Who are we. Really?

Wow.... Grumpy lately?

Yes, not everyone is a master car builder. Heck, in today's society I'm amazed to find anyone who is even willing to take on the challenge of just trying to build one of these cars. The skills aren't taught in schools anymore unless you willing to pay for college for multiple years. And they are full fledged money pits, and we're not all just made of money and can't afford to send our cars off to a shop to get the engine built and the car painted and the wiring done and the interior done, and the mountain of other things the cars require. Besides, sending it away and paying someone to build it for you isn't building a Bradley anyway.

We can't all have Skip's building skills. So we have to do what we can with what we have.

We aren't all wealthy, We can't send our cars off to the shop for engine, electric, or body work anytime we want to.

We do what we can and some people need more help than others. Did you build your car completely by yourself? or did you pay someone to build most of it for you? Did you do all the wiring, upholstery, Body work and paint, Brake system, suspension, did YOU mount and balance the tires? Did YOU personally mount the glass, tint the windows, etch the glass, rebuild the engine, install the clutch? or did you pay a few different people to do the work for you then take the credit by saying you built the car. Heck I didn't make my seat covers, but I have done everything else. (including Mounting and balancing the tires) and I'm sure there are others here who have done the same thing.

Now that I've rambled on I really just had one thing to say. Get off your high horse and let the rest of us at least try have a dream of some sort. Sorry we're not as perfect as you but at least we were here together trying to do SOMETHING. It's not like these cars have any OTHER hope of surviving without the Dreams of the little people, and our hope to one day drive our little eggshells on wheels and look cool while doing it.

I'm sorry I'm not as perfect as you. And personally if owning a Bradley is about perfection I guess I got the whole idea of the car wrong.

Who are we? Really?

Apparently we are the unwashed masses and not as smart and as great as you. From now on we shall grovel before our great master and strive for only perfection in his eyes.

Ah yes, the eternal question...

Well, now we know who you are.

As for me... I'm just a guy who saw a GTII for sale and fell in love. I had to buy it. That was several years before I even had a drivers license. Years later, I finally have the time/money to tear it apart and start the work I always knew I needed to do.

I'm not a builder. The most I've ever done is change my own oil. I've taught myself numerous skills over the years (playing drums and building/repairing computers/networks as a few examples), and now I'm teaching myself how to fix my Bradley. I may never use this knowledge again, but that's not important.

I'm not doing it for prestige, or to "get some tail". I'm doing it because I love the car. I'm doing it because it's fun to drive. It deserves to be fixed up and driven. It's going to be my summer driver, I don't care what it costs because the car will never be for sale.

Now... Who are "we"... When you say "we", I think you're talking about the forum community. I'm hoping it's the kind of community that helps people like me learn the things I'll need to know before I'm done. I'm hoping the "builders" are willing to share their knowledge when I need it.

I'm sure the answers for most, if not all, of my questions will be easily found in the wealth of knowledge already shared on the board... but I'm hoping I won't be judged if the time comes that I need to ask for help.

Hi everyone. My name is nihil, and I'm an addict. I took my first hit of petrol when I was just a kid, and it quickly grew into a habit before I even had a drivers license. I would stay up late reading about engine driven machines, I would sneak into my dads toolbox without his permission, I would tinker with anything I could get my hands on, and I spent most of my days in school daydreaming about my next fix.

It came to a head one day around the tender age of 10 or 12. My parents were supposed to be out for most of the afternoon, but they came home early and caught me in the act. When they pulled into the driveway, I could tell my father was furious before they had even come to a stop. Lay before them, where his car would normally be parked, was the entire dash, half the interior, and a not insignificant portion of the engine compartment of my mothers `73 Celica GT.

Neither of them said a word to me in what seemed like eternity. I sat motionless and terrified in the passenger seat of that noble Toyota while my hysterical mother all but had a mental breakdown. After my father had somewhat eased her nerves and convinced her to go inside, he stood there looking at me for a moment, then finally spoke. In a very calm yet stern voice, the words "put it back together" shot forth. After a deep sigh and a slight shake of the head, he turned around and walked inside, knowing that the work I had before me paled in comparison to what he had in store doing damage control with my mother.

It must have been 9PM by the time I finished restoring that car to its previous operable glory, missing dinner, and wrapping up by the light of a distant streetlamp and dim glow of a flashlight with half dead batteries. I was ordered straight to bed when I dared walk through the front door of the house. As I lay there I heard the familiar sound of my dad walking out to the car, firing up that lovely piece of Japanese engineering, and pulling out of the driveway. I can only assume his test drive was a success, as even to this day that incident has not once been mentioned again.

So 30 years and 30+ cars of my own later, here I am, still chasing my next fix. I'm an addict and I hope that never changes. My body might be older now but that's who I am to this day, that kid who rebuilt half a `73 Toyota Celica.

Darn, now that was entertaining!