"Checkbook Restorer"

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Joined
Dec 17, 2013
Messages
435
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14
Location
Houston,Tx
My Car
1971 mustang Mach 1, 429CJ, J Code SOLD 3/2016

1971 Boss 351 Mustang
Medium Yellow Gold
From Kim Miller Collection
I have noticed RPMCarter use this term a few times in his post. Here is a quote:

Turns out Jeremy is quite the craftsman and not a checkbook restorer!!!! Something to be said for that.

I am not quite sure if he means that if a person here loves their 7173 any less because they did not restore the car themselves for lack of time or lack of skill. Either way it got me thinking that there might be more people here with those skills than those without. But, then again it might be the other way around.

I admit that I am unskilled when it comes to fixing cars much less being able to take a car from near death and make it new again. I am in awe of that skill and have much respect for you and what you are able to do with these great cars.

Although I did not restore my car I do know a lot about it. I never represent myself as the person that restored it. In fact I don't know who did! I am still trying to find out just who did. I got very little information with my car when I bought it.

So am I the only Checkbook Restorer here on this site? Am I thought of as something less of a person because I can't replace a floor pan? I hope not and I also hope those with the knowledge will share with people like me.

Yes, I found the car of my dreams, one better than the Mach 1 I had when I was 19 in 1972. I worked hard at a job that few people could do or would want to do for 39 years. I always knew I would buy a 71 Mach 1 one day so I saved money for just that purpose. If that makes me a Checkbook Restorer then I will wear that tag with pride because I love your cars just like I do mine.

The fact is as some of you might know,I stopped working so I could enjoy my car and share it with others for the few good years I have left here on the planet!

 
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Mike

It's OK if you pay to have your car restored by others!

Not everyone has the time or skills to put things right on a classic car.

I'd say just be a bit knowledgeable of the car and all is good.

I may have to pay someone to align, frame straighten, or do welding on

my car even though I could do the work myself but don't have the equipment

like I did back in the day.

Regards

Paul

 
For me a check book restorer is the bloke that just drops off his car at the shop and says I want x colour x motor with xxHP call me when its done and that's as much involvement these roosters are ever likely to have in the car. Totally disinterested in the car just want a flash result to boast about.

Some guys can paint some can fabricate or built engines and some can do it all, cool. Some people do not have the ability to do much, but have a lot of enthusiasm, interest/input while having somebody else built their cars and that's cool too. These people will continue to learn about their cars and usually state well I don't know how to do it or I didn't build it etc and for the most are not false in there presentation of things

If you are genuinely into your ride that passion sets you apart from the would be hero's regardless of who or how you got your car

Your enthusiasm is very evident and I don't think that you would ever be lumped in with the Cheque book crew.

Ps Dana is a straight up dude so Iam sure he will be along to explain exactly what it means to him

 
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I don't know what's behind the term when used by others. I guess some may use it in derogatory way but it also could simply be meant as a factual tag without approval or disapproval. That's one of the tough things about the written vs. spoken word. Face to face it's usually much easier to pick up on subtle intents. I have not heard the term "gold chainer" used in other than a negative way but even that label could have neutral factual applications in some situations.

Ultimately our hobby needs unity to survive anti-car legislation from those who hate old cars (and even any form of individual transportation). If somebody likes old cars then they are typically OK in my eyes.

 
I don't think that he meant anything derogatory by that comment. I think that it was his way of giving Jeremy a compliment for his skills and not slamming those who may have paid for the repairs/mods. The fact that we all enjoy the same car and try to preserve them is what makes this a close knit group as well as everyone's willingness to help others is what's important here, not the fact that you did all the work on the car. We all have different skill levels and abilities and I am impressed at what a lot of these members do to their cars here. I am not skilled at painting so I had someone do it for me so we are all checkbook restorers if you think about it. I value your opinions and comments and am glad you are here. I am sure RPMCarter didn't mean anything negative here.

 
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I don't think that he meant anything derogatory by that comment. I think that it was his way of giving Jeremy a compliment for his skills and not slamming those who may have paid for the repairs/mods. The fact that we all enjoy the same car and try to preserve them is what makes this a close knit group as well as everyone's willingness to help others is what's important here, not the fact that you did all the work on the car. We all have different skill levels and abilities and I am impressed at what a lot of these members do to their cars here. I am not skilled at painting so I had someone do it for me so we are all checkbook restorers if you think about it. I value your opinions and comments and am glad you are here. I am sure RPMCater didn't mean anything negative here.
Well said. ::thumb::

 
Can i add my 2 cents worth here please.

What the guys have said above pretty much covers it really. My personal opinion says that there is NOTHING, repeat, NOTHING wrong with an owner of a classic car who pays to have his car professionally restored partially or fully or worked on to any degree, because he or she, has no hands on skills to carry out any of the work themselves.

