dont know about you guys but....

All these TV shows that restore and rebuild or build hot rods. At 8pm the host has a piece of a rusty fender and one bolt off a 32ford deuce and by 9pm there is a full race 32duece coupe with a LS454. stopped watching them or is the cynic in me coming out. It takes me all damn day to free up and restore one simple brake/clutch mechanism. All day and 50 miles of driving, heavy lifting and getting quite dirty in sandblasting the frame on my project. These quys dont even get dirty or sweat, i go in the house after laying on my back freeing up rusty bolts knuckles bleeding five pounds of crap in my eyes

We all know that those shows, like the "fix-up-the-house shows", the "get-the-huge deer-at dusk on the last day" or "finally-catch-the-mystery-fish' shows are little more than cartoons. They do a disservice to real restorers, hunters, fishermen and other real people.

It took almost two-years to restore the '48. We all know that there is a lot of time getting one bolt loose, waiting for that part we discovered was too worn to salvage, trying to find a salvage part for the piece that just isn't available from a catalog or even that one piece made of unobtainium.

Bless my wife's heart, she understood that things don't work like they do on the reality cartoon shows. Those of us who do real Jeep work just shake our heads and carry-on.

Band-Aids, Lava soap and a bottle of saline eye wash - things that don't get put on a restore parts list!

If we all had an unlimited new parts budget, sponsorship, and a group of 10 "A" squad TV (expert restoration.....)personalities, with countless off screen worker bees doing all the hard work. We could all have a Heep in a week. Those of us that work a real job, and work on our hobby rides in our spare time, takes time. If the work were to really be done in a week, I would hate to see the end product in a year or two. Earl Sheib $99.95 paint quality? Would it include the complimentary newspaper quarter rust filler-backer, and if the windows are down, a free interior over spray? I'll stick with my drive way restoration. It may take a whole lot longer, but at least I know every part of it.