If you couldn't work on your maverick any more what would you do?

What would you do if you had a condition where you couldn't work on your maverick any more, what would you do? keep it and be constantly reminded of what you want to do and know that you can't without consequences? do you sell it? what? lets say the situation is such that what used to take you 30-45 minutes now takes you 3-4 hours and your in ALOT of pain for 1 to 2 weeks after, than it goes down to abit of pain from then on... I know this is a odd question but I'm getting fustrated.

 

Pay a young kid to do it and sit back in a recliner.

 

Honestly if it was me I would probably be forced to sell of all my cars and pick up a new mustang 5.0

I hope it never happens but about 6 months ago I had a huge wake up call, I was working on the car ALL weekend long. Talking 14 hour days sat and sunday and about 6 hours friday night.

When monday morning came, I could NOT get out of bed to go to the bathroom, could not move! I had to get help to even get dressed and not a chance of putting on socks or shoes.

Straight to the emergency room after taking 3 of my wifes vicodine, by the time I got to doctor in agonizing pain again.

Doctor said strained muscle in my back, gave me muscle relaxers and pain pills sent me home.

Lost out of work all week because of the pain pills not being able to work (operate heavy equipment on daily basis).

I am blessed is was only short term, but really made me think, this is a hobby quit killing yourself over it, and get yourself in better shape.

So I have been slowly working on it, now if I could only quit smoking

 

i would need to find a way to let the car go. man would that be hard. i will pray for you to get well.

 

I probably wud sell if the probability of me being able to work on the car again was slim to none. I see the car as a hobby; I don't work on it any more than abt 3-4 hrs at a crack. When I was young I wud work long hrs on a car, but, now I realize that's a thing of the past and act accordinly. If I am working where I have to bend over the fender for anymore than abt 20 min, I jack the car up so I won't have to lean over so far - makes a difference in my case.
I was re-installing the heater/AC box Thursday and to lazy to remove the seat. I did'nt get it in - not cuz I did'nt remove the seat but needed extra set of hands on the engine bayside to put on a fastner . Next time I will remove seat and have some help.
I cud feel it in my back and legs later that day - was lucky to be ok the next day.

 

ACtually having my car at the stage its at was a huge accomplishment for me. I was slowly losing out on one thing at a time that I could do in my life. Very frustrating. I set out to buy my car and get it done before I got worse and it was no longer an option. Started with back and joint issues years back and finally got diagnosed last year. Ankylosing spondolitis. Basically untreated it fuses your vertebrae solid. It hurts like hell and muscle spasms are an everyday part of life as things stiffen. I still managed to get my car done somehow and it made it a much bigger deal for me. Cant really put it into words. The car was the kick start to me taking my life back. Got a new doctor who sent me to a great arthritis specialist. I now take meds to stop my body attacking my spine and even though most of the stiffness remains my pain is down from an 8-9 to a 1-2 and the disease process has stopped. . To put it in perspective a year an a half ago I could barely pick up my 1 year old daughter out of the crib and some days couldnt even do that. Now I can take her sledding.
Of course medical conditions differ but attitudes dont. Dont ever give up. If I had given up I wouldnt even be able to work by now and I dont even want to think what mental state I would have been in. Normally I wouldnt share this much info on an open forum sort of thing but I think it relates to yourself.
I hope things turn around for you some how and get better. Its so worth the fight.

As far as the car goes though it would be the last thing on my mind if I couldnt function in my family life. I now have that back and the car is a bonus. Somehow I think I owe it all to my car though.

 

I hate to pay someone for something I know how to do even though I may not be able to do it, I just think about what the money for labor could go toward and I don't know if I'd trust someone younger than me unless they were into the older cars to... I ran out of left-over percocet from my sergury. I want to shoot the next person that says "your to young to be feeling that way, just wait another 20 years when your my age..." yet they seem to be feeling a hell of alot better than I am on any given day I see them (co-workers) either that or they got some good meds. I was able to do the 16 hour day working on the car only a year and a half ago and only feel a little sore after words and at the same time better that I accomplished something, but in the last year I've degraded so far... this last month or so as a example... changed spark plugs normal time 30-45 minutes now 4 hrs, distributor was 30-45 minutes now 6-8 hrs, 1 front brake hose was 45-60 minutes (including bleeding the systom) now 4 hrs... I'm starting to feel like a alcoholic sents I drink every night to relieve the pain and loosen the muscles... I can't leave a job unfinished for very long because my maverick is my daily driver, and I hate leaving a job unfinished anyway... got a rigid chopper but I can't ride it anymore due to the extra fatigue from riding vs driving than add the harshness of a rigid... The thyroid does alot more than I had ever thought, damned cancer and radiation... now I don't have a thyroid and as far as I know my cancer is gone but now I can't get anything done to feel that I accomplished something... every muscle is cramped (knots that are almost as hard as bone), muscle twitches, cramps (who know that a muscle that was already cramped could get "cramped"), shakes, pain, can't think clearly, always tired (like you haven't sleeped for 2 to 3 days)... obviously I'm not thinking clearly, I usually would be blabbing like this if I was... I've been temped to sell the car and just get something economical that doesn't require alot of work... but than again I would probably want to modify it and make it better...