Cheque book restorations are 100% fine and AOK. I think that where the waters have gotten muddy over time, so to speak, is to do with the small amount of car owners that have paid to have their car fully or partially restored, and then lie and pretend to other people, that they themselves have done the work on that car, and try and take the cudos and glory for doing so.

In my own personal case, i have saved many, many thousands of dollars by doing some of my resto work myself, but have also paid many thousands of dollars to have pro tradesmen do other work on my vehicle. I will tell everyone what work i did exactly on my car, and also tell everyone the work that i did not do as well. Why lie to people, and pretend you did the work, when you didn't.

Greg.:)

 
Hi Greg your are Right on whit your statement[emoji6] Why lie about that! My own Car is Half done by My self and My body Jens. Jens have build engien and most of My interior.. Most becaus of My illness and I am learning by doing[emoji6] Regards Lars DK73

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Regards DK73

 
I agree!

Personally, I envy someone who can just drop off a car to someone else and pay to have it restored. To me, there is no difference in that versus buying a car that has just been restored.

If you have the money, good for you!

But I also must admit, that people who have the skills and the time to do it themselves deserve a ton of respect!

 
I have owned my Mustang for over 30 years and not once, NOT ONCE, has it ever restored my checkbook. In fact it seems to have the opposite effect. :)

Truth is we all have to spend money at some point. Unless you can forge your own steel, weave your own carpet and seats, mix your own paint...

I do a lot of the work myself but I also spend a lot of time researching. Even something as simple as what to do with the rear bumper, buy new or re-chrome? I decided on re-chrome because the after market ones at the time were not good quality. Either way I wasn't going to make the bumper or chrome it myself. (But I did pull it and reinstall it).

But it is impressive when someone has the skill and can do the work themselves. We've all see the 'wide body' thread. It's a cool modification. It's just a little more cooler that he is doing it himself.

Mike, if you have a 429CJ that's pretty impressive in itself. I assume you didn't just stumble upon a pretty mustang one day, bought it and then found out how cool and rare it really is. ;)

 
I have owned my Mustang for over 30 years and not once, NOT ONCE, has it ever restored my checkbook. In fact it seems to have the opposite effect. :)
:goodone:

Although I can do a lot of the work myself, I don't have some of the specialized tools that are often required. I can rebuild transmissions, rear ends, and engines, I have a ridge reemer and hones, calipers, dial gauges, and so on. But when it comes to getting my heads worked on (like valve guides & hardened seats) or the cylinders bored, out comes the checkbook or plastic. I can do the body work (even though I don't like it) and painting, but I may have someone else paint it when I'm ready to have it painted next time.

I enjoy working on my car, but if I win the lotto (which I don't even play) I'd probably bring out the checkbook more often. :s

 
I have owned my Mustang for over 30 years and not once, NOT ONCE, has it ever restored my checkbook. In fact it seems to have the opposite effect. :)
Love it

 
If you have ever read my posts you will learn that I have paid for plenty during the 3 ½ year restoration of my dad’s car and I have received countless hours of help from friends. I do not think that Carter was trying to be derogatory to anyone, but only that I surprised him. I surprise a lot of people, since I’m a dean at a large community college and I have a love for getting my hands dirty. I’ve done many things to my car that I’m proud of, some that I am not, and others that I had to ask for help. I’ve been on here, watched videos, and phoned a friend, etc more times than I can count. I personally don’t care how you get it done only that you get it done. Of course this is the Gen Xer in me. Praise not needed… Long winded explanations of why you did it a certain way, also not needed. Trying to read into what someone else said that may or may not concern me… don’t care…

So take that car, go for a ride and enjoy. Don’t worry about what others think or do.

 
I guess I'm a little bit of both. It's been a learning curve for me. I watch others and ask a lot of questions and sometimes I just dive in knowing this is just a hobby and come Monday morning I'll not need the car to drive to work so if it's unavailable for a few weeks then it's no big deal. Half of the fun of this hobby has always been the learning to do the things I need to learn to make it right. I know plenty of guys who are car lovers but don't have the time or skill to do restoration some are mechanically skilled but lack in other areas. Some guys just want to own one of these cars and not work on them It's all ok It's a great hobby whether it money or skills makes no difference to me.

 
We had a guy out last year to set our home shop up with a bolt bin, vacuum and fuel lines, hose clamps, light bulbs, fuses and some other stuff that keeps us from running to the store every other hour. The guy was telling us about a shop he set up for a customer. He said this guy wanted everything he needed to make it look like he actually did the work at his shop. Terry told us that there was no way this guy had ever touched a nut or a bolt on his cars yet he tried to claim credit for everything. I guess that would be what many think of when they hear checkbook restorer

Personally I take care of searching for parts and tracking the money spent and of course provide my feedback and make my share of choices (especially on my Mach). I also get to prep the interior panels for repair or paint along with the other dirty jobs. Steve does much of the fine detail work especially on the interior, repairing and painting the pieces like our center console. We have a couple of mechanic friends that do much of the wrench turning. We sent the Mach out to a frame shop to get straightened. We paid the body guy for paint and body work. We had a machine shop do the motor work and then our guys assembled the motor. Had interior guy come out to install the carpet, seat foam and pads and headliner. Our checkbook shows the pain of the restoration and we do not do the majority of the work but I do not think we are "checkbook restorers"

 
I believe the term definitely has different meanings depending on the context in which it is used.

