remarkable, at least to me. My wife used to enjoy our little jaunts in the "old" cars; now, she couldn't care less, and won't even ride in them any more, let alone go to a show or cruise. She says the cars are all the same, the people are all the same, and they talk about the same things over and over. She just doesn't get it.

cv67

man she called you a waxer

Mr D.

I got that question a few years ago and my answer was sure right after I build that $50K detached garage.

She still parks outside.

Frankie the Fink

When my wife pops into the garage its to continue the never-ending turf war. Its like the Middle East:

WIFE: "I need more space for my Christmas decorations and sewing materials"
ME: "I don't have any more space out here"
WIFE: "What about that empty shelf ?"
ME: I'm working on some spare car parts that will go up there soon."
WIFE: "How about in one of your empty cabinets?"
ME: "None of them are empty"
WIFE: "You need to put up more shelves"
ME: "OK, when I get my retirement check next month"
WIFE: "Then you're the one who gets to carry all my stuff and up and down the attic stairs until you do!"
ME: "OK" (It never happens -- she knows I'm too old for that)

Wait one month, wash, rinse, repeat...

I have two 'sacred spaces' in the whole house; my home office and the garage...and its a battle to keep it so... HINT: Yeah I could build another garage or storage space but there will NEVER be enough for wifey junk.

wmf62

a fact of life... nature abhors a vacuum, garages abhor empty space..


Bill

midstyle

Solution: when building new house, establish the dimensions to accomodate the max. Yes, in theory, I could store 11 Corvettes (but now has only one (my '65) plus the family car. Of course, you'd need wheel dollies to move them into the position shown.

It helped that the home builder was the president of the company, and that he was a member of our Corvette club.



c

DZAUTO

Our previous house had a 3 car garage. PLENTY of room-----------WRONG!
So when we built our present house, I had it built with an attached 6 car garage. Now we really have LOTS of room---------------WRONG AGAIN!
But fortunately, there was always room for the wife's car, thus no complaints there--------------unless a friend's or customer's car was in the garage and hers had to sit out for a few days-------------------even if hers sat out one day, she complained.
SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, the ultimate solution was a new building that is equal to another 5 cars. Problem fixed---------------WRONG AGAIN!!!!!

We started out with this, 4 in the front and 2 in the back. She gets BOTH spaces on one side so that she can open doors on both side of the Tahoe without hitting anything. All of mine are cramped together.






Now we have this-----------------AND THERE STILL IS NOT ENOUGH ROOM!!!!!!!

wmf62

that is a VERY large fortune in concrete.... my 40x40 slab was $8k, I can't begin to imagine what all that cost....

Bill

ChattanoogaJSB

Ray- and everyone- this is a great thread!

I didn't know your wife was a physician- mine is as well, and she was never willing to learn to drive a stick (though I have never had a DD that was anything but, before we met or after)- so has never driven our corvettes until I brought home the '69 estate car (automatic). She immediately took to it!

Yes, she prefers her modern car in general but on a nice day we can now take both kids out in two corvettes. She knows when she drives the white car she makes herself extra yxes to me.

As as for garage space- I moved her out for a month to work on a 66 Mercedes for a friend. She was nice about it but I have to keep her parking inside generally! Our basement fortunately holds all her stuff and more, but the kids riding toys makes sure the garage doesn't get too tidy. And that's ok.

i sometimes think about the $50k addition as Frankie mentions. We love our home except for that one limiting factor.