 

I have a 22 year old daughter that loves the car too, and currently bracket races it. I have an 11 year old son that thinks the car is a legend (kind of is!) so I don't think I would have any problem teaching them to take care of it! I've had it over 30 years, and pretty sure (except for being in an accident) will die still owning it.

 

I would burn my garage down, with the cars in it. If I can't have them no one can!! Muhahahahahahahahaaaa!!!

 

It is hard to imagine what you are going through.

If you can't ride the chopper at this point, what about selling that, and use those funds to get some kind of economical car as a daily driver?

Then hang in there, and see if your conditions settle down over time? Do you have a long-term prognosis from your doc? Your body has been through a big shock ... might need some time yet.

 

My Mav....
I would post it on the board for...FREE...anyone interested could send a PM and i would take the names, put them in a hat, draw a name and it would be theirs, plus any spare parts.
that's just the way i am... ...I have already given away one Mav. (I had over 10K in)...yes...gave it away.

if it starts to...aggravate or cause pain...it's gone...

...take up collecting...Maverick model cars...:Handshake

 

I hurt my back on Feb. 2 1990, I was working as a pipe fitter at the shipyard here, basically had a 20 foot steel pipe set on my shoulder and took all the weight of it, 11 disc in my back some bulging and some ruptured. refused surgery (the only surgeon they wanted to let me see walks with a cane so no way) sold my four Mavericks back then, had a buy 1 get 1 free sale on them and one guy bought them all, my back would not let me push in the clutch pedals and barely the brake! I have learned my limits, but as I get older it is creeping up on me steadily, my car is the best thing I have done for myself in the last ten years...it has got me out and under it, alll around it and basically moving and doing things to it are actually helping me at this point...my back seems to be doing better in the last year than it had in quite a while, feels good to be able to put my shoes on without pain...I hate pain meds anyhow, they only hide the pain and allow you to hurt yourself worse in my opinion, so I never really liked to take them and if I did, I didn't want to do anything for fear of hurting something worse.
Bottom line is my Grabber has got me doing better, and to repay it I will make it a nice looking and driving car,we have the technology we can make them better, faster, stronger then they have ever been!
And no I won't spend a Million bucks....but I sure feel like a MIllion bucks!

 

If you couldn't work on your maverick any more what would you do?


I'd probably move on to another hobby--I tend to do that anyway. There's a lot of interesting, fun and rewarding things to do out there that are a hell of a lot easier than working on cars.

Good luck my friend--sorry to hear you're even in the position to have to make a decision like this.

 

I agree with CaptainComet. If I were in that situation (and I have been to some extent) getting rid of the Maverick wouldn't be the issue. If I had to for money reasons I could, because ultimately it's just a hunk of steel. But I have it around for the mental challenge more than the physical one. Here's what I'm saying, I enjoy the challenge of changing it or making it better. If it takes a week or six months to do one little thing it doesn't matter. The difference is that it's not my daily driver. That's why I agree with the captain that I would sell the bike and get a comfortable daily car leaving the Maverick for a hobby. Do what you can, and for what you cannot just invite over some like minded gearheads...serve some lunch and have some fun. As they say, 'at the end of the day' it's all about having fun with your hobby, not killing yourself to keep it running.

 

I've had the chopper on craigslist for afew months now with very little interest, I keep lowering the price and that helps to get a little more interest periodicly but no buyers yet, I do plan on getting a "regular" daily driver with the money I get from it. I never did like to take pain killers either but everybody has a boiling point when they just want some relief and be able to feel a little less pain for atleast a couple hours... I made a one month supply of percocet last me a year because I only took one when I couldn't take the pain anymore... I haven't got much better in the last year, when I do my doc changes the meds and I feel my worst again... usually the drive home or to work is the high point of my day if the car is running good than theres the issues that keep reminding me of what I need to work on. I do have other hobbies but nothing that I enjoy the results (when there good) as much as the car.