There are some projects that you want so badly to start on, but common sense keeps getting in the way, despite all attempts by the car-guy aspects of your psyche to do an end-run around said common sense and appeal directly to the emotional parts of your brain. This is one such car. In short, I want it. I want it so badly I can almost taste it. I have visions of how amazing it would be for a boulevard cruiser. I have debated with myself over whether it would be worth it to spend three times the amount on gas that I spend now to take a road-trip. (The answer was a resounding yes.) I have envisioned how it would look with a high-gloss paint, a mild suspension drop and an upsized set of retro-style wheels, and found it to be fantastic. I have envisioned what it would look like brought back to bone stock, and while not quite so fantastic, found it to be more than appealing enough. I have contemplated the logistics of trying to haul it, extract it from its prison, and find a place to work on it, and found it all to be an effort I was willing to undertake. The dilemma, however, was sheerly in the scale of the project. There is something intimidating about taking on a project that is this BIG. You know the costs for paint and body work will be astronomical. The engine is enormous, and housed in an engine bay that could take at least three modern engines, possibly four. The upholstery would require so much vinyl and velour that the pelts alone would put both animals on the endangered species list. The fuel required would doubtless be able to power almost… one… modern Hummer sport ute. Or perhaps not. It certainly is do-able. The scale of the project is so vast as to be almost inconceivable, but it’s not impossible. After all, there are people out there who have restored WWII bombers all by themselves, and they’re only slightly smaller than an Imperial. Perhaps the worst part was the phrase from its current owner when trying to convince me to take the project on. “Oh, come on, I’ll give you a hand! How hard can it be?” Absolutely true. How hard CAN it be? After all, everything becomes easier with the generous application of copious amounts of money.
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