The fine line between acceptable and derogatory for me lies completely in the owner/check-writer's level of interest. If the guy simply drops off the car, writes a check, walks away, and picks it up when it's done - that's fine. Like others have said and admitted, not everybody has the skills, time, desire, etc., to do their own work - nothing wrong with that, especially if one has the means to make it happen. Showing interest in the process, checking progress, taking the time to have the professionals explain and understand what they are doing, and above all - being honest about their level of participation - still carries the respect associated with restoring the car.

It's the ones that claim they've done all their own work that get the stink-eye and negative reviews... further exacerbated by not knowing crap about their cars, the work that was done, etc. You can pick those guys out of the crowd rather easily... and I believe we all tend to walk away from them out of annoyance as well. They are usually quite full of themselves, and either "has one bigger or knows a guy who has two" of whatever you're talking about. The Gas Monkey guy fits into that category for me... but that's just me.

 
First and foremost thank you guys!! You are correct.

If you have ever read my posts you will learn that I have paid for plenty during the 3 ½ year restoration of my dad’s car and I have received countless hours of help from friends. I do not think that Carter was trying to be derogatory to anyone, but only that I surprised him. I surprise a lot of people, since I’m a dean at a large community college and I have a love for getting my hands dirty. I’ve done many things to my car that I’m proud of, some that I am not, and others that I had to ask for help. I’ve been on here, watched videos, and phoned a friend, etc more times than I can count. I personally don’t care how you get it done only that you get it done. Of course this is the Gen Xer in me. Praise not needed… Long winded explanations of why you did it a certain way, also not needed. Trying to read into what someone else said that may or may not concern me… don’t care…

So take that car, go for a ride and enjoy. Don’t worry about what others think or do.
Okay...do you guys mind if I laugh a little bit? So to Jeremy's point, yes I was impressed with a guy that is highly educated very professional and clean cut dude. Heck I'm professional and clean cut when I choose to be. Jeremy is dedicated and like me wants to do as much for his car himself as possible. In fact it is driving me up the wall that I have to take my car to have the interior done. Mario has the supplies and tools that I dont want to buy. After he's done you'll never hear me say "I" did it I'll gracefully admit I didnt have the tools and skills.

The remainder of this comment should strike down any negative interpretation.

First and foremost...if you have the money spend it the way you choose, its yours. You've earned the right. Your money, your car do it the way you want.

429....."I admit that I am unskilled when it comes to fixing cars much less being able to take a car from near death and make it new again. I am in awe of that skill and have much respect for you and what you are able to do with these great cars.

Although I did not restore my car I do know a lot about it. I never represent myself as the person that restored it.

Am I thought of as something less of a person because I can't replace a floor pan?"

YOU answered your own question. Understand I've been to 100's of car shows and I run across these guys all the time that claim they did all the work and in fact they took their CHECKBOOK and had this guy do the interior...that guy do the motor, another guy do the tranny etc etc and CLAIMS or REPRESENTS they did it. THAT is a checkbook restorer! now feel free to be offended, you were the last person on my mind when I gave Jeremy a compliment.

NObody that I know here thinks you're less a person. Because you wrote a check? Because you did not claim to have restored the car. Fact is I'm too afraid to do my own painting, didnt want to ruin a great car, however I did a lot of the prep work with the supervision of the shop manager . Want to know what HE said? "you sho hawd wok'n for a white guy, dont mind get'n yur hands deherty an wok'n Hawd" THEN he laughed at me. Should I be OFFENDED?

With that said, NOW you can be offended if you "choose" to be. (Jeremy would never end his sentence in a preposition rofl) Since you called me out, IF you were that guy? Yeah I wouldn't have a problem calling you that.

 
All I know is that sometimes it's harder to pull out that check book and write out that big ass check then to have done the work yourself. I respect anybody who is either willing to do the work or willing to shell out the bucks for somebody else to do the work. As long as their willing to share credit with the craftsman who rebuilt that engine or put that beautiful paint job down.

 
All I know is that sometimes it's harder to pull out that check book and write out that big ass check then to have done the work yourself. I respect anybody who is either willing to do the work or willing to shell out the bucks for somebody else to do the work. As long as their willing to share credit with the craftsman who rebuilt that engine or put that beautiful paint job down.
Bingo!! Exactly what I would've said if I'd had the gift of 'brevity.'

It's all good, Dana. We knew what'cha meant... and totally feel the same way. I think we're all on the same page here. ::thumb::

 
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